Thursday, April 20, 2017 - Daily Word Judges Colossians 3:12-17

Thursday, April 20, 2017
Colossians 3:12-17
Workout:  Total Body

Colossians 3:12
"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Colossians 3:12-17 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

¹² So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and ^[a]patience; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. ¹⁴ Beyond all these things put on love, which is ^[b]the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ ^[c]rule in your hearts, to which ^[d]indeed you were called in one body; and ^[e]be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of ^[f]Christ richly dwell within you, ^[g]with all wisdom teaching and admonishing ^[h]one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing ^[i]with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Commentary:
  Wherever we go, we will encounted people who need compassion.  Perhaps these words from the apostle Paul can help us view everyone around us in a different light - as people who need the gentle touch of grace.  "As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience" (Col. 3:12).  He also suggests that we "bear with each other and forgive one another" v13.  
   As we show compassion, we will be pointing others to the One who poured out His heart of grace and compassion on us.

Wednesday, April 19 - Daily Word Daniel 10:1-14

Daniel 10:1-14

 Commentary:

 The confidence that God hears our prayers can cause us to become anxious when His reply doesn't come when we want it. We are prone to wonder whether He cares. Yet Daniel's experience reminds us that God is at work on behalf of those He loves even when it isn't obvious to us.

  Scriptures 

 Daniel 10:1-14 (KJV)


Daniel 10:1-14King James Version (KJV)

10 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

4 And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;

5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

7 And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

April 17, 2017 - Daily Word Romans 8:22-28

Today's Reading
Romans 8:22-28

King James Version (KJV)

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Commentary:

 When we accept our small part in His greater purpose, we can echo  these words: "God is good, and that's all there is to it.  Whatever He decides, I'm at peace."

With confidence in the Lord's goodness, we can trust Him to answer every prayer according to His will and for his glory.

Saturday, March 25, 2017 - God's Merciful Love

PM Devotion

I read Joel Chapters 1-3

Commentary/ Practical points.

1.  Now is the time to turn to God and obey Him.
2.  We please God through repenting (turn away from sin and turn to God).
3.  God is not impress with outward displays and public rituals.
note: In the O.T., people would tear their clothes off to show repentance and sadness
4.  The Holy Spirit living within us is evidence of God's generous love.
5.  God warns us about His judgment of sin because He is merciful and wants all men to repent and be saved.

Scriptures:
Joel 1-3King James Version (KJV)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.

2 Hear this, ye old men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Hath this been in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?

3 Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

4 That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

5 Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your mouth.

6 For a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion.

7 He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white.

8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.

9 The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord; the priests, the Lord's ministers, mourn.

10 The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth.

11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished.

12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.

14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,

15 Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

16 Is not the meat cut off before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?

17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered.

18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.

19 O Lord, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.

20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

2 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.

3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.

5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:

8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.

10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:

11 And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:

20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the Lord will do great things.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength.

23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.

24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.

32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

3 For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

3 And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.

4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

5 Because ye have taken my silver and my gold, and have carried into your temples my goodly pleasant things:

6 The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from their border.

7 Behold, I will raise them out of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return your recompence upon your own head:

8 And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, to a people far off: for the Lord hath spoken it.

9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

10 Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.

11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.

12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.

13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.

14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

15 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.

16 The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

17 So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

18 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim.

19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

20 But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation.

21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion.

Friday, February 10, 2017 – Delivered from Bondage

Friday, February 10, 2017 – Delivered from Bondage

Lesson: Galatians 4:8-20

Read: Galatians 4:1-31

Galatians 4New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Sonship in Christ

4 Now I say, as long as the heir is a [a]child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is [b]owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and [c]managers until the date set by the father. 3 So also we, while we were children, were held in bondage under the [d]elemental things of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under [e]the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under [f]the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir [g]through God.

8 However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless [h]elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11 I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored [i]over you in vain.

12 I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; 13 but you know that it was because of a [j]bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the [k]first time; 14 and that which was a [l]trial to you in my [m]bodily condition you did not despise or [n]loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself. 15 Where then is [o]that sense of blessing you had? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me. 16 So have I become your enemy by [p]telling you the truth? 17 They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out so that you will seek them. 18 But it is good always to be eagerly sought in a commendable [q]manner, and not only when I am present with you. 19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

Bond and Free

21 Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman. 23 But the son by the bondwoman [r]was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through the promise. 24 [s]This is allegorically speaking, for these women are two covenants: one proceeding from Mount Sinai bearing children [t]who are to be slaves; [u]she is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free; [v]she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear;

Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor;

For more numerous are the children of the desolate

Than of the one who has a husband.”

28 And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so it is now also. 30 But what does the Scripture say?

“Cast out the bondwoman and her son,

For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman.”

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of a bondwoman, [w]but of the free woman.

