Christ's Return (Rev. 1:7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR

01/24/2005

 

My Worship Time                             Focus:  Christ’s Return

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Rev 1:7

 

            Message of the verse:  7 BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.  (NAS95)   7 Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him—even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the earth will weep because of him. Yes! Amen!  (NLT)

            This verse is speaking of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth to establish His Kingdom for 1000 years, which is written about latten in this letter.  The theme of Christ’s return to the earth runs through this letter, and this is just a preview of the description that John writes about in chapter 19, where the full event can be seen through the eyes of the Apostle John.  This event also weaves its way through the pages of the Scripture as many of the writers of both the OT and NT have written about Christ’s return to the earth.  This event will be a bitter-sweet event, in that those who will be looking for this glorious event will be overwhelmed with happiness, but those who do not believe that this will happen will see that their demise is very near.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This wonderful truth is the vehicle that the Lord Jesus Christ used to draw me to Himself, and it is the vehicle that He has used to bring many people to Himself.  It is not good enough to know the process of how Christ’s return will take place, but as a believer I am to be looking forward to this event by not having my roots to deep in this world that I am living.  Sometimes this is a bit difficult for me to do, because this old world has much to offer, but there is none of it that I may keep. 

 

The Word of God has been challenging to my heart as well as being convicting too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Live my life as if the Lord will return today, but also continue to seek the Lord’s help and guidance as if I will be on this earth for a while longer.    

Believers are part of the kingdom & are Priests (Rev. 1:6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR

01/21/2005

 

My Worship Time                 Focus:  Believers are part of the kingdom and are priests

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Rev 1:6

 

            Message of the verse: 6 and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.  (NAS95) 

6 He has made us his Kingdom and his priests who serve before God his Father. Give to him everlasting glory! He rules forever and ever! Amen!  (NLT)

            Each and every believer is a priest before God and is a king, and this is made possible because of God’s love for us in sending His Son to purge our sins on the cross.  1Peter 2:1-10 gives more details about believers being kings and priests before God, and verse nine give details of this:  “9  But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  The word translated royal has the meaning of being a king, and thus believers are kings before God.

            The OT priests had to come from a single family of Israel, who were related to Aaron, but when Christ was crucified the wall between the holy place and the Holy of Holies was torn apart so that all true believers can come directly into the presence of God, and thus all believers are priests before God.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is much responsibility in being a king and a priest before God, and one of them is to intercede to God on behalf of other believers, and also unbelievers.  As a king and a priest before God, I am to represent God to other.  I guess you could say that I am an ambassador of the kingdom of God while on this earth, and I need to take these responsibilities as a privilege and an honor, and continue to learn and grow in God’s love, and grace so that I can do this job that He has called me to do.

 

The Word of God has been very challenging to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord to give me the power and the knowledge to represent Him to others he leads into my life.

Prophet, Priest, King (Rev. 1:5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR

01/20/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Prophet, Priest, & King

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Rev 1:5

 

            Message of the verse:  5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— (NAS95) 5   and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, firstborn of the dead, and ruler of kings upon earth. To him who loves us and has set us free from our sins through his own blood, (Philips)

            In this verse John is describing the Lord Jesus Christ, as he goes on with his description of the Triune God.  Jesus Christ has three offices and they are all described in this verse.  He is a faithful witness, (Prophet), and He is the firstborn of the dead, (Priest), and He is the ruler of the kings of the earth, (King).  This phrase firstborn of the dead does not mean that Jesus Christ was the first person raised from the dead, but it means that He is the highest of those raised from the dead.  All others who were raised from the dead did die again, so in that respect of never dying again Jesus is the firstborn of the dead.

            John goes on in this verse to speak of Christ’s love and because of that great love for us he came to earth and suffered and died for our sins, He shed His blood that so that we can be set free form our sins.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I see in this verse the fact that as a believer I am in Christ, as I died with Him when He died and because He is the firstborn of the dead, I too have been raised up with Him and am seated in the heavenlies with Him, as seen in Ephesians. 

