Southwest First Assembly of God Church

Psalm 19.14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and Redeemer.”

Thought of the day: Galatians 5 lists the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I’ve always thought of the Fruit of the Spirit as a term to describe a person living under the influence of the Holy Spirit. These nine qualities are not only to describe our actions; they are to describe our words. Proverbs 12.13 states “the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 18.21 states “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Choose your words carefully because someone is listening. Those of you who remember the song, sing along with me: “O be careful little mouth what you say……”

Psalm 24 “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.  Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.  He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.  Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.  Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.  Who is he, this King of glory?  The Lord Almighty – he is the King of glory”

Thought of the day: This orb we live on is an amazing place.  Our Father made it.  There are splendors on this planet no eye has ever seen.  Our Father made them too.  According to the book of Genesis, God didn’t just make this earth, He spoke it into existence.  Amazing.

He doesn’t have a security detail protecting him from people who might bring him harm.  He doesn’t have a personal secretary making appointments for him.  If you call him, you are never put on hold.  When you talk to him, you never get the idea that he is rushed for time and late for his next appointment.  Amazing.  There is no one more important, more powerful yet more available.  Amazing.  He has sent you an invitation for some private time.  Think about it: just you and the Father spending time alone.  Amazing.

Good morning & welcome to Friday,

Psalm 84.1-3 “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.”

Thought of the day: When in a love relationship, there is a yearning to be in the presence of the one loved. As there is a place for God’s creatures to dwell in his presence, so there is room for God’s children to dwell in His presence. Choose time today be alone with Him. Be still. Be quiet and allow the Holy Spirit commune with you. Bathe in His presence and carry His fragrance through the day.

Amos 2.10-11 “I brought you up out of Egypt, and led you forty years in the desert to give you the land of the Amorites. I also raised up prophets from among your sons and Nazirites from among your young men. ‘ Is this not true, people of Israel?’ declares the Lord.”

Thought of the day: What a great reminder of the greatness of God. Through Amos, God reminded the people of Israel that He was responsible for delivering them from bondage. He was the one responsible for providing their needs in the 40 years of wandering and waiting in a desert. He was the one who raised up the spiritual leaders for their nation. He was the one. He was the only ONE!

Simply stated, if God has done it before He can do it again. We can look to him for deliverance from any bondage. We can look to him for provision even when our season of waiting and wanting extends from days into weeks or months or even years. We can look to him to raise up spiritual leaders who are armed with faith and a fresh word from the Lord.

I love and respect our country and our government, but they are not the source of my hope. I feel physically strong and capable of doing whatever job comes my way, but I am not the source of my hope. I have many good and faithful friends, but (sorry friends) you are not my source of hope. My hope is in the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Let me leave you with the words of the Psalmist. “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62.1-2, 5-8)

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.