Date: 11-20-2020

Title: Snakes and Doves

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 10:16 (NASB) “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.

(O) bservation:
    When Jesus sent the disciples out, he told them not to be stupid, dull, slow or ignorant of what was going on around them. They were to be alert, aware and astute. They needed to know when to speak and when to remain silent. They were to discern when to be gentle and when to be pointed with the people they met.

(A) pplication:
    Today I need that same wisdom in dealing with people. I need to be alert to their real needs and concerns, be aware of what is happening around me and astute enough to discern the truth. I want to speak words that bless and not harm people. I want to encourage when I can and challenge people when necessary. I want to be wise as a serpent and gentle as a dove.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, give me wisdom today to do your work in your way. Amen

Date: 11-19-2020

Title: Yes and No

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 5:37 (NASB) But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.

(O) bservation:
    Jesus recognized that the people were putting so many qualifiers into their agreements that it would not produce good results. People used these conditions and qualifiers to wiggle and squirm out of doing what they said. They also used to swear by something to show they really meant what they were saying. Jesus says this is unnecessary for righteous people. Just say “yes” or “no” and then do what you said.

(A) pplication:
    Too often I find myself putting these kinds of qualifiers in my statements and I am reminded that those qualifiers are from the evil one. Today I simply want to say “yes” or “no” and mean what I say and follow through. I want to be known as a man of my word.

(P) rayer:
    Lord don’t let me off the hook of using qualifiers. Help me to say “yes” and “no” and meant it and carry it through. Let me be a man of my word. Amen

Date: 11-18-2020

Title: When Temptation Rears Its Ugly Head

(S) cripture:
    Matthew 4:1-11 (NASB) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'” 5 Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’; and ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'” 7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'” 8 Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

(O) bservation:
    When the devil came to tempt Jesus, he did so in three areas: 1) His Authority, 2) His Life and 3) His Mission. Each time Jesus responded to the temptation by quoting scripture. When the devil used scripture to tempt him, Jesus showed how the devil had perverted the scripture.

(A) pplication:
    If I am going to resist temptation when it comes, I must do it the way Jesus did by relying on God’s Word and God’s power in my life. I cannot trust will power or human resolve – I am no match for Satan, I must use the Word. Therefore, I must spend time in God’s Word daily and memorize some of it. I want to be able to quote Scripture in the heat of the temptation not just when I have a Bible with me so I can look up a verse.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, help me to use Your Word to avoid yielding to temptation. Strengthen me as I spend time with You. Help me to walk the straight path that You set before me. Amen

Date: 11-17-2020

Title: The Simplicity Of Devotion To Christ

(S) cripture:
    2 Corinthians 11:3 (NASB) But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

(O) bservation:
    Our walk with the Lord is to be simple and pure. The Devil tries to make it complex and polluted. Paul’s great fear was that the believers would be deceived into making following Jesus much more complicated than it is.

(A) pplication:
    Jesus said we are to love God with all we are and to love others as we love ourselves. Today it is back to basics. I will focus on loving God and the people around me. I want to avoid meaningless arguments about the Bible and just live out my faith in a way that pleases God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and pointing people to Jesus. It should never be more complex than that.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, keep me from being deceived and making my walk with you more complicated than it is. Help me avoid legalistic arguments and pressures to conform. I want my life to model that simplicity and devotion to Christ that Paul wrote about. Grant me courage and strength to live that way. Amen

Date: 11-16-2020

Title: Giving – A New Testament Perspective

(S) cripture:
    2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NASB) Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.” 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, 14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

(O) bservation:
    Paul is making the case for believers to give cheerfully and generously. This passage has been misused by some to teach that you give to get but as you read the passage that is not the emphasis. The Corinthians had promised a gift to the other churches and he just wanted to be sure it happened but more importantly that it happened for the right reasons. The believers were to give what they purposed to give and not to do so under any compulsion but to do so cheerfully. The result of their giving was thanksgiving to God. There is no promise of personal financial gain here only the promise of God’s faithfulness in all things.

(A) pplication:
    I remember a professor say about this passage, “We are not to give until it hurts, we are to give until it makes us laugh.” My giving reflects my understanding of God’s provision for me. I need to give so that others will praise and thank God. I give because God is the one who provides. I personally believe the place to start is with a tithe (10%). I have never understood mathematically how 9/10th’s goes farther than 10/10th’s but in God’s economy it does. Today I commit myself to continue being a purposeful, cheerful and generous giver to the Lord’s work

(P) rayer:
    Lord, thank you for loving and providing for me. Let me now give to your work in a way that reflects your generosity to me. I want to be cheerful and generous in my giving. I want to be obedient and also to see other give thanks to you because of what you can do with what I give. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your work in the world. Amen

Date: 11-15-2020

Title: The Spirit Gives Life

(S) cripture:
    2 Corinthians 3:6 (NASB) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

(O) bservation:
    Our competence for ministry comes from God, not from any skills we have naturally. The content of our ministry is the New Covenant of the Spirit. We are not to be legalists.

