Devotionals

Wednesday - October 29, 2008 -
Matthew 10:16-25
Although the Lord Jesus is speaking to his apostles and early diciples I think we can easily apply this passage to his latter day saints. (Not Mormons, but rather the saved in the last days or in other words - us.) The persecution against Christians world wide is astounding. We do not hear much about it but it is there and witnessed by millions. And, it is going to get more difficult. This country, and the world, according to Scripture is going to face the greatest personal attacks against Christians that the world has ever known. So, the best way to deal with this is to become a coward, dig a hole and crawl inside and cover ourselves with the dirt! Or we can do what the champions of the Cross did before us. We can become more aggressive, carrying the Word of God all over our known world winning the war by telling others of the glories of the cross. Yes, but that might get us killed! Yea, isn't that great!

Thursday - Oct 30, 2008 -
Matthew 10:32-39
We must be confident in the power and the promises of our God. As we preach the Word of God we must understand that there will be some that will hate us. That is a fact. What did Jesus do to get crucified? He healed the sick, caused the lame to walk, fed thousands. All criminal offenses wouldn't you say? Of course non of these things were the things that crucified the Christ. He proclaimed himself to be equal with God! That will do it. And when He declared himself to be God, they rose up against Him and killed Him. But wait a minute. What if someone came and said that he was God, and that all that we believed was wrong. That things that we believe were wrongly taught to us all our lives. Would we not rise up against that individual and seek to destroy him? Certainly we would, that is why we warn about the coming Anti-Christ. When we preach against sin, divorce, immorality, booze, drugs, abortion, same sex marriage, etc., we are preaching against the God of this world. Of course we will be persecuted. The world is doing just what the known world did in the times of Christ. But we must love them enough, to continue on, just like Jesus did

Friday - October 31, 2008 -
1 Timothy 4:6-16
Finally, a passage of Scripture that I can throw in the face of my wife that will shut her up and her constant harping about me going to the gym "For bodily exercise profiteth little. . ." amen and glory hallelujah!!!! Bodily exercise profiteth little and yet one of the great industries in our country tells us that bodily exercise is every thing. Open up a magazine and there are diet pills to make us skinny. Turn the page and there is some skinny guy telling about the energy drink that made him loose 200 pounds. Nip this, tuck that! Body, Body, Body! Exercise and you will be loved by every one, your children will be proud of you, you will not have marriage problems, you will make more money, your family will be well adjusted and your lawn will not have crab grass. Yada, Yada, Yada!! However, the Bible also says that "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." Now, I was trying to be a little bit sarcastic about the exercise of the body. I myself belong to two exercise facilities. I go to both of them on a regular basis. One of them I go to on the 15th of every month and pay my dues. On the other I go to on the 28th to pay the dues. Isn't that the way most Christians do. We go once or twice a month to pay our dues but we never really get into the Word of God. That is why we are weak. Godliness is profitable unto all things, all things that we face today. All of our trials, tribulations, disappointments. It is also profitable for the days ahead. And what will we face then? Only God knows, but if we walk with Him we will be well prepared.

Saturday - November 1, 2008 -
Acts 13:1-12 (V 42-43)
As a worker for God, what should we accomplish? What should we dream? What should we pray? Life is tough and it is getting tougher, and yet the work that God has put before us must be accomplished and we do not have long to do it. We will be persecuted, there is no doubt about that. Millions around the world are already being persecuted and losing their lives but they continue on and should we do any less. We will be unpopular. There will be those that miss-quote us misunderstand us and hate us because of what the Scripture says. But this is not a popularity contest, and we must love our enemies enough to continue on and to be there for them. It will be worth it to them and us. Notice verse 42. There were those that walked away, but there were those who walked with them and desired the things of God. It is for them that we continue on.