Pastor Johnnie's Devotional Archives
June 2003
June 6, 2003
Proverbs 6:16 says "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that
are detestable to him....."
The phrase 'God is love' is absolutely true, but often misused and abused
by sincere Christians not wishing to turn people off by a negative message.
So, in what has ended up to be a careless, unbiblical attempt to not scare
people away from Him, and to get more sinners to 'come to Christ' so we
can chalk up our evangelistic records or keep people coming to church,
we have often avoided preaching that sinners are under God's judgment;
that He hates their sin; that their sin has alienated them from Him; that
they are His enemies (Ephesians 2:1-3). They must know that to Him, sin
is utterly odious. It is an abhorrence to Him, totally disgusting. Here's
a thought: if we Christians are failing to speak of sin and judgment to
others, is it not possible that we are also failing to deal with or judge
sin in our own lives? To be on the Lord's side, to revere and honor Him,
is to share His hatred of evil and wickedness (Proverbs 8:13). Some who
may have strayed from the way need to be reminded of scriptures like Deuteronomy
18:10-12 and 25:16. Or Amos 1:3,6,9,11; 2:1,4. Or Proverbs 3:32; 11:1,20;
15:8,9; 17:15. We must remember that sin is any unrighteousness; the breaking
of God's moral law or failure to live up to one's responsibilities before
God. God is love, yes; but God hates and detests sin. And so should I!
Father of holiness, oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees
(Psalm 119:5). Teach me to hate evil, that I might praise You with an
upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws (Psalm 119:7). Through Jesus
Christ, I pray. Amen.
June 8, 2003
Proverbs 8:4 (referring to wisdom), says "To you, O men, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind."
Yesterday, Ruth and I were in a store. We became separated and I began
to look for her. We have a whistle that we do when we want to find each
other. While looking for her, I heard a whistle and quickly turned, only
to find I was surrounded by total strangers. But I knew she was there,
somewhere, and I kept looking .... and listening. One thing about wisdom
calling out: it's an unmistakable voice for the child of God. It's clarion
call to righteousness, obedience, humility, submission, faith in the Savior,
or in whatever other situation you or I need to hear His voice, is raised
to every human. The key: to be listening, of course. Asaph reminds us
that "the mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets" (Psalm 50:1-3).
All people groups who live in this world, both low and high, rich and
poor alike (Psalm 49:1,2) are called upon to listen to Wisdom. "He
who has ears to hear.....let him hear" (Matthew 13:9), Jesus said.
And, when you and I share the Wisdom of the gospel, we also raise our
voices, as though God Himself were making his appeal through us to save
other lost souls. We cry out for men, women, and children to "be
reconciled to God" ( II Corinthians 5:19,20).
O Promoter of good hearing and salvation, give us ears to hear the
Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' May the thirsty hear..... and come;
and whoever wishes, may they take the free gift of the water of life!
(Revelation 22:17). Amen.
June 10, 2003
Proverbs 10:12 says, "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers
over all wrongs."
Looking back over almost 44 years of marriage, I recall times of tension
and dissension being caused by one of us being hot-tempered or hateful
in attitude toward the other. The discord and familial disharmony that
brings is awful. And it grieves our hearts today to hear about so much
dissension in Christian homes. The Bible clearly states that a hot-tempered
person stirs up dissension (Proverbs 15:18). Scoundrels (wicked/evil/worthless
people ) also dig up evil that they can spread around. You recognize the
wickedness of their heart by the scorching, fire-like words they use which
create such dissension (Proverbs 16:27). Greed is also a common cause
of dissension within homes (Proverbs 28:25). I'm absolutely convinced
that if the Lord's people were to call SIN sin, admit our stubborn arrogance,
and submit ourselves to Christ and His holiness, fewer marriages would
be breaking up (Read carefully James 4:1-10). It would serve us well to
check out what else is causing dissension and then to make sure we deal
with it as SIN so that God's love might once again flow through us in
forgiveness and love toward each other.
Sweet Father of peace, cleanse our usually stubborn, dissension-causing
hearts and empower us instead to love each other deeply, because love
covers over a multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8). In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
June 12, 2003
Proverbs 12:22 says, "The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights
in men who are truthful."
When our son was very young, he had a problem with lying for a period
of time. So, among the scriptures we learned as a family was today's verse.
We memorized it in the KJV, though, which says, "Lying lips are an
abomination(something disgusting) to the Lord....". He was young
enough to actually struggle with the pronunciation of such a big word
as abomination. It came out as abomination and sounded refreshingly
great as he quoted it with understanding and youthful fervor! Regardless
of the wrong pronunciation, with teaching from the Holy Spirit through
mom and dad, we all came to agree that to lie is an abominable thing in
the eyes of God, and should be considered such from our human point of
view, as well. There are consequences to lying (Ezekiel 13:19) of which
every responsible human should be aware. And, for those who are seeking
to walk honestly before the Lord and mankind, other peoples' lies can
be terribly discouraging (Ezekiel 13:22). On the other hand, the Lord
finds and takes great pleasure in those who are truthful. He loves those
who pursue righteousness. Their prayers are pure delight to Him (Proverbs
15:8,9). That's understandable, isn't it? After all, He describes Himself
as One Who exercises kindness, practices justice (the epitome of truth
and integrity), and operates righteously 100% of the time (Jeremiah 9:24)!
