Day 44 - Perfect Water of Life

It almost seems as though the water is just flowing out of the rocks themselves, doesn't it? [This picture was taken by Carol Meyers at MIT and is used with her permission.] Three times the phrase "water of life" is found in the Word! We were having a discussion about this very topic yesterday at Fundamental Baptist Forum.

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. (Rev 21:6) I noticed that Jesus says "It is done" here. It reminded me of when He was given vinegar on the cross and then said "It is finished" and He gave up the ghost (John 19:30). Here He says "It is done" and He promises to give water of life! The beginning and the end - the Alpha and the Omega's work of the cross is finished and He freely gives water to those that thirst!

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Rev 22:1) Again, the water of life flows from Christ - He is the Lamb!

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev 22:17) I love this verse - notice the bride is here? We have received freely from this water of life and are with the Lamb!!!

I also found that the phrase "fountain of life" appears three times in the Word and all three times in the Old Testament.

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psa 36:9) Jesus is not only the fountain of life but He is the light. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (Joh 8:12)

The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Pro 13:14)

The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. (Pro 14:27) Again, Jesus is not only the fountain of life, but Jesus has the keys to hell and death. I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Rev 1:18)

Three times the Word says in John that He is the living water:

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (Joh 4:10) Not only is Jesus the Living Water but He is the gift of God. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:23)

The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? (Joh 4:11)

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (Joh 7:38)

Jeremiah also referred to the Lord as: O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters. (Jer 17:13)

Jesus is know as the living water and is also known as the Rock. I love how God used both these examples and combined them into something impossible. How can water flow from a rock? God took both to reveal Himself to us. Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exo 17:6) On Christ the Solid Rock we stand and He provides us with Living Water! Praise the Lord!! And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4)

It amazes me how God shows Himself through objects - giving us object lessons. Our Rock, our foundation, is firm and steady and cannot crumble or be destroyed. In fact, out of our Rock comes living water - not polluted or unclean - but pure! And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Rev 22:1) The Perfect Lamb of God gives us living water which freely flows from His throne!

When I sit and meditate on how Christ reveals God's character and how He reveals Himself through the Word, I tear up! I stand amazed at how God feeds us over and over and it is fresh every day. Nothing gets stale, the Water never flows dirty! The Living Water of the Word continues to quench my spiritual thirst every single day. It is not old - it is new every morning! Thanks be to God!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Day 43 - Be Strong And Of A Good Courage

Deuteronomy 31:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Moses was near the end of his life - very soon (within a matter of days) he would be passing off the scene, and Joshua would then lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. It was time for Moses to give them (and Joshua) his final words of exhortation and instruction. Seven times in Deuteronomy 31 and Joshua 1, we read the exhortation to "be strong and of a good courage." God had a plan for the nation of Israel - to conquer the land of Canaan - and it would involve strength and courage; it would require God's strength and the perfect courage He could give them, if they relied on Him.

1) Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Perhaps, upon hearing this, Joshua was reminded of his commission years before of spying out the Promised Land and bringing back a report - as well as the consequences of the nation of Israel rebelling against God's clear leading:

Numbers 13:17-20 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

Joshua, just like you had nothing to fear back then, even so you have nothing to fear today! As your name indicates: The LORD is salvation - He it is that goes with you, and will deliver you from all your enemies. In fact, He will deliver all your enemies into your hand and give the land to you. You do not need to fear man - the Lord is with you! He will not fail to keep His promises, and He will never forsake you; therefore there is no reason for fear or hesitation. Go conquer the land in His name! He will give you the victory!

What has the Lord commanded you to do in your life? I believe this promise is just as much for us today as it was for the nation of Israel. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

This is one of my all-time favourite verses - one I memorized to a melody, and one that continually comes back afresh to my mind whenever I need it. We have the Lord's seven-fold promises to spur us on!

It is interesting to note that two other people within the Bible itself quoted this verse to exhort others:

Joshua to the nation of Israel - in Joshua 10:24-25 And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.

King David to Solomon his son - in 1 Chronicles 22:11-13 Now, my son, the LORD be with thee; and prosper thou, and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he hath said of thee. Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.

And again in 1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.

We are following in the footsteps of faith when we take and apply God's promises to our lives!

2) Deuteronomy 31:7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

The first of these seven promises was to the whole nation of Israel (though still addressed to the individual, as the word "thee" indicates), but the other six were specifically directed to Joshua himself. He is the leader that will go before the people and lead them into the Promised Land, lead them into the inheritance that the Lord God has promised them. Our Joshua, our Leader, the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who will lead those who trust in Him into their inheritance. Our inheritance is through the Saviour, and by the Saviour. He is the one that will cause us to inherit it! Despite the cost, despite the powers of darkness arrayed against Him, despite the separation from God the Father as He bore the sins of the world, Jesus, our Leader, was strong and courageous - and fulfilled the Father's will for His life and provided for our salvation.

In the following four passages, the Greek word for prince, captain, and author means "the chief leader," the pioneer.

Acts 3:13-15 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

Acts 5:30-31 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Just as the Lord led Joshua through the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, even so the Lord Jesus Christ led the way through the Garden of Gethsemane, from the cross to the tomb, and then arose in victory over the grave. Even in times of trials and afflictions, the Lord goes before us and prepares the way.

A Song In The Night

Though darkness hides the sunlight,
A song is in my soul;
In the night of my affliction,
The Lord is in control.

I cannot see His footsteps –
The path He leads me down;
All the way, there’s a promise:
His path leads to a crown.

Within the stormy blackness,
Jesus has His eye on me;
Though the darkness hide Him,
By faith I still can see.

Though nighttime falls around me,
The cross leads to the tomb,
My footsteps will not falter,
His Word lights up the gloom.

Though I know not the journey,
The Lord will take me through;
I will trust in my Saviour –
He has my best in view.

Even though my steps be darkened,
My Father knows the way;
And He will safely guide me –
From the shadows into day.

June 14th/06
Jerry Bouey

3) Deuteronomy 31:23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

I love the certainty of this verse: thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land... I will be with thee. What God called Joshua and the nation of Israel to do, He equipped them for; what the Lord calls each of us to do in our walks with Him, He will equip us for. We do not need to fear - we just need to be strong and of a good courage, and step out in faith and obey Him as He leads the way! The times the nation of Israel did not have the victory were times they were not walking by faith or in obedience to God and His Word.

4) Joshua 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

The Lord exhorts Joshua to go conquer the land of Canaan, because God promised it to them! God was telling them it was already theirs and they only needed to enter into it and claim it by faith.

Joshua 1:1-5 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.*

The following quotes are taken from Genesis: Claiming The Promises (please read that study for the context of these quotes):

I believe the land we are to claim are the promises found in God's Word. We are to go through the land of the Scriptures, walk about the length and breadth of them - From Genesis To Revelation - find the promises that the Lord wants to give us, and then claim them by faith. How many believers do this? Not enough from what I have seen! There are many promises and passages that the average Christian is woefully ignorant of - yet those very same promises and passages would have helped them so much in the battles or struggles they faced day by day!

Too many people want to find satisfaction and fulfillment outside of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word - as if these weren't enough to equip us for the Christian life. Yet I find that this is exactly what we need - a living, vital relationship with Christ and a heart that meditates on and digs into His Word.

...When was the last time you walked spiritually through the Promised Land - or should I say, the Land of Promise? When was the last time you searched through the Scriptures, looking through the length and breadth of God's Word for promises that applied to the situations you were currently facing, and then claimed them by faith? Isn't it about time you took another stroll? There are more promises waiting to be discovered! Claim some today!

*Joshua 1:5 is quoted in the New Testament and is applied to all true believers:

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

5) Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

If you want to prosper in your walk with the Lord you need to heed His Word. God won't bless a rebel; however, He will bless the believer who humbly walks in faith, who trusts and obeys. Consider the very next verse in this chapter:

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Success is doing God's will for your life. George W. Truett made this excellent statement:

"To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge. To find the will of God is the greatest discovery. To do the will of God is the greatest achievement!"

We cannot do God's will unless we are meditating upon and applying His Word by faith, day by day.

Psalms 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Psalms 119:1-3 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Psalms 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

6) Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Don't be discouraged - be of a good courage! Encouragement is pouring courage and strength into someone. Our courage comes from the Lord, as does our strength. How do we receive that courage? By waiting upon the Lord in prayer and stepping out in faithful service to Him.

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

7) Joshua 1:18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.

It will take strength and courage to do God's will! It takes strength to resist a world that is bent upon rebelling against your Heavenly Father. It takes courage to go against the flow, to stand up for what is right in a world that is darkened by sin. We can't expect the Lord's blessings when we follow the crowd, when we swim downstream with the rest of the world, into the muck and mire of sin. But what tremendous promises and encouragement is ours when we follow the Lord by faith!

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Step out in faith, walk through the Land of Promise, be strong and of a good courage - claim the victory that is yours through the Lord Jesus Christ - for we have His wonderful promise to each one of us that He will not fail us, nor forsake us!

With a Saviour that faithful, what are we afraid of? Be strong and of a good courage!

July 30th/07
Jerry Bouey

A break from the Bible Number Series

I am saddened by the testimony left behind by the so-called "christian" today. My heart just aches that the cause of Christ has been so diluted by people who claim they are Christians yet live their lives as if there is no power behind Christ. No wonder the lost call Christians hypocrites. I would rather that those who professed but did not change would be quiet and never say they are Christian. I would rather they let those who really did become born again show the world the difference that Christ makes.

Have you been truly born again? If so, the Bible says your life will be changed. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor 5:17) The Greek word "are" implies a continuation - an on-going process. Therefore old things are continuing to pass away and all things are becoming new. Your old sinful nature is continuing to pass away and your new righteous nature is continuing to become new! You are sinning less and the things which are pleasing to God are becoming more prevalent in your life. Your desires in life lead toward God rather than away from God. Is this what has happened in your life?

So, are you a new creature? Does it bother you when you sin? Does the Holy Spirit of God "eat your lunch" when you sit and watch a movie that curses His name? Are you disturbed when those around you tell dirty jokes and you say nothing? My friend, if you are truly born again, the Holy Spirit of God will stir your spirit. 2 Cor. 5:17 says you are a new creature and old things are passing away and all things in your life are becoming new. If you are suppose to be "becoming new," then why are you not changing?

I am so sick and tired of being compared to the person who says he is a "christian" yet is not any different than those who are not. At least the unsaved don't boast about being born again. They don't live a life of hypocrisy. But the one who says they got saved and have not changed nor have the desire to change, simply drag the name of Christ through the mud and the unsaved world looks at all of us as being part of the same group and they laugh at us - they consider all of us hypocrites. Sadly, many of those sitting in our very own churches are hypocrites. Just check out how many return for evening services and mid-week services.

The homosexuals hate us because of these hypocrites. The abortionists hate us because of these hypocrites. They claim that "christians" hate them and perform hate crimes toward them. The true born-again Christian loves the homosexual - the true born-again Christian loves the abortionist. The truth is that we hate the sin but we love the person. The homosexual or the abortionist cannot say this - that would mean that they hate the Christian but love the person. The homosexual and the abortionist hate the true Christian because we expose their sin - not in word but with our very lives. The true born-again Christian loves the sinner and desires that all come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 4:6)

My friend, the Word of God is plain and simple. I have had a homosexual say that the New Testament does not deny homosexuality - I have read accounts of abortionists saying that all are equal in God's eyes and that the woman has the choice over her body and He would not want her to suffer. The Bible says:

For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: (Rom 1:26) It is God's design that women bear children - that is the natural use of the woman's body. But the women of today are selfish - it's all about me and what is convenient for me! The baby has become a convenience. It is also natural for a woman to be married to a man. But again, in these times of corrupt hearts, women have discarded the use of a man in their lives. So why do they strive to act as men, then? It makes no sense at all. Their sinful hearts will cause them to believe the lie that they were born this way. It is easier to believe a lie than to seek truth - especially God's Truth. I once spoke to a homosexual woman about the Lord. She said she had to clean up her life before she could get saved. She knew deep down that her homosexuality was a sin - she was under conviction. But she did not wait to try to get out of the sin prior to salvation. She feared God more than she feared the harsh words from her friends. She was gloriously saved and immediately repented of her sinful lifestyle. Today, she is married and has four children!

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. (Rom 1:27) How can you homosexual men say that the New Testament does not state how sinful your life is? Here it is in plain black and white from the Scriptures. You are without excuse. Continue in this sin and you will receive payment for your error - whether it be in your body through AIDS (or whatever sickness) or for all eternity if you do not repent.

Are you any different than the straight person or the one who has never had an abortion? No, not at all. We are all sinners and are all without sin. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom 3:23) We are all guilty. The liar deserves hell just as much as the homosexual or the abortionist. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (Jam 2:10)

Whether you want to admit it or not, we all live by a law of some kind. Whether we live in Germany, the United States or Canada (or wherever), we live by a civil law that keeps law and order in our country. Without this law of the land, chaos would ensue. It is the same for the spiritual law. Without spiritual laws guiding us, we would be neck deep in judgment. God has provided us with the spiritual laws of the Bible. These laws guide us and are the very foundation of civilization today. And we are neck deep in judgment because none of us can keep the whole law (as it is written in James 2:10, above). Anywhere you go in the civilized world, one knows that it is against the law not to kill - not to steal - not to lie. Where did the civilized world get this law? Any intelligent human being would want to know where this law began. Any intelligent human being would realize that the same one who placed this law in our hearts will require judgment some day.

My friend, I challenge you only to search your heart. The Bible says that God will judge you for what you know in your heart to be true. You cannot deny that you know better because the Bible says that you know better because it has been imprinted upon your heart by God.

Romans 1:18-21 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; (18) Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (19) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (20) Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (21)

Do not be the one whose foolish heart will be darkened. Confess your sin, repent and be saved. Jesus said, I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luk 13:3) Therefore, Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (Joh 3:3) The true-born again Christian will be truly sorry for his sin; he will repent and strive not to continue in his sin. That is the difference between the "so-called" christian and the true born-again Christian.

I felt led to write this today and I pray that the Lord uses it to draw someone to Him today. To God be the glory, great things He hath done!

