Victory comes in the power of God                     verse 1- 3 

We have heard with our ears – O God – our fathers have told us

what work YOU did in their days – in the times of old

How YOU did drive out the heathen

with YOUR hand and planted them

How YOU did afflict the people – and cast them out

for they got not the land in possession by their own sword

      neither did their own arm save them

                  BUT YOUR right hand – and YOUR arm

                              and the light of YOUR countenance

                  BECAUSE YOU had a favor to them 

Boast in the power of God                                   verse 4- 8 

YOU are my King O God – command deliverances for Jacob

through YOU will we push down our enemies

      through YOUR name will we tread them under

that rise up against us

For I will not trust in my bow – neither shall my sword save me

BUT YOU have saved us from our enemies

      and have put them to shame that hated us

In God we boast all the day long – and praise YOUR name for ever

            SELAH 

Enemies of Israel seem to have upper hand        verse 9- 16 

BUT YOU have cast off – and put us to shame

and go not forth with our armies

YOU made us to turn back from the enemy

and they which hate us spoil for themselves

YOU have given us like sheep appointed for meat

and have scattered us among the heathen

YOU sold YOUR people for nought

and did not increase YOUR wealth by their price

YOU made us a reproach to our neighbors

a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us

YOU made us a byword among the heathen

a shaking of the head among the people

My confusion is continually before me

and the shame of my face has covered me

      for the voice of him that reproaches and blasphemes

                  by reason of the enemy and avenger 

Children of Israel think they are innocent          verse 17- 22 

All this is come upon us – YET have we not forgotten YOU

neither have we dealt falsely in YOUR covenant

Our heart is not turned back

neither have our steps declined from YOUR way

though YOU have sore broken us

in the place of dragons

and covered us with the shadow of death

IF we have forgotten the name of our God

or stretched out our hands to a strange god

      Shall not God search this out?

                  for HE knows the SECRETS of the heart

YEA – for YOUR sake are we killed all day long

we are counted as sheep for the slaughter 

Prayer for redemption from enemy                    verse 23- 26 

Awake – WHY sleep YOU – O Lord?

ARISE – cast us not off forever

WHEREFORE hide YOU YOUR face

and forget our affliction and our oppression?

for our soul is bowed down to the dust

our belly cleaves unto the earth

ARISE for our help – and REDEEM us for YOUR mercies’ sake

 

COMMENTARY:           

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 3        For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but YOUR right hand, and YOUR arm, and the light of YOUR countenance, because YOU had a favor to them. (7521 “favor” [ratsah] means to accept with pleasure, to take pleasure in, to react favorably to, and thus consider right and proper, accept favorably, or to be delighted)

DEVOTION: God loves HIS children. The children of Israel were HIS chosen people. They were not perfect people. They were not sinless people but HE chose them before the foundation of the world to be HIS people.
HE blessed them with land and peace and gave them a place to worship HIM on a regular basis. HE wanted to have a relationship with Israel and to show the world what it was like to be those chosen of God.

Today, the chosen people are believers in Jesus Christ. They are the ones HE wants to show favor too and bless with spiritual blessings as well as physical blessings. We need to be thankful to HIM for HIS relationship with those who are genuine followers of HIM.

 However, with the blessings of God comes responsibility on our part. We need to be faithful in our service to HIM on a regular basis.

The children of Israel were given land. We are given blessings in other ways. HIS favor today is usually through our family and church. HE blesses us with good jobs at times. HE blesses us with health. HE blesses us with answered prayers for our friends and family.

We are not saving ourselves and the LORD is not favoring us because we deserve it but because of what HIS SON did on the cross. We have to give all the credit to Jesus. We have to make sure that we don’t brag about how good a believer we are but about how good a God we serve.

The Psalmist is doing this and we need to do the same. Always give glory to God and HE can continue to bless us.

CHALLENGE: We need to always give God the credit for the good in our life and in our actions. 

