October 28th

Job 38:2 says, in the NLT, “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?”

Job went through a terrible ordeal. Some scholars say his calamity lasted about nine months. Whether it was nine months or nine days, it was horrible.

The great lesson we can learn from Job is, of course, patience. But another lesson we can learn is who’s in charge. Please read Job chapters 39-42 and see God confronting Job about Job trying to be Him.

Finally in Job 42:3-5, “You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.”

Let’s learn from Job to allow God to be God and us to be humans.

October 27th

Many times, people quote us. They say, “I heard you say this or that.” The problem is, that’s not what we said, that’s what they heard. We hear things through preconceived ideas. John wrote, in John 21:23, “Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

Many times, we perceive someone’s “sour” look as disapproval when in actuality they may have a headache or some other ailment completely unrelated to us.

James 1:19 says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”

Let’s not be quick in making judgments or interpretations. Solomon, the book of Proverbs said, “The first one to plead his cause seems right, Until his neighbor comes and examines him” (Proverbs 18:17).

October 26th

Corrie ten Boom said, “Faith is the radar that sees through the fog.”

After an airplane pilot receives their pilot’s license, the next logical step is to become instrument certified. This allows the pilot to fly in the clouds or in inclement weather.

Faith in God and His Word makes us “instrument certified” in the sense that we are not moved by what we see or feel, we are only moved by what the “instrument” says—the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

October 25th

Have we ever noticed that Jesus did not teach His disciples how to preach. He didn’t teach them how to sing. He did teach them how to pray. Luke 11:1-4, “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”

Prayer is saying to God, “I need You.” We need God’s direction, His counsel, His wisdom...there is not an area of our lives in which we do not need God.

Let’s invest some quiet time each day for mediation with God and His Word.

October 24th

God breathed into Adam, and he became a living soul. Without the “breath”, or life sustaining power of God, mankind would not be able to exist. In the book of Job it says, “If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust” (Job 34:14&15).

Several thousand years later Paul said in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” He went on to add in Ephesians 4:6, “one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

We live in the presence of God. Or rather, the presence of God lives in us.

October 23rd

Absorb the principle that failure is never final, so if you do not succeed the first time, keep on trying.

Philippians 3:13&14 says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

If we have tried something, in obedience to God, and it does seem to have worked, don’t lose heart. Seek the Lord, maybe He wants us to stand in faith, or maybe He wants us to learn something. Obedience to God is never without fruit.

October 22nd

Revelation 19:6 says, “And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For our] Lord God Omnipotent reigns!”

God is omnipotent. To be omnipotent means to be all powerful. When life happens and comes in the form of mountains, we can focus on the mountains, we can focus on our own abilities, or we can focus on the omnipotent, all-powerful God—the choice is ours.

Andrew Murray said, “Faith keeps itself occupied only with His omnipotence.”

How, how, how can I live this way? Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Literally, faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing...

October 21st

Our God is absolutely amazing. Martin Luther said, “He can give only according to His might; therefore, He always gives more that we ask for.”

Philippians 4:19, in the Amplified Bible says, “And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Wow, we say, how can I make this happen for me? In this letter to the Philippians, Paul had just
commended them for their generosity. Philippians 4:15-17 Paul says, “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”

Paul says here, and in many other places, that the spiritual law of sowing and reaping will occur as we obey God in our giving.

October 20th

1st Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Each of us is uniquely gifted. Yes, many sing or have some other gift. However, we all sing or use our talents differently. The important thing is that we use our talents. Peter says in the verse above that we are to be good stewards, or good managers of the gift that God has given.

God places the importance on being productive in the book of Genesis. After He created Adam, the first thing God said to him was to be fruitful; He immediately gave Adam a task.

In Matthew 25 we read of the parable of the talents, or money. God rewards good managers and does not reward those who do not manage what He has given well.

Let’s decide today, right now, that we are going to be good stewards of what God has given us.

October 19th

Contract or Covenant.

Many of us have signed contracts. You know, a contract is an agreement between two parties that creates an obligation to perform (or not perform) a particular duty. Maybe we bought an automobile and signed a note with a lending institution. Or maybe we hired a service. One thing about a contract, we don’t even need to know the person or company with which we make a contract.

A covenant is vastly different than a contract. Marriage, for example, is a covenant. Ephesians 5:31, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

Also, we have a covenant with God, not a contract. Jesus prayed in John 17:20-22, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:”

Praise God, we have a covenant with God, He is in us, and we are in Him. We KNOW Him.

October 18th

Works do enter into our life. James 2:18, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have
works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” We just don’t work for our salvation; we work because we are saved.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Jesus gives us rest, rest from our labors to gain His approval. Although His yoke is easy and His burden is light, there is a yoke and there is a burden or load; it’s just light because we are yoked with Him.

