Category: promise

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Deuteronomy 23 Vows

Gods Word is our standard

A vow is a promise to be fulfilled lest you bring sin into the camp. Moses, as the compiler of what God had said wrote: “When you make a vow to the Lord your God you must notdelay in fulfilling it, for otherwise he will surely hold you accountable as a sinner.  If you refrain from making a vow, it will not be sinful.  Whatever you vow, you must be careful to do what you have promised” [Deut 23:21-24]

Interesting that both Moses and Solomon wrote much the same thing. In Ecclesiastes Solomon added this: if  make a vow, be sure to keep it otherwise you will be seen as a fool.. [Eccl 5:4] 

God is serious about what we promise.  Today watch you what you say and what you promise to God or another. 

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Numbers 27 Women Count!

The daughters of Zelophehad were wise and cunning

Of all the stories of women in the Bible, this chapter is a favorite of mine. God cares for the weak as well as the strong, men as well as women. How beautiful to see the daughters of Zelophehad follow the rules of submission but also of courage and honor for their deceased father. The girls were strong but yet came before Moses to claim their inheritance. This was new and Moses went to God to determine what should be done since this father had no sons to whom the inheritance should be passed. God heard and He answered. These daughters should receive their inheritance just as if they were boys. This is a “YAY” God story. 

God cares for those the world sees as least. Learn from these girls, honor the deceased, honor the leaders, seek the answer from God and his chosen leaders. Now the next chapter will show us the heart of the men who were their cousins. Stay tuned…

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Psalm 90 Blessings

Nehemiah's epitaph

In his quiet time, Moses prayed to the Lord; “The days of our lives add up to 70 years, or 80, if one is especially strong.” And yet Moses lived well beyond that! In fact, he lived to be 120! “Assuming Moses did write this psalm it is interesting that he said the normal human life span was 70 years. He lived to be 120, Aaron was 123 when he died, and Joshua died at 110. Their long lives testify to God’s faithfulness in providing long lives to the godly as He promised under the Mosaic Covenant.” [Dr. C notes] 

It is important to remember this principle as we age and to praise God for the length of our years. God knows the end but we are to be faithful until that time. How are you living today? Are you praising God for the years that He has given you and are you busy about His business as Moses was? 

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Genesis 22 It takes Faith…

God tests our heart motives

Hebrews reminds us that by faith Abraham obeyed God in leaving his home and by waiting on God for a son to be born as one born out of due time. Yet, even though Abraham obeyed God, he was tested by God to prove his faithfulness. We too are tested by God to prove our faithfulness and our steadfastness. Abraham was found faithful and God recognized it and counted him as righteous. 

As we look at our lives, we can experience tests just as Abraham and like his son Isaac, we see the wood and the fire but where is the lamb? Abraham wisely answered that God Himself would provide the lamb and He did. When you face a test and wonder where the lamb is, will you stop and believe without a shadow of doubt that God will provide? 

Over and over through the OT and NT we see Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He provided the east wind to draw the Nile back so the Israelites could walk across on dry ground. He provided water for Rahab in the desert. He provided the walls to fill down in Jericho so the city could be conquered. In Acts, God provided two angelic visitors to release Peter from prison.

Where have you seen God’s provision in your life? What was the result? 

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1.3.25.God is a Promise Keeper

Genesis 5-8 God’s Character 

God's Promises are FOREVER Because He is a Promise Keeper!

Reading this once again reminds me of the consequences of sin and the blessings of obedience. When we toured the Ark in Kentucky it became clear to me the gargantuan task Noah had and why it took so long. These four men built this but I wonder if they realized the point of it all? When God calls me to a large task will I be as obedient as Noah even though others may not understand? 

I love what one author said: “the author is intentionally drawing out the similarities between God’s covenant with Noah and the covenant at Sinai. Why? The answer that best fits with the author’s purposes is that he wants to show that God’s covenant at Sinai is not a new act of God. The covenant is rather a return to God’s original promises.”

Today as we work through our tasks let us remember this wise counsel and know that as God promised Noah, He promised to send His Son for my sin. God is a promise keeper and that is my thought for today. 

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12.22.24. Blessings?