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 7        But YOU have saved us from our enemies, and have put them to shame that hated us. (954 “shame”                             [buwsh] means to be ashamed, act shamefully, to cause to be ashamed, to fail in hope and                                            expectation, humiliate, or to have a painful feeling and emotional distress by having done                                            something wrong

DEVOTION:  Our responsibility is to make sure our relationship with the LORD is one that is pleasing to HIM. It doesn’t have to be pleasing with other believers. It doesn’t have to be pleasing to the rest of our family. It has to be pleasing to the LORD.

We answer to the LORD for our actions and one of our purposes in our actions is to make sure that HE is pleased with them regularly. It is not easy but it is what the LORD wants of us on a daily basis.

Now one of the blessings of keeping our actions pleasing to the LORD is that HE will cause those who are giving us problems to be humiliated by their actions.

We are going to have enemies if we are trying to serve the LORD. Some of those who don’t like us might even be those who claim to know Christ. We have to make sure that we are not concerned about what people think about us but what the LORD knows about us.

HE will deal with those who are giving us a hard time. HE will be the one who will save us from our enemies, no matter who they are. HE even has the ability to give them a painful feeling about their actions. If these individuals claim to know Christ HE will convince them that they need to repent. If they are not individuals who know Christ HE will convince them that they are doing something wrong.

Our problems with others after we become a follow of Jesus are HIS problems not ours. We need to let HIM deal with it because we are not able to do it on our own. IF we try we will fail.

CHALLENGE: We have to know that we will have those who are not believers and those who claim to be believers that will at times even hate us. We need to turn them over to the LORD for HIM to handle it.

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: 22      Yea, for Thy sake are we killed all the day long; We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”(“Slaughter,”                         2878 טִבְחָה [tibchah], slaughtered meat, a slaughter, flesh, meat, thing slaughtered.  [Strong, J. (2001).                                Enhanced  Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software]).

DEVOTION:  Slaughtering another human is something that the ungodly do.  The first sin recorded in the Bible after Adam and Eve’s fall was the murder of Abel by his brother Cain.  Since that time, people have killed other people simply out of greed or pride, and the value of human life has not been prized by the world as a whole.  The psalmist points out that others have devalued his life to the point where he is no more than a sheep who is ready to be killed and eaten.

All through the years God’s people have been subject to martyrdom for their faith.  Paul picked up this idea when he quotes this verse in Romans 8:36 as he talked about the tribulation that believers would experience.  Paul states that believers in Jesus Christ are overwhelming conquerors in spite of the suffering that we would go through.

So the persecution that believers are going through around the world is not a surprise to God.  He identifies with His people even when they are killed, precisely because it was His Son who was crucified for them. 

CHALLENGE:  Are we seeking to identify with the suffering church?  Are we praying for those who are being persecuted for their faith?  If not, find out more about those around the world who are suffering for their faith in Jesus. (Dr. Marc Wooten – board member)

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers 

: 23      Awake, why sleepest You, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off forever. (5782 “awake” [‘uwr] means opening                           the eyes, lift up, stir up, to rouse oneself, or stir up)

DEVOTION:  Life is confusing sometime to those who follow the LORD. God is not the author of confusion. HE explains how HE acts throughout the Word of God. HE judges sin with chastening. HE prunes HIS people with trials to help them understand their complete dependence on HIM. So, we know that what is going on in our life is a result of one or two actions from the LORD. HE wants us to stay close to HIM if we are HIS people.

In the Old Testament Israel was HIS chosen people and HE worked through them. In the New Testament HE works through HIS church that is supposed to remain faithful to HIM.

The Psalmist seems to think that the Lord goes to sleep. This is not a true picture of the LORD but it is what some people think when there is not an answer when they want one.

The Psalmist seems to imply that Israel doesn’t deserve judgment. He calls God his King and yet he thinks that HE will not act in justice. He tells God that they are obeying HIS covenant. He informs God that they are not worshipping false gods. He wants God to deliver them NOW.