October 17th

Jesus is most often depicted as a Lamb. “Behold the Lamb of God”, John 1:36. “Lamb without spot”, 1st Peter 1:19.

There is an interesting event that happened in the book of Genesis concerning Jacob, Laban, Rachel and Leah. Jacob wanted to marry Laban’s daughter, Rachel. He made an agreement with Laban to serve him for seven years for Rachel. After seven years of serving, Jacob went to Laban to get his bride. A great feast was given, and Jacob had too much to drink. Laban tricked him and gave him Leah instead. The next morning, when Jacob discovered the trickery, he was furious. Laban’s explanation was that Leah was the older of the two and he couldn’t allow his younger child (Rachel) to be married before his older. Jacob then agreed to marry Rachel and then serve seven more years.

Here's the teaching for us in this story. Rachel means Lamb and Leah means weary. When we serve or work to get the Lamb (Jesus) all we get is weary. We are to “marry” Jesus and then work, just as Jacob did after he married Rachel.

October 16th

Another way to stay spiritually sharp is to be in submission to the Father and to others.

James 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We are in the Kingdom of God. The word “kingdom” means “the dominion of the King.” As we live our lives submitted to the King of Kings, we will stay sharp.

We also have believing friends in which we can trust to help us. Proverbs 27:17 Solomon said,
“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” We need to have believing and faithful friends who will hold us accountable to our progress in the journey in the Kingdom. Ephesians 5:21 says, “submitting to one another in the fear of God”

Let’s all be a friend and have friends that will love us enough to tell us the truth.

October 15th

Ecclesiastes 10:10 tells us how important it is for believers to stay spiritually sharp, “If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.”

Naturally speaking, when we use cutting tools, it is of the utmost importance. Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I am given six hours to chop down a tree, I will spend the first four sharpening my ax.”

The same is true spiritually. We can be reactive and run to prayer and Bible study after a situation rises in our lives. Or we can be proactive and stay sharp.

Jesus is our great example—Luke 6:12, “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.” Jesus knew he would face demons, persecution, people in need, and other “life situations.” He invested the entire night to prayer. I believe He invested the night in listening and fellowshipping with His Father—Praying.

As we invest time in fellowship, Bible reading and study, and prayer (listening) we will keep ourselves spiritually sharp.

October 14th

God identified Himself to Moses as “I am.” “I am” is in the present tense. He is ready to do it now, so when you pray, believe that the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”

When we read in the Word of God about promises that He has made to us we believe in faith that He will do what He said. That doesn’t mean that God is a “wish book” or a catalogue where we pick out what we want, and He will give it to us. It does mean, however, that what God says in His Word, taken in proper context; He will do. 1st John 5:14 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”

We discern the will of God through His Word and through our “closet” times with Him.

October 13th

William Booth was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded the Salvation Army and became its first General. The Christian movement with a quasi-military structure and government founded in 1865 has spread from London to many parts of the world.

A quote from William Booth, “Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again until you can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other. James 2:17, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Faith always has a corresponding action. Hebrews 11—"By faith Abel offered...”, “By faith Noah,
...prepared an ark...”, “By faith Abraham obeyed...”, “By faith Abraham... offered up Isaac.” You get the point.

October 12th

Exodus 26:30, “And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.” As we read of God’s instruction to Moses concerning the building of the tabernacle it is obvious that God had something in mind. Several times He told Moses “according to the pattern.”

When God tells us to do something He expects to be obeyed. A very interesting and eye-opening event happened in 1st Samuel. God told King Saul, through Samuel the prophet, what he wanted him to do. Saul succumbed to the pressure of others and only partially obeyed. Let’s read what God said to Saul in 1st Samuel 15:17&23, “So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18 “Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of
the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 “But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” 22 So Samuel said: “Has 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 heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”

Wow, God is serious about our obedience.

October 11th

It saddens some folks to discover that 8 billion do not make it their life’s goal to bless them. We cannot live our lives expecting anyone to bless us. Our blessings come from God. God can, and probably will, use a person to be a blessing to us. Always remember, there is a difference between source and means.

The means may be our employment, our family, or maybe even a stranger. Always, ALWAYS, and in all ways, God is the source.

Luke 6:38 KJV, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Notice— “shall men give into your bosom.” God is the source, but He uses men. We are thankful for men God uses to give but we praise God.

Another aspect of this is “Give, and it shall be given...” Our giving in faith is the prerequisite for receiving.

October 10th

Galatians 3:8&9 gives us some wonderful insight to faith, “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Another translation says, “Faith is the underlying ingredient that makes hope come to pass.”

Faith is believing in spite of not seeing. Faith is believing in spite of not feeling. However, our faith is not blind. It is believing a God who has proven Himself in countless ways over thousands of years.