(A) pplication:
    Our ministry is to lead people to the freedom that comes in Christ by the Holy Spirit. Any competence we have must come from the Lord. I must develop and hone my skills, but my competence is not found in them. I must not ever preach legalism. I must point people to the Spirit who gives life and freedom. Today I will focus on helping people to be set free rather than enslaving them in legalism.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, Keep me focused on you and your purpose. When I get proud, show me. Let me share Jesus with those that are enslaved and need to be freed. Let me live free in you. Amen

Date: 11-14-2020

Title: God’s Promises

(S) cripture:
    2 Corinthians 1:20 (NASB) For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

(O) bservation:
    Paul is addressing the Corinthian church and in an encouraging word reminds the people that the promises of God are “yes” in Christ. Our faith is a positive faith in Christ.

(A) pplication:
    I can count on God keeping his promises because he cannot lie, and the promises are “yes” in Christ. I know so many Christians that are sour and negative and always against something. I don’t like being around them and am sure that those who are not yet followers of Jesus don’t want to either. God does so much in my life. My life has been changed, I have passed from death to life and from darkness into His glorious light. How can I be negative and sour? This is not a promise of “health and wealth” or a “name it/claim it” stance. It simply is a stance that says, God will keep his promises and they are fulfilled in Christ. I cannot be negative when God is positive.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, remind me of your promises when I get sour and negative. Let me be as positive in my faith as you are in your promises in Christ. Amen

Date: 11-13-2020

Title: By The Grace Of God

(S) cripture:
    1 Corinthians 15:10a (NASB) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain…

(O) bservation:
    Paul understood that it was God’s grace that had transformed him into the man he had become. He did not feel worthy but was aware that it was God at work. Paul had a past that was in opposition to what God was doing. From that past he was being transformed. He was not yet all he would be but by God’s grace he was not the man he used to be.

(A) pplication:
    There are many life situations that shape us into the people we become. The families we are raised in have a profound influence on our lives. I am so thankful for my family, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins that are deeply committed Christians and encouraged me in my faith. The churches I have been part of have taught me much about following Jesus. The West Virginia Baptist Camp is where I first sensed God’s call in my life. My college friends and the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ had a great impact on my life. To these I would add death of my father and the witness that would be to so many. Tomorrow is the 50^th anniversary of the plane wreck that killed the Marshall University football team in 1970, that was a life shaping event.

    My life as a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, pastor and friend continues to be shaped by God’s grace. With Paul I can say that I am what I am by the grace of God. As the saying goes, “I am not all I ought to be, I am not what I’m going to be but thank God I am not what I used to be. Today I will trust God’s hand as he forms me by His grace.

(P) rayer:
    Father, let me live the life you have made me for. Let me follow you and you alone. Continue to use your grace to transform me. Amen

Date: 11-12-2020

Title: A Clear Call

(S) cripture:
    1 Corinthians 14:8 (NASB) For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle?

    1 Corinthians 14:8 (NIV) Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?

(O) bservation:
    An obscure or distorted call will not awaken or alarm anyone to prepare for battle. The sound gets lost in all the other noise of our lives.

(A) pplication:
    There is a constant spiritual battle being waged and many believers are not prepared because the call to arms has not been clear. As a pastor I must make the call clear and distinct. It must be so clear that even new believers understand it and prepare themselves for battle. It must also be a clear call to those who have followed Christ for some time because too often we get complacent in our walk with the Lord and fail to prepare for battle.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, help me to make the call so clear and distinct that all believers can hear and understand and then prepare for the battle ahead. Amen

Date: 11-11-2020

Title: Our Majestic God

(S) cripture:
    Job 38:1-41 (NASB)
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
3 “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,
5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?
6 “On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,
11 And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?
12 “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place,
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 “It is changed like clay under the seal; And they stand forth like a garment.
15 “From the wicked their light is withheld, And the uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea Or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 “Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 “Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.
19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,
20 That you may take it to its territory And that you may discern the paths to its home?
21 “You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!
22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress, For the day of war and battle?
24 “Where is the way that the light is divided, Or the east wind scattered on the earth?
25 “Who has cleft a channel for the flood, Or a way for the thunderbolt,
26 To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a man in it,
27 To satisfy the waste and desolate land And to make the seeds of grass to sprout?
28 “Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 “From whose womb has come the ice? And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 “Water becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.
31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the cords of Orion?
32 “Can you lead forth a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites?
33 “Do you know the ordinances of the heavens, Or fix their rule over the earth?
34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you?
35 “Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being Or given understanding to the mind?
37 “Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
38 When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they crouch in their dens And lie in wait in their lair?
41 “Who prepares for the raven its nourishment When its young cry to God And wander about without food?

(O) bservation:
    This is the Lord speaking to Job. The Lord describes His work and creation and his rule over it. It is a clear reminder the Lord is God and Job is not.

(A) pplication:
    As I read this passage I was simply caught up in the majesty of God. He created all that is and controls all that is. His creation and works are beyond our understanding or comprehension. These set Him apart and show us His glory and majesty. I am reminded that Isaiah wrote these words from Isaiah 40:25-26, “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing. It is easy to slip into thinking of God in common terms and to strip Him of His majesty and power. This passage in Job allowed me to simply pause, remember and reflect on how majestic the God I serve really is. He is like No Other, full of power. He reigns over all. He is the God of heaven who created and controls all that is. What a great way to begin the day.

(P) rayer:
    Lord, let me dwell on your majesty. I am grateful that you, the majestic God, chose to love me. Today I want to live in such a way that others may see and be drawn to your majesty. Amen