This word seems to imply that God is not ready to go to battle. HE will be ready in HIS time. Our time and HIS time are different. HE is long-suffering with the wicked, in that, HE wants them to repent.

The psalmist wants the wicked to be judged RIGHT AWAY. Does he think that God has forgotten them? Does he think that a nation chosen by HIM should not go through hard times? Is this sometimes the thoughts of those who trust in the LORD?

Do we sometimes have these same thoughts? Does God ever act outside of true justice? Does God ever sleep? (Psalm 121: 4).  Do we have a true picture of who God is? There is a judgment day coming for the wicked. Let us use the time before that time to reach as many as we can for the LORD!!!

CHALLENGE: We need to be a people of God that do not depend on our feelings. When our feelings get in the way of the facts, we know about God it can cause confusion. HE is not the author of confusion. If we are confused, we need to meditate and pray more for an answer.

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:26       “Arise for our help, and redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.” (The New

King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982. Arise – 6965

קוּם, קָמָי, תְּקֹומֵם [quwm /koom/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1999; GK 7756

and 7856 and 9539; 628 occurrences; AV translates as “(stood”, “rise”,

“etc …) up” 240 times, “arise” 211 times, “raise” 47 times, “establish” 27

 times, “stand” 27 times, “perform” 25 times, “confirm” nine times,

“again” five times, “set” five times, “stablish” three times, “surely” three

times, “continue” three times, “sure” twice, “abide” once, “accomplish”

once, and translated miscellaneously 19 times. 1 to rise, arise, stand, rise

up, stand up. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham,

WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).

DEVOTION:  The sting of defeat hurts very much and when it is an unexpected defeat it can be devastating! When I was a senior in high school we had a very good football team and we lost one or two games that year. It was the best year of football in the history of the school to that time.  The wrestling team was even better and we again lost one match that year and it was unexpected. The loss left the entire team silent as they rode home and the next day in practice was again a very quiet time. It served to remind us that victory is not guaranteed but must be claimed each time. The nation of Israel was defeated and lamenting the loss of battle. They were searching for answers to questions that were hurtful and perplexing.

When difficulties or setbacks occur that are totally unexpected we can be like the Israelites here. Challenged by the loss and totally confused by God’s decision. Today, like Israel finally does, cry out to the Lord in the knowledge that He knows what is best for His children. In defeat reaffirm your confidence and trust in your Savior.

CHALLENGE:  After moaning the loss, set your eyes on the Lord and reaffirm your faith in Him. He does know what He is doing in your life today! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member) 

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level) 

Prayer of remembrance                                           verse 1- 8

                    Prayer for deliverance                                              verse 22- 26 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

                    Praise YOUR name for ever                                    verse 8

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible) 

     Covenant                                                                    verse 17 

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign)                        verse 1, 4, 8, 20, 21

Right hand of God saved                                          verse 3

Light of God’s countenance                                     verse 3

King                                                                            verse 4

Name of God                                                             verse 5

Put enemies to shame                                               verse 7

Knows secrets of heart                                             verse 21

Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner)                             verse 23 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Heathen                                                                      verse 2, 11, 14

Enemies                                                                      verse 5, 7, 10, 16

Neighbors                                                                   verse 13

God knows secrets of the heart                                verse 21 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Heathen                                                                      verse 2, 11, 14

Trust in bow or sword to save                                   verse 6

Hate                                                                            verse 7, 10

Reproach                                                                   verse 13, 16

Confusion                                                                  verse 15

Blaspheme                                                                  verse 16

Turning back                                                             verse 18

Declined from way of the LORD                            verse 18

Forgotten God                                                           verse 20

 Worship strange god                                               verse 20

Sleeping                                                                      verse 23 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

                        Favor                                                                          verse 3

                        Deliverance                                                                verse 3, 4, 6

                        Saved                                                                          verse 7