God said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing.” My friends, this is a covenant of faith. Let’s put our faith in God and His blessings. Let’s put our faith in God and obey Him and be a blessing. Let’s put our faith in God for His blessing on our families, our church, our communities, and our nation.

October 9th

How about our treasure, or money? The Bible is also very specific about what our priority is with money.

Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the first fruits of all your increase;” Notice the Holy Spirit says through Solomon “first-fruits.” Then Paul says, in 1st Corinthians 16:2, “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

When we have an increase, payday or otherwise (maybe an inheritance or some other type of
“increase”) the first action with this is to seek the Lord for what He would have us to give and where we should give it.

In Proverbs, Solomon goes on to say, “So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Proverbs 3:10). In other words, as we obey the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God, God promises to invest in us. It’s the spiritual law of sowing and reaping.

October 8th

Yes, God has given to each of us an ability to carry out His mission or His purpose. Sometimes we function in one capacity but, for some reason, we can no longer function at all.

For example, many of us have known singers that at a point in their lives they could no longer sing. They are not to be “put on the shelf.” They just go to another function or gift. Maybe it’s prayer, or some other productive gift.

One of the greatest gifts needed in the Body of Christ is an encourager. As Joshus became the leader of the children of Israel God knew he would face trials. God said to the people, in Deuteronomy 3:28, “But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see.”

As others become involved in their gifting it is important that the “old guard” encourage them.
Encourage means to “put courage in.”

Let’s not be prideful or embarrassed to allow others to step into roles that we occupied. Also, let’s not stand back and watch; let’s be encouragers.

October 7th

The result of research says that a pastor invests about one hour of study for every hour the congregation hears. At Bancroft Mission, our praise team invests about 2.5 hours of practice and leads us in worship for about 20 minutes. There are several others who participate in some form of leading, teaching, etc. during a normal gathering.

However, the majority of believers are in the congregation. Now, that’s fine but does that mean that the sitting congregation have no talents. Not at all. The scripture teaches in too many places to cite in this short devotional that all believers have a gift. MOST of these gifts are used while not at a geographical location which we call church.

In Exodus 35 we have the account of the master artisan by the name of Bezalel. Bezalel had two very important gifts; he could make things with his hands and teach others to do this also. Your gift, or talent, may be in the use of your hands. It may be in the use of your mind, or even in your body (such as athletics). It may even be in the entertainment industry. The important thing is to remember that your “earthly vocation supports your heavenly vocation). We are all full-time ministers.

October 6th

Some people wish days were 36 hours long while others would like 6-hour days. Paul had some things to say about time. Ephesians 5:16, “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

To Redeem here means to make wise use of. Are our days cluttered with “time consuming” things that are not productive. Rest and relaxation are very important so don’t take a guilt trip if you just do nothing at times; we need “down time.”

Paul included in his letter to the Ephesians to examine ourselves. Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” “Psalms” here refers to times when we get alone with the Holy Spirit, in a quiet place, and examine our heart. In other words, get real or authentic, with God and ourselves. Are we using time wisely? We have to answer that question honestly.

Next Paul talks about “hymns.” Hymns has to do with anthems to God. To remove what is not productive in our lives and to reinforce what is. Again, be honest.

The last of this progression is “spiritual songs.” “Spiritual songs” is the result of a time alone in the “closet” with God, then reinforcing what is of the Kingdom (dominion of the King). We come out of this quiet time with a renewed spiritual vitality. Go ahead, do it.

October 5th

Speaking of priorities; “A fairly wealthy man one day was driving his BMW and had an accident—a very bad accident. The car was totaled. A policeman came on the scene and got the man out of the car. As the man came to, he said, “My BMW, oh my BMW!” The policeman said, “Sir, I’m sorry but you don’t have time to worry about your BMW. It’s just a car. We’ve got to rush you to the hospital because your arm has been severed at the elbow.” The wealthy man said, “Oh, my Rolex oh my Rolex!”

Paul, the apostle, gave us the correct view of priorities. He was very influential among his peers, rising in rank and status. In Philippians 3:1-6 Paul lists his credentials. The he says in Philippians 3:7 &8, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” In verse 10 he says, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,”

October 4th

I read this story recently—A father wanted to give his daughter something to do, and there was a picture of the world on a sheet of paper. He tore it into smaller pieces and told her to see if she could put the pieces back together correctly, kind of like she would work a puzzle. The little girl agreed. Five minutes later, she showed her father the pieces put back together perfectly. He was stupefied. When he asked her how she had done the task so quickly, she said, “Oh, on the back was a picture of Jesus and I figured if I got Him right, the world would fall into place.”

What a fantastic example of how when we put Jesus as the priority of our lives, everything else falls into place. Jesus said, “Matthew 13:44-46, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”