Please write me if this has blessed you!

Day 42 - The Son of God

There is only one path to Heaven. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only way. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (Joh 14:6) My husband took this picture when we were camping. I loved it because both paths are similar. However, one path is more narrow than the other. You can look down another path and think it is the right way, but the Word says it is the wrong way. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Pro 16:25) If Heaven were entered by many paths (like the statement all roads lead to Rome), then Buddha, Allah and Confucious would lead to Heaven. This contradicts the Word of God, however. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. (Mat 7:14) Jesus said, I am the way and NO man can come to the Father but by Him. Why do you think that this is so important and is attacked by the false religions of the world? I believe it is because they deny Jesus' Deity - the fact that He is the Son of God.

I did a search for the phrase, "Son of God," and was delighted at my findings. I discovered there was actually one verse in the Old Testament that referred to the Son of God! My heart jumped with joy! He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Dan 3:25) The rest of the verses were found in the New Testament. As I read through the 47 verses, I found that they could be placed into twelve different categories - each describing the Son of God. The number twelve symbolizes divine government. This had me rejoicing in my spirit because of: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6) Does this not excite you? The deity of Christ is found in Isa 9:6 - He is the Son - He is the mighty God - He is the everlasting Father! My friend, Jesus is the only way! If you are not saved and reading this, I pray that the Holy Spirit of God pricks your heart and opens your eyes to this wonderful Truth.

Let's look at how the Son of God is described:

He walks with us: He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Dan 3:25)

He intercedes for us: Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. (Heb 4:14)

No matter what sin we have committed after salvation, Christ goes before the Father and shows Him that our sins are covered by His precious blood! Like David, in the account of Bathsheba, we acknowledge our sin and guilt before God and repent (turn) from our sin and do it no more. This is the difference between the saved and the unsaved. The saved are chastised by God when we sin and we repent from that sin. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (Heb 12:8)

Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. (Heb 7:3)

He requires faith: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

Can perform life altering miracles: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (Mat 4:3) (See also Luke 4:3)

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Mat 4:6) (See also Luke 4:9)

If the Son of God can change stone into bread, how much more can He help us with our daily lives? The Creator of all stands ready to help us just as He stood with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego! He stood with them in the fire and they had not heard of Jesus Christ yet, my friend! How much more will Christ stand with us who live in Him by faith? Oh joy!

Has charge over devils: And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? (Mat 8:29)

And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. (Mar 3:11)

And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. (Luk 4:41)

He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 Jo 3:8)

Pastor is covering 1 John in our Wednesday night series. He used this verse as an example of how many Christians struggle with their salvation because of this verse. The sin described here is the sin of an unbeliever. All it takes is one sin to keep us out of Heaven, right? Have you sinned at least once since you were saved? We all have! That would mean that none of us would go to Heaven then! This refers to those who stay in their sin - who continue in their sin. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. (Rom 7:19) Even Paul struggled with sin but the key is not to make it a part of our lives. Instead, we acknowledge each sin and strive not to sin. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 Jo 2:1)

His Deity recognized by man: Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. (Mat 14:33)

Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. (Mat 27:54)

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God. (Mar 15:39)

And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. (Joh 1:34) Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (Joh 1:49)

She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. (Joh 11:27)

And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. (Act 9:20)

And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Rom 1:4) For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. (2 Co 1:19)

He was ridiculed: And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. (Mat 27:40)

He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. (Mat 27:43)

He brought Good News/Salvation: The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; (Mar 1:1)

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. (Joh 5:25)

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? (Joh 9:35)

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (Joh 20:31)

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Act 8:37)

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. (1 Jo 4:15)

Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Jo 5:5)

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (1 Jo 5:10)

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (1 Jo 5:12)

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 Jo 5:13)

His mission was heralded by angels: And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luk 1:35)

He brings judgment: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Joh 3:18)

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; (Rev 2:18)

He is to be glorified: When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. (Joh 11:4)

Came to die: The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. (Joh 19:7)

The Word of God clearly speaks in this topic today, doesn't it? To God be the glory! Praise to the Son, our Lord and King!!

Jesus, Son of God Most High
Thomas B. Pollock

Jesus, Son of God most high,
God from all eternity,
Born as man to live and die,
Hear us, holy Jesus.

Leaving Thine eternal throne,
Making mortal cares Thine own,
Making God’s compassion known,
Hear us, holy Jesus.

By Thy life, so lone and still,
By Thy waiting to fulfill
In its time Thy Father’s will,
Hear us, holy Jesus.

May we mark the pattern fair
Of Thy life of work and prayer,
And for truth all perils dare,
Hear us, Holy Jesus.

Bid us come, at last, to Thee,
And forever perfect be,
Where Thy glory we shall see,
Hear us, holy Jesus.

Day 41 - Given By The Father To The Son

I was blessed these last few days by meditating on John 17 and Jesus' High Priestly prayer, being reminded again of the seven times that Jesus states that the Father gave all true believers to Him, the Son. There are 17 references to gave(st) and give(n) altogether in this chapter. Each verse says something slightly different, and it is edifying to look at what they encompass. These seven references to us being given to the Son are contained in six separate verses:

1) John 17:1-2 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Seven times in the Gospel of John Jesus refers to His hour, the hour He would be glorified by the Father through His death upon the cross for our sins, His burial, and His physical resurrection: 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23 (see also vs. 24), 27; 13:1; and 17:1. There are eight times in this chapter that Jesus uses the word glory or a form thereof (glorify, glorified).

We might say about verse 2, "This one's a given," meaning that we already are familiar with this truth: all that have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour have been given the gift of eternal life in Him. I love how the next verse expresses exactly what that eternal life is - fellowship with the Father and the Son:

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Salvation is eternal life - fellowship with the Lord our God - life, living in the presence of God for eternity.

2) John 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

Many times the Scriptures refer to the "name" of the Son, but here Jesus refers to the name of the Father. He declares that He has manifested (made plain) the Father's name to His disciples. The main name for God (the Godhead, not just the Father) used throughout the Bible is Lord (or LORD), Jehovah, I Am - and we can see Jesus identifying Himself as the great I Am throughout His ministry. He and the Father are one (see John 10:30) - one in essence, and one in unity. When we see Jesus, we see the Father through Him (John 14:9); in Jesus, we truly see God manifest in the flesh (1 Timothy 3:16) as He is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Notice the seven-fold description here of the Son - seven statements that assert His divinity.

Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

In Jesus, we see everything God is. Knowing this, the next verse contains tremendous assurance for those who have trusted in Jesus for salvation:

Colossians 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Verse 6 mentions how Jesus' disciples have kept His Word. The word kept here means "to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon." True believers will cling to the Word of God, hold to its teachings, and not let the Devil or the world snatch these doctrinal truths from their hearts.

John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

3) John 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

In Jesus' High Priestly prayer, we don't just see the Son fellowshipping with the Father, but we see Him also praying for His own - in fact, this is the primary ministry He is currently occupied with in Heaven.

Hebrews 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Hebrews 7:24-25 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Romans 8 is one of my favourite chapters of the whole Bible. Notice how it teaches that if you are a born again child of God, all three members of the Godhead are for you: Romans 8:26-27, and 31-32.

4) John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

In this portion of Jesus' prayer, we hear Him petitioning the Father to keep us safe so that we may be one with Him and in Him. This is a unity based on the true God and on truth (see verses 2, 17, and 19). Too many in our day are striving for a man-made ecumenical unity - but Jesus' prayer was for a unity of fellowship and purpose among the true children of God, not among apostate Christendom. (For the sake of clarification, I believe the primary unity the New Testament teaches is unity within each local church - not unity among all believers worldwide; though even among true believers there should be a unity among the fundamentals of the faith.)

John 17:21-23 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Romans 15:5-6 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Ephesians 4:3-6 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

In this passage, there is a seven-fold unity that God has established. This is one of two places in the New Testament where the Trinity is expressed in this fashion: Spirit, Lord, and God (the Father). The other reference is 1 Corinthians 12:4-6.

The word fellowship basically means "a sharing in what we have in common together." There is not much in the way of fellowship between professing believers who are not likeminded, who do not hold to the same doctrines, the same general Bible principles and standards, the same Saviour (and, of course, there is no fellowship between a true believer and an unbeliever). Whether on a message board or in a local church, in a church potluck or in a coffee shop, fellowship must be based on what we have in common in the Lord Jesus Christ and the faith we share in Him and in the precious Word of God.

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Philippians 2:1-2 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

Philippians 3:9-10 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

1 John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

1 John 1:5-7 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

It is interesting to note that in John 17:11, Jesus refers to His Father as Holy Father (the only time this name is used in the whole Bible) in the context of keeping us safe in this world - keeping us in His name will involve separation from ungodliness and sin, will involve holiness in His children, will involve true believers being set apart (sanctified, holy) from the world. Verse 24 also contains the only reference to the name Righteous Father.

5) John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Jesus states that He has kept all those that the Father has given Him - He has not lost a single one, except the one that He never had to begin with! Judas was never saved, had never trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation; therefore he was still lost. A careful studying out of all the passages relating to Judas (especially in the Gospel of John) will bear out this fact. Judas never repented of his sin, nor placed his faith personally in the Saviour. After his betrayal of Jesus Christ, he regretted the consequences of his betrayal (ie. Jesus being led to death), but he did not turn to God for forgiveness of his sins. For further study, consider John 2:23-25; 6:64-71 (devil means slanderer, accuser); 12:4-6; 13:2 (notice that Judas is possessed by Satan himself in verse 27), 10-11, 18-30, plus the accounts of the betrayal. The phrase, the son of perdition, is the same term used for the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, of whom, no doubt, Judas was a type. In Matthew 27:3, it states that Judas repented himself, which is a different word in Greek indicating remorse or regret for what happened, not repentance toward God.

I covered all that to re-emphasize the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ keeps His own! He never loses anyone who truly repents of their sins and receives Him as their Saviour. No one can be separated from His love (see Romans 8:35, 37-39), and no one can be taken from His hands or the Father's hands - we are doubly held! (see John 10:27-30).

The Greek word for keep and kept in verses 11-12, and 15 is the same as that used in verse 6, in regards to the disciples keeping Jesus' Word (see definition above). However, the Greek word is different the second time kept is used in verse 12 (those that thou gavest me I have kept), and means "through the idea of isolation; to watch, i.e. be on guard (literally of figuratively); by implication, to preserve, obey, avoid." Our Lord is watching over us, watching over our souls, He is guarding us and keeping us by His power - and no true believer will ever be lost! He will keep and preserve us until He takes us home to live with Him forever in Heaven!

John 17:14-16 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

It was Jesus' prayer that the Father would keep us (ie. guard and protect us) from evil - that He would keep us safe while we are in this world, safe from the evil influences of this world. The above passage is where we get our phrase from, "We are to be in the world, but not of the world." The word world is used 19 times in this chapter. Some passages that also speak of God's same protection for His children are:

Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

This last verse contains the wonderful promise to the Philadephian church (the Missionary church, the church of brotherly love) that the Lord will rapture them out before the time of Tribulation comes to test the whole world. True believers have already made their choice, have already received (and kept) the Word of God, already received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and therefore will be removed from the time of trouble that will come upon all the world. We do not need to be tried or proven to see what we will do with Jesus, as that decision has already been made by those who have trusted in Christ.

One point worth mentioning in a day of ecumenicism: the word for all the world is used three times in the book of Revelation - and is a reference to the lost world opposed against the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Greek word oikoumene, where we get our word "ecumenical" from! And there are naive or deliberately deceptive people today pushing the ecumenical movement on us! That will only lead to the one-world church and one-world government of the Antichrist in Revelation 13. We need to beware! Beware when the whole world is running after the same thing, when the whole world is running after the same "Christian" leader, when the whole world is running after the same movements or philosophies! The "whole world" does not love the things of God, does not love the Word of God - beware!

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

6) John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

This last statement in our study is Jesus' prayer that all true believers would be with Jesus in Heaven forever, and that we would behold His glory. I believe Peter, James, and John were given a glimpse of that glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, and John saw the glorified Christ when he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos - and one day we will see Him totally glorified and transfigured before our eyes, because then our sin nature will have been removed, and there will be nothing hindering us from beholding Him as He truly is. Like the Lord told Moses, when he asked to see God's glory:

Exodus 33:19-23 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

In order to see God's glory, we must be hidden in Christ, hidden in the Rock!

Matthew 17:1-2 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

Mark 9:2-3 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

As an added study, it is also interesting to note the various other things that Jesus said the Father has given Him:

a) power over all flesh - vs. 2
b) the work which thou gavest me to do - vs. 4
c) whatsoever thou hast given me - vs. 7
d) the words which thou gavest me - vs. 8
e) the glory which thou gavest me - vs. 22
f) my glory, which thou hast given me - vs. 24

And what He has given His disciples:

a) I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me - vs. 8
b) I have given them thy word - vs. 14
c) the glory which thou gavest me I have given them - vs. 22

The last verse of this chapter contains an amazing statement:

John 17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

God the Father loves His children with the same love He loves the Son! He wants us to be filled with that love, and dwell in us, working through us. This verse exposes the Devil's lie that God doesn't care for us or that His love is conditioned on our own worthiness - He loves us as much as He loves the Son because we are in the Son! Is that love evident in your life, evident in you and through you?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Romans 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

July 26th/07
Jerry Bouey

Day 40 - My Seven Favourite Verses

2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Of course, this promise about God's promises giving us all we need to live for His glory in this world is also one of my favourite ones too!

God's promises are for God's children - to enable them to live right in this dark world! If you are a child of God, the same promises that strengthened and blessed my walk with the Lord are yours to claim as well! In fact, there are hundreds and perhaps even thousands for us to take and apply to our lives.

To make this series a little more personal, today and in my last devotional I wanted to focus on verses that have most helped me in my walk with the Lord. What are my seven most used passages since I came to know the Lord as my Saviour, and what are my most favourite passages overall (ones that have been ongoing favourites since they first impressed themselves upon me)?

My seven favourite verses (within the last few years) are:

1) God's Sovereignty

Romans 8:28 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.