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

 

Greetings from the Trinity (Rev. 1:4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR

01/19/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Greetings from the Trinity

 

Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:  Rev. 1:4

 

            Message of the verse:  4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne.  (KJV)  4 This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before his throne; (NLT)

            John gives the dedication of the letter in verses 4-6 and in that he mentions the Trinity as to whom this letter is from.  He begins in what seems to be a standard way Biblical authors wrote letters in those days by telling who he is writing to, which are the seven churches in Asia, and then adds Grace and peace, which come from the Triune God.  God has given the believer what they do not deserve, or can never earn, and that is grace.  He has also given the believer peace through the blood of the cross of Jesus Christ.  God the Father is described as He which is, and which was, and which is to come, and after first reading this it seemed to me that John was writing about the Lord Jesus Christ, but He is described in verses 5-6.  John describes the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the remaining words of this verse, and it must mean His fullness because there is only One Holy Spirit.  Dr. Wiersbe points out that John may have been referring to Isaiah 11:2 in his description of the Holy Spirit.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Whenever the Scriptures reminds me of grace and peace it is a good thing, for without God’s grace, mercy and peace there is NO way that I could come before Him as my heavenly Father.  God’s grace still amazes me, and I hope it will never get old, or loose any of its wonderful meaning to me.

 

The Word of God was a refreshing reminder to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord for the results of Kim’s pregnancy, that He will give comfort and peace to all of us if it is His will for her and Tim not to have this baby, but take it home to be with Him.  

Reading God's Word (Rev. 1:3)

SPIRIUTAL DIARY FOR

01/18/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Reading God’s Word

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Rev. 1:3

 

            Message of the verse:  3 ¶ Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.  (NAS95)  3 ¶ God blesses the one who reads this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to it and obey what it says. For the time is near when these things will happen.  (NLT)

            The word translated “read” means to read out loud, and thus this book was read out loud to each of the local churches.  The ones who read it and the ones who heard it were blessed, for they were all going through some kind of persecution, and this book would encourage and instruct them as they went through these difficulties.  For Paul wrote to Titus that  the great “hope” of the believer was the coming of the Lord for His Church, and this book goes into details of this.  John writes at the end of this verse that the time is near.  The word translated “near” is translated “close at hand,” in the KJV, and it means close in the original text.  I must admit that I do not full understand this choice of words, yet I do believe it was certainly inspired for use here. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  John writes of a special blessing for those who read and hear this letter, and that is consistent with other portions of Scripture, for the believer is to read and study the Word of God each and every day of his life, and by doing this he will be blessed of God.

 

The Word of God was both a challenge and a it was refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to read and study the Word of God and to think about it, to also trust the Lord with the circumstances of my life that I find myself in each and every day, for He is in control and makes no mistakes.

Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:1-2)

SPIRITURAL DIARY FOR

01/17/2005

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  Jesus Christ

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 1:1 & 2

 

            Message of the verse:  1 ¶  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2  who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.  (NIV)  1 ¶  This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him concerning the events that will happen soon. An angel was sent to God’s servant John so that John could share the revelation with God’s other servants.  2  John faithfully reported the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw.  (NLT)

            The first thing that I see is that this letter contains the revelation of Jesus Christ, as seen by the first phrase in verse one.  Next I can see that God is the One who Jesus so the He in turn could give it to His own people through the apostle John and the reason for the letter is to show God’s people what must shortly take place.  The Lord Jesus Christ sent His angel to John to show and to tell him these things, and John is testifying to everything that he saw, and what he saw as he has written it down is the Word of God, and that Word of God is the testimony of Jesus Christ.  The theme of the Scriptures is certainly about Jesus Christ, and this letter is no different.  This is part of what the Greek word which is translated revelation means:  “2) a disclosure of truth, instruction   2a) concerning things before unknown.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I begin to study the last letter in the NT, I want to look at it in a different way than I have before.  When I looked at this letter before it was to see only the prophecy that it contained, and this letter does contain some amazing prophecies from God, yet it also contains some wonderful truths to live by, and shows the love of the Lord for His children.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  As I see mounting problems surrounding me in areas of my family, my job, and also with our little dog friend, Aruba, I know in my heart that God is in control of all of these things and will work them out for our good, and for His glory.

 

Revelations

I have been putting older Spiritaul Diaries on this blog sight, and so far all of them have been from the Old Testament, starting with the book of Genesis and as of yesterday finished the book of Joshua.  I thought that I would begin to put some New Testament Spiritual Diaries on this blog, and I want to begin with the book of Revelations which I began to study in Jan. of 2005 while living and working in Aruba.  We were in Aruba from the 7th of September of 2004 until the 16th of March of 2005.
I will put several Spiritual Diaries on this blog from Revelations and then when I have all of them on the blog I will have to decide which book to do next.

I hope that these Spiritual Diaries on the book of Revelations will bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and that the Spirit of God will use them to His glory.

