Category Archives: Daily devotions

I Think We’ve Got It Wrong

Leave a reply

Numbers 4-9

Chapter 5 reminds me that God demands purity in His house. Those who were unclean were to be put out, removed “that they defile not their camps, in the midst where of I dwell.” (vs 3) It goes on to say when someone sins, “then they shall confess their sin which they have done…” (vs 7).

Now I know some will say these verses were about physical diseases and we shouldn’t put spiritual lessons into everything. And I would say your are wrong about that. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells me there is something to learn about our walk with the Lord in every verse of the Bible.

So considering how often God tells us to keep ourselves free from uncleanliness and those who would defile His dwelling place, I’m sorry but I think we need to stop inviting unsaved people to church. That is in direct opposition of what Scripture repeatedly tells us should be happening in God’s house. If we want God to be in the midst of our worship, we had better be a holy people unto the Lord. (Deuteronomy 14:2).

“Well,” you might say, “if only holy people can worship then there’d be no one in the pews.”

And there’s the problem. We have exchanged holiness for numbers. Our churches are social clubs and soup kitchens. We’ve got play grounds and polished performances, but we don’t even talk about holiness.

We approach worship like a sporting event. We want to have an experience instead of being cleansed. We open our arms in the name of inclusion, and welcome sinners into the fold. Instead of going and making disciples, we think an invitation to church is sufficient. It sure is easier.

Oh, Church – I think we’ve got it wrong.

True Justice

2 Replies

Leviticus 2-5

A couple of things stood out to me today as I read these chapters in Leviticus. One is that no one was exempt from offering a sacrifice for sin. Offering a sacrifice was the ONLY way a person could be forgiven by God. No exceptions.

If a person was too poor to offer a lamb, or even a couple of birds, he could offer a handful of grain. Being poor did not give a person a free pass. And the poor person didn’t expect someone else to bring a sacrifice for him. A person’s offering had to cost that person something.

The truth we see here is that each of us has to bring our own sins to the foot of the cross. We are responsible for our own repentance, our own acknowledgment of sin, and our own offering of ourselves to God in order to be forgiven. No one can do that for us. Dealing with our sin is something between ourselves and God in a personal, intimate encounter. It’s the same for every human being.

The other thing that stood out is actually related to the first. It’s the fact that ignorance is not bliss. Someone who sinned without realizing that what he’d done was considered a sin, was still guilty of sin. There was no such thing as, “My bad!” to get off the hook.

Once an action was revealed as sin, the guilty party had to offer a sacrifice in order to be forgiven of that sinful action. That’s why I think we who know the Truth need to be calling sin sin, not choice, not a character flaw, not a mistake or shortcoming.

Sin is serious. The wages of sin is death. And the only way to escape that eternal separation from God is to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross, to accept His gift of grace; the forgiveness of our sin.

The requirements are the same if you sin knowingly or unknowingly, if you are wealthy or poor, Jewish or Protestant, American or Iraqi. That’s what makes God’s conditions fair for all of us.

There is perfect justice because God is perfectly just. There is one requirement all humans must meet in order to receive eternal life. Jesus met that requirement when he died on the cross, then came back to life three days later. He is the perfect sacrifice for my sin and yours.

And you and I are required by God’s Law to “believe in the Lord Jesus.” Jesus, the Messiah, eternal God in the flesh, the fulfillment of the Law, the only way, truth, and life, the perfect Lamb of God.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

That’s true for every single person without exception. That’s true justice.

Why All The Tiny Details, God?

Leave a reply

Exodus 24-27

Were you tempted to skim over these chapters today? If you are a visual learner or if you aren’t into architecture and construction details, you probably were like me and found your eyes glazing over. Pictures! I need pictures!

Whatever was God thinking, to include such minute details in His Word for a structure that has long since been destroyed? I don’t even know what a cubit is – or care.

But as is the case every time I read these chapters and others like them, I am reminded ALL Scripture has a purpose. It grows us, stretches us, strengthens us to make us useful members of God’s kingdom. God’s Word reveals Himself in an intimate and meaningful way. All of it. Including these chapters in Exodus.

So this morning, when I found my eyes glazing over I stopped, backed up, and read again, asking God to speak to my heart. He always answers that prayer!

