Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - God's Glory Return

AM Devotion /Prayer

God's Glory Returns - Ezekiel 43:1-12
Exercise: Jogging

Ezekiel 43:1-12Amplified Bible (AMP)

43 Afterward the man [an angel] brought me to the gate, the gate that faces east.

2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the east and His voice was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.

3 And the vision which I saw was like the vision I had seen when I came to foretell the destruction of the city and like the vision I had seen beside the river Chebar [near Babylon]; and I fell on my face.

4 And the glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east.

5 Then the Spirit caught me up and brought me into the inner court, and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

6 And I heard One speaking to me out of the temple, and a Man stood by me.

7 And He [the Lord] said to me, Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever; and My holy name the house of Israel shall no more profane, neither they nor their kings, by their [idolatrous] harlotry, nor by the dead bodies and monuments of their kings,

8 Nor by setting their threshold by My thresholds and their doorposts by My doorposts, with a mere wall between Me and them. They have profaned My holy name by their abominations which they have committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger.

9 Now let them put away their [idolatrous] harlotry and the dead bodies and monuments of their kings far from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

10 Son of man, show the temple by your description of it to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure accurately its appearance and plan.

11 And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the temple and the arrangement of it—its exits and its entrances and the whole form of it—all its ordinances and all its forms and all its laws. And write it down in their sight so that they may keep the whole form of it and all the ordinances of it and do them.

12 This is the law of the house [of the Lord]: The whole area round about on the top of the mountain [a][Mount Moriah] shall be most holy, separated, and set apart. Behold, this is the law of the house [of the Lord].

Thursday, October 23, 2014 - Daily Devotion - God Keeps Giving

AM Prayer/Devotion

God Keeps Giving
Job 42:1-10

Golden Text - "I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee" (Job 42:2).

Our Lesson Talk

The Lord spoke to Job and asked him wheter he could do all the great and miraculous things that HE, God, could do.
Job then realized that God can do anything He wants to do.
He did not have to answer to Job!
Then Job was sorry for all his complaining words.

God was angry with Job's friends because they had wrongfully accused Job of sin.
He told them to get seven bulls and seven rams and take them to Job for a burnt offering.
They were to ask Job to pray for them so that they would not be punished by God for all the wrong things they had said to him.

The friends obeyed the Lord and went to Job.  They gave the burnt offering and asked him to pray for them.
Job did forgive them.  He prayed for them so that they would not be punished for what they had said to him.  God honored Job's prayer for his friends.  Then the Lord blessed Job greatly and gave him twice as much wealth and possessions as he had before.

ob 42:1-10Amplified Bible (AMP)

42 Then Job said to the Lord,

2 I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.

3 [You said to me] Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge? Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 [I had virtually said to You what You have said to me:] Hear, I beseech You, and I will speak; I will demand of You, and You declare to me.

5 I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You.

6 Therefore I loathe [my words] and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.

7 After the Lord had spoken the previous words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.

8 Now therefore take seven bullocks and seven rams and go to My servant Job and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept [his prayer] that I deal not with you after your folly, in that you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; and the Lord accepted [Job’s prayer].

10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Questions:

Lesson Job 42:1-10Read Job 32-42

1.  What sin did Job become guilty of during his ordeal?

ans. complaining

Job developed a critical spirit toward God

Job believed he had a right to confront God because he knew he didn't sin against God but since God was silent and inaccessible, Job became guilty of arrogance.

2.  HOw did Elihu's discourse (the use of words to exchange thoughts and ideas) prepare the way for God's revelation of Himself?

Ans.  Elihu confronted both Job and his critics (Job 32-37).  Elihu declared that no one could justly criticize God or claim to speak for Him.  After Elihu's confrontation, then the Lord himself "answered Job out of the whirlwind" (Job 38:1)

3.  How did God convince Job that he should not question His ways?  

Ans.  God began to question Job about His Creation --none of which JOb could answer. God also included vivid descriptions of two mighty beasts, Behemoth and Leviathan.

They were animals Job could neither understand nor control, fittingly climaxing God's display of power and wisdom.

4.  What did Job admit that he had been guilty of?

Job admitted that he was vile and he wasn't able to answer God's questions.  He also acknowledge God's sovereignty and his own weakness.

5.  In what sense did Job now "see" God, whereas before he had only heard of Him?

Ans.  What Job only seen him before, he is saying that he had only heard about God's creation and God's miracles.  When Job says that he now see God, he means he had a personal encountered with God.  God revealed himself to Job.