No matter what the trial or affliction in my life, the Lord will ultimately turn it around and use it for my good! That doesn't make the evil good in itself (as some would claim), but it means that everything the Lord allows into my life has some purpose that fits His plan for me - whether something to strengthen my faith, something to chastise me, something to draw me even closer to Him, something to teach me more about Him and His Word, or perhaps something to better enable me to relate to and offer comfort to someone else going through a similar trial further down the road - whatever the purpose, the Lord God is still in control!

I love the Old Testament equivalent of this promise too (as stated by Joseph to his brethren):

Genesis 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

2) The Lord Is With Me In All My Valleys

Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

One of my favourite themes of study in the Bible is that of the valleys we face in this life - and the Lord has promised to be with us in each one, and to bring us through them (not leave us stranded in the midst of them). In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, is the Lily of the Valleys.

Song of Solomon 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

I love that old hymn of the faith which was inspired by this verse, but the author of the hymn didn't get it completely right - Jesus is the Lily of the VALLEYS (plural).

Whatever the valley you face, Jesus is there. These valleys were all wonderful to study out and tackle in my preaching at the Gospel Mission:

a) The Valley of the Shadow of Death - which we will all face at one time or another, not only the looming shadow of our own death, but the shadow of the death of our loved ones. Still Jesus is with us!

b) The Valley of Trouble (Achor) - this is the backslider's valley! This is where the Lord brings us to the end of ourselves, so we will return to Him. The true believer will sing in that valley because it is the door of hope, the door back to repentance and to fellowship with our Saviour.

Hosea 2:15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.

c) The Valley of Strength (Elah - in 1 Samuel 17:2) - what are the giants you face in your life? The Lord can give you complete victory in Him! The battle is not won in the strength of man, but in the Lord's strength - the battle IS the Lord's!

1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

d) The Valley of Blessing (Berachah - 2 Chronicles 20:26) - when utter defeat looms on the horizon, victory is found only by trusting in and praising the Lord!

2 Chronicles 20:17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

2 Chronicles 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

e) The Valley of Weeping (Baca) - The Lord can bring comfort and blessing out of our times of sorrow and grief, when our strength and hope is found in Him.

Psalms 84:5-6 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

f) The Valley of Decision - this is the decision we all face in this life, the decision to choose or reject the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour.

Joel 3:2, 14 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. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

3) The Burden Bearer

These two verses go together:

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

I don't have to carry my burdens alone - in fact, I don't need to carry them at all! I can throw them all upon Jesus and let Him carry them for me! I love the end of 1 Peter 5:7: for he careth for you! He will bear your burdens - when you give them to Him - because He loves you. Five simple words of assurance and comfort, but how tremendous their impact!

Once I give Jesus my burdens and cares, then I can take His yoke upon me and work upon my life with Him - my Lord and I, both of us together.

Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Song of Solomon 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

4) No Fear, But Power

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

A rich word study is found in this verse! Meditate upon these definitions:

a) Fear - dread or timidity.

b) Power - force, ability, strength - dunamis, where we get our word dynamite from!

c) Love - agape - selfless, sacrificial love towards others. Love is an action word!

d) A Sound Mind - discipline, i.e. self-control.

The Lord has NOT given us the spirit of fear! We do not have to dread or be afraid of what He has planned for us - for what He has called us to do, He will equip us for. He has given us tremendous power to serve Him with, love to enable us to reach out to others, and a sound mind that is willing and able to do His will. The Lord has given us the ability to control ourselves, to put out whatever fear we may have (whether caused by Satan or by ourselves), and to serve Him in love and faithfulness.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

5) God Proved His Love

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Whenever you are tempted to think, "Woe is me! Life is hard and unfair," remember the goodness and lovingkindness of the Lord! Jesus already proved it to the world by dying for our sins - and He proved it to you personally by saving your soul the instant you turned to Him in repentance and faith.

"When you are wondering if the Lord cares and if He is watching from above
Take a second look at Calvary – and there behold God’s wondrous love!"

6) The Lord Thinks About Me

Psalms 40:17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

In a world that tries to beat us down, tries to make us feel worthless, tries to make us feel like a number, tries to make us focus on what we lack, rather than glory in all that we have in our Heavenly Father, here is a wonderful verse that reminds us of the Lord's tender care and compassion upon us. He thinketh upon me! Thinketh... present tense, ongoing - my Saviour is always thinking about me! Who cares if the world does not value me - the one who is most important does - and that is what counts the most in light of eternity! My sins and situations in life may strip me of my dignity and self-worth, but my Heavenly Father loves me in spite of myself, loves me while knowing everything about me - loves me anyways! Praise His name!

It is interesting to note that the very next verse (Psalm 41:1) begins with this phrase: Blessed is he that considereth the poor... From the context, I would say that our Heavenly Father considers Himself blessed everytime He thinks about us!

Psalms 139:17-18 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

Amen! Those thoughts are precious to my soul!

7) The Lord Will Finish His Work In My Life

Psalms 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Someone has compared our lives to a pathway with a curtain hanging one step in front of us; as we walk each step, the curtain advances one step further on. We never know what our future holds - but, by faith, we can trust that our Heavenly Father has it all planned out for us - and we can know that He will work out what He has begun in us, and in our lives. There are various times I have had to claim this verse by faith. Whether it was waiting for the results of a job interview, waiting for important paperwork to be processed, waiting for a life or death situation to be resolved so my sister and I could make the right decisions in a difficult time, or waiting for doors of ministry to be opened or closed in my life - the Lord perfected (completed) that area of my life so that I could glorify Him and step out in faith to fulfill what He had planned for me.

While I believe the above verse primarily applies to the circumstances we face, we also have God's promises that He will perfect the work He has begun inside each of us!

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

I Know Whom I Have Believed
(Words: Daniel W. Whittle)

I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

Chorus:
But I know Whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I’ve committed
Unto Him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

Precious promises indeed!!

July 20th/07
Jerry Bouey

Day 39 - Ten Plagues

The Ten Commandments is God's law to mankind. The law shows man his sinful nature. The first and second commandments deal with not having other gods or graven images before us. I found it interesting that all ten plagues given to the Egyptians dealt with their gods and graven images.

The number ten symbolizes the law, government and restoration. God gave us the law and clearly outlined that we are not to have any other gods before us. God also shows how we can be restored to Him - through His Son, Jesus Christ and His work of the cross. I thought I would incorporate those two concepts into the ten plagues. I could not believe how God blessed me through this! I hope they bless you as well!

1. Water into blood: The Egyptians viewed the Nile as their god - the giver of life. And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. (Exo 7:20)

The Hebrew slaves shed much of their blood at the hands of the Egyptians but now God showed them that the Egyptian Nile god was no longer the giver of life - God gave them much blood to drink. Exo 7:20 says that all the waters in the river turned to blood. This was their drinking water - sustenance for their crops and cattle. Can you just imagine what impact this had on them? Think of how you wouldn't be able to live without water!

I found it interesting that the magicians could duplicate this plague but they could not make it go away. The world can try to duplicate the way to heaven but only through Christ's shed blood can we gain entrance. It is His blood that brings forth the waters of everlasting life! He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (Joh 7:38)

2. Frogs: The Egyptian goddess, Isis (the goddess of fertility) was represented as a frog. And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneadingtroughs: (Exo 8:3) God showed the Egyptians that she was not a god by giving them dead piles of frogs. These frogs were everywhere! Imagine finding frogs in your house - in your bedroom - in your bed - in the food - everywhere you looked? That's a LOT of frogs! I found it interesting that the magicians could make the frogs appear but they could not make them go away. The devil can bring things into our lives to make our lives putrid and disgusting - permeating every area of our lives, but only God can clean it up and make it new. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Cor 5:17)

3. Lice: The Egyptians worshipped the earth god named Seth. And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. (Exo 8:16) God caused the tiny little lice to come up out of the earth and make the Egyptians' lives miserable! Can you imagine each piece of dust in the land turning into lice? If any of you have had lice or one of your children has come home from school with head lice, you know how absolutely annoying they can be to get rid of! It was interesting to see that the magicians could not duplicate this plague. God created the earth - He can cause it to do whatever He wants. Not so with their earth god. The lice reminded me of sin and how much it can permeate our lives and consume us. It takes strong chemicals to be rid of lice and we have to boil our clothes and bed sheets, etc. - and still no guarantee that they are completely gone. It is the same with sin. We can try all we want to use the methods of the world to be rid of them, but only the precious blood of Jesus Christ can wipe them away - permanently!

4. Flies: The prince of the air, Beelzebub, was thought to use the flies as his ears. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. (Exo 8:21) Egypt's priests could not make them go away. They were coming in droves and were everywhere but the Hebrews were not bothered by them at all. Evil was separated from good. It reminded me of: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2 Cor 6:17) Sin is putrid in the eyes of God. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isa 64:6) God sees our best behavior as filthy rags - putrid smelling.

5. Grievous Murrain: The Egyptians worshipped Apis, the sacred bull. Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. (Exo 9:3) God caused a disease to come over all the livestock of the land. God showed them that there is no other who is holy or sacred. ... for there is one God; and there is none other but he: (Mar 12:32b)

6. Boils: The Egyptians believed that their medical sorcerers could cure their diseases. They were looked upon as gods. And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast. (Exo 9:10) God showed them their god could not heal them - in fact, they had the boils themselves. Have you ever had a boil? These were not just boils but had pustules (blains) coming from them. I know this sounds disgusting but the point is that it could not have gotten any worse! These boils were also on their animals! How gross is that?! After having a pestilence throughout the land affecting their animals, the Egyptians could not have had many animals left. God showed them that only He could remove disease.

7. Hail with Fire: The Egyptians worshipped their weather sorcerers, who supposedly could control the weather. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. (Exo 9:23) God showed them here that only He could control the weather. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. (Mar 4:39)

8. Locusts The Egyptians also worshipped their agricultural sorcerers. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. (Exo 10:13) They supposedly controlled the crops by doing magic to their gods. However, God showed them that they could not outdo Him. The locusts were bigger than they had ever seen and did not leave - they covered the entire land so that everything appeared black. Ex. 10:14-15, And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. (14) For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt. (15) Can you imagine this? We've never seen anything like this but it did happen and it will happen again according to Revelation 9:3. Sin has a way of destroying everything in our lives - our physical bodies - those around us - our circumstances. Sin covers us with black in the eyes of God. Only Christ can make us white as snow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isa 1:18)

9. Darkness: The highest and most powerful god of the Egyptians was Rah, the sun god. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: (Exo 10:22) Rah was supposedly Pharaoh's father and, therefore, the most powerful of all their gods. God showed the Egyptians that He was greater than their god by overpowering the sun! Jesus Christ, the "Son," overpowers all gods. He is the Light of the world. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (Joh 8:12)

10. Death of the First Born: To the Egyptian, the first born represented their gods' favor toward them. And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. (Exo 11:5) The Old Testament is filled with God requiring that the first born be consecrated to Him. God removed the Egyptians thoughts of their gods favoring them by showing them that He favored the Hebrews. God spared the Hebrews' first born by instructing them to paint their doorposts with the blood of a spotless lamb! When the angel of death saw the blood on the doorposts, He passed over them just as God's judgment and punishment pass over us because of the perfect Blood of Christ covering us! Praise be to God! God portrayed His desire to consecrate the first born by giving us His Son to pay the penalty for us.

Ah, the number ten - a beautiful depiction of God's Law - man's inability to keep that law - and God's plan to restore us to Him through Christ. I never thought I would see this in the ten plagues but it sure was fun picking it apart!

When I See the Blood
John G. Foote

Christ our Redeemer died on the cross,
Died for the sinner, paid all his due.
All who receive Him need never fear,
Yes, He will pass, will pass over you.

Refrain

When I see the blood, when I see the blood,
When I see the blood, I will pass, I will pass over you.

Chiefest of sinners, Jesus will save;
As He has promised, so He will do;
Oh, sinner, hear Him, trust in His Word,
Then He will pass, will pass over you.

Refrain

Judgment is coming, all will be there.
Who have rejected, who have refused?
Oh, sinner, hasten, let Jesus in,
Oh, He will pass, will pass over you.

Refrain

O great compassion! O boundless love!
Jesus hath power, Jesus is true;
All who believe are safe from the storm,
Oh, He will pass, will pass over you.

Refrain

Day 38 - My Seven Most Used Passages

2 Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

God's promises are for God's children - to enable them to live right in this dark world! If you are a child of God, the same promises that strengthened and blessed my walk with the Lord are yours to claim as well! In fact, there are hundreds and perhaps even thousands for us to take and apply to our lives.

To make this series a little more personal, today and in my next devotional I wanted to focus on verses that have most helped me in my walk with the Lord. What are my seven most used passages since I came to know the Lord as my Saviour, and what are my most favourite passages overall (ones that have been ongoing favourites since they first impressed themselves upon me)?

My seven most used or claimed verses are:

1) Provision - Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Worrying about our needs is one of the greatest fears many of us face on a regular basis - but with promises like these, we do not need to live in fear. What we need to do is be faithful, seek the Lord and do His will - and He will provide for us each day.

There are so many examples I could think of in regards to God's provision in my life - whether big or small. When I moved back to Kelowna in 1997, I was involved in street ministry and started volunteering at the Gospel Mission - because I was 100% sure that was what God had called me to do at that point in time. I was not yet working, but my student loan payments were due to start soon. I remember claiming this verse in my daily prayers, and just trusting that the Lord would do as He said. Very shortly afterwards, a friend from the Bible study group I was leading approached me and gave me $400 to use towards my bills. He had just filed his quarterly tax return, and stated he did not need that money and thought I might be able to use it. Praise the Lord!

Another time, in 1994, I was burdened for my family on my Dad's side that I got to know a little when I was a teenager (lived for a year and a half at my Dad's place in Saskatchewan). My uncle was not doing well - and was without a farm hand, so I offered to come and work for him that summer for free to help him out. He promised to think about it. I made it a matter of serious prayer - that was Wednesday; by Friday morning he called me back with information that a woman that worked with his wife was visiting relatives about 40 miles away from where I was, and her family was driving back to where my uncle lived the following Monday! He had already contacted them, and they were willing to take me with them, without costing me anything. In fact, my roommate drove me to meet them, gave me $20 to take with me, and this family paid for my meals during the trip! God opened the door for ministry to my family, and He provided for ALL my needs!