                        Boast in the LORD                                                   verse 8

                        Praise                                                                          verse 8

                        Cast off                                                                      verse 9

                        Shame                                                                         verse 9, 15

                        Not forgotten God                                                     verse 17

                        Covenant                                                                    verse 17

                        Heart not turned back                                              verse 18

                        Not declined from LORD’S way                             verse 18

                        Broken                                                                       verse 19

                        Sheep                                                                          verse 22

                        Help                                                                            verse 26

                       Redeem                                                                      verse 26

                        Mercy                                                                         verse 26 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

      Maschil – son of Korah                                            verse 1- 26

                  God of our fathers

                  Works done in times of old

                  Not trust in bow or sword

                  Shame those that hate Israel

                  There are times that the LORD cast off

                              and puts Israel to shame

                  Made Israel a byword to heathen

                  Made Israel a shaking of head

                  Not forgotten God

                  We are like sheep to the slaughter

                  Think God is sleeping

                  Think God is hiding HIS face

                  Think God has forgotten

      Jacob                                                                          verse 4          

 Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events) 

      Shadow of death                                                        verse 19

      Killed                                                                          verse 22

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DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org.  Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church, please use that method.  Thank you.

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QUOTES regarding passage

44:17–22. Because this defeat was undeserved, the nation was perplexed. After affirming her integrity (v. 17), the nation affirmed her covenant loyalty to God. She had not gone astray after other gods and therefore did not deserve this crushing defeat (vv. 18–19). In fact God had not accused the nation of idolatry (vv. 20–21). Had they been involved in it, He in His omniscience certainly would have known it. Yet for His sake they faced death continually (all day long). That is, because they fought a holy war for Him, they were experiencing this disaster and were treated like sheep to be slaughtered (cf. v. 11). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 827). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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Paul quoted verse 11 in Romans 8:36 as part of his magnificent argument that nothing could separate God’s people from His love, not even defeat after a record of victories! The principle is the same for both God’s old covenant people and His new covenant people: those who give their lives in His cause are conquerors, not victims, and God can be glorified even in seeming defeat. When the five young men gave their lives in Ecuador to help reach the Auca Indians, many people asked, “Why this waste?” But what looked like terrible defeat turned out to be glorious victory as many young people around the world felt the call of God and surrendered to serve Him. Israel’s defeat didn’t mean that God loved them less; it meant that He was permitting this to happen so that He could carry out a purpose known only to Him. Like the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 6:9–8:3), Israel’s defeat gave their enemies further opportunity to come to know the Lord. Saul of Tarsus was greatly moved by Stephen’s death (Acts 22:17–21), and this undoubtedly helped to prepare him for his meeting with Christ on the Damascus Road. No matter how their lives may end, God’s servants never die like beasts, for “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (116:15, nkjv). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 167). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)

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21. This solemn appeal to God’s omniscience shows the honest conviction of the national integrity, while it is an indication at the same time that the sense of sin was comparatively superficial. (Perowne, J. J. S. (1883). The Book of Psalms; A New Translation, with Introductions and Notes, Explanatory and Critical (Fifth Edition, Revised, Vol. 1, p. 379). London; Cambridge: George Bell and Sons; Deighton Bell and Co.)

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21. Shall not God search this out? This is one of many instances of the strongest affirmations by an interrogative form of speech. Hengstenberg renders it: Would not God require it? Search, as in Ps. 139:1, 23. Because God is omniscient he must search. For he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Knoweth, see on Ps. 1:6. There is no higher proof of divinity than a knowledge of the secrets of men’s hearts. Hengstenberg and some others regard vv. 20, 21, as containing the formula of an oath. But we have a better sense without regarding it as an oath. (Plumer, W. S. (1872). Studies in the Book of Psalms: Being a Critical and Expository Commentary, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on the Entire Psalter (pp. 509–510). Philadelphia; Edinburgh: J. B. Lippincott Company; A & C Black.)