Today I found myself honing in on the Mercy Seat, the Holy of Holies, and the curtain that separated God from the people. The building of the Tabernacle was so that God could be a visible Presence as the Jews wandered in the wilderness. It was the place the people could go to God in praise and worship, and to receive forgiveness for their sins. From what I can tell, it must have been a beautiful structure there in the desert. And there in the center of it all was where God lived on Earth.

Amazing!

The truth of it is, every detail of the Tabernacle points to Jesus. Probably in more ways than we realize. The Tabernacle was a real life picture of Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. When I read how the curtain in the Temple tore in two the moment Jesus died, I think back to the description of the curtain here in Exodus, and the purpose it was there.

It reminds me that now, after Jesus, there is unhindered access to the throne of God. God doesn’t live in a tent any more. He does not live in temples made by hands. He lives in those of us who have accepted His mercy and grace through the blood of His precious Son, Jesus!

We are the temple of God if we have repented of our sin. And all the minute details we read about in the building of the Tabernacle, God is as detailed in His building of you and me, His current home on Earth.

So don’t skim over these chapters. Read every word. Every detail. They were written for you from the God who loves you and wants you to know Him!

Prepare

Leave a reply

Genesis 16-19

This past Sunday in Sunday School we talked about worship, our responsibility and God’s acceptance of our worship. We agreed that our present day Church seems to have adopted a more casual approach to worship, more so than when we were young. We wondered if God was pleased.

Today I read In Exodus what God told the Israelites to do before approaching Him. And I was interested in what my study Bible said about 19:9-11:

“Moses was told to consecrate the people. This meant getting them physically and spiritually ready to meet God. The people were to set themselves apart from sin and even ordinary daily routine in order to dedicate themselves to God. The act of washing and preparing served to get their minds and hearts ready. When we meet God for worship, we should set aside the cares and preoccupations of everyday life. Use your time of physical preparation to get your mind ready to meet God.” (Chronological Life Application Study Bible (KJV); Tyndale House Publishers; 2004; page163) (emphasis mine)

So often we approach worship in the same way we attend a sporting event, high-fives and laughter. Some attend worship service with less thought than they put into going to a neighborhood picnic. Many churches have foregone a prelude because, either no one listens anyway, or it is deemed “traditional.” The worship service begins when the song leader, over the chatter and noice, says, “Good morning!”

Is that how you pursue worship of our Holy God? Are your actions before approaching Him important? The Bible seems to think so. Thinking about this today has me considering how I approach my quiet time each day as well. I am convicted.

Let’s prepare our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls for worship this week, and every time we dare approach God. Sunday’s primary objective is not to catch up with your friends. Take time to greet them after you worship. The primary objective is God, and only God.

As you shower, tie your shoelaces, drive the car, walk through the doors of your church, direct your attention to the important reason why you do those things. Take a seat, bow your head, quietly lay your sins at the feet of the One you are there to worship. Prepare your heart. He doesn’t accept our worship if we don’t.

Are you prepared to worship? Really prepared? You need to be.

Please Join Us

Leave a reply

Genesis 1-5

I am so excited! If this isn’t your first time reading my blog, you know I have been reading through the Bible every year for a while now. And you will probably know that my favorite way to read it is chronologically. So imagine my excitement when yesterday morning the pastor invited our church family to read the Bible TOGETHER this year… chronologically! We are using the reading plan from the YourVersion Bible app. What can I say? I’m in!

So to start the year out in Genesis, something occurred to me about Adam and Eve’s original sin. It seems contrary to Paul’s teaching that we ought to strive to be like Christ. Paul even tells us to have the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2, Philippians 2:5-11). So why, then, was Satan so wrong to tell Eve she could achieve the goal of being like God by eating the fruit? Why is it ok for Paul to tell us to be like God, and wrong for Satan to suggest the same thing?

The obvious answer is: Eve was told not to eat the fruit. That bite was blatant disobedience, and that is NOT being like God.

The lesson for us is that becoming godly men and women, having the mind of Christ is not easy. There are no shortcuts. Saying certain words, working up an emotional worship experience, attending church or reading a quick devotional in the morning doesn’t necessarily translate into becoming more like Jesus.

Sometimes there are growing pains. Sometimes there are surgeries, pruning, the cutting away of sin in our lives. And it hurts! We call it sanctification, and it doesn’t happen any other way than walking with God… one step at a time. It takes falling down and allowing God to pick us up and set us on the right path again. It takes confronting sin and humbling ourselves in order to receive God’s grace.

