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  • God, Please Bless My Family

    2 Samuel 7:29 “Now, therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

    As one reads of David’s desire for God’s blessings David wants to have God’s supernatural favor. While asking God for His blessings could come across as arrogant or prideful the real truth is the one asking for the blessing has realized how insufficient they are. They humbly bow with the understanding that they need, desperately need, God to work.  

    As far as asking for God’s blessing, I am reminded of two other passages regarding blessings. 

    The first is the Priest blessing of Numbers 6:23-27.  In Numbers 6 starting at verse 23 God tells Moses to tell Aaron and his sons to askk God to bless the people of Israel and to tell them what that blessing should include.  Notice Numbers 6:23-27 as it says, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24 The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26 the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

    Do you ask God for His blessings for others?  I trust you do.  

    The second comes from the prayer of Jabez in I Chronicles 4:10. It says, “Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would BLESS me and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” And God granted what he asked.”

    Do you ask God for His blessings on your life, your family, and on your work? I trust you do! 

    And remember we are not asking God for His blessings for our benefit but through His blessings we can be a blessing. 

    Also, to the fathers reading this please recall how Jacob was blessed by his father Isaac and then how he blessed his children and grandchildren.  You can read about these blessings in Genesis 28 and Genesis 48.

    May the Lord bless you today!

    Continue Strong from receiving God’s Blessings,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Indictments 

    Jeremiah 7:28 “So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.”

    As I bring a verse for the date, I  attempt to bring verses that are encouraging and uplifting.  I look for verses that one would want to memorize and meditate on so one may apply the truth of the verse to one’s life.  Today’s verse is very straightforward and one we may not find ourselves putting on the list to memorize.  It is a verse that speaks of Judah, but it very easily could be spoken today about the United States of America or many of the great European nations.  More importantly, it could easily speak of us as an individual.

    Let’s unpack God’s indictments.  
    First, we read they have not obeyed the voice of the Lord.  Over and over God stressed that He was looking for obedience.  But they did not obey.  They did not listen to the voice of the Lord.
    Secondly, they would not receive correction.  God was gracious to send prophets to preach repentance.  God was gracious to send judgment.  Yet there was a rejection of the message of repentance and a refusal to receive the correction.   Earlier Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 2:30, “In vain I have chastened your children; They received no correction.”  

    One of the great marks of a maturing Christian is their willingness to be corrected and their correct response to correction.  We need to have the mindset of Psalm 141:5 as it says, “Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil;” 

    Can you be corrected?  A wise person can!

    Thirdly, they suppressed the truth till there was no more truth.  This is a huge indictment.  Truth is what sets a person free. To not have Truth is to find one in bondage to sin.  Numerous bad things happen when the truth is suppressed.  One only has to read Romans 1:18-32 to see how a person declines toward destruction.

    God’s Word is the Truth.  Do you know it?  Do you believe it?  Do you live by it?  

    Jeremiah 7:28 is very challenging as it could be a verse spoken of us!  I pray we will be different and be known for obeying the voice of the Lord; for responding correctly to correction and that we seek truth and then let truth guide our decisions!  

    Continue Strong obeying God,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Blessing God for His Work in the King’s Heart

    Ezra 7:27 “Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem,”

    In reading Ezra 7, we learn how King Artaxerxes allowed God’s people to return to Jerusalem and authorized those who went to restore the house of the LORD.  As Ezra reports what the King has authorized him and other Jewish leaders to do one might expect him to pause and say something like “God save the King.”  Instead, Ezra will break from reporting what the king has told them to do to extend gratitude and praise to the LORD God and give Him credit for putting into the king’s heart to do this great work. 

    Two things stand out here.  One is how Ezra acknowledged God for His work in the king’s heart. I trust you have an eye to see the invisible hand of God at work as you seek to do His work.  On my journey, I have been amazed at how God was working and working even when I did not know I needed Him to be working.  

    A second thing I like about this verse is the word “beautify.”  God put in the king’s heart to make His house look beautiful.  I don’t know how you define beauty but for me, it has the idea of something that has been done with excellence.  It does not have to be expensive to be beautiful though beauty does take intentional effort.  

    So, in considering Ezra 7:27, are you alert to see God at work and then to acknowledge and praise the Lord for His invisible hand working for you?  

    Do you look and work to make things that involve God’s work beautiful?   

    Ponder how God has worked behind the scenes in your life.  Ponder how God might presently be working behind the scenes in your life.

    Continue Strong acknowledging God for His work!
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Persistent Praying

    Mark 7:26 “The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.”

