God Rewards His Faithful

Today's Verse is Joshua 14:10-12
     And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.    
      As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
     Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

And so we see God's Word fulfilled, our God promised Caleb, that he would enter into the promised land, that land of which is a type of rest, and still Caleb was ready and able to do battle. Caleb was faithful to God, and God was faithful to him. Our God always fulfills his Word. What he said he will do, and this is what we see here. Let us therefore, resolve to be faithful to the one that is always faithful, and in the end he will give us blessings that we cannot even imagine.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Will we let God Guide us

Today's Verse is Joshua 9:14
And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD. 

Choices, as we have seen before, our God only asks us to make one, to follow him, so when we make a choice, and fail to seek his counsel, the choice no matter how right it might seem will always be the wrong one. This one here was made concerning the people of Gibeon, and two other cities, whom feared God and his people and did not wish to be destroyed with the rest of Canaan, so they lied. Would God have spared them, we do not know, for Israel sinned and did not seek his counsel, where even what may be the right choice, is wrong.  Let us therefore, take heed, and as commanded pray about everything, for if we ask God, guidance will be given, but if not, every step will be treacherous.

To God be the Glory
Scott 

God, our Guide

Today's Verse is Joshua 3:3,4
     And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.    
    Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

When in times that we are heading into uncharted territory, doing things that we have never done before or learned how to do, we need to keep our eyes upon our God, and take some caution, for while our God will shew us the way to go, we are prone to stray. So let us keep our eyes upon him, taking care not to get before him, but staying well behind him, veering not to the right or the left, but walking in the steps he has left for us. In doing so we can have confidence that he will guide us even into the unknown.

To God be the Glory
Scott  

Fear not

Today's verse is Joshua 1:8,9
     This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
     Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Because of the Word of God, we can face whatever we must face, maybe not without fear, but with courage. As Joshua and the Children of Israel were looking to enter into the promise land, there was much to fear: many of the people of the land were giants, they were well fortified, but God was with them, and when our God is with us we need not fear the difficulties ahead of us, no matter how impossible what God wants us to do may seem. Therefore, as God commanded Joshua, let us so do, "Be strong and of good courage. . . for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

To God be the Glory
Scott

The Most Important Choice

Today's Verse is Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 

Here we see a decision, a choice, and while its form is changed, it is the only decision the only choice the bible calls upon us to make. Even the choice of accepting the salvation of God is wrapped up in this decision. I thank God that Salvation is a once for all choice, but this choice here, is a daily choice. If we are not careful, we may find ourselves choosing the curse, as I had. My Pastor has recommended making the choice in advance, and I agree, then when you are pressed, seemingly above what you are able to handle, do not waver, do not relent, for if you hold true to his Word, he shall do as promised, and his blessings shall overtake you, but if you falter, I can testify, that his curses shall be what you find flooding you. Let us therefore, when fear is all we can see, Fear Him Most, and choose life, and not death.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Gratitude for What God has done

Today's Verse is Deuteronomy 26:8-9
     And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:
     And he hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. 

To all of us that have received that most precious gift of salvation, which is part of what is pictured here, or is in part what is pictured here, we owe our God all that we can give him. Here the Israelites were asked just for the first fruits and the tithe in thanksgiving for what God has done, can we do less. Let us look and see what our God has done for us, first and foremost the precious gift of our sins being blotted away, and for most so much more, then therefore, agree with Isaac Watts that he is worth our souls, our lives, our all.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Graditude Where due

Today's Verse is Deuteronomy 23:7
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a stranger in his land.

While the children of Israel were in the wilderness, Edom forbad them from crossing their land, and the Egyptians had enslaved them, but God through Moses command Israel to remember something else about them. Edom, that they were from the brother of Jacob, and Egypt that they provided Israel with refuge. These things were to be held above the transgressions. Consider this with those that have offended you, do you owe them for some good they have done for you, remember that good, and while some discipline may be needed, It must be done with forgiveness, not and never to punish. Let us therefore acknowledge the debts of gratitude we owe others regardless of how they may later have misused us.