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Ver. 21. Shall not God search this out? &c.] Undoubtedly he would, was it so, and expose it, and punish for it; as he will the Balaamites and children of Jezebel, Rev. 2:18–23. this seems to be an appeal to God for the truth of all that the church had said concerning her steadfastness and integrity under the most trying exercises. For he knoweth the secrets of the heart; whether the heart is turned back, or there is any inclination to apostatize from God, or his name is forgotten in it; as well as whether in fact the hand has been stretched out, or prayer made to a strange god, Jer. 17:9, 10. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 709). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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21. “Shall not God search this out?” Could such idolatry be concealed from him? Would he not with holy indignation have detected unfaithfulness to itself, even had it been hidden in the heart and unrevealed in the life? “For he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” He is acquainted with the inner workings of the mind, and therefore this could not have escaped him. Not the heart only which is secret, but the secrets of the heart, which are secrets of the most secret thing, are as open to God as a book to a reader. The reasoning is that the Lord himself knew the people to be sincerely his followers, and therefore was not visiting them for sin; hence, then, affliction evidently came from quite another cause. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 27-57 (Vol. 2, p. 305). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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Franklin Graham shared:

The Indianapolis Colts are incredibly blessed to have a man like this as head coach. After their upset victory on Sunday over the Buffalo Bills, Coach Frank Reich didn’t hesitate to recognize the One who helped him and the team get to that point. At the press conference he quoted from the song, “In Christ Alone.” He said, “In Christ alone I place my trust, and I find my glory in the power of the cross. In every victory, let it be said of me that my source of strength and my source of hope is Christ alone.” What truth—and what a testimony! Congratulations Coach Reich and the Colts! Thank you for not being ashamed to take a stand for Jesus Christ and for being an example for other Christians to follow!

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THE SAVIOR

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:14
“And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” The whole gospel in a phrase! This is the only time in which John uses the expression “Savior” in the entire epistle. He gives the same teaching, of course, in other places. He says that our Lord is “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). There is a sense in which he repeats the thought here, but he does not use this precise phrase but describes Him as “the Savior of the world.”
The word “Savior” does not merely mean helper. We are not told that the Father sent the Son to help mankind; it does not mean that He is just someone who assists. Nor does it mean that He is just one who teaches or indicates to us what we ought to do; He is not merely an instructor. Indeed, I would go further and say that the term “Savior” and its connotation must not be thought of in terms of an example or pattern or encourager. I use these terms because so often people speak about our Lord as Savior, and yet if you ask them to define what they mean by that, they say that Christ as Savior is One who is marching ahead of us and is leading the way.
Now the element that is seen in such ideas is that ultimately you and I have to save ourselves, and what the Lord does is to aid and assist us—to give us encouragement and make it somewhat easier for us to do so. Now that, of course, is clearly a complete denial not only of the biblical teaching, but also of the historic faith and creeds of the Christian church.
A Thought to Ponder
The word “Savior” does not merely mean helper.
               (From The Love of God, pp. 132-134, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones).

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The Prosperity of the Ungodly
“Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?” (Jeremiah 12:1)
One of the perennial theological problems is the apparent prosperity of the ungodly along with the suffering of the righteous. Why would God seem to endorse such a system?
It has been this way for ages. Some 2,000 or more years before Christ, Job asked essentially the same question as did the prophet Jeremiah in our text above. “Wherefore do the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power?…They spend their days in wealth, and…say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways” (Job 21:7, 13-14). Likewise, the psalmist Asaph complained, “I was envious… when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:3).
The real solution to this paradox is not in this present world but in the world to come, where hell awaits the ungodly and heaven awaits those whom God has redeemed through faith in Christ. The fact that a man may prosper materially is not necessarily a measure of God’s approval. The previous economic boom in this country made many men very wealthy, and most of them seem either indifferent or hostile to God, but their wealth is very ephemeral. As David said in another psalm, “I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not” (Psalm 37:35-36).
If God does give a few believers material wealth, it is so that they may use it for the Lord and for others, not to pamper themselves. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but…that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to [share]” (1 Timothy 6:17-18).