Three Burials (Josh. 24:29-33)

11/28/2009 9:17 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Three burials

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:29-33

 

            Message of the verses:  “29 ¶  It came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being one hundred and ten years old. 30  And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash. 31  Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel. 32  Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons. 33  And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah of Phinehas his son, which was given him in the hill country of Ephraim.”

            In the book of Hebrews and the eleventh chapter, which I just read this morning, it speaks about the faith that Joseph had because when he was dying at the end of the book of Genesis he told his realities that when the Lord sent someone to deliver them from the land of Egypt that they were to carry his bones to the Promised Land and burry him there.  Joseph is buried in the land that was given to his sons, which happened to be the land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, and this became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons. 

            Eleazar the son of Aaron also died too, and he was buried in the inheritance that Phinehas his son had been given.  Then there is Joshua who dies at the age of 110 years and he was buried in the territory that was given to him.  The sad commentary then begins that after the elders that had been alive when Joshua was alive died that the nation of Israel would then stop following the ways of the Lord.  Why did this happen?  “Because the people of Joshua’s generation failed to keep their promise and teach their children and grand-children to fear and serve the Lord.” 

 

             Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have heard it said that we are always one generation away from the end of the church because no one teaches their children the ways of the Lord.  I am so thankful to the Lord that my children are following the Lord and hope someday to have the privilege of guiding our grandchildren to do the same.  Unfortunately that is not the norm that is going on in this country and the generations after the ‘60’s seem to be causing this country to go away from the Lord and our country is in a great deal of trouble because of this.  God always has a remnant and God has a plan and I must trust that He will see us through the trouble that is on the horizon and that we will bring honor and glory to the Lord through all of this trouble. 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. To serve the Lord and follow His ways.
2. To teach my grandchildren to follow the Lord.

 

11/28/2009 10:05 AM 

Devotion (Josh. 24:19-28)

11/27/2009 10:30 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Devotion

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:19-28

 

            Message of the verses:  “19  Then Joshua said to the people, "You will not be able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20  "If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you." 21  The people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the LORD." 22  Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the LORD, to serve Him." And they said, "We are witnesses." 23  "Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." 24  The people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and we will obey His voice." 25  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26  And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. 27  Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be for a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us; thus it shall be for a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God." 28  Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.”

            Joshua seems to be very hard on this second generation that came out of Egypt because he knew that the first generation had said the same thing that they would serve the Lord, and in a few weeks they were worshiping a golden calf.  One has to get rid of their foreign idols in order to be true to the Lord all of their life.  Joshua finished his speech to the people and believed that they would serve the Lord, and this generation did serve the Lord, but after that the children of Israel would begin to turn away from the Lord as I will see in the next book to be studied, which is the book of Judges.  There is one more entry in the SD’s on the book of Joshua and that will be tomorrows, and perhaps there will be a summary lesson added to that I will have to see.

            Joshua set up another stone in Shechem, and this is the ninth time that stones were set up as a memorial in the book of Joshua.  Memorials are fine to use in the Church area as long as they do not turn into idols.  The snake that was used for the children of Israel to look at and be healed latter became an idol, and this kind of thing can happen if one does not serve the Lord with all of their heart.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service today.
2. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. 

 

11/27/2009 11:07 AM

 

The Decision (Josh. 24:14-18)

11/26/2009 10:39 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Decision

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:14-18

 

            Message of the verses:  “14  "Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

    15 ¶  "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." 16  The people answered and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17  for the LORD our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs in our sight and preserved us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18  "The LORD drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the LORD, for He is our God.’”

            According to Warren Wiersbe this is the third important topic that Joshua spoke of during the two addresses he made to Israel before he died.  This third topic is entitled “Israel’s present responsibilities and today’s SD covers the first part of this and it is called “Decision,” for there was a decision that these children of Israel had to make, and there is also a decision that I have to make.

            Joshua 24:15 is one of the most know verses in the whole book of Joshua along with Joshua 1:8  “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

            Joshua in this address tells the people that as for he and his household they will serve the Lord and then asks the people who they will serve and they say that they too will serve the Lord and give reasons why.  The Lord brought them out of Egypt and He cared for them while in the wilderness, and then the Lord defeated the people who were in the Promised Land by using the children of Israel. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe points out that this theme of asking the children of Israel who they will serve weaves it way throughout the OT.  The question is whether to serve the Lord or to serve idols, because all people serve one or the other for mankind has to worship something.