To God be the Glory
Scott

The Battle Is Not Ours

Today's Verse is Deuteronomy 20:4
For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Do you have a fight before you? Is there something that must be done but you know that you do not have the strength? Fear not these things, but rather fear God. Because of this promise, David was not afraid to face Goliath. Neither do we need to fear if we place ourselves on God's side. For on his side we cannot lose, though we might suffer a season, in the end our God and his own will be victorious. Let us therefore, gird ourselves in the righteousness provided by the cross, and do our part, for the battle is not ours but the Lord's and he always will prevail.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Our God knows us

Today's Verse is Mark 14:30
And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

Here we have an example, Jesus knowing Peter, and what Peter will do in response to the cross, yet Jesus still went to the cross for Peter. Our God knows us, he knows our wickedness, all of our failures, all of our weaknesses, our false successes, he knows all of it, and yet, still he took our place, took our punishment, paid our price, that we might stand in his place, by his power, in his love.  Just as Jesus forgave Peter, so by that same cross, he forgives all that accept that gift made available to us by that cross. And through that cross, and by his Word, we can have true success, and by faith in him, a victorious life. Let us therefore, rest in his payment and surrender to him, and by faith give him our all.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Watch

Today's Verse is Mark 13:37
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

One must ask, what is it we Watch for? First and foremost we watch for our Lord to come back, to retrieve us from this world, and to bring judgment unto all that refuse his great gift. But we are also to watch for his work in our lives, fulfilling those things that we cannot do, as well as watching for him to complete his part, of bringing those that do not know him unto himself, after we have done our part and told them of his love.  We are to watch when we pray to see how he will answer our prayer. We are to watch, to see how he will brighten our day, when all seems to be going wrong. So therefore, let us Watch, and see the works of our God. Do not forget to do your part, but Watch still, for our God will always, at the right time to do his.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Our God Supplies

Today's Verse is Deuteronomy 8:3
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 

Is there something that you need, but are not receiving? Paul tells us in II Corinthians, that at times we will need to exercise much patience in times of need, that the ministry of the gospel be not blamed. Here we find that we may suffer a need because we need to discover that there is something else that we need more. Find that thing, rest in that thing. Here we see that our greatest need is a relationship with our Heavenly Father, rest in that, rest in Him, and as we are told again, " But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." So let us not fret, nor worry, but rather learn of our God, and see how he shall meet our greatest needs.

To God be the Glory
Scott

No Greater God

Today's verse is Deuteronomy 4:39
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Leading up to this passage, this verse, Moses recounts the story of Israel's exodus from Egypt, and of the Promise of entering into the Promised land, and asks if there is any greater thing done, in all of the Earth. Then the answer was no, but today, to Date and forever more, there is nothing Greater than when all of mankind rejected their God, and killed him, when we placed Jesus the Christ on the cross. On this day, the God that created Heaven and Earth, took upon himself the sins of all of mankind--even as we rejected him--that he might receive us unto himself. Then to prove he could do such a thing, Jesus Christ, God, rose from the dead, so that all that look to him for the remission of their sin shall have that same eternal life that is in Christ. There is no greater work than this; let us therefore, rejoice in him, and serve him with all that we are.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Our God carries his chidren

Today's Verse is Deuteronomy 1:31
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. 

I know that today, I will be saying something similar to yesterday, but it is important to know that our God has our back, even when we are under discipline. Once we are his, through Jesus Christ, it can be assured that if we displease him, he will chasten us, but even so, he will not let us go, he will not leave us alone, but as he says here, yea he will carry us, he will bring us through, and  in the end he will make us to stand before him. Rejoice ye redeemed, give praise to your God, your Father, whom loves you, even to taking our place when he died upon the cross, then rose again the third day. Whatever he has you doing no matter how impossible, he will do it!

To God be the Glory
Scott

God will never leave nor forsake us

Today's Verse is Numbers 33:1
These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. . .

Following this statement, Moses records all of Israel's travels in the wilderness, from the leaving of Egypt, all the way to their encampment by the river Jordan, near Jericho. We are told by scripture that our God will direct our paths. We are also told that once we are his, that he will never leave nor forsake us. When the children of Israel, (and the mixed multitude) painted their doorway with the blood of the lamb, God true to his word claimed them as his own, and though they disobeyed, and there were many apparent separations, In the end they were still God's, God was still with them, he had not left them, and not one of their steps were forgotten. Let us therefore, continue to trust him in all that we do, if we have sinned, repent, but still remember that as he has promised, he is still with us, and will still guide us, to lead us into righteousness for his Name's sake.

To God Be the Glory
Scott

God uses People in our lives

Today's verse is Mark 9:41:
For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. 

Today, I want to recognize those that my God has used to help carry me through some of the darkest times of my life, both of the Redeemed, and those who did not know--or have not yet met--the Saviour. Paul, has told us that God is our sufficiency; however, how he is sufficient is not up to  us, but him. While there may be times we are to only lean on him, most often He will send others to help hold us up. These others may not even know how  they are helping to  carry us, but carry us they do. Keep your eyes  open, do not be as Haman in Ester, allowing one to destroy a great day, but rather look for how God's Grace may take your worst day and turn it around to make it something glorious.