Monday, October 20, 2014 - Hope Satisfies Job 42:1-10

AM Devotion/Prayer

Song - "Still have Joy" -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfJ2LZQbvs4&list=PL0BF5C9BB068E7DF7&index=13

Job 42:1-10

Read: Job 42:1-17; Psalm 86:1-17;

Job 42:1-17Amplified Bible (AMP)

42 Then Job said to the Lord,
2 I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.
3 [You said to me] Who is this that darkens and obscures counsel [by words] without knowledge? Therefore [I now see] I have [rashly] uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 [I had virtually said to You what You have said to me:] Hear, I beseech You, and I will speak; I will demand of You, and You declare to me.
5 I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You.
6 Therefore I loathe [my words] and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.
7 After the Lord had spoken the previous words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.
8 Now therefore take seven bullocks and seven rams and go to My servant Job and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept [his prayer] that I deal not with you after your folly, in that you have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.
9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; and the Lord accepted [Job’s prayer].
10 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job and restored his fortunes, when he prayed for his friends; also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
11 Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they sympathized with him and comforted him over all the [distressing] calamities that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave him a piece of money, and every man an earring of gold.
12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.
14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch.
15 And in all the land there were no women so fair as the daughters of Job, and their father gave them inheritance among their brothers.
16 After this, Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and his sons’ sons, even to four generations.
17 So Job died, an old man and full of days.


Psalm 8:1-9Amplified Bible (AMP)

Psalm 8
To the Chief Musician; set to a Philistine lute, or [possibly] to a particular Hittite tune. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I view and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained and established,
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,
8 The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your name in all the earth!

Saturday, October 19, 2014 - Sunday School Review - God Gives Hope

AM Devotion /Prayer

God Gives Hope
Job 24:1, 9-12, 19-25; Psalm 55:16

Application:  My prayer is that no matter what hard times I will face; to not give up Hope in Christ, To know That God is working everything out for my good.  To not worry about anything but Pray about everything and even though I may not understand some of the challenges that I face, to Trust God.  TRust God that He knows what He is doing, That God is soverign and God has not forsaken me.

1.  Job's friends said he was suffering because he was being punished by God for his sins.
2.  Job knew he had no sinned against God.
3.  Job said there were many wicked people who never suffered or were punished by God in this life.
4.  Job talked to his friends about the people who were so cruel to the poor.
5.  Some snatched babies from families till loans were repaid.
6.  They would not let their cooks eat the food they prepared and served; nor would they let the vineyard workers drink the juice they pressed from the grapes.
7.  Those wicked people went unpunished.
8.  Many lived their lives and died quiety.  Their mothers would forget them after they died, but they did not suffer while there were alive and doing so much evil to so many people.
9.  Job knew God was watching the wicked and would give them their final punishment.
10.. Though we may not see the wicked punished, we must always trust God and call upon Him.  The Lord will save us!

Job 24:1The Message (MSG)

An Illusion of Security
24 1-12 “But if Judgment Day isn’t hidden from the Almighty,
    why are we kept in the dark?
There are people out there getting by with murder—
    stealing and lying and cheating.
They rip off the poor
    and exploit the unfortunate,
Push the helpless into the ditch,
    bully the weak so that they fear for their lives.
The poor, like stray dogs and cats,
    scavenge for food in back alleys.
They sort through the garbage of the rich,
    eke out survival on handouts.
Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street;
    they’ve no place to lay their heads.
Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen,
    they huddle in makeshift shelters.
Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them;
    the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold.
They go about patched and threadbare;
    even the hard workers go hungry.
No matter how backbreaking their labor,
    they can never make ends meet.
People are dying right and left, groaning in torment.
    The wretched cry out for help
    and God does nothing, acts like nothing’s wrong!

 
Job 24:9-12The Message (MSG)

An Illusion of Security
24 1-12 “But if Judgment Day isn’t hidden from the Almighty,
    why are we kept in the dark?
There are people out there getting by with murder—
    stealing and lying and cheating.
They rip off the poor
    and exploit the unfortunate,
Push the helpless into the ditch,
    bully the weak so that they fear for their lives.
The poor, like stray dogs and cats,
    scavenge for food in back alleys.
They sort through the garbage of the rich,
    eke out survival on handouts.
Homeless, they shiver through cold nights on the street;
    they’ve no place to lay their heads.
Exposed to the weather, wet and frozen,
    they huddle in makeshift shelters.
Nursing mothers have their babies snatched from them;
    the infants of the poor are kidnapped and sold.
They go about patched and threadbare;
    even the hard workers go hungry.
No matter how backbreaking their labor,
    they can never make ends meet.
People are dying right and left, groaning in torment.
    The wretched cry out for help
    and God does nothing, acts like nothing’s wrong!