One of my favourite verses on this theme is:

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Notice that it is a seven-fold, all encompassing promise. God is always faithful!

2) Forgiveness

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This is another one of those primary verses I use practically every day. When I repent, God's forgiveness and cleansing is there for me.

It always comes back to the new beginning and clean slate God offers His children each day - a new beginning that we can always claim by faith when we put our eyes back on the Lord.

Lamentations 3:21-24 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

This new beginning is what can give us hope - ie. a confident expectation - when we have messed up or wandered from the Lord; hope of restoration and renewed fellowship with the Lord; hope of renewed usefullness in our service to the Lord. Here is a new beginning each day!

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

3) Wisdom

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

A verse claimed most times when I come to the Bible for reading and studying, and many, many times claimed throughout the months and years since I came to know the Saviour - through all the situations the Lord has placed me in. I need my Heavenly Father's wisdom in every trial and trouble I face!

4) Strength

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

God has NEVER called us to do something He won't equip us to do! If we are lacking strength or resources, I can see two possibilities: Either we are not doing His will, or we are not right with Him and depending upon Him for His strength, mercy, grace, etc.

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

5) Grace

Hebrews 4:15-16 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

We have a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, that can identify with ALL that we go through, and is there to give us His mercy and grace when we come to Him in prayer - whenever we need it.

I love doing word studies. The Greek word for help in verse 16 (when traced to its root words) literally means "run to the cry." When I need help and turn to my Lord, He will come running to my cry! What a blessing to my soul! I am never alone, and I never have to face life alone - He is always there for me!

6) Peace

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Whenever I find I do not have peace of mind, it is a strong reminder for me to put my eyes back on the Saviour again! Because when I do, He fulfills His promise to me. I often associate this promise with another similar one:

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If I give all my worries and concerns to the Lord, and leave them in His hands, then He will give me His perfect (complete) peace that passes all understanding. It is a peace within - regardless of what is happening on the outside, a peace regardless of our circumstances. And it is a peace that protects our hearts and minds, where Satan's attacks are directed.

7) Guidance

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I don't need to know what lies in my future - I know the Lord has His perfect plan that He is working out. I just need to give each day to the Lord, and let Him lead me! He knows what He is doing; He is carrying out His purpose according to His will. My responsibility is to make sure I leave my plans in His hands - then trust my Shepherd to lead His sheep in the right paths, and to open or close the doors in my life - doors of opportunity, doors of ministry, doors of service.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

July 18th/07
Jerry Bouey

Day 37 - The Seven Depictions of Christ in Revelation

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20)

I find the studies on the number seven to have been my biggest blessing thus far. I was looking at the seven churches in Revelation and reflected on how each referenced "saith he" and just who that "he" was. We all know that He is Christ. However, the characteristics used to depict Christ are awesome!

1. Jesus holds His messengers in His right hand and walks in the midst of the church. Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; The seven stars are the angels, the messengers. It is thought that these messengers are the pastors of the seven churches (the candlesticks). It is interesting that these angels are held in the palm of Christ's right hand! They are His. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (Joh 10:29) Also notice that the seven candlesticks (the seven churches - seven is perfection, completeness) are shown with Christ walking in the midst of them. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Mat 18:20) Not only is the Pastor held in Christ's palm but Christ Himself walks amongst us through His Spirit. How can we go wrong?

2. Jesus is the first and last and is alive! Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; We do not serve the dead gods of the world. We serve a Risen Saviour! I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Rev 1:18)

3. Jesus is sharper than any two edged sword! Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; Since Jesus is known as the Word: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Joh 1:1) - He is fulfills the following verse: For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12) Jesus came in the flesh - He became the spoken Word of God to us in the flesh. When He returned to Heaven, He left us His spoken Word in written form through the power of His Holy Spirit. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (Joh 14:26)

4. Jesus is the Son of God! Rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; The only time the Son of God is found in the O.T. is in Dan. 3:25 when the Son of God walked in the midst of the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! The phrase Son of God appears in 45 verses in God's Word. I found it interesting that the number forty symbolizes "probation, testing, closing in victory or judgment" and the number five "grace, cross, atonement, life"! Isn't it appropriate that Jesus' ministry on earth (His hour of testing) closes with His reign in both victory and judgment? Isn't it also interesting that His grace given to us by His blood's atonement on the cross results in eternal life for us? Glory!! How can we say that God's Word is not complete? Every jot and every tittle will be made manifest one day. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Mat 5:18) This series is only scratching the surface - it would be like placing a pencil mark on Mount Everest! I'm certain that when we reach Heaven, we will see so much more!

5. Jesus has the seven Spirits of God. Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. The Holy Spirit resides within every born-again believer and every born-again believer makes up the church. The word "hath" reveals that Christ holds the church and possesses the church. What a blessing this is!

6. Jesus is holy, He is true and is the door. Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; Jesus is the only door. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (Joh 10:7) and I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (Joh 10:9) It's interesting that the phrase "I am the door" appears twice to depict the Second Person of the Trinity! I also found it interesting to see that the door reference is for the Church at Philadelphia - the church that will experience the rapture!

7. Jesus is the Amen. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; (Rev 3:14) Salvation is final, firm, established and complete in Jesus. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (Joh 14:6) Jesus is the only way to Heaven - He is the final way to Heaven - He is the beginning and the end - no other way! Plain and simple! Period! No Allah, no Buddha, no Mohammad! It is Jesus and Jesus only!

What a blessing to read these this morning! God is so good to us, my friend! We spend but a few minutes or hours in the Word yet we walk away with eternal blessings! Thank You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Hark He is Calling
Fanny Crosby

Though young in years, we are all taught,
The way that leads to Jesus;
The way that must by faith be sought,
If we would come to Jesus.

Refrain

Hark! He is calling every day,
He says to each one, “I am the way.”
Let us arise, arise without delay,
And come at once to Jesus.

How happy they, who safely rest
Within the fold of Jesus;
Beneath His kind protection blest,
They walk and talk with Jesus.

Refrain

There is a door that leads from sin,
That blessed door is Jesus;
And there we all must enter in,
To reach the fold of Jesus.

Refrain

And, as His sheep have learned to know,
The loving voice of Jesus;
So we, like them, may gladly go,
And ever dwell with Jesus.

Refrain

Day 36 - The Perfect Holy Spirit

It is no wonder that Christ would leave us with His perfect Holy Spirit to reside within us. I love the fact that we don't have the Spirit hovering over us in a cloud as the Jews did in the days of the Old Testament. No, instead we have Him right inside us - He's there all the time, wherever we go! No wonder Christ could say that He would never leave us or forsake us!

I have heard messages preached on the fruit of the Spirit, but as I was searching out about the work of the Holy Spirit I discovered that there were seven different works that the Holy Spirit does for us. As the number seven symbolizes perfection, we can see that God's work is meant to be perfect - it is man's sin that stands in the way. We will lack nothing from God as His work is perfect. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. (Deu 32:4)

Let's take a look at how the Holy Spirit of God works in our lives. Rom. 8:26-27, 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. (26) 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. (27)

1. He helps our infirmities: The Holy Spirit helps us and carries our burdens. In this case, He helps us with our weaknesses, both physically and mentally. Not all are to be physically healed (as in the cases of Paul, Timothy and Gaius) but all can be spiritually healed. I absolutely love the verse: Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Mat 11:29) Christ promises rest for the soul (salvation) in this verse. The Holy Spirit draws us to Him and the result is help for our sin - salvation through Christ and the promised rest for our soul is given to us.

2. He makes intercession for us: Noah Webster's definition of intercession absolutely blesses the heart!

INTERCES'SION, n. [L. intercessio, from intercedo. See Intercede.]

The act of interceding; mediation; interposition between parties at variance, with a view to reconciliation; prayer or solicitation to one party in favor of another, sometimes against another.

Your intercession now is needless grown;

Retire and let me speak with her alone.

He bore the sin of many, and made intercession

for the transgressors. Isa 53.

Compare Noah's definition with Merriam Webster's definition:

Main Entry: in·ter·ces·sion
Pronunciation: "in-t&r-'se-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin intercession-, intercessio, from intercedere
1 : the act of interceding
2 : prayer, petition, or entreaty in favor of another

Is it any wonder that the believer does not receive the blessing he would receive if he were to look up the definitions intended at the time the King James Bible was put into English? I glean so much more from the Word when I take the time to read the definitions as they were intended.

The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, my friend. He mediates to the Father for us. I can see Him tell the Father, "Father, Kate really needs a new winter coat. I don't think it's a good idea to give her a mink coat but I do believe that second-hand wool coat would provide her with great warmth!" Can't you see Him saying that? The Holy Spirit "interposes between parties at variance, with a view to reconciliation" - We are at variance with the Father until we come to Him through Christ. The Holy Spirit draws us to Christ with the goal to reconcile us to the Father! He prays to the Father in our favor, and sometimes against our favor. When we are praying for something the Spirit knows is not to our benefit, He will approach the Father against our favor. How beautiful a picture of praying in God's will. The Holy Spirit sees to it that our Heavenly Father is approached with the right kind of prayer on our behalf. How can we go wrong?

Notice how verse 26 goes on to say "for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." The charismatic groups use this in defense of speaking (praying) in tongues. However, the verse says "which cannot be uttered! The word utter means:

1. To speak; to pronounce; to express; as, to utter words; to utter sounds.

You've been there in your prayer life - a prayer request that you just don't know how to put into words or even how to pray for. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. It does not mean that you are now going to speak or pray in an unknown tongue because verse 26 says that it is not "spoken, pronounced or that sound is not made." The Holy Spirit's work here on our behalf is to put into words to the Father what we are not able to do for ourselves. He prays it just right for us.

3. He searches the heart: The Holy Spirit searches our hearts for the reasons behind our prayers - our motives - He investigates every aspect and knows all there is to know. I picture Him with a flashlight going through the dark recesses of my heart where He finds what He is looking for. He is the ultimate investigator. He strives to prevent us from fulfilling this verse: Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (Jam 4:3)

4. He teaches us: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. (Luk 12:12) He is our teacher. He will put God's Word in our minds and hearts when we need it so that we know what to say when we need to say it.

5. He comforts us: But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (Joh 14:26) Why would the Lord use the word "Comforter" in this sentence instead of Teacher? Have you ever been led to a verse in the Word when you were down hearted and it brought to you the comfort you needed desperately? I know I have. I think of Psalm 121 and how many times I have turned to that chapter in desperation only to walk away uplifted and encouraged. I can see why the Lord use the word Comforter here. The Holy Spirit brings to our memory the Word of God, where to turn to in the Word, what to read in the Word and what to glean from the Word. He knows exactly what we need, when we need it. There's no greater comfort, my friend, than to possess the Spirit of God within us - the Spirit who stands ready to give us exactly what we need.

6. He draws us to Christ: To deny the Holy Spirit's calling is serious business. He draws us to Christ. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Mat 12:32) A person who says "no" to the final calling of the Holy Spirit for salvation is damned for all eternity. My Pastor stood by a dying man's bedside and absolutely begged him to get saved. This man kept saying, "I just can't"! He had denied Christ too many times that he had reached the point that he just couldn't be saved. If someone who is reading this devotional today is not saved, please keep this in mind. You can say you'll get saved "some" day. But that day may come and it will be too late for you. Please don't wait. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) (2 Cor 6:2)

7. He testifies of Christ: But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: (Joh 15:26) The Holy Spirit verifies that Christ is the Son of God - the Second Person of the Trinity. How can He do this today? By the written and published Word of God - through witnesses beginning with the Apostles and those who saw Him in person! He can also use the Christian to witness to what Christ has done in his or her life. Noah Webster defines the word testify as:

TEST'IFY, v.t. To affirm or declare solemnly for the purpose of establishing a fact.

We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen. John 3.

1. In law, to affirm or declare under oath before tribunal, for the purpose of proving some fact.

2. To bear witness to; to support the truth of by testimony.

To testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20.

3. To publish and declare freely.

Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 20.

How blessed we are to have the perfect work of the Holy Spirit directing our path! It is complete - it is perfect - it is thorough! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Faithful

Lord, You've been so faithful in
those times I've cried to You.
You've answered so many prayers,
and made wondrous dreams come true!

You've always been there to guide me
when I wasn't sure what to do.
You gave me strength when I was weak,
and Your light came shining through.

I thank and praise You for Your gentle touch,
of reproof when I've gone astray.
You promised You'd never leave my side,
and You'd walk with me every day!

Kate Plourde

Day 35 - Jesus' I Am Statements - Part Two

V.) The Nine Compound Names Of God In The Old Testament:

The nine compound names and their translations into English are as follows:

1) Jehovah-Jireh, The LORD my Provider

Genesis 22:13-14 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

I love this name in the Bible - it is the first of these compound names that is presented to us, and is in fact the most important (or at least the foundational one). The LORD has seen our greatest need and has provided for it: our need of salvation. Jesus, the Son of God, was the Lamb of God that took away our sins on Calvary. It is interesting to note that Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac, means "The LORD has seen," and it truly was on that mountain that the LORD provided for our greatest need - as Calvary/Golgotha is part of the range of the mountains of Moriah.

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

The LORD has already met our greatest need in providing salvation; if you have trusted in Jesus and received His free gift of eternal life, then He also promises to meet all your other needs as you walk with Him.

For a more indepth look at Genesis 22, see this study: Abraham Offering Isaac.

2) Jehovah-Rapha, The LORD my Healer

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

It is the LORD that heals our diseases. He is the Great Physician. He provided healing for our greatest disease, that of our sin, through His death upon the cross:

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

He is able to heal our backslidings:

Hosea 14:4 I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.

He doesn't just slap a bandaid on our sin, but He removes it completely. He heals the underlying problem - and restores us completely to Him when we repent and confess our waywardness to Him.

