July 2012

23 Jul Devotional Thought – Angelic Education

"To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into." 1 Peter 1:12 "Things which angels desire to look into." What is it that the angels study? Have you ever asked yourself that question? What subjects do they desire look into? I would have thought that they would set their minds on things above, on heavenly things. Wouldn't you?  Surely the things that angels think about would surpass the things that we have to think about in our daily, earthly, human lives.

16 Jul Devotional Thought – The Picture of the Perfect Day

"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1:31 It was the perfect day! From evening to morning, from darkness to daytime, everything came together perfectly to create one day - and so, God rested. Oh, that my Creator might give to me the faith of such an extraordinary experience. That He might help me to bask in evening's glory. So many times I consider God to be good and His blessing's beautiful in the morning when the sun is shining and hope is bursting forth over a new day. However, I still need to learn to thank Him for my evenings. So many times I consider what has happened during the course of my day to be happenstance, an accident, bad luck - anything and everything except God and His goodness. He is making me in His image often against my will. My forward progress is found from darkness to dawn. The time that I become aware of His work in my life is when my day truly begins.

09 Jul Devotional Thought – The Spirit’s Chiseling of our Stony Souls

“And the temple, when it was being built, was built with stone finished at the quarry, so that no hammer or chisel or any iron tool was heard in the temple while it was being built.” 1 Kings 6:7 As we study these words it would be easy to deduce that there is no room in the spiritual life for struggles – or even in the conversion to that life.  It appears as if the entire edifice rises softly, silently, almost magically. So, we are tempted to think that there couldn’t be any understanding in that temple for the inner struggles of the soul.  But then, on closer inspection, we find that actually the stone’s struggle was over before the building ever began.  In fact, this verse plainly says that the structure was built with stones that were finished at the quarry.  In other words, the materials used in this building were finished before they were ever brought forth and put in place. 

04 Jul Devotional Thought – Christian Liberty

"But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does." James 1:25 Could anyone ever find a greater contrast than these two opposites that James places before us - law and liberty? To the immature, liberty is no doubt seen as the breaking of the law's bonds. The devil comes and whispers into a young ear, "Why aren't you free? Don't you realize that no real man is going to allow anything or anybody to keep him bound? Break your bonds and become your own master!" These are the words that Satan so effectively delivers into many young ears and hearts. It is the voice of sin, and it seems so logical. It promises something that we all desire and hold dear - freedom. In fact, it is the promise of that which even Jesus came and died to provide for us.