To God be the Glory
Scott

God has a rest for us

Today's verse is Numbers 27:12
And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 

We see here one last thing Moses was to do before He departed this earth. Though Moses had transgressed, he had been faithful to his God, therefore God was giving him one last boon. God was allowing him to see the land that was promised to Abraham, and would be given to the children of those which had left Egypt. We are warned in Hebrews 4 to fear lest a promise of entering into his rest we should fall short of it. Moses and the children of Israel fell short, but God was faithful still. We have a promise from God, that we might see his rest, even in this life, if we follow him. Let us therefore seek to follow him, do his work(aside from trusting  Christ for salvation) and we shall see his blessings

To God be the glory
Scott

Our God changes not

Today's Verse is Numbers 23: 29-30
And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 

And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

These offering were an attempt to bribe God, to get him to change his mind, and cause him to go against Israel. Our God cannot be bribed; He cannot be changed, once he has made his promise he will not alter it, nor change it in any way. In this we can rejoice and be glad. For we can know what the God of Heaven and Earth requires of us, and because of that we know that to please him we but have to have faith first in that gift he gave us through Christ his Son, and then by him do as he directs us.

To God be The Glory
Scott

God rewards his servants

Today's verse is Numbers 18:31
And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. 

We see here that Aaron and his son's are to be rewarded for their labor. In another place we are told that a labour is worthy of his hire. Our God does not disobey his own law, when he asks us to do something, He already has in mind the reward that he will give us when we do it. Sometimes that reward will not be seen until we enter into heaven, but most often at least a part of that reward will be received even while we dwell or sojourn on this earth. Therefore, let us not fear or heistate to do that which we know our God wants us to do. For when we do it, by his own word, he will reward us by ways that we could not even image.

To God be the Glory

Scott

God has a plan for you

Today's Verse is Mark 6:34
And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. 

We have a Saviour--a God--that cares for people. When he sees us, he sees us as we are, for what we need, not so much for what we deserve. This passage here is the beginning of the feeding of the five thousand. And Christ's first response was not to feed them food, but to feed or give them direction. For more than our daily subsistence, we need to know the way our God would have us go. How do we follow God? How can we both know what God would have us do, and how to do it? We consume ourselves in Christ. As we read in Proverbs: "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart;/ And lean not unto thine own understanding./ In all thy ways acknowledge him,/ And he shall direct thy paths." Our God, Jesus, wants to shew us the way He wants us to go, what he wants us to do, and he promises to do just that. So look to Him, read His Word, Go to His house (wherever the Saints--His people--are assembling) and He will make what you should do known.

To God be the Glory
Scott

Take note of what God has done

Today's Verse is Mark 5:36
As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 

We have here the story of one of the rulers of the synagogue. Once he is introduced to us, his story is interrupted by the story of the woman with an issue.  To this day, I have not heard any make application to the interruption, for it was not done by happenstance. Jairus saw what Jesus did with the woman, this was an example to him, for as the psalmist said, "I will remember the works of the LORD: Surely I will remember thy wonders of old." So are we to do. Whenever we are facing something that may seem impossible, consider first the works that your God has done in his word, then not only that, remember those things that he as already done in your life, and/or that which he has done in the lives of others which you have witnessed. So as Jesus has said, He says to you today, "Be not afraid, only believe," and as he helped Jairus, so too will he help you.

To God be the Glory
Scott

God's Children Are Never Forsaken

Today's Verse is Numbers 9:16
So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

The whole time that Israel was in the wilderness--which has come to mean a time of trial--God's presence could be seen by this pillar, the cloud or the fire. As God as promised by Paul: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, for tribulation worketh patience and patience, experience and experience, hope". So, I can testify to this truth, as I learned in the poem The footsteps in the sand so I have found true, in my darkest days since I have trusted in Christ's gift the presence of God could always be found, even when my back was to him. So if you are in the "valley of the shadow of death", do not fret, for even if you do not want to admit it even to yourself, if you are his, God is there in some obvious way.

To God Be the Glory
Scott

God is able

Today's verse is Mark 2:10

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 

Many say that God cannot do anything without the faith of his followers. But here, we see that what is done is not done because of the faith of the one trusting in Christ, but rather in answer to those that do not believe.  Make no mistake, our God makes it clear that lack of faith can hinder his blessings to us, but this is not because he is not able, but because we are not able to receive it. Our God will always do as he had said, according to how he said he would do it, so hold fast, believe his word, and rejoice in what he will do.

To God be the Glory
Scott

God Remembers His own

Today's Verse is Leviticus 26: 44-45

  And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.
   But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

We have here, a promise to Israel that our God, even in their disobedience will not forget the blessing that he promised unto their fathers, and after the time of discipline, we can expect restoration. So, as the writer of Hebrews said, "Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees[.] " Look up, take comfort, repent as much as you are able and in due time your God will lift you back up. For He will never leave nor forsake you, but will finish that work which he had started when he saved you.

To God Be the Glory
Scott