Rules are given for a purpose

Revelation 16 Blessings or Damnation

While the angels pour out the horror from heaven, the earthlings refuse to repent.Yet,those who do echo these words: “Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition be seen.”

Men are stubborn and refuse to repent, but this is not new news. Reading this morning about the King of Assyria who mocked God and boasted of his accomplishments died in his temple by the hands of his sons. Pharaoh mocked God and he drowned in the Red Sea.  Over and over, God has given us these truths to remind us of Galatians 6: “Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”  

God is clear. Mock Him and pay the price. Honor Him and be blessed. 

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9/20/24 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord

Psalm 105 Recall and Share

The psalmist who wrote these words had one basic reminder: seek the Lord and give Him praise. You wonder as he penned these words if he was recalling the past of his nation and how God preserved the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the land of Egypt just as He had promised. As we read this, are we encouraged to recall God’s faithfulness to us today as we seek the Lord, recall His faithfulness and praise Him and Him only. It is good to praise the Lord. It is good to recall His faithfulness. It is good to recall His work to remind us that He alone is faithful. It is good to recall these words so that we are reminded that we too are of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because we are grafted and  part of the true vine, Jesus Christ. 

Praise the Lord and His faithfulness. 

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Faithful Friends

Mark 2 In chapter 1 Jesus leaves Galilee and begins his preaching career with his new disciples who have obeyed and followed Him. When Jesus calls, we must surrender and follow. They had moved from town to town quickly and after some time, they returned to Capernaum where Jesus had healed Peter’s mother in law and He had spent the night in prayer. Even though there were no town criers or newspapers or text messages, the people became aware that this man, Jesus, had returned. Many had heard, perhaps, of how he had healed and taught and so they came wondering if he would do the same here. Amongst this crowd four precious friends brought a paralyzed friend in hopes of his healing. 

The friends were persistent and left no stone unturned for when they could not enter the house, they went up on the rooftop and removed the covering to lower him to see Jesus. Unlike the religious leaders sitting listening, these friends came for the healing touch of Jesus and were not disappointed. Did they realize that Jesus would point out their sins? Probably not. They came for physical healing but went away with both physical and spiritual healing. Jesus sees the heart as well as the physical need. 

Where do you have a need that only Jesus can supply? Will you be as persistent as these four friends to bring someone to Jesus? 

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Praying and Praising

The power of prayer

Psalm 23 and 24 teach us both practical ideas for praying and praising God. He is our Shepherd and He is our provider and protector. Here’s an idea you might use as you meditate on these psalms: ACTS (A = Adoration, C = Confession, T = Thanksgiving, S = Supplication) You can build your own prayer using this as a springboard:

A….Lord you are my shepherd and You alone are sovereign, and know each created being that has life and breath.

C…Lord, look within my heart. Cleanse me where I am found not to be blameless, where my motives are impure. Reveal to me if I have any untruthfulness or have made any promises with no intention of keeping them. Cleanse me that I may be pure and holy before you as I enter my time of worship.

T…Lord, I know and am thankful that you promise godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them.

S….Lord, how wonderful to know these promises and pray that all who choose you will know them as well. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

You might close with a summarized and personalized Aaronic blessing: Lord may you bless and keep me as you make your face to shine upon me. Be gracious to me and bless me with your peace.

What prayer will you offer today using A-C-T-S?

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Preparing for Eternity

Are you ready?

Luke 13: “Repent…”
Jesus is asking if we are prepared for eternity. Without the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to repentance of the heart, we are the most desperate people.

In Jesus’ journey around Israel, people asked him about repentance and his message of grace and mercy. The recent calamities of that time revealed how quickly life can be terminated. Even today, when faced with such circumstances, we often wonder, as they did, if it was caused by sin.

Jesus took that opportunity to say that time is short and one must repent and accept God’s gracious gift of salvation. He wanted them to prepare now for the future. because, as Jeremiah reminds us: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked.” [Jer 17:9] Only by repenting what we know as sin are we ready to enter heaven and be with Jesus. Please don’t get caught like the synagogue leader who thought another day would be better. Today is the day of salvation. To delay is to test God and His patience. Many woke today thinking of what they had to do and where they had to go but did not consider eternity. They kept saying tomorrow, tomorrow, but God said today.
We are all sinners in need of repentance. Today is the day of salvation; do not delay.

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