Integrity and honor may sound old-fashioned…
by Pastor B on Jun.15, 2010, under Devotions
Amos 1.9-10
This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Tyre, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because she sold whole communities of captives to Edom, disregarding a treaty of brotherhood, (10) I will send fire upon the walls of Tyre that will consume her fortresses.’
Thought of the day: The people of Tyre were facing judgment from God because they had violated treaties with other countries. Some people might read this and complain that God was overreacting. The problem was, the people of Tyre had broken their word. They lied. According to the teachings of the Christian Bible, a man who continually lies has a serious problem and eventually will have to answer to God for it.
I realize that integrity and honor may sound like old-fashioned ideals, but imagine life without them. Every relationship depends on people cooperating within terms of agreement. Violate the agreement and the relationship suffers. This principle is true in marriage, in business and in any other relationship you can think of.
Deuteronomy 6.24 teaches that we will prosper when we fear God and honor His laws. Psalm 37.28 teaches that the Lord loves and preserves the faithful. Proverbs 2.8 teaches that God will guide the course of the man of integrity. The people of Tyre had not been living according to these principles and were soon to pay dearly for it. Get the picture?
As noted in our recent morning devotions, I truly believe our culture is in need of a spiritual reformation. While that reformation includes important principles such as prayer and repentance, let’s not overlook the practical issues of decency, honesty and credibility. Protect them because if you lose them, you don’t have much left.
Remember, God is bigger
by Pastor B on Jun.11, 2010, under Devotions
Amos 7.1-2 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the second crop was coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, ‘Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!’
Thought of the day: One thing that strikes me about this passage is the utter sense of desperation expressed by Amos. He knew the Jewish people would not be able to survive the coming judgment. He knew that their hope rested in God and God alone.
Notice how Amos described God as the “Sovereign Lord”. As Sovereign, He has no superior or equal. He answers to no one. Notice Amos described Jacob (Israel) as “small”. It seems to me that there are many in our culture who would disagree with Amos. We see God as small and act as if we are sovereign. This philosophy is not only unfortunate, it is damnable. Don’t wait for the threat of a catastrophe to bring you to your knees and remind you of your absolute dependence on Almighty God. Always remember that God is bigger than us and smarter than us. Let’s live like it.
Heading down a path that leads to God’s judgment
by Pastor B on Jun.08, 2010, under Devotions
Good morning. I’m baaaack.
Amos 2.4-5 “This is what the Lord says: ‘For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back my wrath. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem”
Thought of the day: Amos taught that blessings or judgment from God are relative to how we respect God’s laws. As I see it, the American culture is heading down a path that leads to God’s judgment. To illustrate, let me refer you to the 10 commandments recorded in Exodus 20. Tell me honestly, how many of them do you see being consistently honored in our culture? You don’t have to openly oppose God’s laws in order to reject them. You only need to ignore them.
Deuteronomy 6.3 teaches that God blesses the people who obey his words. Do you want to know how to change the culture of an entire community? It changes one person at a time. It changes when people like you and me take God’s laws seriously. Read them. Study them. Internalize them. Practice them. Our culture depends on it. As a matter of fact, your soul depends on it.
What price are you willing to pay?
by Pastor B on Apr.02, 2010, under Devotions
Good morning,
Mark 15.16-20 Then the Roman soldiers took him into the barracks of the palace, called out the entire palace guard, dressed him in a purple robe, and made a crown of long sharp thorns and put it on his head. Then they saluted, yelling, ‘Yea! King of the Jews!’ And they beat him… and spit on him… and went to their knees to ‘worship’ him. When they finally tired of their sport, they took off the purple robe and put his own cloths on him again and led him away to be crucified.
Matthew 27.35-39 After the crucifixion, the soldiers threw dice to divide up his clothes among themselves. Then they sat around and watched him as he hung there. And they put a sign above his head, ‘this is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ Two robbers were also crucified there that morning, one on either side of him. And the people passing by hurled abuse, shaking their heads at him.
John 19.30 Jesus said, ‘It is finished,’ and bowed his head and dismissed his spirit.
Luke 23.47 “When the captain of the Roman military unit handling the executions saw what had happened, he was stricken with awe before God and said, ‘Surely this man was innocent.’
(All scriptures are from the Living Bible)
Thought of the day: It has been said that the value of something is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for it. I thought it would be appropriate on this Good Friday to remind you just how valuable you are in the eyes of God. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).