He is also able to heal any other sicknesses or diseases that we may be afflicted with in our life - according to His perfect will. Sometimes it is not His will to heal believers down here, but rather to heal them by taking them home to Heaven, where they will have all trace of sin and sickness removed forever.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

3) Jehovah-Nissi, The LORD is my Banner

Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

The LORD is the one that we are to rally around, and He is the one that gives us victory in the spiritual battles we face.

For more on this theme, see His Banner Over Me Was Love.

4) Jehovah-Qadash, The LORD thy Sanctifier

Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.

It is the LORD that sanctifies us, that set us apart for His use and for His glory.

John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

There are two parts of sanctification:

a) Being set apart for God at salvation - our Standing (this is eternal):

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

Hebrews 10:10, 14 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.

1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

b) Being set apart from the world in our daily walk with the LORD - our State:

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Ephesians 5:25-26 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

1 Thessalonians 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

While it may seem that our daily sanctification seems to be ever-changing (ie. sometimes we struggle and allow things into our lives that hinder our walks, and other times we make choices that strengthen them), the LORD will one day finish the work that He has started in us:

1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

5) Jehovah-Shalom, The LORD our Peace

Judges 6:23-24 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

The LORD Jesus Christ is our peace - through faith in Him, we have peace with God the Father; through steadfastly walking with Him, we have peace in our trials, peace of mind and heart - regardless of the storms raging around us!

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Isaiah 26:3-4 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

Philippians 4:6-7 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

6) Jehovah-Raah, The LORD my Shepherd

Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

It is the LORD Himself who is the Shepherd of His sheep - He is the one who is responsible for leading them, providing for them, protecting them, etc. Sis Kate has done a wonderful study on The Nine Cares Of A Shepherd, so I won't duplicate her devotional, but I would encourage you to read it for yourself. It is a tremendous blessing.

It is interesting to note the following seven-fold comparison between Psalms 22, 23, and 24 and their New Testament parallels. (I cannot now remember the original source of these notes that I had marked in the margin of my Bible a few years ago - if anyone knows what commentary they came from, please let me know and I can give proper credit to the author.)

Psalm 22: - 1) The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
2) The Saviour
3) The Foundation
4) Christ Dying
5) The Cross
6) He Gives His Life
7) Grace

Psalm 23: - 1) The Great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20)
2) The Satisfier
3) The Manifestation
4) Christ Living
5) The Comforter
6) He Gives His Love
7) Guidance

Psalm 24: - 1) The Chief Shepherd
2) The Sovereign
3) The Expectation
4) Christ Coming
5) The Crown
6) He Gives His Light
7) Glory

7) Jehovah-Sabaoth, The LORD of Hosts

Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

The LORD is the one who commands the army of Heaven - the angelic army made up of the holy angels. He is also the one who commands Israel's armies too. This name (or variants of it) shows up at least 235 times in the Old Testament! It is also referred to twice in the New Testament:

Romans 9:29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.

James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

The LORD is the one who fights the wars for His people, He is the one who gives them deliverance from their enemies, and as James reveals above, He is also the one who rights the wrongs His people have suffered throughout history by their oppressors. He is definitely someone you want on your side! Or to put it more Biblically, His is the side you want to be on!

Exodus 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

Joshua 5:13-15 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

This Captain of the LORD's host is Jesus. He has already overcome the world - and promises victory to all those who trust in Him! Are you walking in light of that victory today?

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

8) Jehovah-Tsidkenu, The LORD our Righteousness

Jeremiah 23:5-6 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in the sight of God. We have no righteousness of our own, except for our self-righteousness, which is an offense to a righteous, holy God.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

But in the LORD Jesus Christ, we have that perfect righteousness that is acceptable toward God - the righteousness of the LORD Jesus Christ Himself credited to our account:

Romans 1:16-17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Romans 3:21-26 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 4:3-6 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

Romans 5:17-19 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Romans 9:30-33 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Romans 10:1-4 Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Revelation 19:7-8 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

9) Jehovah-Shammah, The LORD Is There (ie. Present)

Ezekiel 48:35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

During the Millenium, Jerusalem will be known as The LORD is there - a name significant because of the reality behind it! The Lord will dwell among His people during His millenial reign - and during eternity:

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

Revelation 22:3-5 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

But we don't need to wait until Jesus' 1000 year reign to have Him dwelling in our midst:

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Where true believers are gathered together in His name, the LORD is there! One of His names, after all, is Immanuel, God with us!

10) Jesus, The LORD Our Salvation

Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Matthew 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

The name Jesus is the equivalent of the Old Testament name, Joshua (who in many ways was a type of Christ). The LORD our salvation. It is noteworthy that this is essentially the tenth compound name of the LORD God - 10 being typical of the whole world. Jesus IS the Saviour of the whole world, the Saviour FOR the whole world. Faith in Him is the only means of salvation, and He is the only Saviour, as many passages throughout the Bible testify.

1 John 2:1-2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

In four different time periods, we find the names of our Saviour capitalized in our King James Bibles:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS - Declared in OT prophecy: used in Jeremiah 23:6.
JESUS - Declared at His birth: used in Matthew 1:21, 25; Luke 1:31; 2:21.
JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS - Declared at His crucifixion: in Matthew 27:27 and John 19:19.
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS - Declared at His triumphant return: used in Revelation 19:16.

Truly, He is the LORD our righteousness, He is our Saviour, He is our King!

Whatever need we face in this life, the LORD will see it and provide it for those who trust in Him for salvation, and walk with Him day by day. Our Shepherd will heal us, sanctify us, and give us His peace. Jesus is our banner, and our LORD of hosts fighting our battles. He is always with us!

Truly, this study puts me on shouting ground!

Psalms 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

July 13th/07
Jerry Bouey

Day 34 - The Armour Of God

The Christian is in a no-man's land between the opposing forces of Light and darkness: between the Almighty God and His dire enemy, Satan - otherwise known as the Devil. On our own, we cannot face the demonic schemes and principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world; therefore, we must align ourselves always with God and take the Heavenly aid that God provides through His divine weapons of warfare and through His Armour - the Armour which the Son of God (Christ) Himself wears.

In Isaiah, two passages about the coming Messiah declare that: "For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head... And righteousness shall be the girdle {belt} of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle {belt} of his reins." (Isaiah 59:17a, 11:5)

In 1st Peter, we are told to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) Paul, in Romans 13:12, tells us to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. We are to resist the devil and be stedfast in our faith. (1 Peter 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6)

No soldier in his right mind would ever enter a battlefield weaponless and without his protective armour, yet many Christians do this every day. Utterly defenseless, we are easy prey. Christians must begin their day by putting on each piece of God's Armour, found in and provided by Jesus, "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 13:14)

Ephesians 6:10-17:
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,
and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

As these verses indicate, there are four items of defense. They are as follows:
A belt, a breastplate, a shield, and a helmet.
There are also two weapons here:
Shod feet (which may not sound like a weapon at all), and a sword.

Ordinary items of armour would be ineffective because we are not struggling against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of Satan and his devils (fallen angels). Yet none of these items are ordinary or useless - they are divinely empowered by our Lord. (See 2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

(1) We are first told to gird ourselves with the Belt of Truth.

We are to learn the truth and bind ourselves with it. This foundational piece of Armour holds us together and, in fact, securely fastens all other pieces in place (like the belt on Roman armour holds the rest of the armour together.)

This is the first stage of being a Christian - learning the truth and making it so much a part of our being that we can't live without it. When the day of evil comes, we won't fall apart or be crushed because we are wearing this Belt.

NOTE - If you will look at the verb tenses in verses 14 and 15, you will find that they are in the past tense (having girt, having on, having shod): As Christians, we are already wearing the first three pieces of God's Armour (the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace), but it is up to us to make use of them.

"But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left." (2 Corinthians 6:4a, 7)

(2) The second item of defense is the Breastplate of Righteousness.

This important piece of Armour covers and protects your heart, where God's Word and Law are written by the Holy Spirit. (See 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 and Jeremiah 31:33)

When we believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him as our Saviour and Lord, God credits His (Christ's) righteousness to our account. Then when God looks at us, He doesn't see our sin and imperfection, He sees Christ's righteousness. (See Romans 3:22-24 and 4:2-3) It is God's grace accepted by our faith in Jesus Christ that makes us righteous in God's eyes. It is not a result of any of our own works or good deeds. (2 Timothy 1:9 and Ephesians 2:8-10)

While it is not our good deeds that save us, but God's grace, now if we are children of God, our salvation should result in good works. Read James 2:20-24. Good works and a righteous lifestyle are evidences of true faith, that come after we are saved.

So the Breastplate of Righteousness represents Christ's righteousness - our holy standing before God - and our changed heart, which results in righteous deeds and righteous living. When God changes our hearts, He gives us a desire to serve Him.

If our hearts are kept pure and we are living a righteous lifestyle, Satan won't be able to gain a foothold.

Two ways to guard our hearts are found in Philippians 4:8 and Romans 12:1-2. Watch what you spend your time doing (speaking, looking at, where you are going, etc.) and thinking. The way to transform your mind is through reading God's Word.

"Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
Ponder the paths of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."
(Proverbs 4:23-27)

(3) Next, our feet are shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace.

This, I believe, is the willingness to go wherever our Lord leads with the good news of salvation. Read Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:13-15.

This item is used offensively to free Satan's captives. After you are saved, by knowing the truth and accepting it, and as your heart is changed by the Holy Spirit, you will want to tell others about Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, many Christians do not use this piece of Armour. I think that is part of the reason why Christians become defeated or ineffective. (See Revelation 12:11) We are not putting on all of God's Armour. Personally, I find that I have more joy and purpose when I am witnessing to others about Jesus Christ, and about what He is doing in my life, and teaching (discipling) other Christians about what the Bible says.

When you start stepping across Satan's boundaries and offer freedom to those locked in bondage to sin, Satan attacks more fiercely - which is why you need the next defensive item in God's arsenal.

(4) We need our Shields of Faith to protect us now.

This protects your whole body, like a full-length Roman shield, and is used to extinguish the doubts, fears, and lies that Satan throws at us. If we use God's Armour effectively, not a single one of Satan's evil arrows will get through. Read 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Psalm 18:30 and Proverbs 30:5.

Psalm 91:4 says, "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." The word "buckler" here is Strong's #5507, and means something "surrounding" the person, i.e. a shield. Spurgeon defines it as "an all-surrounding coat of mail." So here we have both a shield and a coat of armour.

So how do you strengthen and build your faith? By trusting and believing what the Lord has said in His Word.

Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

(5) The Helmet of Salvation guards our minds.

This is the place where Satan concentrates most of his attacks. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:8.

If you truly believe that you have eternal life through Jesus Christ and that someday (when He returns) your hope of redemption (of your body, Romans 8:23) will become a present reality, Satan's tactics of war will seem pale by comparison. If you know who you are as a Christian, and what riches and resources you have in Christ, then, for you, the battle for your mind is mostly won.

Read Romans 13:11.

(6) The Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God.

This is the main offensive weapon we have in our arsenal. Like the Belt of Truth, it protects and purifies us. But this sword is also powerful enough to cut through Satan's strategies and deceits. It can be used to make our enemy flee, as Jesus demonstrated when He was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11); and it can also be used to advance the Kingdom of God and to free the minds and souls of Satan's captives. Only God's Word has this power. Read Hebrews 4:12 and Jeremiah 23:28-29.

If we equip ourselves with all of the Armour of Light, we will be well protected whenever evil comes our way.

(7) The Final Component.

Now our Armour is almost complete. Because we, as Christians, are special targets of the enemy we need to equip ourselves constantly with the final component: we need to pray.

Ephesians 6:18-19:
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me,
that I may open my mouth boldly,

to make known the mysteries of the gospel."

James says, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16b)

If you want to resist the Devil and not give an inch of ground, you must be sure to put on every item in God's arsenal. All of this divine Armour works together and each element can be found in God's Word - the Bible. You need to be completely filled with truth, righteous in God's eyes and in the way you live, and ready to march in to battle wherever the Gospel is needed. You must have the faith to stand firmly on all of God's promises - believing that our Lord is faithful and true to keep them. You must also be filled with the hope that, on that glorious Day, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will meet us in the air and we, His people, will be transformed into His likeness.

The Word of God and fervent prayer are our most important weapons and we must look for every opportunity to use them in our battles.

The Lord has promised that His Word will not return void. (See Isaiah 55:10-11)

We must remember that God gave us His Armour to equip us for warfare. Like a soldier in an army - we are soldiers in God's Army of Light, freeing the captives of darkness. A shield will only protect us from the front - we can't turn and flee. We must face our foe and fight, whatever the cost to us. But all is not lost.

We can fight the good fight of faith and persevere with courage because the enemy of our souls - Satan - and his horde of devils have already been defeated at the cross of Jesus. They are just awaiting judgement, and might get a little desperate in their attacks. So until the day that they are cast into the Lake of Fire, we must remember two more promises:

"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you,
and keep you from evil."
(2 Thessalonians 3:3)
"And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work,
and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom."
(2 Timothy 4:18)

Jerry Bouey

Day 33 - Jesus' I Am Statements - Part One

The seven popular "I Am" statements in the book of John are some of believers' favourite sayings in the whole Word of God. In them, Jesus reveals much about Himself and what He wants to do or be in each of our lives. By declaring Himself the "I Am", Jesus was clearly identifying Himself as God, the God of Israel, the God of the whole earth, the Creator of the universe. The Old Testament name "LORD" (with all caps) is Jehovah, "I Am", the self-existent God. Consider the following passages:

Exodus 3:13-15 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Exodus 6:2-3 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

I.) It is quite interesting to note that the name Jehovah is in our King James Bible seven times (including the above passage):

Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:

Judges 6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

There are nine compound names of the LORD in the Old Testament (ie. Jehovahjireh, etc.) - though only three of them are transliterated into English. I will cover these nine names in Friday's devotional.

Psalms 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

II.) There are eight "I Am He" statements made in the book of Isaiah, clearly indicating that the speaker was God Himself:

(In various places in the OT, "I am" and "I am He" were equivalent statements.)

1) Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.

Notice that here the LORD refers to Himself as "the first, and with the last." Very similar to Jesus' own statements in the book of Revelation. (See next section.)

2) Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

There is only one true God! He is the LORD, Jehovah, the I Am.

Isaiah 43:11-12 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

We are to be His witnesses that He is the true God, the only Saviour!

3) Isaiah 43:13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

Only the LORD God has all power, all authority - He is omnipotent! No one can hinder the work that the LORD is doing!

4) Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Only the LORD has the power to blot out our sins - this He did by shedding His precious blood and dying for us on the cross. I love how this verse says He did it for His own sake.

The LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake - 1 Samuel 12:22.
For thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them - Nehemiah 9:30-31.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake - Psalm 23:3.
He saved them for his name's sake - Psalm 106:8.
His righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable - Isaiah 42:21.
For my name's sake will I defer mine anger - Isaiah 48:9-11.
Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you - Ephesians 4:32.
Your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake - 1 John 2:12.

Many times in the Psalms and the Prophets, God is appealed to for the sake of His mercy, His righteousness, His goodness, His name, His truth.

5) Isaiah 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

The LORD Himself is the one watching over His children, carrying them, bearing them, and delivering them from the trials they face in life. Everytime I read statements like this, I am reminded of the Footprints poem - when I falter, He is the one who lifts me up and carries me!

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

6) Isaiah 48:12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.

The LORD is the one we are to hearken to; we are to heed His Word. He is the one who has called us into fellowship with Him. The LORD foreknew who would respond to His call of salvation - those that will, He promised to predestine, to call, to justify, and to glorify them. Praise the LORD for His grace and for all those things He has done for us, even when we didn't know Him yet!

7) Isaiah 51:12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

What a tremendous verse! It is the LORD that comforts us! It is the LORD that gives us freedom from fear. It is the LORD that redeemed us, and gives us His gladness and joy!

Isaiah 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

8) Isaiah 52:6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

When Biblical prophecies are fulfilled, God's people will know that it was the LORD fulfilling His Word. What assurance that the LORD will always keep His Word and fulfill every one of His precious promises!

III.) Jesus' seven names/titles in Revelation chapter one:

Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

a) Alpha and Omega - Jesus is everything we need in life. Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. This is similar to "the first and the last."

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

b) The beginning and the ending - All creation finds its beginning and its ending in Him.

c) Which is, and which was, and which is to come - A comparison of Revelation 1 verses 4 and 8 will reveal the Deity of Jesus Christ. In verse 4, God the Father is called "Him which is, and which was, and which is to come." In verse 8, Jesus is called by this same name, thereby giving Jesus equality with the Father.

d) The Lord - obviously equating Himself with the LORD of the Old Testament.

e) The Almighty - Only God is almighty.

f) The first and the last - This is a direct claim to Jesus' Deity - and there is only one true God - one God in three persons, the Trinity or Tri-une God.

Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Many cults deny the deity of Christ and will twist or change Bible passages (or even make their own corrupt version!) to suit their devilish doctrines. A comparison between Revelation 1:8, 11, 17-18; and 22:13 clearly prove that "the first and the last" is Jehovah, the Almighty God, AND He is the one who died and rose again! Jesus is God - not a god, but THE GOD, the God of the Bible, the true and living God!

g) He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore

Praise the LORD our Saviour died for our sins, and rose again!

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

IV.) Seven other less well-known "I Am" statements Jesus made in the book of John:

1) John 4:26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Here Jesus declares to the Samaritan woman that He is the Messiah, He is the Saviour that was prophesied since the fall of man.

2) John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Unless we believe that Jesus is the "I Am", the LORD, the eternal self-existent God, then we will die in our sins! That makes the deity of Christ one of the fundamentals of the faith, that we must believe in order to be saved.

3) John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

Since Jesus was lifted up on the cross, many throughout history have come to realize who He truly is - the LORD God coming down from Heaven to save us from our sins.

4) John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

He didn't say "I was", but "I Am" - declaring Himself God manifest in the flesh - stating that it was He Himself who spoke to Abraham all those years before!

5) John 13:19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

The context here is Jesus' quotation of an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah being betrayed:

John 13:18 I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.

Various other OT passages teach that the Messiah would be the Mighty God, God with us, the Everlasting Father, the Saviour whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (ie. indicating that He is eternal). Jesus was saying that when those prophecies about the Messiah were completely fulfilled in His life, His ministry, His death, burial and resurrection, then many would come to believe that He IS that prophesied Messiah, the LORD God Himself.

6) John 18:5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

Jesus knew the time for Him to be betrayed, falsely slandered, then led to the cross was at hand. He was the one Judas was seeking to turn over to the mob. He went forward to head them off, and show that He was in control - that even though evil men were seeking to kill Him, He was the one who was laying down His life of His own free will. He was not a martyr, but the sacrificial Lamb, the Lamb of God, dying for the sins of the whole world!

John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 18:4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

Notice their response to Jesus' identification of Himself - a declaration spoken with true power, a declaration that showed who He truly was to these trembling men who sought Him:

John 18:6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

7) John 18:8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

Taking control of the situation, Jesus put the focus of the armed mob upon Himself, and gave His apostles opportunity to flee unharmed, while He was led away to be crucified (the end result of the mock trials that took place all that night).

Acts 2:22-24 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Acts 4:27-28 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

Even in what would be our Saviour's darkest day, God was still in complete control of the events - only allowing what fulfilled and suited His ultimate purpose. Praise the LORD for providing for our salvation!

In parts Two and Three, I will cover the compound names of the LORD in the Old Testament and Jesus' seven "I Am" statements in the Gospel of John. I am sure you will be blessed, as I always am whenever meditating on who our Saviour truly is, and what He has done and has promised to do in our lives.

July 11th/07
Jerry Bouey

Day 32 - Twelve People God Considers Blessed

This series has truly blessed me! It amazes me how God has used numbers throughout His Word to further bless us! Today's especially blessed me. I did a search for the phrase blessed are they and came up with twelve times it was used throughout the Word. Twelve symbolizes:

Family, Mankind/Humanity (6) x (2) = (12) Family; the families and tribes of humanity are represented by their 12 leaders. Jacob's family had 12 men/leaders/Patriarchs, so did Ishmael's family, Likewise we the Family of the Church have our 12 Disciple Apostle leaders

How interesting that there would be twelve uses of this phrase to depict people. It's like God confirms His statements in the Word even further with the use of numbers. Totally mind boggling!!

Let's look at the twelve types of people who receive God's blessings:

(1) People who "dwell" in God's house. (Psa 84:4) Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah. Notice that this verse does not say "visit" but dwell. This has a connotation of residing at the house of God. The Hebrew word is:

H3427
ישׁב
yâshab
yaw-shab'
A primitive root; properly to sit down (specifically as judge, in ambush, in quiet); by implication to dwell, to remain; causatively to settle, to marry: - (make to) abide (-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell (-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit (-ant), make to keep [house], lurking, X marry (-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set (-tle), (down-) sit (-down, still, -ting down, -ting [place] -uate), take, tarry.

I love that this Hebrew word is defined as "causatively to settle, to marry"! Praise the Lord! The unsaved cannot "dwell" in God's house - only the born-again Christian can do so because we are the bride of Christ! We are to be married to Him - hence, dwell with Him!

(2) People who keep judgment and do righteousness at all times. (Psa 106:3) Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Ouch! Even the born-again Christian cannot do righteousness at all times. But praise God that He does not see our own righteousness but He sees Christ's. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Rom 10:4) Only the believer can claim this.

(3) People who keep his testimonies and that seek him. (Psa 119:2) Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. Those who obey the Word and seek Christ will be saved, therefore blessed with eternal life! So, again, the believer is the one who can claim this.

(4) People who keep God's ways. (Pro 8:32) Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Even a moral society enjoys the blessings of God when they do right. However, the wicked receive His judgment. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Mat 5:45) However, the work keep is key here. The world does not keep God's ways. This is evident all around us. Therefore, only the believer can keep God's ways because of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we fail, however, Christ is our Advocate with the Father.

(5) People who mourn. (Mat 5:4) Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. I am not certain that Christ was referring to people who mourn the loss of a loved one through death. The unsaved mourn and are not comforted. The born-again believer mourns at the loss of an unsaved loved one and we are not comforted because we know they are in torments. Personally, I believe that Christ is referring to those who mourn over their own sin and their own actions with true repentance. I believe these individuals are the ones who are comforted. We receive true comfort at salvation and are given the Holy Spirit, the true Comforter. Praise the Lord!

(6) People who thirst after righteousness. (Mat 5:6) Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. The Apostle Paul was a great example of this. He desired not to sin and desired to do right. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom 7:24) The unsaved thirst after sin because of their sin nature. We have a new nature which causes us to want to do what is right - thirst after righteousness. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Co 5:17)

(7) People who are persecuted for the cause of Christ. (Mat 5:10) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We are seeing more and more people around the world being persecuted for their beliefs. We are beginning to see it in our own country: Christians attend gay pride rallies and are silently praying are being arrested! Only a believer would be persecuted for righteousness' sake.

(8) People who hear God's Word and keep it! (Luk 11:28) But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Only the born-again can fulfill this one. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:17) The unsaved can hear the Word of God but they cannot keep it.

(9) People who believe without seeing. (Joh 20:29) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Again, the born-again believer is the only one who can fulfill this one. Thomas got to see Christ and had visual proof. The born-again believer has not seen Jesus for himself and is blessed because he has believed without seeing Him in the flesh.

(10) People whose sins are forgiven and covered! (Rom 4:7) Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. The born-again believer's sin is covered by the Blood of the Lamb! Praise the Lord! Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: (1Co 5:7)

(11) People who attend the marriage supper of the Lamb. (Rev 19:9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. The born-again believer is part of the Bride of Christ. We will be at the marriage supper, bless God!

(12) People who have eternal life will have the right to the tree of life. (Rev 22:14) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Only the born-again believer can claim this. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 Jo 5:13)

I don't know about you, but today's devotional was a true blessing to me (no pun intended). We have twelve blessings given to us from God! How can we not stand up and rejoice!

Showers of Blessing
Fanny Crosby

Here in Thy Name we are gathered,
Come and revive us, O Lord;
“There shall be showers of blessing,”
Thou hast declared in Thy Word.

Refrain

Oh, graciously hear us,
Graciously hear us, we pray:
Pour from Thy windows upon us
Showers of blessing today.

Oh! that the showers of blessing,
Now on our souls may descend,
While at the footstool of mercy
Pleading Thy promise we bend!

Refrain

“There shall be showers of blessing,”
Promise that never can fail;
Thou wilt regard our petition;
Surely our faith will prevail.

Refrain

Showers of blessing, we need them,
Showers of blessing from Thee;
Showers of blessing, oh, grant them,
Thine all the glory shall be.

Refrain

Day 31 - The Threes Found in Psalm 1

Psalm 1:1-6: Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (1) But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. (2) And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (3) The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (4) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. (5) For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (6)

This is the first complete Psalm I ever memorized. I love how the Book of Psalms immediately starts with a blessing, don't you? It sets the mood, if you will, for the precious writings we are about to read. Early in my salvation, a Youth Pastor's wife recommended that I memorize Psalm 1 so I could learn to live a successful Christian life. I have turned to this Psalm many a time and am thankful the Lord put it in His Word. I want to be blessed by God, don't you?

I never noticed how God grouped the thoughts found in these six verses into groups of threes.

I. The three blessings of the Godly:

(1) Blessed if I don't walk in counsel of the ungodly - Noah Webster defines the word counsel as:

1. Advice; opinion, or instruction, given upon request or otherwise, for directing the judgment or conduct of another; opinion given upon deliberation or consultation.

I always thought counsel here meant "advice." However, Noah defines it to include the advice or instruction of the ungodly as well. This opens things up a bit more. This not only includes the unsaved but the backslidden. It's amazing how the backslidden love to take others with them in their sin so they do not have to sin alone. Therefore, to be blessed of God, you should get all your advice, opinions and instruction (dealing with the Word of God and life choices) by someone who is spiritually mature.

(2) Blessed if I don't stand in way of sinners - The moment I was born again, I desired to be around other born-again Christians! I did not enjoy being around the ungodly friends of my pre-salvation days. In fact, my spirit picked up on every little ungodly thing they said or did. I no longer enjoyed their company and truly desired to be around Christians so I could talk about the Lord. There is nothing that provides more blessing than to be around believers who love the Lord and talk about Him and glorify Him in their words.

(3) Blessed if I don't sit in the seat of the scornful - You've been around the unsaved who mock God in word and deed so you know exactly what this verse says. They laugh at sin, their life style and curse God. They live in the "here and now" and do not fear death and hell. In fact, how many times have you heard someone say that they would go to hell and join their friends and have a party? The Christian will be blessed if he stays away from these scorners. I know that when I am around a scorner, my spirit is unsettled. The work place always seems to have one or two of these. I am uncomfortable around them and we butt heads because of their mouth. I am not rude to the scorner but I will not allow the scorner to mock my God. Unfortunately today, we are seeing believers becoming pansies in this area. I have personally seen believers keep silent when God is mocked! This reminds me of: I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luk 18:8)

Time and time again in my devotionals I have found that life's blessings come from being in the Word of God. How true verse 2 is! I am blessed because my delight is in the Word! Noah Webster defines the word delight as

A high degree of pleasure, or satisfaction of mind; joy.

Do you receive a high degree of pleasure by being in the Word? If not, it may be because you are not in the Word enough. It's not necessarily the quantity of words you read but the time you spend chewing and meditating on what you have read. Since I started writing devotionals a year ago, I have gleaned so much more from the Word than I had in my previous 26 years of salvation! I would occasionally get a gold nugget from the Lord in my studies - but now, I get them daily because I'm writing about them.

So David taught us how to be blessed by staying away from certain things in life. The outcome of obeying his counsel in the first two verses lead to three blessings as a result.

(1) I will receive spiritual nourishment - Verse 3 says that I will be like a tree planted by water. The lawn at my house has not received rain in quite a while. We water it but not enough. You don't see the dry grass and drooping leaves of trees, however, near a brook, do you? The water is ever flowing and that tree thrives because it is thoroughly nourished and continuously nourished. So are we when we heed the counsel of the Word of God. We won't wonder what to do in certain situations because we have already consulted the Word and we know what God wants us to do.