    “She kept asking Him” grabs our attention as we read of the pleas of a desperate mother for her young demon-possessed daughter.  The previous verse tells how this woman had heard about Jesus and came and fell at His feet.  She knew from others what Jesus had done so she begged Jesus to do the same for her daughter.   She knew He could if He would!

    The scene though of repeatedly asking can be viewed as this woman being a pest.  For us who have had young children who wanted ice cream and they keep on asking and asking and asking you know how irritating the constant asking can be.  I am sure I have said more than once that if you ask one more time the answer is a definite no.  The constant begging can easily become bothersome.  

    While this unnamed woman could easily be viewed as bothersome to Jesus she is described by Mark as one who after she made her first request kept on asking.   The desperate need her daughter had demanded that she have determined persistence tell she got an answer.  

    How do you feel or think about persistent praying?   Is it okay to keep on asking?  Do you feel embarrassed to go back to God again and again?  

    In learning to pray the great prayer warrior and teacher of prayer, E. M. Bounds wrote about persistent praying.  He concluded based on Ephesians 6:18 that there will be times we will need to persist in prayer.   Ephesians 6:18 says, “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

    I admit that I struggle with praying for something multiple times.  I feel like I have asked God and if He does not answer immediately then the answer is no.   But the answer is not always no.  I can now show many answers to prayer came after many times of praying the same prayer.  There are some things that I am praying about that after decades I have not received an answer, so I keep asking Him.  Learning from this desperate mother I will keep asking until I hear a definitive no. 

    As you describe your prayer life is the word persistent used?  

    Continue Strong Being Persistent In Prayer,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Our Savior Who Saves Secures Our Salvation!

    Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

    When we think of the positions and works of Jesus Christ we are to include His ascension.  Upon completing His work given to Him by His Heavenly Father to do on earth, Jesus returns to heaven where He sits down at the right hand of the Father.  In this new position, He is our great High Priest of whom we come boldly to the throne of grace to get help. (Heb. 4:14-16) He serves as our advocate based on 1 John 2:1. We learn here in Hebrews 7:25 that He also intercedes for us. 

    Pause to imagine that Jesus is right now praying for you!  He undertakes your causes and concerns and cares and conflicts, and He makes intercession for you. 

    When we consider our great salvation provided by our compassionate and loving Savior we need to know and must know that He who began a good work in us will complete it.  Because He is alive having risen from the dead, He has the power to fend off any foe that would seek to prevent the completion of our salvation. An earthly priest did not have such power.  The writer says He is able to save to the uttermost.  The idea of uttermost is far greater than forever.  He is able to save completely.  There will never be any abandonment of a child of God.  

    Placing our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is the wisest decision you could ever make for only He can provide a safe and secure salvation. We are safe and secure in the hands of the Savior!! 

    Continue Strong knowing Jesus is praying for you,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Application Of The Instructions

    Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:”  

    Matthew 7:24 begins the conclusion of the greatest sermon ever preached called the sermon on the mount. As this sermon wraps up, we learn much about the expectations of Jesus regarding what He has taught. He tells the listeners to be more than listeners and be doers of His sermon.  There is the expectation of application of His instructions.

    His message is not merely for information but is instructions for living life the way God intended life to be lived.  Obedience is essential.

    To drive home the point of the importance of being a doer Jesus will use an illustration where one would build a house.  As well as give a vivid characteristic of a person based on their actions toward His instructions. The one who takes actions, and applies His teaching is considered wise as opposed to being foolish.  To illustrate how this person is wise He says they are like a person deciding to build a house on solid ground!  Those who are listening and then doing are building their life on solid ground that will withstand the storms of life.

    On the other hand, He will point out that those who only listen and do not put into action are like fools who build their homes on the sand, which easily shifts, providing no security. 

    How about you? Are you a doer or just a hearer of the Word?  Are you a learner who lives what you are learning?  Are you a wise person who applies the Word of God so that your life will be built on a solid foundation?

    God did not give us His Word just for information but for our transformation and transformation only happens with application!

    Continue Strong being a Doer of the Word,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Blessings of Obedience

    Jeremiah 7:23 “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’”

    Our God is looking for His people to obey Him. It is a core theme spoken over and over in both the OT and the NT.  The first time we see God’s call to obey Him is in Exodus.  In Exodus 19:5 we read “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.”  Throughout Deuteronomy, one will read of the calls to obey God.  Here are but a few examples:
    Deut. 12:28  “Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do [what is] good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.
    Deut. 13:4  “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.
    Deut. 15:5  “Only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments which I command you today.