 
Job 24:19-25The Message (MSG)

18-25 “They are scraps of wood floating on the water—
    useless, cursed junk, good for nothing.
As surely as snow melts under the hot, summer sun,
    sinners disappear in the grave.
The womb has forgotten them, worms have relished them—
    nothing that is evil lasts.
Unscrupulous,
    they prey on those less fortunate.
However much they strut and flex their muscles,
    there’s nothing to them. They’re hollow.
They may have an illusion of security,
    but God has his eye on them.
They may get their brief successes,
    but then it’s over, nothing to show for it.
Like yesterday’s newspaper,
    they’re used to wrap up the garbage.
You’re free to try to prove me a liar,
    but you won’t be able to do it.”

 
Psalm 55:16The Message (MSG)

16-19 I call to God;
    God will help me.
At dusk, dawn, and noon I sigh
    deep sighs—he hears, he rescues.
My life is well and whole, secure
    in the middle of danger
Even while thousands
    are lined up against me.
God hears it all, and from his judge’s bench
    puts them in their place.
But, set in their ways, they won’t change;
    they pay him no mind.

Friday, October 17, 2014 - Daily Devotion - Psalm 25

AM Devotion /Prayer

Psalm 25 New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 25[a]

Of David.

1 In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

2 I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.[b]
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
    and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
    because my hope, Lord,[c] is in you.

22 Deliver Israel, O God,
    from all their troubles!

Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - Revelation Ch 19 (C.W.G.I.B.S}

AM Devotion/Prayer

Revelation Ch 19:2

Revelation 19:2Amplified Bible (AMP)

2 Because His judgments (His condemnation and punishment, His sentences of doom) are true and sound and just and upright. He has judged (convicted, pronounced sentence, and doomed) the great and notorious harlot (idolatress) who corrupted and demoralizedand poisoned the earth with her lewdness and adultery (idolatry). And He has avenged (visited on her the penalty for) the blood of His servants at her hand.
******
I wanted to read another Version (NIV)

Revelation 19:2New International Version (NIV)

2     for true and just are his judgments.He has condemned the great prostitute    who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”

1.  Because Who judgements? Lord, God the Omnipotent
2.  Why is he judging? Because they are evil  What did they do?  They corrupt the earth with her fornication  Who is 'they'? Babylon
3.  Who is the 'her' in this scripture? Babylon

Ref.

Revelation 15:3; 16:7; 6:10; 18:20;Deut. 32:43

Revelation 15:3Amplified Bible (AMP)

3 And they sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, Mighty and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God the Omnipotent! Righteous (just) and true are Your ways, O Sovereign of the ages (King of the [a]nations)!

Revelation 16:7Amplified Bible (AMP)

7 And [from] the altar I heard [the] cry, Yes, Lord God the Omnipotent, Your judgments (sentences, decisions) are true and just and righteous!  

Revelation 6:10Amplified Bible (AMP)

10 They cried in a loud voice, O [Sovereign] Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood upon those who dwell on the earth?  

Revelation 18:20Amplified Bible (AMP)

20 Rejoice (celebrate) over her, O heaven! O saints (people of God) and apostles and prophets, because God has executed vengeance for you upon her!  

Deuteronomy 32:43Amplified Bible (AMP)

43 Rejoice [with] His people, O you nations, for He avenges the blood of His servants, and vengeance He inflicts on His foes and clears guilt from the land of His people.

Monday, October 13, 2014 - Hope Complains

AM Devotion/Prayer
Exercise: Total Body (resistance)

Job 24:1, 9-12, 19-25; Psalm 55:16

Job:  Sins of the Wicked 24:1-12

Job 24:1
 


24:1 Why [seeing times are not hidden from the Almighty] does He not set seasons for judgment? Why do those who know Him see not His days [for punishment of the wicked]?

REF. Acts 1:7

Acts 1:7Amplified Bible (AMP)

7 He said to them, It is not for you to become acquainted with and know [a]what time brings [the things and events of time and their definite periods] or fixed [b]years and seasons (their critical niche in time), which the Father has appointed (fixed and reserved) by His own choice and authority and personal power

 
Job 24:9-12Amplified Bible (AMP)

9 [The violent men whose wickedness seems unnoticed] pluck the fatherless infants from the breast [to sell or make them slaves], and take [the clothing on] the poor for a pledge,

10 So that the needy go about naked for lack of clothing, and though hungry, they must carry [but not eat from] the sheaves.
11 Among the olive rows [of the wicked, the poor] make oil; they tread [the fresh juice of the grape from] the presses, but suffer thirst.
12 From out of the populous city men groan, and the very life of the wounded cries for help; yet God [seemingly] regards not the wrong done them.