(2) I will bring forth fruit in its season - My walk and my talk will reflect my Christianity. I will not be a hypocrite but will be living what I believe. Not only will my actions be a testimony to the ungodly but my words should be leading them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as well. As I grow in Christ, I will be more fruitful.

(3) I will prosper - I doubt very much this means prospering financially or all Christians would be rich. What I believe this to mean is that my decisions in life will prosper when I seek the counsel of the Godly; when I don't let the ungodly influence me; when I'm in the Word and know God's will for my life.

There are three things that happen to the ungodly.

(1) They will be like the chaff - Noah Webster defines the word chaff as:

2. Refuse; worthless matter; especially that which is light, and apt to be driven by the wind. In scripture, false doctrines, fruitless designs, hypocrites and ungodly men are compared to chaff. Psa 1:4; Jer 23:28; Isa 33:11; Mat 3:12.

Whatever the ungodly speaks or does is considered to be worthless. Their words and deeds will not stand the test of eternity in Heaven. They will not prosper - they will miss that great gift of salvation.

(2) They will not stand in the judgment - This reminds me of a court scene when the defendant has to testify. He can lie all he wants but when the jury has finished deliberation, the defendant must stand and face them to receive his verdict. God's verdict is always just. The ungodly will not be able to stand in his defense because he will see all his sins the way God sees them. It is then he will realize what a goner he truly is. It will be too late. The small amount of joy the ungodly received while living on earth will be replaced with an eternity of torments. What a huge price to pay for a short time of ungodly pleasure.

(3) The way of the ungodly will perish - The Lord is emphatic here. The ungodly will perish! Not only will the ungodly slip into eternity in the lake of fire, his way will perish as well. I was thinking about the "way" spoken of and it reminded me of the snowfalls we had in Northern Maine when I lived up there. We would go walking in our snowshoes to enjoy the beautiful evergreens. We had to be sure that we knew our way because if snow started falling, our trail would get covered up and we would lose our way back home. The way of the ungodly is the same - the sinner can enjoy his wicked life and think that his way is wonderful. But his trail is no better than that of the trail being covered by snow fall. Christians will live for eternity in Heaven with God and His way will always remain. But the way of the ungodly will perish right along with the ungodly!

What a beautiful way to start the Book of Psalms! David set a pattern that provided wisdom and instruction for the believer! The way of the Godly will lead us to that glorious day when we shall behold the Lord Jesus Christ! We will finally meet Him and be with Him for all eternity. We will get to meet those dear saints we have read about in the Word - those precious martyrs whose accounts are penned in Foxe's Book of Martyrs - those dear saints we have met on the internet but not face-to-face! What a day that will be - all because we followed the counsel of Psalm 1!

The Happy Crowning Day
Eliza E. Hewitt

There’s an hour which no man knoweth,
Nor the angels round the throne,
When the Lord shall come in glory from the sky;
All the saints shall rise to meet Him,
For He calleth for His own;
They shall hear the trumpet sounding by and by.

Refrain

Are you ready? ready?
Looking for the King?
Ready, while you labor, watch and pray?
Are you ready? ready?
Looking for the King?
Ready for the happy crowning day?

What a blessed transformation,
In the twinkling of an eye,
When the mortal shall immortal life put on!
Those who love Him shall be like Him,
When He cometh from on high,
At the noontide, at the midnight, or at dawn.

Refrain

Though our sins have been as scarlet,
Let us seek the streams that flow
From the cross that rose on Calv’ry’s rugged height;
He is able still to keep us,
And present us white as snow,
When He comes again, as clouds of dazzling light.

Refrain

Day 30 - Gracious and Compassion Come in Threes

I have my own definitions of the words gracious and compassion formed through the years. But interestingly enough, my definitions are quite far from what was intended at the time the King James Bible was translated. Noah Webster defines gracious as:

1. Favorable; kind; friendly; as,the envoy met with a gracious reception. 2. Favorable; kind; benevolent; merciful; disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings. Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful. Neh 9:17. 3. Favorable; expressing kindness and favor. All bore him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded from his mouth. Luke 4. 4. Proceeding from divine grace; as a person in a gracious state. 5. Acceptable; favored. 6. Renewed or implanted by grace; as gracious affections. 7. Virtuous; good. 8. Excellent; graceful; becoming.

Compassion is another one of those words that I have a definition in my brain but when I read Noah's definition, it made me realize how skewed my thinking is. It's not that I don't understand that my God is gracious and full of compassion. I do understand and I do believe - however, the extent of my understanding is minimal compared to what was intended by Mr. Webster. Compassion's definition according to Noah is:

1. A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration. Compassion is a mixed passion, compounded of love and sorrow; at least some portion of love generally attends the pain or regret, or is excited by it. Extreme distress of an enemy even changes enmity into at least temporary affection.

He being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity. Psa 78.

His father had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15.

Tell me this does not bless your socks off! When you read the definitions, do you not see just how much we human beings lack in this area? We are gracious and compassionate toward those we know personally and love. However, what about the complete stranger? God is gracious and compassionate to all, my friend! This ought to not only convict us, but it should excite us because it shows us just how the Lord feels about you and I! It opens our eyes to the extent of His love. Oh thank You, Lord!

Where am I going with this today? Glad you asked! I thought it appropriate to end this month's series with the compassion and graciousness of God!

As I searched my Bible software for this phrase gracious and full of compassion, I was excited to see that it only appears three times. The number three symbolizes the Godhead and how appropriate it is that these three verses refer to God and not some man!

(1) He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion. (Psa 111:4) I find it interesting that the first use of this phrase talks about God's creation. The number one symbolizes the beginning. As we behold these wonderful works of God, we remember that He created them in six days and we glorify Him for His excellent work. [To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.] O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. (Psa 8:1)

(2) Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous. (Psa 112:4) The born-again Christian has the blessed light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to give to a lost and dying world. How appropriate that the second use of this phrase refers to this. The number two symbolizes witness and separation. The born-again Christian has received the Light of the Gospel. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. (Mat 5:14) How can a Christian be a light to the lost if we live like the devil and hide our light under a bushel? We can't! The Christian is to be a light to a people who are stumbling in the dark because of their sin. We are to lead them to Christ so they, too, can sing "I once was blind, but now I see"! Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (Joh 8:12)

(3) The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. (Psa 145:8) Thank You, Lord for showing us in the third use of this phrase two more characteristics of Your nature! Again, the number three symbolizes the Godhead. How appropriate that this third use would further detail the characteristics of this Godhead! Not only is our God gracious and full of compassion, but He is patient and merciful! Not only did God pay for my sin debt but He is patient and merciful toward me even now when I daily fail Him. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! (Psa 8:9)

The blessed Godhead, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not finished with us. The Father demands justice be served for the sins of man so He provided a way of salvation through His Son. Jesus Christ took on the form of man, lived a sinless life so He could be the sinless sacrifice which paid the price for our sin. The Holy Spirit was given to the believer and He resides within us so He can reveal to us God's nature and mold us into the image of the Blessed Saviour! Oh thank You, Lord, for today's blessing! How gracious You are and full of compassion! You revealed this side of You to us in three blessed verses to show us your completeness. Help us to be more like You and to live out these characteristics as we deal with our brothers and sisters in Christ and with a lost and dying world!

Dear God...
Oh the Blessed Three in One
So full of compassion and grace
Work in my heart and move me
Til I reach my heavenly place!

Day 29 - Overcoming

What a blessing it was to open the Word this morning! All praise, honor and glory to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! I initially was heading down a different path with the word "overcometh" but God took me down another instead. How thankful I am for the Word of God which spiritually feeds our hungry souls!

I am struggling through an area in my life which God knows all about. As I strive to overcome this fear, the Lord has taught me that He has overcome all for my benefit! These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (Joh 16:33) There is nothing that we need to overcome because Christ has already done it all for us. We simply must trust in Him. Notice how Jesus said that He has spoken to us through the Bible so that we might have peace! There is no peace in worry - there is no peace in the things of this world. However, there is peace knowing that we are born again and that Christ has paid our sin debt. There is nothing we have to do. Also, there is peace knowing that He has been in every situation we have ever been through or will ever experience and He has overcome them. Jesus states that He has overcome the world, my friend. Because we are in Him, we can rest assured that we will overcome because of Him and only Him.

This thought process is what led me into the word search for overcometh. This word does not appear in the Old Testament. Could it be because the Messiah had not yet come and the Jews could not overcome the world in their own flesh? They could not claim this promise yet until Jesus came. Don't you find it interesting that this word was not even used once in the Old Testament?

There are, however, ten occurrences of the word overcometh in the New Testament. Interestingly enough, the number ten symbolizes "law, government, and restoration"! Oh the joy I have received from God's numbers in the Bible and seeing how He uses them in His Word! Christ is the only One who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Being saved means that our fellowship has been restored with God the Father - only because we had faith and believed in Jesus Christ's virgin birth, His shed blood on the cross was payment for our sin, His resurrection and He now sits at the right hand of God the Father. We are promised that we will overcome this world in the end and reign with Him because we are now His. Ten verses in the New Testament speak of overcoming - when we are born again through the Word of God, our fellowship with God is restored and we will reign with Him for all eternity. What a beautiful portrait indeed!

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 Jo 5:4)


Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Jo 5:5)


He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Rev 2:7)


He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Rev 2:11)


He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Rev 2:17)


And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: (Rev 2:26)


He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Rev 3:5)


Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Rev 3:12)


To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Rev 3:21)


He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Rev 21:7)

Although today's devotional is quite short in my own words, God's Words are quite powerful and require nothing more be said. I pray you have enjoyed this as much as I have!

Able to Deliver Thee
Fanny Crosby

O troubled heart, be thou not afraid,
In the Lord thy God, let thy hope be stayed;
He will hear thy cry and will give thee aid,
Whate’er thy cross may be.

Refrain

He is able still to deliver thee,
And His own right hand thy defense shall be:
He is able still to deliver thee,
Then be thou not afraid.

O troubled heart, tho’ thy foes unite,
Let thy faith be strong and thy armor bright;
Thou shalt overcome thro’ His pow’r and might,
And more than conqu’ror be.

Refrain

O troubled heart, when thy way is drear,
He will rescue thee and dispel thy fear;
In thy greatest need He is always near,
To Him all glory be.

Refrain

Day 28 - Eight Things God Requires Of Man

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?

Micah 6:6-8 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

The numbers two and three in the Bible are indicative of witness, testimony (see Deuteronomy 19:15). When God repeats Himself in the Scriptures, it is important to pay attention to what is being emphasized. Here we have the testimony of two passages that have a very similar message: What does God require of us? The conclusion of Ecclesiastes also contains an exhortation that fits in line with the testimony of the first two passages.

What does God require of man?

1) To fear the LORD thy God... Fear God.

The fear of the Lord is a reverence for God. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines reverence as "Fear mingled with respect and esteem; veneration... The fear acceptable to God, is a filial fear, an awful reverence of the divine nature, proceeding from a just esteem of his perfections, which produces in us an inclination to his service and an unwillingness to offend him. Reverence is nearly equivalent to veneration, but expresses something less of the same emotion. It differs from awe, which is an emotion compounded of fear, dread or terror, with admiration of something great, but not necessarily implying love or affection." Reverence therefore implies love and affection - it is not just a holy fear of God, but love mingled with admiration. Webster also defines revere as "To regard with fear mingled with respect and affection; to venerate; to reverence; to honor in estimation."

We can only fear the Lord our God in this manner if we are saved, if we have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and now have God as our Heavenly Father. This fear will prompt us to do what is right in His sight, and prompt us to make it right when we have done wrong. There is a saying, "We should always keep short accounts with God," stating that we should never continue on in sin, but when we are convicted we should always repent and confess that sin to quickly restore our fellowship with God. I believe the more reverence we have for our Saviour, the less desire we will have to backslide or take our eyes off of Him, and the greater our desire will be to turn from those sins that we have allowed to temporarily come back into our lives.

2) To walk in all his ways.

Ways here means "a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action." We are to walk in the road that the Lord has already trodden out for us - our way of life is to walk according to the paths we see laid down for us in the Word of God. We are not merely to walk in some of His ways - picking and choosing what we want to follow - but to walk in all His ways. Of course, we can only do that in the strength and wisdom that the Lord provides. Are you walking in His ways, or in your own?

3) To love him.

Is your heart set upon the Lord? Are your affections set upon the things of God? Do you delight in doing the will of God? We honestly can't say we love the Lord when we don't cleave to Him in faith and obedience! We can't truly say we love the Lord when we do not hate evil!

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Psalms 97:10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord our God with all that we are and all that we have.

Mark 12:28-30 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Joshua 23:11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.

Psalms 31:23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

4) To serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

How many professing Christians today are going through the motions in their service to the Lord? Too many! The Lord wants us to serve Him with all our heart and with all our soul - that means with everything that is in us, with all our being. A hypocrite is someone that puts on a show outwardly when there is something different going on in the inside. The Lord wants our outsides to match up with our insides - for our walk to line up with our talk (ie. our living to line up with our profession of faith). We need to be honest and sincere with God, and make sure our sincerity is in line with the truth. It is no good to have a sincerity and zeal that is based on falsehood!

Psalms 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

Too many in Christendom today are claiming to worship God, but they are not doing His will!

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

May we never go through the motions!

Here is a statement that I coined several years ago about our profession lining up with our walk:

"The Final Proof of our Love is in the Faithful Pattern of our Living."

Do your walk and your talk line up together?

5) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes... Keep his commandments.

Love and obedience go hand in hand. We do not keep the commandments to go to Heaven - salvation is a free gift, and must be all of grace, because none of us have ever kept all of God's commandments without failing. Sin is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4), and the only sinless person who ever lived was the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh. But once we turn to Him for salvation, we receive His righteousness credited to our account, and are given a desire to obey Him. Now we obey the Lord out of love for Him, and our obedience shows our love to Him!

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Our love is perfected (made complete) when we keep His Word and obey His commandments:

1 John 2:3-6 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

6) To do justly.