               (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Daily Hope

Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 62:11-12, 1 Peter 2:4-10

Thanksgiving is a time for most to celebrate and be thankful for family, health and friends! It is an opportunity to see friends and loved ones that have been apart. The holidays are filled with anticipation of reunion and festivity as perhaps a son in the military or a daughter that is off at school comes home. For others, it is a time of difficulty and sorrow as loved ones are away and not able to be at home. Perhaps, a chair sits empty at the table this holiday season.

The Psalmist said to God somethings were hard (Psalm 60:3). There is no denial that some things in life are difficult to understand and challenging to accept. Israel could not understand the difficulties of the punishment that God laid upon them as He brought the Assyrians and Babylonians to punish and send them to exile. It was difficult to walk barefoot in chains, and with little clothing away from the promised land that God had given to this people. Despite their sorrow, God banished them for seventy years and the wails of the broken hearted cried out for understanding and relief.

Through this crushing blow, God worked to instruct and draw the people of Israel to a new and special relationship with Him. His plan would be accomplished and the Messiah would be born in the place predicted by the prophets. Even though the nation currently was shattered and broken, it did have a future.

There is a story of an old town with a great cathedral. In that cathedral was a wondrous stain-glass window. People came from miles around to gaze at the masterpiece of art. One day there came a ferocious storm, and the window was smashed by the wind. The window crashed to the marble floor and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Great was the grief of the people as they gathered the pieces of glass and carried them to the basement of the church.

One day a stranger came and asked to see the beautiful window and the people explained the tragedy of the storm. He questioned them of the fragments from the window, and they took him to the cellar to see the remains. The man then asked if he could have the glass and they agreed. Many months passed and one day the people of the cathedral received a letter of invitation from a master craftsman of glass to come to his studio. Ushering them in, they stood before a great canvas and with a touch of his hand the canvas dropped to reveal a stained-glass window surpassing the beauty of anything they had ever seen. “This window I have created from the fragments of your shattered one, and it is now ready to be replaced!” the artist announced. Soon a great window shed its beautiful light into the aisles of that old cathedral. The splendor of the new, far surpassed the glory of the old, and the fame of the strange creation filled the land.

Do you have dreams and plans that have crashed and shattered lying in a crate somewhere in the basement? Jesus is the master craftsman and can create something of surpassing beauty out of your current fragments. He took the stone the builders had rejected and made it the chief cornerstone of the building (1 Peter 2:7). He is taking living stones (believers) and building a spiritual house despite their flaws, brokenness, and rejection into a temple which He dwells within (1 Peter 2:4-5).

May the holidays be joyous as we hope in Christ and the fulfillment of His promises to His people. As a favorite hymn states, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

With an Expectant Hope, by Pastor Brian Miller

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Sharing Hope

 

FEWER AMERICANS ARE TITHING TO THEIR CHURCHES (Friday Church News Notes, June 22, 2018, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – According to Barna research, there has been a steady decrease in the percentage of Americans who give 10% of their income to churches. In 2002, the percentage was 3%, down from 8% in 2001 (“The Ancient Rise and Recent Fall of Tithing,” Christian History, Aug. 2008). This is a sad and telling statistic. God’s people should give more than 10% of their income to the Lord’s churches for God’s great business on this earth. “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).

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The king restores the Shunammite widow’s land.

INSIGHT

Nothing happens in our lives or in the world apart from divine appointment or permission. Behind every event and incident, there is divine providence. The Shunammite widow, who has done so much for Elisha, is remembered and cared for years afterward. The Lord has a wonderful memory for those who feed Him when He is hungry and minister to Him when He is in need (see Matthew 25:37). The conversation between Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, and the king might seem an accident, but it is providential. When we abide in the will of God, life is sown with divine coincidences. (Daily Walk)

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