Righteous Father, teach us to fear You by hating the things you hate
and to delight in truth and in all else that delights Your pure heart!
For Jesus' sake, Amen.
June 14, 2003
Proverbs 14:14 says "The faithless (backsliders) will be fully repaid
for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his."
The good man has drunk from the water Jesus gives, which, Praise God!,
satisfies all thirst (John 4:14). For the spiritually satisfied man or
woman, there is no need to think about or to cling to sinful deceit which
indicates obstinance and a refusal to repent before God (Jeremiah 8:5).
What a person plants is what they will harvest; they will be fully repaid
for their ways (Galatians 6:7). To 'hate' knowledge and choose not to
fear the Lord, rather than listening to Him, is to choose the way of complacency
(backsliding) and ultimate discipline (Proverbs 1:31-33). And, throughout
40 years of ministry, I've listened to people vehemently rage against
the Lord, when it was not the Lord Who ruined their lives, but their own
folly (Proverbs 19:3)! The child of God understands these truths and principles
and refuses to trust in himself (his own deceitful heart) or to depend
on the flesh (other deceitful hearts); he has, instead, great
confidence in the Lord and is therefore a tree planted by the water, sending
out healthy roots by the stream (Jeremiah 17:5-8). His reward? He has
no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit!
Merciful Father, teach us to cling to You and to righteousness. Teach
us to fear sin and backsliding, lest we reap what we've sowed! For Jesus'
sake, we pray. Amen.
June 16, 2003
Proverbs 16:8 says "Better a little with righteousness than much
gain with injustice."
In Luke 12, a man asked Jesus to intervene by arbitrating an inheritance
issue between himself and his brother. Jesus' response was very basic,
going right to the heart of the problem: "Watch out! Be on your guard
against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance
of his possessions." Some of the happiest people I have ever had
contact with are those who are poverty stricken, economically speaking,
but who have Christ in their lives. There is no vying for position; no
competing for better stories of how they spend their money; no comparing
with someone else who has a bigger this or a better that; no embarrassment
over not having more than they do; no jealousy when a neighbor gets new
toys to add to their endless array of 'stuff' which require more time
and energy to maintain; they just find happiness, joy, and contentment
in living for and serving Jesus! The person who cheats on their income
tax; the careless person who spends more on lottery than on milk and food
for the kids; the spendthrift whose economic status sinks deeper into
debt with every purchase; these may all have a lot of toys and gain the
attention of others afflicted with possession obsession, but it doesn't
take a rocket scientist to know that they are much worse off than the
poor but righteous guy.
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are the sure foundation for our times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge. Thank You for showing
us that the fear of the Lord is the key to this awesome treasure (Isaiah
33:6)! Take us deeper into the truth that godliness with contentment is
great gain (I Timothy 6:6). Amen.
June 18, 2003
Proverbs 18:24 in the NIV says, "A man of many companions may come
to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
The New Living Translation says it this way: "There are 'friends'
who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother."
An old crime was recently solved by the authorities because a close 'friend'
of the suspect, 'ratted on him'. It seems that the alleged perpetrator,
in a moment of arrogance soon after he had committed the crime, and with
a little alcohol as an added 'encouragement', had confided to his friend
what he had done. A few years later, when the two had a falling out, the
'friendship' also fell apart. But, when the first fellow was arrested,
he vented his anger against the 'friend' by deciding to ruin his life
as well: he told the police about several crimes his 'friend' had committed.
They arrested and incarcerated the second 'friend' as well.
Of Jesus it is said that he dined with tax collectors and 'sinners' (Matthew
9:11). Luke suggests that he was actually a 'friend' to those sinners
and actually 'welcomed' them (Luke 7:34; 15:2). I'm so glad, because I
am one of those 'sinners'. He initiated a personal friendship with me,
revealed my sinfulness to my blind eyes, captured my heart with His mercy,
grace, and love, and began a unique relationship with me that has lasted
for over 50 years! This Friend's love has never failed (Proverbs 17:17).
This Friend's counsel (Proverbs 27:9) is greater than gold (Psalm 19:10).
Thank You, Precious Father, for Your friendship: unique - unparalleled
in today's friendless world! Oh, how much I love You! Amen.
June 22, 2003
Proverbs 22:13 says "The sluggard says, 'There's a lion outside!'
or, 'I'll be murdered if I go out into the streets!'"
During our many years in Central America, I watched ants. At any given
time, you could see tens of thousands of them working together to accomplish
a common goal. I learned to agree with Solomon who's counsel was that
by watching the ant and considering it's ways, I could actually gain some
wisdom (Proverbs 6:6)! When a person is disinclined to exert them self,
they will find any excuse to avoid doing what needs to be done! Imagine
someone saying, "Hey, I can't go out there to trim the hedges and
mow the lawn; this is tornado season!" "Oh, wow! And how many
tornadoes has your area had in the past twenty years?" "Well,
none. But, you know this could be the season for them!" (He couldn't
see them, anyway, for all the tall grass, weeds, and bushes around him!)