            I came to a cross roads a number of months ago when I believed that I was to get rid of the cable from my TV and then buy a new antenna in order to watch the stations that come in through the air that are available in this area.  I have not done it yet and there is more trouble brewing and I need to make the move soon, just as Joshua asks the question of whom I will serve.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Make plans to get rid of the cable.

 

11/26/2009 11:06 AM

God Guided Israel (Josh. 24:8-10)

11/24/2009 8:53 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  God guided Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:8-10

 

            Message of the verses:  “8  ‘Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land when I destroyed them before you. 9  ‘Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10  ‘But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.”

            This again is the Lord speaking through Joshua.  He goes on to tell about how He had used Israel to defeat the Amorites which were beyond the Jordan River and how the leader of the Amorites Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel, but God would not allow him to do so and thus Israel defeated the Amorites.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Whether Satan came against Israel as a lion (the army of the Amorites) or as the serpent (the curses of Balaam), the Lord defeated him.”

 

Next Focus:  God gave them their Land (Joshua 24:11-13).

           

 

            Message of the verses:  “11  ‘You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Thus I gave them into your hand. 12  ‘Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. 13  ‘I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’”

            It is because of my slackness of doing my devotions over the last three days that I am doing two sections today.

            The Lord through Joshua goes on talking about how Israel through His goodness and power conquered the nations that lived in the Promised Land.  There was a fear in these nations because of what the Lord had done in Egypt and also to the Amorites and so these nations were ripe for defeat. 

            In verse twelve the word hornet is used and there is some division as to what this means.  In Exodus 23:28 and also in Deuteronomy 7:20 the Lord actually says that He will send hornets against the nations in the Promised Land to drive them out.  This could have been actual hornets or other nations to soften up these nations before Israel came to destroy them.  It is the opinion of Warren Wiersbe that these “hornets” were the fear that was put in the hearts of these nations because of what He had not to Egypt and the others nations that Israel had conquered.

            In verse thirteen Dr. Wiersbe sees similar things as were written in Deuteronomy 6:10 and following:  “10  "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11  and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, 12  then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13  "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14  "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15  for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. 16  "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.”

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “When the Jews started taking their blessings for granted, they began drifting away from sincere worship of the Lord.  A grateful heart is a strong defense against the devil’s temptations.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In these two sections I see the faithfulness and the love of the Lord, but there are parts that speak of His judgment as He defeated the Canaanites in the Promised Land through Israel, and there is also seen here the Lord disciplines, as He spoke through Moses in Deuteronomy and in verse thirteen of Joshua twenty-four.  As stated before in earlier SD’s that the blessings of the Lord are to be appreciated, but the Lord is to be worshiped and appreciated much more.  To have a grateful heart is a wonderful thing as it is certainly shows much contentment.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Be grateful and thankful especially during this Thanksgiving week.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Put on the Spiritual Armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
4. Give myself to the Lord today for worship and service.

 

11/24/2009 9:44 AM 

           

God Delivered Israel (Josh. 24:5-7)

11/20/2009 9:06 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  God delivered Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:5-7

 

            Message of the verses:  “5  ‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. 6  ‘I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7  ‘But when they cried out to the LORD, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time.”

            In this small section of three verses God, through Joshua, reminds this second generation that came out of Egypt, a small history lesson of how they got to where they are now.  It actually began a few verses before verse five, but from verse five and following God reminded Israel about sending Moses and Aaron and how God used them to bring about ten plagues to Egypt and even after Pharaoh let the people go he sent his army after them and all of his army drowned in the Red Sea as God protected Israel from them.  Verse seven concludes by saying that they lived in the wilderness for a long time, as some of them lived most of their entire time in the wilderness.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have been reminded two times this week about the importance of looking back, of remembering my salvation and what it costs the Lord to provide salvation for me.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “It does a believer good to remember what it was like to be in bondage to sin and then to rejoice in the redemption that was purchased so dearly for us on the cross.  It’s a dangerous thing to take the gift of salvation for granted.”  I think that when I am reminded a couple of times in a week of something this important that I must conclude that the Holy Spirit is trying to get my attention to be thankful for so great a salvation that has been provided from me at the cost of Jesus Christ. 

            One of the unfortunate things that I am experiencing is that I think of the enjoyment that I experienced from some of the “sinful” things that I did before I became a believer and it is difficult for me at the time to realize that these things were sinful and that I want to think about these things in the light of the Word of God.  God’s laws are there to protect me and when I break them whether or not they are enjoyable at the time they are still going to be a problem for me sometime.  It is written of Moses in the book of Hebrews:  “than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”  Moses knew that sin was pleasurable for a while, but only for a while.  Moses also knew that even thought sin was pleasurable for a while that following God was pleasurable for eternity, and that is sometimes hard for me to remember.