Note:  My bible didn' t have any reference scriptures for Job 24:9-12, however, here is the commentary

Commentary:
24:10-11  The poor toiled under oppressive conditions.  Contrary to human decency (Matt. 25:34-40), they were denied food and drink.  They were not permitted portions of the produce they were hired harvest (Deut. 24:4; 1 Tim. 5:18).  Grain, wine, and olive oil were basic staples (Jer. 31:12)

Job 24:19-25
 
Job 24:19-25Amplified Bible (AMP)

19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters; so does Sheol (the place of the dead) those who have sinned.
20 The womb shall forget him, the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, and unrighteousness shall be broken like a tree [which cannot be healed].

Ref.  Prov. 10:7
Proverbs 10:7 (AMP)

7 The memory of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot.

21 [The evil man] preys upon the barren, childless woman and does no good to the widow.
22 Yet [God] prolongs the life of the [wicked] mighty by His power; they rise up when they had despaired of life.
23 God gives them security, and they rest on it; and His eyes are upon their ways.

Ref.  Ps. 11:4  Prov. 15:3

Psalm 11:4Amplified Bible (AMP)

4 The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold; His eyelids test and prove the children of men.

Proverbs 15:3 
  
Proverbs 15:3Amplified Bible (AMP)

3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and the good.

24 They are exalted for a little while, and then are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all others are and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
25 And if this is not so, who will prove me a liar and make my speech worthless?



Psalm 55:16
 
Psalm 55:16Amplified Bible (AMP)

16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me.

Thursday, October 9 2014 - Showing Love

AM Devotion
Prayer

OCTOBER 8, 2014 The Stranger on the Bench CHRYSTAL EVANS HURST

"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

A few years ago, my family took a road trip to Baltimore to visit my grandparents.

We never visit the city without making a trip to the Inner Harbor. It's something my parents did with me and I have great memories of it, so it's something I love to do with my kids.

This area is a very popular tourist attraction. It's also an area where lots of local folks from many different walks of life hang out.

On this particular day, we were walking along the main thoroughfare. I stopped for a bit to glance in the window at one of the stores. I turned my eye every few seconds or so to make sure my son was still chasing birds along the sidewalk in an attempt to scare them away.

After just a few moments, I turned to check and noticed that he was no longer chasing the birds. Rather, he was standing next to a park bench, seemingly just looking at the birds — or so I thought.

As I walked a little closer to him, I realized that he was talking ... to the homeless man lying on the park bench.

For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. My son was talking to a stranger. And based on the way this stranger was reclining on the bench, I wasn't sure if he was well.

I heard my son say, "Hi! Are you okay, sir?

"Do you need some water? Are you hungry?"

And then my heart lurched forward outside my body when I heard my son say, "Can I pray for you?"

I watched from a short distance.

The man mumbled something unintelligible to me and then my son walked away.

I stood convicted.

When was the last time I had taken the time to notice someone, right in front of me, and ask what needs they had that I could meet?

When was the last time I had offered the most basic human needs, water and food, to someone who wasn't a part of my church, neighborhood or social sphere of connection?

When was the last time I had offered a stranger my prayers?

Just because.

Our key verse today makes it clear we are to show hospitality to people — even the ones we don't know.

It's so easy to get caught up in our jobs, churches, community affairs and being nice to people we know or those who are easy to be nice to that we forget the most basic kindness — showing hospitality to a stranger.

The world is full of hurting people. People you and I can touch with a kind word, a warm smile, a hot meal or a gentle touch.

The world is full of people who would be eternally grateful if someone just stopped and prayed for them.

When was the last time you offered a stranger a smile, a prayer, a cool drink or a helping hand?

I'm sad to say I hadn't even noticed that man laying on the bench ... and even if I had, I can't say I would have stopped to inquire how I might show him a bit of hospitality, grace or understanding.

I can't say I would have stopped to pray for him.

I can't say I would have stopped to show him love.

My son helped me remember that the most simple, basic actions can sometimes mean the most.

He helped me remember that showing love to others doesn't need to be complex.

He helped me remember I should not let fear, busyness or lack of understanding stop me from giving the most important gift of all to another ...

Love.

And isn't that the point? That the world would know we are Christians by our love?

Father God, forgive me for how I sometimes forget to love others, especially strangers, in simple ways that honor You. Help me recognize opportunities to share the love You have given me with someone else who needs to feel Your love. Allow me to be Your hands and Your feet. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 John 4:21, "And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother." (ESV)

Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" (NIV)

RELATED RESOURCES:
Kingdom Woman by Tony Evans and Chrystal Evans Hurst

Visit Chrystal's blog today for more encouragement in showing love to others.

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REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Has God given you the opportunity to show His love to a stranger? What happened? We'd love to hear your story. Share your experience in the comments.

Why do you think so many of us struggle with reaching out to people we don't know? What practical ideas do you have for being more intentional about showing love to others — especially those that we would consider "strangers"?