Maranatha - Awaiting Christ's Return

1 Cor. 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Tag: 1 Samuel 15:22

Do You Have Peace?

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On December 16, 2024

In Devotionals

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (Psa 119:165)

The structure of this verse is so wonderful when one takes a few minutes to meditate on it. In so doing, we receive a blessing beyond words. The Lord God tells us that we will receive abundant peace if we love His law (the Word) and nothing will be a stumbling block or an enticement to us. Strong’s defines the word “offend” as:

H4383
מכשׁל מכשׁול
mikshôl mikshôl
mik-shole’, mik-shole’
Masculine from H3782; a stumblingblock, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol), scruple): – caused to fall, offence, X [no-] thing offered, ruin, stumbling-block.

So many try to find peace in today’s chaotic world. They try to find it in a bottle, drugs or other types of addiction. The enemy has many ways to rob you of your peace. He poses distraction after distraction in order to keep you from finding that peace.

Have there been things in life which have been a stumbling block or an enticement to you? Are you quickly able to discern what should be done? The amount of spiritual discernment one has is equivalent to the amount of time spent in the Word. The more you are in the Word of God, the less you will be coming face-to-face with stumbling blocks and enticements in your own life.

It all boils down to what your priorities are. Do you spend ten minutes in the morning doing a devotional and call that your time with the Lord? How would you like to have only ten minutes of time with your spouse or your children? Would that be enough? Of course not. How much time do you spend on the internet? Is it more than the time you spent with the Lord?

Whatever distracts you from spending time with the Lord has become a stumbling block. There is no peace in that. Instead, you work frantically to get caught up on your work. Priorities – priorities – priorities. How different your day would have been if you had reversed the roles and spent more time in the Word, then your work and chores. There are many distractions today and they can become a huge time waster.

So, how can we receive the abundant peace the Lord promises in Ps. 119:165? We must love His law. You cannot love what you have merely scanned over for a few minutes a day. Don’t believe me? Think of your favorite book – how many times have you read it over? You must have read it more than once because you say it is your favorite. I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank over and over to the point where I knew what page to find a certain passage! I loved this book – and still do. However, do I love God’s Word more?

Although we have repented and received Christ as our Saviour, it cannot end there. Ten minutes a day in His Word won’t be enough to get you to the point where you “love God’s law”! Loving God’s law doesn’t come with hours of reading either. Loving God’s law comes with obeying it. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Sam 15:22b) You can read the Word all day long but if you don’t obey it, your reading is in vain, my friend.

Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. (Psa 119:165) The bottom line is if you love God’s Word by obeying it, He will give you abundant peace to the point where nothing will be a stumbling block or enticement to you. Nothing? That’s what this verse says. Nothing! However, you can only claim this if you love His law and obey it!

Are you being enticed today? Are there stumbling blocks in your life? The more you’re in the Word, the less you’ll have them. It’s a wonderful cure!

Taking Heed

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On August 30, 2024

In Devotionals

Psalm 119:9 BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

I feel as though I am living in a washing machine. I am being spun around, bounced around as it agitates, in waters filled with the world’s sins. All along I am praying I will come out clean! It can be compared to washing your clothes in mud, doesn’t it? The Olympics’ opening and closing ceremonies made it obvious that believers are walking through very muddy waters! I didn’t watch the Olympics, but I saw clips of the ceremonies! How evil and blasphemous! I can imagine what Lot saw prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah!

It is quite the challenge for all believers today. We attempt to keep our eyes (the window to our hearts) from sin and not to let it dirty us. The only way to keep our spiritual garments clean from the mud of this world is to be in God’s word and to apply it to our lives! As we open the bible’s pages, it is like bathing in living waters. It is spiritual laundry day, every day!

Isa 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

I’ve seen older Christians who have remained “spiritual babes” because they have not spent time in the word of God. Taking time in the word is work but a blessing follows. Some work for a living and at the end of the pay period, a check is received. At the end of reading and studying, we also receive a check – a spiritual check. As well, our garments become less soiled from the world’s mud. However, if you’re not reading your bible daily, it’s like standing in front of the world and allowing it to sling mud at you. Some of that mud will stick!

Paul spoke on these spiritual babes. 1 Cor. 3:1-2, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.” Paul likened the spiritual babes as carnal. They were still more concerned about the things of the flesh than spiritual things. After all, isn’t that what a human baby does? He cries and cries until he is fed. Paul used the right choice of words here, didn’t he? Is that how we react to reading the bible?

The more we grow in the Lord, the more we become spiritual adults. The world’s sinful behavior (that mud if you will) doesn’t stick to us or influence us because we have been armed! We’ve learned to trust more in the Lord; we’ve learned that God is faithful and won’t abandon us; we’ve received this peace that spiritually immature Christians can’t understand. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phi 4:7) Suffice it to say, however, that just reading the word doesn’t make your armor stronger. One has to heed and obey its warnings, as the Psalm continues to point out. What’s the use in reading a self-help book if you don’t apply what you’ve learned, right? Applying God’s word to our lives is the key to maturing as a believer. It is the key for Christians to survive in this world that has obviously gone mad!

God stresses over and over in His word that we need to be IN the word and applying it to our lives! Obedience shows our love to God – it shows our gratefulness for our salvation! (1 Samuel 15:22) Your car manual explains how to change spark plugs. However, if you don’t apply that knowledge, your car won’t start. It’s the same as reading the bible and obeying what God commands. This also provides us with a spiritual Teflon garment where the mud of this world doesn’t stick to it. This world is not going to get any cleaner. We are living in the end times of 2 Timothy 3:1-7! Be encouraged, reader! If you’re weary, dive into the bible and let the Holy Spirit encourage your heart!

Dear God…
May I come to you each day
On you my heart will lean
Let me search until I find
How to keep my garments clean

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