 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

 

1. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.
2. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
3. Praise the Lord for seeing me through and giving me a good day yesterday as an answer to prayer.
4. Remember that sin is only pleasurable for a season.
5. Remember the days before I was a believer that I was in bondage to sinful pleasures.
6. Put on the spiritual armor to protect me in the battle today:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
7. Continue to learn contentment.

 

11/20/2009 10:13 AM

 

God Chose Israel (Josh. 24:1-4)

11/19/2009 8:35 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  God chose Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2  Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. 3  ‘Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4  ‘To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.”

            This section is about God choosing Israel, for Abraham was not looking for God, but Abraham was an idol worshiper when he lived beyond the Jordan River, both he and his father were worshiper of idols when God called Abraham.  Abraham had two sons Ishmael and Isaac, but God chose Isaac, and then Isaac had two sons Esau and Jacob but God chose Jacob.  Paul gives insight on this in Romans 9:11:  “for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls.”  The highlighted part of this verse is what gives insight to God’s calling, for it was according to His purpose.  It was God’s purpose to choose Israel and it is because of Israel that I have a Bible now, and more importantly I have a Savior now.  Dr. Wiersbe writes that one of his teachers said something to the effect that if you try to explain election you may loose your mind, but if you try to explain it away you will loose your soul and with that I will leave this important subject.

            Joshua is now giving his farewell speech and it is at Shechem.  Shechem is mentioned 58 times in the Bible and 56 of them are in the OT.  It is first mentioned in Genesis and so Shechem was a very important part of the Holy Land and a good place for Joshua to make this speech.  He would die after giving this speech and this second generation of Israel that came out of Egypt would continue to live a godly life but after Joshua comes Judges and it is a steady downhill slide spiritually after that with some peaks, but few and far between.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Joshua finished his life just as he began it and that is strong, he was a great man of God.  I would like to be like Joshua even though I did not begin my life strong, for I was twenty-six when the Lord saved me, and I know from my salvation experience that God choose me to be one of His own and I will praise the Lord for this throughout eternity.

 

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Trust the Lord that He will get me through the experience of taking my mother to the doctor and then back home again.  This is just one of the trials that I go through because of IBS, but I know that through God’s wisdom that He has allowed me to experience this for my good and for His glory.
2. Put on the spiritual armor because I am in a war:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
3. Continue to be taught and for me to learn contentment.
4. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.

 

11/19/2009 9:26 AM

 

What the Lord would do to Israel (Josh. 23:11-16)

11/18/2009 8:01 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  What the Lord would do to Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Joshua 23:11-16

 

            Message of the verses:  “11 ¶  "So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. 12  "For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13  know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 14  "Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. 15  "It shall come about that just as all the good words which the LORD your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the threats, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you. 16  "When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.’”

            This paragraph in Joshua twenty-three is a great example to follow today as there are three admonitions in this address by Joshua:  “Keep God’s Word (Joshua 23:8) ‘Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left.’”  “Cleave to the Lord (Verse 8).  ‘But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day.’”  “Love the Lord (Verse 11).  “So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God.”

            There are blessings if I follow the Lord and disciplines if I do not follow the Lord, but all of this is done in love:  “11  My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12  For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”  (Proverbs 3:11-12).  This is also repeated in Hebrews 12:6. 

            Joshua speaks of the “good land” and this phrase is seen scattered throughout this book and also in the writings of Moses as God has called Canaan the “good land” and that it is even today:  “The argument is obvious:  Since God has given us such a good land, the least we can do is live to please Him.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As stated above this section has much application for life today in the 21^st Century America, as it seems to me that the church today has failed some of these things that are written here like not being thankful to the Lord for this good land that we live in, and also not loving or clinging to the Lord and not keeping God’s Word.  I am a failure in some of these areas, especially not in giving thanks for all of the good things that the Lord has given to me, such as a good church, a good family, a good house to live in, and most of all a perfect Lord and Savior to worship.  I do not want to fall into the category of worshiping the gifts that the Give has given me, but to worship the Giver of the gifts.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Be a thankful person.
2. Trust the Lord to teach me and for me to learn contentment.
3. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
4. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the sword of the Spirit.