Ten of the spies who went up to check out the promised land only saw what
to them appeared to be very strong giants (Numbers 13:32,33). I'm glad
Joshua and Caleb - full of faith and ready to 'work'! - were with them.
The lazy person sees thorns (Proverbs 15:19), lions and murderers (today's
text), the wind and clouds (Ecclesiastes 11:4), and anything else that
will keep them from diligence and perseverance (Proverbs 26:13-16). The
spiritually lazy even use 'timing' as an excuse to be involved with the
Lord and to carry out His holy purposes (see Haggai 1:2).
Father, help us to be spiritually diligent, watching our lives, our behavior,
our doctrine, so that those around us might see our growth and progress
in Christ! (I Timothy 4:15,16). Amen.
June 24, 2003
Proverbs 24:11 says "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back
those staggering toward slaughter."
It is imperative that every individual play an active, responsible role
in any society in which they live. This is how societies and cultures
ultimately survive. Imagine what the already shamefully high abortion
numbers might be today if the unborn - or those who have no voice or vote
- had no groups of committed citizens who speak up on their behalf (Proverbs
31:8) ..... in Jesus' name! What if no one intervened for the weak and
needy (Psalm 82:4)....in Jesus' name? What if communities and groups of
people didn't pull together to oppose injustice....in Jesus' name? What
if we had no one
compassionately sharing food with the starving, providing shelter for
the homeless, or clothing the naked (Isaiah 58:6,7)....in Jesus' name?
What would a society do without those merciful servants who bandage wounds,
transport the injured to medical care, or sacrificially pay others' bills
(Luke 10:31,32)....in Jesus' name? What if no one ever expended time or
resources to return valuable lost items to grieving neighbors (Deuteronomy
22:1)...in Jesus' name? Or, to what depth of indifference would a society
descend if the ultimate sacrifice of one's self for another never took
place (I John 3:16)...in Jesus' name? I'm grateful that our heavenly Father
and His Son, Jesus, modeled such love and compassion for us that we might
go and do likewise!
Father, thank you for constantly challenging us to think outside the
box, unselfishly, for Jesus' sake. It's an honor to serve you by helping
and defending those less fortunate than we! Amen.
June 26, 2003
Proverbs 26:20 says, "Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip
a quarrel dies down."
Someone once said that gossip is sharing pertinent information with someone
who is not involved with either the problem or the solution. How many
friendships have been ruined; how many marriages destroyed; how many peaceful
church families stirred up; how many organizations brought to the brink
of disaster.... because of a loose tongue. A person's enemies are the
ones who imagine - and wish - the worst (Psalm 41:7). They look for choice
morsels to munch on and to share with others (Proverbs 26:22); they create
quarrels, pass on insults, cause division (Proverbs 22:10), and betray
confidence (Proverbs 11:13). The Bible says that the tongue is a fire,
a world of evil. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of
his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell (James 3:16). A gossip
perpetuates fraud and creates dissension (Proverbs 16:28). The Lord hates
this kind of behavior; it is utterly odious to Him (Proverbs 6:19). The
answer: avoid a person who is characterized by what often seems to be
mindless chatter and/or self-centered promotion (Proverbs 20:19). If you
listen long, you'll hear something that is unhealthy; something you shouldn't
or needn't know.
Father of holiness, we admit to being people of unclean lips (Isaiah
6:5-7). Touch our mouths with holy fire, that we may be cleansed to speak
and promote truth, not fraud. For Jesus' sake we pray. Amen.
June 28, 2003
Proverbs 28:20 says "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one
eager to get rich will not go unpunished."
In I Kings 22:41-48, Jehoshaphat built a fleet a trading ships for transporting
gold, but they never set sail; they were wrecked. In like manner, how
many people live for riches and wealth and they never seem to 'get ahead'!
Bigger and better barns are built to hold more 'stuff' to make them feel
and look better to the watching world around them. Their life is wrecked
because the heart is far from the Lord and not focused on righteous things
(Psalm 101:3,4). They fall into temptations and traps and many foolish
and harmful desires, ultimately wondering how in the world they have plunged
into ruin and destruction. Eager to accumulate more money, wealth, or
fame, they have wandered from the faith. When things go wrong, they become
angry with God; but, the Bible says that the fault is theirs, not God's:
they have pierced themselves with the many griefs which are related to
a wrong root drive in life: a love for money (I Timothy 6:9,10).
Father in heaven, instill within us the desire for moral and spiritual
faithfulness, security, and stability (I Corinthians 4:2). Remind us frequently
of the deviousness of lusting for more earthly possessions. Let us, instead,
seek the greater wealth: the blessing of the incomparable, unsearchable
riches of Your grace (Ephesians 2:7; 3:8). Amen.
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