Devotionals

02 Apr Devotional Thought – The Sacrifice Of Self

"He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities." Isaiah 53:11 Never before had God seen a soul's travail. Sure, He had received countless offerings of the body as down through the ages sacrificial fires had blazed, torturing their involuntary victims. But, never before had there been the surrender of the human will, the travail of the human soul. Thus the heart of the Heavenly Father was never satisfied until there came One who was willing to delight in doing His will. But when Jesus came all other sacrifices ceased. He came giving nothing but Himself - His very soul. From Bethlehem's manger He poured out His soul unto death. From daybreak to mid-day He climbed the heights of Calvary. One by one He gave up the stages of His being. He surrendered His childhood in subjection, turned over His youth to toil, and delivered His manhood by walking down the Dolorosa. This was the travail of His soul.

28 Mar Devotional Thought – How To Be Holy

"Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth." Hosea 6:3 To "know the Lord" is indeed an audacious aim for a finite soul. Yet, I find that my soul is satisfied with nothing less. Night and day I beat at the walls of my prison. I struggle with the mystery that surrounds my being. I long for the only Light that can make sense of the darkness. I would surely be content just to touch the hem of the Master's garment as He passes by. However, to "know Him," to really "know Him" is no doubt the greatest gift of life everlasting.

26 Mar Devotional Thought – Faith For An Unknown Road

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8 The writer of Hebrews tells us of Abraham's divine call to go forward and found a new nation. In doing so, he teaches us that is a great mistake for us to think that faith is only necessary for heavenly, or spiritual, things. In fact, I find that I can't take a single step without faith in God's plan for my daily life.

21 Mar Devotional Thought – Heaven’s Warning

"But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out." Numbers 32:23 I would have expected the Lord to have given a stronger denunciation, to have issued a more horrible threat to those who would dare disobey His divine commands. Wouldn't it have been more in keeping with our common view of God for Him to say, "If you do not do so, then take note, you've sinned against the LORD; and I'm going to strike you with lightening bolts from heaven?" Doesn't it seem a bit soft, and not a little silly, to tell men that if they break His law that the result of their sin will soon overtake them, and that the seed they sow will one day bloom into bitterness?" Is this kind of language what we would have expected from the omnipotent, majestic, holy God of Heaven? No, because we have never before thought worthily of His might and majesty. We have considered Him to be One who would simply destroy us if we failed to obey Him. However, the scripture tells us that it is not He who will destroy us, but rather it is we who will destroy ourselves. That's why He wants to save us from, well, us.

19 Mar Devotional Thought – Refreshing Fire

"While I was musing, the fire burned..." Psalm 39:3 Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that if you would spend more time musing, or meditating, the fire of your soul would burn brighter and hotter? You see, it is because we spend so little time in meditation and reflection that we often have so little exhilaration and enthusiasm in our walk with the Lord. Why then, don't you withdraw from the world to spend time with the Lord more often? If you were to do so you would soon discover that you would be better equipped to face the world because you would, in fact, be less worldly.

12 Mar Devotional Thought – Spiritual Anger

"Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused." 1st Samuel 11:6 This seems to be a rather strange response of the Spirit. In fact, I would have expected any other effect than this. I have always understood that the presence of the Spirit means love. Yet here I am told that its purpose was to create anger in King Saul. Does that mean that there is a love that is compatible with anger? I believe that the answer is "yes." In the book of Revelation I read about "the wrath of the Lamb." Isn't that an odd statement? Does that mean that the Lamb lost the presence of the Spirit and suddenly burst into anger? Absolutely not. In fact, I believe that it is the Spirit's presence that gives Him His wrath.