According to Webster's, this phrase means in part: "In conformity to law, justice or propriety; by right... Honestly; fairly; with integrity." Webster also defines integrity as "The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property, and agencies for others." Doing right to all, not showing favoritism, but treating all with equity. "In practice, equity is the impartial distribution of justice, or the doing that to another which the laws of God and man, and of reason, give him a right to claim. It is the treating of a person according to justice and reason."

How many people in our day and age favour those who are rich, those who are part of their inner circle or clique, those who love them in return?

The three moral duties required by God in Micah 6:8 are summed up by our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament:

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

In the context, judgment means "justice and equity." Faith (and the love of God - see Luke 11:42) being the equivalent of the phrase, to walk humbly with thy God.

James 2:1-4 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

Proverbs 24:23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

1 Timothy 5:21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality.

It is interesting that when we are impartial, we are doing what God Himself does; however, when we are partial, then we are walking in the steps of the wicked!

2 Chronicles 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.

Matthew 22:16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

7) To love mercy.

Webster's gives this powerful definition of mercy: "That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being."

Not much more I can add to that! We are to love mercy. In order to do so, I truly believe we must experience and know God's mercy towards ourselves. The more I see God's mercies at work in my own life, the more I want to pass that mercy on to others! As the story of the woman in Luke 7:36-50 illustrates forgiveness and love reciprocated, even so I think there is a definite parallel between our receiving mercy by the Lord and our showing of it to others.

Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Luke 6:32-36 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Romans 12:6-10, 14-17 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another... Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

We are saved and forgiven by God's mercy (and grace); therefore we should likewise be showing this same mercy, grace, and forgiveness to others.

Titus 3:4-6 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:12-14 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

8) To walk humbly with thy God.

We can't walk with God unless we are humble before Him! As the saying goes, "Sheep follow; Goats butt." If you are reading the Word of God or hearing it being spoken by others, and your reaction is, "Yes, but...", then you are not walking humbly before God! In your response, you are acting more like a goat, and less like a sheep! The Lord wants humble servants, servants who will walk in faith before Him, walk in simple love and trust toward Him - like a little child (with childlike faith), who simply accepts the Word because it is God who has spoken, who simply obeys because it is his Lord and King that commands him, who simply trusts God fully in all things because, after all, it is his Heavenly Father at work in his life!

The simplest illustration I can think of regarding faith and trusting is that of a little child standing on a table and the father telling him to jump into his arms. The child says, "I love you, Daddy, and I trust you." But if the child never takes that jump into their father's arms, do they really trust? If you hold back from committing yourself to those everlasting arms that are underneath you, are you really walking in faith, are you really trusting in your Heavenly Father? I think the answer is obvious. The solution is to get into the Word of God and build your faith (see Romans 10:17), then act upon that faith - take and apply!

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

There is a simplicity that is in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:3). It is man that complicates things!

Colossians 2:6-10 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

It is interesting to note that this last passage quoted above links humbling ourselves with casting our cares upon the Lord! Pride says, "I can do it all on my own." Humility says, "I will place all I am, all I have, and all that I plan to do in the hands of my Heavenly Father, and trust Him with it." Humility is walking according to the will of God, not our own way. It takes humility to acknowledge that God owns you, that He has bought you with a price (the precious blood of Christ), and therefore He has the complete right and authority to tell you how to live. We also know that God loves us and is working out His perfect will in our lives, according to His wisdom and sovereign power - humility can live with that, and prefers it (yea, even wholly desires it) above any of our own plans!

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.

Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

I believe that if we follow these eight things that the Lord requires of us, our walk with him will be fruitful and our faith greatly strengthened. These are not presented as some kind of ultimate formula, or as some list indicating that this is all we are accountable for - but are merely an attempt to dig into and apply some basic requirements of a walk with the Lord that He is pleased with and will bless.

Do you fear God? Are you walking in His ways? Do you love Him and are you serving Him with all your heart and soul? Are you obeying His Word? Are you treating others justly? Do you love mercy? And lastly, are you walking humbly with your God?

May the Lord richly bless you as you apply these passages of Scripture to your life.

July 4th/07
Jerry Bouey

Day 27 - The Three in One Blessing

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (Rev 1:3)

The Book of Revelation is the only book in the Word of God which promises a blessing if we read it. In my opinion, if a Book promises a blessing then we should be quick to read it. I do believe that the Book of Revelation is the one book that produces the most controversy. Many scholars state that it should be taken symbolically and others say it is prophetic and we should heed its warnings. There are three things we must do to receive this blessing which is promised in this verse. We must first read it, then we must hear it, and lastly we must keep what we have heard. The number three is symbolic for the Godhead. How complete a blessing is when it is surrounded around the Lord Himself! I believe that if the Book of Revelation were symbolic, we would not be promised a blessing if we read it, hear it and keep it. How can you keep a reading which is symbolic? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:17) When we read the Word of God, our faith in Him is built and we become more like Him, therefore able to keep that which we have been taught. It's not rocket science when you rightly divide the Word of God.

Here is what you must do to receive the blessing of Revelation 1:3:

(1) You must first read the Word to receive the blessing. You cannot understand what you read without first being born again, my friend. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Joh 1:1) Jesus is the Word of God - there is no salvation outside of Him. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Act 4:12) Anyone can read - but not all can understand what they are reading. Before I was saved, reading the Bible was like drinking dirt - dry at best. After salvation, the Word of God was opened up. It gave new meaning to: "I once was blind, but now I see" from the beautiful hymn, Amazing Grace. The born-again believer, then, must first read the Word to receive the blessing promised in this verse. You cannot merely listen to the preaching in church, although that is good. You must read for yourself. This is where God will shower you with blessings from above!

(2) You must hear the words of the prophecy. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:17) Our faith is built when we understand what we have read and it is confirmed through the preaching of the Word. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. (Joh 8:43) These people heard Christ speaking but they didn't hear Him - meaning, they did not understand what He was saying. Their hearts and minds were hard.

Before you get pious and think highly of yourself, how many times have you ignored what the Word told you to do and gone down your own path? We willfully disobey. The unbeliever is serving their father the devil and do not know any better. But when the heart is ready to receive what it has heard, the understanding comes with it. The born-again believer has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within. He opens our hearts and gives us the understanding of the Scriptures if we but ask. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (Jam 1:5) God promises to give us this wisdom liberally - not just a little.

(3) You must keep those things which were written. Five times, Jesus used the words "keep my":

Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (Joh 8:51)

Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. (Joh 8:52)

If ye love me, keep my commandments. (Joh 14:15)

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (Joh 14:23)

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (Joh 15:10)

It's not sufficient to read and hear - anyone can do that. However, those who strive to keep God's commandments will receive this blessing.

What blessing are we speaking of here? It is the understanding of the words of the prophecy! Jesus promises that we will receive a blessing when we read, hear and keep the Word because we will be able to interpret the prophecies which were written. The believers today are living proof of the blessings we are receiving from this wonderful Book of Revelation! We see prophecy being fulfilled before our very eyes. Our eyes are looking up and we are longing to witness for ourselves the wonderful return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is our Blessed Hope and He will keep us from that hour of testing which will come before all of the earth. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Tit 2:13) I long for the day that the Rapture will happen! It could be today! Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Rev 3:10)

What a Day That Will Be
Words and Music by Jim Hill

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come
No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye.
All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus
What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see,
And I look upon His face,
The One who saved me by His grace;
When He takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land,
What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,
No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;
And forever I will be with the One who died for me,
What a day, glorious day that will be.


Chorus

Day 26 - Eight Daily Blessings

Psalms 145:1-5 (David's Psalm of praise.) I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

The following eight blessings are not presented in order of importance, but in the order the main passages used appear in the Word of God. All the promises of God in the Bible depend upon a personal relationship with Him. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, the promises in His Word are yours to claim - including these eight daily blessings:

1) Daily Guidance And Teaching From The Lord (From His Word)

Exodus 13:21-22 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Numbers 9:15-17 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

Look up and consider the next six verses in this passage (Numbers 9:18-23), and notice the seven times the phrase at (according to) the commandment of the LORD is used.

Nehemiah 9:12, 19 Moreover thou leddest them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go... Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.

Every day the Lord God led the nation of Israel in their march through the wilderness - all they had to do was follow His clear guiding, whether it was by night or by day that the pillar moved before them.

Luke 21:38 And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

John 8:2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

Every morning Jesus was in the temple teaching the people the Word of God. Now we do not have Jesus physically teaching in our midst, but we have the Word of God before us to read and study and the Holy Spirit working through us to teach us God's will for our lives each day.

Psalms 25:4-5 Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.

Are you waiting upon the Lord? Are you seeking His will and determined to follow it as it is revealed step by step to you?

2) Daily Strength

Physical Strength:

Deuteronomy 33:25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

The Lord promises strength for each day - strength to do His will, whatever He has called us to do.

Spiritual Strength:

Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.

I like this promise found in the Psalms. When we are in need of spiritual strength, that strength is ours when we cry out to the Lord and seek Him for it. Day by day. Are you relying upon the Lord's strength today?

3) Daily Wisdom

Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

The Lord promises to freely provide us wisdom each day - and then blesses us as we heed that wisdom from Him! What grace!

Proverbs 8:12-20 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions. The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

When we seek our Heavenly Father for His wisdom early and diligently, when we seek Him in faith and trust Him to give us the wisdom needed for each day, He will provide. Proverbs eight is a neat chapter in which we see the Lord Jesus Christ pictured as wisdom. He loves those that love Him, and those that seek Him early will find Him - will both find His wisdom each day, as well as find the Lord Himself in personal fellowship. What a promise!

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Wisdom is available for the asking - have you asked the Lord to give you His wisdom today?

4) Daily Benefits

Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Daily our Lord loads us with benefits and blessings - daily He showers His grace upon us, blessings we could never earn or deserve - and those blessings all start with repenting of our sins and placing our faith in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and in His finished work upon the cross of Calvary (salvation from our sins, and from the penalty and guilt of them; as we walk with the Lord, He also delivers us from the power of those sins; and one glorious day in the future from the very presence of them). Then we need to be seeking Him daily and trusting in Him to meet our daily needs (more on this in part 7 below).

Psalms 103:1-2 (A Psalm of David.) Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Have you praised and thanked the Lord today for the blessings He has given to you and your loved ones?

5) Daily Lovingkindness

Psalms 143:8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary gives this simple definition of lovingkindness: "Tender regard; mercy; favor." When you break down the English words into its two root words, you get loving and kindness. Webster's also defines kindness as "1. Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love. 2. Act of good will; beneficence; any act of benevolence which promotes the happiness or welfare of others. Charity, hospitality, attentions to the wants of others, &c., are deemed acts of kindness, or kindnesses." I'm certain all of us could use that assurance that the Lord loves with an everlasting love us and showers His kindness upon us every day!

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

In regards to "alleviating [our] distresses," I am encouraged by David's steadfast desire to seek the Lord each morning in prayer - every morning he would cry out to God, and then look to the Lord expectantly for His answers!

Psalms 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Here are some wonderful declarations and promises about God's lovingkindness towards us:

Psalms 36:7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

Psalms 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

Psalms 63:3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

Are you glorying in the fact that you know the Lord? Are you rejoicing in His lovingkindness to you?

6) Daily Mercies

Lamentations 3:21-26 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

One of the basic truths of the Christian life is that the Lord has shown us His mercy - He has not given us what we deserve because of our sins and our many failures and falterings. He gives us new mercies everyday! So even if you fell flat on your face yesterday, if you look to the Lord in repentance today, He will give you His new mercies and a new beginning today! That new beginning will also include forgivness and cleansing from our sins - oh, how we need that everyday!

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Psalms 40:11 Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

Psalms 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

Because of the Lord's lovingkindness and tender mercy shown to them every morning, the Psalmists chose to declare and sing about their Lord every day, as a testimony to others - we should do likewise!

Psalms 92:1-2 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night,

Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Psalms 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

What's new with you? Have you claimed those new mercies today - that new beginning - and are you singing a new song?

7) Daily Provision

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Matthew 6:33-34 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

We are not to worry or fret about our daily needs - we are instead to seek the Lord, seek His will and do it daily, and then He promises to meet all our daily needs. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you, which was your greatest need, then your Heavenly Father promises to meet all the rest of them as you walk with Him.

Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Psalms 34:9-10 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Psalms 145:15-16 The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.

The Lord will give daily provision. It is interesting that the words provide and provision mean (as defined by Webster's) "literally to see before. To procure beforehand; to get, collect or make ready for future use; to prepare." The Lord has seen all your needs ahead of time, and has set things into motion so that those needs would be met in their proper timing. I would encourage you to read a biography on a great man of prayer named George Mueller, and be amazed at all the ways the Lord had provided for the needs of his orphanages throughout the years. The Lord changes not! He is still the same, and able to meet our needs just the same!

Whether the Lord has to drop manna from the sky to feed His people in the wilderness (see Numbers 11:7-9; Exodus 16:35), bring ravens by to feed His prophet Elijah, or bring neighbours by with extra food from their gardens, God is not limited, and can still meet all our needs today!

Nehemiah 9:20-21 Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.

1 Kings 17:3-6 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

Are you seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness today?

8) Daily Renewal

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Sometimes this world wears us down - whether it be physical and mental struggles of living in a sin-cursed world, spiritual battles and learning how to die to ourselves daily, or being oppressed and distressed over the sins of others - and we just need to get away from all the hustle and bustle of this weary world, and spend some much needed time with our Saviour. Jesus promises rest for those who are heavy laden; promises refreshing to those who take time out from their busy schedules, come away from the world, and learn from Him.

Psalms 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Song of Solomon 2:10-13 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Let's follow Jesus' example, and spend some time with our Heavenly Father in prayer:

Matthew 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

Have you spent time today with your Saviour? Spent time in His Word? Spent time in prayer and fellowship with Him? Have your soul been refreshed and renewed today? If not, He is still waiting to spend time with you!

Great is Thy Faithfulness
(Words by Thomas O. Chisholm)

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not:
As thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth.
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Chorus:
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Praise the Lord for all His daily benefits unto us!

July 1st/07
Jerry Bouey