    Obedience opens doors of blessings while disobedience brings burdens accompanied by heartache and pain which sometimes comes from the discipline of God, but more often from the very consequences of the sin.  

    When it comes to how much God values obedience, we only have to read what Samuel said to King Saul in I Samuel 15:22. It reads, “Then 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,..”  

    Obedience is better than sacrifice.

    Our God also wants us to walk in His ways. We are not to walk the ways of the world or surely not in the selfish ways of our own hearts.   To walk in His ways is to walk with Him and to walk like Him!

    Are you obeying His commands? Are you walking in the ways of God?

    Obedience opens doors of blessings!  Disobedience brings burdens!

    Continue Strong trusting and Obeying God,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • How Great is our God!

    2 Samuel 7:22 “Therefore You are great, O LORD God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”

    A consideration of God brings an immediate conclusion of His greatness, as in there is no one like Him, no one even close. We now use the word “GOAT” to describe a person in sports as the greatest of all time. That title is temporary. As well that title might be shared.  But when we consider God, He is the one and the only GREATEST OF ALL TIME!

    Notice a few (of many) other verses that tell us of God being the greatest:

    Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
    Deuteronomy 10:17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God.
    Psalm 95:3 For the Lord is the great God, and a great King above all gods.
    Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.

    In considering the greatness of God it is really hard for me not to consider the Hymn How Great Thou Art.  I hope you pause to read or sing! 
    Oh Lord, my God when I, in awesome wonder 
    Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made:
    I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
    Thy power throughout the universe displayed!
    Chorus – Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art
    Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
    And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
    Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
    That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing
    He bled and died to take away my sin!
    Chorus – Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art
    Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
    When Christ shall come, with a shout of acclamation
    And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart
    Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
    And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
    Chorus – Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art
    Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
    How great Thou art, how great Thou art

    Continue Strong considering How Great God Is,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Our God Is A Great And Awesome God!

    Deuteronomy 7:21 “You shall not be terrified of them; for the LORD your God, the great and awesome God, is among you.”

    As I was growing up one of my cartoon shows was Underdog. Underdog loved to let people know to have no fear, underdog is here. For us as believers, we have Someone far greater than a cartoon figure named Underdog who is telling us to have no fear for the great and awesome God is here!

    Great and awesome are two extraordinary descriptive words for our God. Here they are used to reveal to His people what He can do as they face enemies as they go into the Promised Land. Before them would be numerous enemies with great numbers who were very powerful and would easily strike fear into their hearts. Because of this God lets them know who would be with them!  Because of who He was and what He could do His people would not need to be afraid of anyone or anything.  

    Interestingly, these words are used by Nehemiah as he is leading God’s people to rebuild the wall, and they are facing enemies. In Nehemiah 4:14 it says, “Nehemiah looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” 

    You must be growing in knowledge of who God is as it impacts how you think about God!!
    You must know that:
    How you think about God determines how you pray. 
    How you think about God determines how you live.
    How you think about God determines how you do your work.

    How are you presently thinking about God as you face challenges?  How does the knowledge of who God is and what God does as revealed in Deuteronomy 7:21 help you?

    As you face this day what characteristic(s) of God do you need to meditate on?  Be sure to meditate on the attributes of great and awesome and have no fear as God, the great and awesome God is with you!

    Continue strong knowing how Great And Awesome God is,
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • Status: Sinner. A Sinner In Need Of A Savior.

    Ecclesiastes 7:20 “For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.”

    As Christians, we believe that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Scriptures such as Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
    Romans 3:10  As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; James 2:10  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.’ bear this out along with Ecclesiastes 7:20.
    The significance of this belief leads us to state that every human needs a Savior.  

    Our status is without any doubt that of being a sinner. The bad news is we are all bad. And as a sinner, we are separated from God and face a penalty as Romans 6:23 states “For the wages of sin is death.”

    Yet our status of being a sinner, thankfully, can be changed because there is a Savior!!  After the bad news, there comes some very good news.   Notice a few of those good news verses:

    Romans 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
    Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    Matthew 1:21  “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
    Luke 2:11 says, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
    John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
    1 Corinthians 15:3  For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 

    To have your status changed you need to personally ask Jesus to be your Savior.  
    Romans 10:9 says, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
    Romans 10:13  For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

    A vile sinner can accept the vicarious Savior and become a victorious saint. 
    Knowing this let us share the good news! 

    Continue strong grateful for the status change our Savior provides,
    And remember to DATE the Word