It takes an intentional effort on our part – like reading God’s Word every day, meditating on it, questioning it, talking about it, memorizing it, using it… every day. I can’t think of a more valuable New Year’s Resolution!

So, dear one, I hope you will join the Frederica Baptist Church family and read through the Bible in 2023. Then let’s talk about it. Let’s let God grow us into people who are more and more like Jesus every day. I’m excited about the prospect of doing this with you!

Woke Is No Joke

Leave a reply

Acts 21

Man, we have not changed in 2,000 years. The parallel between what happened to Paul in Jerusalem, and what is happening today is unmistakable. Someone started a rumor using a half truth (which is a whole lie), and a mob formed; an angry mob that wanted to cancel Paul. (Ok. The wording in Scripture is actually “kill him.” But you get the picture).

I am convinced the Woke mob of the 21st Century are up in arms over lies. And that movement wants to cancel anyone who dares point that out. I couldn’t begin to list all the lies they’ve adopted as “their truth.” But it ranges from sexual identity to racism, global warming to the very definitions of love and truth.

They blindly follow the liars who tell them that when they are “woke,” they are free from the restraints of bigots, religion, white men, and capitalism. But these woke folks are walking in their sleep. Their eyes are tightly shut, even as they are told they are seeing for the first time. They join a mob of the blind leading the blind.

1 Corinthians 3:19a says:

For the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God’s sight.

Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2-3)

The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about fools (which I interpret as woke). Google Bible verses about fools if you want to know what God has to say about people who think they know more than He does.

Fools, how long will you love being ignorant? How long will you make fun of wisdom? How long will you hate knowledge? (Proverbs 1:22)

The mob in Paul’s day wanted to kill him. And they were wrong in their belief.

They were wrong.

And so is anyone who bases his or her belief on anything other than the authority of God’s Word.

Wokeness is foolishness whether it’s proclaimed by people wanting nothing to do with God, or by people calling themselves Christians. And, like the mob that wanted Paul dead, the woke mob is dangerous. They may want to silence the Truth, may want to silence you and I who proclaim the Truth, but they are mostly a danger to their own eternal souls.

This is serious. Woke is no joke.

Just Asking

Leave a reply

Nehemiah 7

The reading of God’s Word was taken so seriously in Nehemiah’s day. When Ezra stood up and began to read, the people stood and listened closely… from early morning to noon! (verse 3)

Everyone listened, including children who were old enough to understand.

Hours.

Standing.

Listening closely.

Ezra didn’t preach. He read God’s Word.

Does your church stand for the reading of God’s Word (the whole 90 seconds it takes to read the morning passage)?

Do you read for hours, comfortably sitting in your home with a cup of coffee, listening closely to God’s Word?

Just asking.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Leave a reply

Lamentations 3

“Great is thy faithfulness,” O God my Father
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.
As Thou hast been Thou forever will be.

“Great is Thy faithfulness.” “Great is Thy faithfulness.”
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided –
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me.

That beautiful hymn is probably familiar to those of us over 40. I always hear the words and music in my head whenever I read Lamentations 3:22-24. “Morning by morning new mercies I see.”

But did you know these words of assurance are found smack dab in the middle of suffering and pain in the book of Lamentations? God has told the prophet that Israel will receive their just punishment for sins against God. And God will exact judgment without mercy. There is no escape.

Yet the writer has hope in the truth of God’s faithful love and mercy. Here’s the reason, though:

The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. (vs 25)

Over and over Scripture equates God’s blessings with our obedience. His presence, protection, and provision are not just a blanket promise thrown over the earth. If we aren’t obedient – God will not bless. If we reject Him – He will not hear or help us, at all.

I love that old hymn. But there have been times I have been falsely comforted when singing it while harboring unrepentant sin in my life. Those words don’t apply to disobedient people, even if singing them makes us feel good.

God is faithful to keep His promises. And He promises to reject people who reject Him, to punish those who disobey. Great is His faithfulness.

But also great is His faithfulness to those who confess sin, repent, and believe in the Lord Jesus for salvation. Great is His faithfulness to bless and keep those who belong to Him through the blood of His son. Great is His faithfulness to those who seek Him. He WILL be found!

So it is good to wait patiently for salvation from the Lord. (verse 26)

A Wall of Righteousness

Leave a reply

Ezekiel 22:30-31

I don’t know many people who would say they believe the US is on a healthy trajectory, whether monetarily, morally, or spiritually. Evil is called good. The economy is in the tank. The number of people who profess to be Bible believing Christians is dwindling, and what is scary is that some people think that’s a good thing.