Friday, January 27, 2017 - All Creation Praises The Lord

PM Devotion

Exercise:  Total body workout class

Psalm 148New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Whole Creation Invoked to Praise the Lord.
148 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, [c]highest heavens,
And the waters that are above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
6 He has also established them forever and ever;
He has made a decree which will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
Sea monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9 Mountains and all hills;
Fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and winged fowl;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12 Both young men and virgins;
Old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above earth and heaven.
14 And He has lifted up a horn for His people,
Praise for all His godly ones;
Even for the sons of Israel, a people near to Him.
[d]Praise [e]the Lord!

Summary:

1.  This earth is not the Christians final destination:  It will be replaced by a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1)

2 Peter 3:13(NASB)

13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1 (NASB)

The New Heaven and Earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

2.  God expects heaven and earth to give praise to the one true God.  Please elevate Nature and the Earth has deity and this displeases God.  Heaven and earth are not God; rather, they testify to God the Creator.

3.  Hallelu Yah "Praise Ye The Lord".  It is an imperative call to laud the superior qualities of the Lord.  This particular call is for praise to be given from "the heavens."  Everything beyond the physical realm of the earth.

4.  Vs 2 calls on the agels to Praise the Lord.  Angels are spirit beings and they are superior to human beings in power and rank;  Yet, like us, they are called on to praise the Almighty.

5.  "Hosts," which often refers to armies, functions here as another name for the angelic throng in heaven.

6.  The heavenly bodies should praise the Lord:  the sun, the moon and the starts.  There were created to provide light and to distinguish the seasons but they were also given as signs that testify to the creator.

7.  Praise is also commanded from the "heavens of heavens."  aka "Highest heavens."  The equivalent to the earth's atmosphere.  Gen. 1:7 probably refers to moisture in the earth's atmostphere which falls to the earth in some form or precipitation.

8.  The question becomes, How can inanimate things such as the sun, the moon, the stars, and rain Praise Him?  The very design and function of nature points to the divine Designer to whom all praises is due.

9.  God deserves praise because He issued His command, and everything came into existence.  His power in creating all things and the wisdom displayed in His creation warrants universal praise.  The Lord's glory is revealed through His establishment forever of the inhabitants of heaven.  By an unalterable decree, He has "permanently ordered and regulated the world of nature" which speaks eloquently of God's glory (Ps. 19:1).

The orderly operations of nature also testify to the faithfulness of the God who established the laws that govern it (Jer. 31:35-36).  It is only appropriate that everything God has created should give praise to Him.

Jeremiah 31:35-36(NASB)

35 Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun for light by day
And the [a]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
The Lord of hosts is His name:
36 “If [b]this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the offspring of Israel also will cease
From being a nation before Me [c]forever.”


10.  Praise is to come "from the earth," that is, from every thing on the earth.
A large sea creature (i.e. dragons, whales)

11.  Earth forces: fire, Hail, snow.  Vapor (is either smoke from fire or the appearance of thick clouds).
These forces reminds us that we CAN NOT control nature.  Yet nature is under God's control.  He uses these forces of nature to accomplish His purposes, whether those purposes are to water the earth, clear land, or judge His people.

12.  God calls various features of the earth to testify to God's creative power.  Mountains, Hill countries.  There are a variety of fruit trees that provided food for humans and animals.  Cedar trees, so prized in ancient Israel, represent trees that are useful for construction.

13.  Cattle and wild animals, Creeping things (reptiles), flying fowl or birds, all animal life.

14.  Kings of the Earth (represent the most powerful).  Princes (are leaders), Judges of the earth (those who rule in legal matters or carry out government function).

15.  young men, old men, maindens, singles, marry people

16.  Praise the Lord in all his fulness.

17.  Israel should praise him because they are the chosen one.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017 - O Lord, How manifold are thy works!

Golden Text - "O Lord, how manifold are thy works!  In wisdom hast thou made them all" (Psalm 104:24)

Psalm 104:1-4New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The Lord’s Care over All His Works.
104 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
3 [a]He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
[b]He makes the clouds His chariot;
[c]He walks upon the wings of the wind;
4 [d]He makes [e]the winds His messengers,
[f]Flaming fire His ministers.

Commentary:
    God is the wise Creator.  The earth is full of delightful things He created.  From the largest whale to the tiniest plant in the ocean, His design is perfect.  Best of all, He takes care of every creature He made.
    Look around at the things that were created by God.  Even insects, just one part of creation, are so plentiful that scientists still discover new kinds each year.  As part of His creation, each has different features that allow it to function as God designed.
     You are His special creation.  Everything about you was deliberately planned by God before you were born, and He does not make any mistakes.  God's plan for you today is to learn about Him.  Listen and learn the Bible;  it will help you know what He wants you to do.  However, there is one more step:  you must do what you know is right.
    All creation works together to praise God.  You can honor God by living your life to please God.