 

11/18/2009 8:43 AM 

What the Lord Said to Israel (Josh. 23:5-10)

11/17/2009 10:48 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  What the Lord said to Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Joshua 23:5-10

 

            Message of the verse:  “5 And the Lord our God, he shall destroy them before us, until they utterly perish; and he shall send against them the wild beasts, until he shall have utterly destroyed them and their kings from before you; and ye shall inherit their land, as the Lord our God said to you. 6  Do ye therefore strive diligently to observe and do all things written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not to the right hand or to the left; 7  that ye go not in among these nations that are left; and the names of their gods shall not be named among you, neither shall ye serve them, neither shall ye bow down to them. 8  But ye shall cleave to the Lord our God, as ye have done until this day. 9  And the Lord shall destroy them before you, even great and strong nations; and no one has stood before us until this day. 10  One of you has chased a thousand, for the Lord our God, he fought for you, as he said to us.”  (LXXE)

            There are sometimes when I get reminded from my devotions exactly what is needed and this is one of those days and it makes me thankful.  Joshua was reminding the people that they had been given this land and defeated their enemies because of the faithfulness of the Lord and this section also shows the importance of knowing the Word of God and also the God of the Word. 

            Joshua reminded Israel that they were to stay away from their heathen neighbors because it is a gradual thing for them to get involved with them and then they will be married to them and then they will be worshiping their false gods.  Unfortunately this is exactly what happened to them and then the Lord had to discipline them.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  One of our lessons on the attributes of God, I think that it was the one on His holiness, Chip Ingram said that there was a time in his life when he stayed close to sin without sinning and then said that this was not the right thing to do.  This is a characteristic of the world and so I am to stay far away from sin and do as the Lord instructed Peter to write when he wrote that we are to be holy just as the Lord is holy.

            I know the Word of God better than when I first became a believer, and the Lord has given me a desire to not only know His Word but to know Him, and yet there are times when I am like king David and get in trouble.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
2. Get to know the Lord of the Word better.
3. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

 

11/17/2009 11:33 AM

 

 

What the Lord Did for Israel (Josh. 23:1-4)

11/13/2009 9:48 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  What the Lord did for Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 23:1-4

 

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Now it came about after many days, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, 2  that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years. 3  "And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has been fighting for you. 4  "See, I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun.”

            Today’s SD is the beginning of the last two chapters in the book of Joshua.  It is the second to last chapter in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary “Be Strong.”  He usually writes a review of the book for his last chapter going over some of the things that have been learned from the study of the book he is writing on. 

            In these two chapters there are two messages that Joshua gives to the children of Israel, which are taking place at the end of Joshua’s life, so he has some very important things to say as he speaks to Israel.  In the first message, which has three parts to it as divided in “Be Strong,” Joshua goes over Israel’s future dangers and the first part of this section is today’s SD, “What the Lord did for Israel.”

            In verse three Joshua makes a wonderful statement telling the children of Israel that it is the Lord who has been fighting for them and thus that is why they are in the land that God had promised to them.

            Verse four was kind of hard for me to understand and so I did some research on it from some other sources and look at it in different versions of the Bible or which I will copy and paste a couple here:  “4  See, that I have {1} given to you these nations that are left to you by lots to your tribes, all the nations beginning at Jordan; and some I have destroyed; and {2} the boundaries shall be at the great sea westward. {1) Gr. cast upon you 2) Gr. he shall bound}. (LXXE)”  “4  "Stay alert: I have assigned to you by lot these nations that remain as an inheritance to your tribes—these in addition to the nations I have already cut down—from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west.  (Message)”  “4.  Behold, I have allotted to you, as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, with all the nations I have cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea on the west.  (Amplified Bible)”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Verse four is a great verse that has truly spoken to my heart this morning as I am doing this SD.  God is telling the children of Israel through Joshua, that He has been faithful to them in giving to them the land that they have, by driving out those nations and will drive out the rest of the nations too. 

            God has saved me and when He did this He has given me a new nature along with the Holy Spirit who is a down payment of the things that He has promised to give to me.  All of this takes faith to believe it, and God has even given me the faith to believe it too.  What a wonderful God I serve!

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

 

1. Take off the old and put on the new.
2. Put on the spiritual armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and take up the Sword of the Spirit.
3. Continue to learn contentment.
4.  Put on Christ’s yoke in order to be yoked with Him to find rest because of the inheritance that I already have in Him.
5. Give myself to the Lord for worship and service for today.
6. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
7. Think before acting.

 

11/13/2009 10:50 AM