A nation established under God has rejected Him. So we should not be surprised at what is happening here. Are we looking at the end?

God, through the prophet Ezekiel, told Israel why they were facing their own destruction. It was clearly God’s judgment for their unrepentant sin.

But God said something that made me think about our situation in 2022. He said:

I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. (Ezekiel 22:30-31)

A wall of righteousness that guards the land.

For 200 years the USA was blessed beyond any other nation in the world. Oh, it wasn’t perfect. But there was something different about this country that made it stand out. I believe it was a wall of righteousness; a core group of God-fearing believers who worshiped God and, because of their relationship with God, they prayed, read the Bible, and weren’t ashamed to call on God in private and in public.

I believe it was a wall of believers wearing Jesus’ righteousness that guarded the USA.

Oh, you can try to erase our spiritual history, deny the intent of our Founding Fathers. You can be foolish (or woke, which is the same thing in my book), and deny God’s grace and mercy on this land. But the truth is – America enjoyed years of prosperity and peace as a direct result of our dependance on God.

Somewhere along the way a crack appeared in the wall. But instead of repairing it, we ignored it, accepted it. It didn’t stay a crack, did it? It became a gaping hole which grew until the wall began to crumble. Is there any portion of the wall still standing today?

Dear Christian, if we want to see this amazing country of ours survive, we have got to rebuild the wall! You and I need to not just wear the righteousness of Jesus in the privacy of our own homes. We need to flaunt it. We need to wear it loud and proud.

I AM A BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIAN!

I STAND FOR THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE!

I PRAY. I WORSHIP GOD ALONE.

I CHOOSE HOLINESS!

I FOLLOW JESUS AND WANT YOU TO FOLLOW HIM, TOO!

Can we join hands and hearts and pray for each other, our political leaders, our schools, our churches, our neighbors? Can we humble ourselves and pray God’s will be done in our own hearts, as well as in our country?

God was looking for SOMEONE to stand in the gap. Could that someone be you? I’m afraid if we don’t repair the wall of righteousness to guard this land, our future might look like that of Israel in the Old Testament.

Build the wall! It’s not too late.

Does God Speak Today?

Leave a reply

Ezekiel 13

First let me say an unequivocal YES! But I think we need to be careful what words we put in His mouth.

What would possess someone to say they’ve had a vision or prophecy from God when they haven’t? Can someone who truly knows God lie about such a thing? There are whole religions based on lies claiming came from God. Some even use the Name of Jesus, but have fashioned a Jesus that’s not in the Bible. Do the leaders of these churches sit back and chuckle at the gullibility of their followers? Or have they deceived themselves and are actually convinced God has given them a special word apart from Scripture?

I think there is a test to know if what you are hearing is actually the voice of God. Simply put, if it’s not in the Bible, it’s not God’s Word. I think we need to be careful about what we attribute to God’s voice.

Years ago I heard a woman say God told her she would live in a certain house by a certain date. “God told me as clearly as anything,” she said. But the deadline passed and she didn’t live in the house. Had God lied to her? Could God not make His promise to her happen? Or had she put her wishes in God’s mouth?

I think we need to be careful to claim God has told us anything we can’t put chapter and verse to. It may sound very spiritual to say you’ve had a special word from God, it may seem to give your words more weight. But it’s a serious thing to speak for our Holy God. God has already said everything He wanted too say, then closed the Book.

Jesus IS the Word. God’s Word is alive and active and powerful and used for our correction and growth. God’s Word is Scripture.

So if you are hearing God speak, you’d better write down the words so we can all read it, memorize it, and live by it. (1 Susie 3:16)

I believe God speaks to His children today through the Words He inspired men to write in what we refer to as the Bible. Those are God’s Words. Often I am reading a verse or passage and it jumps out at me and it speaks to a question I have or a circumstance I’m facing. Sometimes I am praying and a verse comes to mind that speaks to a need I have. Those verses are God’s voice to me. And I believe to all of us.

In Ezekiel, God is going to punish people who claim to have a word from God, and don’t. He’s going to punish people for putting words in His mouth, and misrepresenting Him. God is very protective of His Word.

I hear God saying the same today. I want to be very careful what I attribute to God’s voice. Because He takes His Word very seriously.