Inspirational Devotionals To Inspire And Encourage

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“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard...

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;”

Read Hebrews 2:1-3

            Salvation is offered to “whosoever will”! The offer is recorded in the very last chapter of the last book of the Bible, (Revelation 22:17). Receiving salvation does require a response on man’s part.

            The above is a warning against negligence so we are advised to give earnest heed to what we have heard, meaning the Scripture. Earnest is a good word! It is a good, strong word! It is the opposite of  apathetic or halfhearted. It is used in James 5:17 to describe Elijah’s praying when he stopped all rain in the land for 3 ½ years. It is used here to describe proper hearing and reading of God’s word. It will cure negligence about a relationship with God!

            The Scripture below describes the earnestness of Jesus in bringing the lost and straying home and it also describes the consequences of neglecting to hear Him. 

            Luke chapter 15 records a story of a sheep that was lost and a shepherd who searched until he found the lost one. The story represents the Lord Jesus searching for lost men and women until He finds them. Anyone who has not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior is considered lost according to Scripture.   

            Matthew 22:1-13 tells of those who neglect the provisions of salvation and enter into a region where even Jesus will not search for them. That’s a “scary” thought! There is no answer to the question of the text above. There is no escape for those who neglect the salvation that God has provided. Salvation has been provided for those who “will” but not for those who “won’t” The decision is for mankind to make!

            At the present time no one will be refused but when the door is shut no one will be received.  How much time each one has, only God knows but there will be a final call.

            Negligence always leads to problems but in the matter of salvation, negligence can lead to irreparable damage.

            We have an enemy who does not want men and women to be reconciled to God and his most effective weapon is negligence. If they can be persuaded to wait, they may wait until it is too late.   

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”

Revelation 22:12

            The words above are a part of the last  words spoken by our Lord as recorded in the new Testament.  He begins, saying, “And , Behold.” Behold is a commonly used word in the Bible. Someone said that “Behold” is the “Stop- Look and Listen Sign” of Scripture. It is used to call our attention to a special truth!

            Jesus is coming again! He Himself said “Behold” (Give Me your attention!) “I Come Quickly!”  How soon is He coming? He didn’t give us an A.D. date but He said “quickly”. Someone may remind me that it was 2,000 years ago that He spoke those words. “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2^nd.Peter 3:8) so it has just been a couple of days in God’s reckoning of things since Jesus said, “Behold, I come quickly”.

            I have never attempted to set a date for His return but in my own heart, I look for Him every day. It is a temporary and an unnatural situation for Jesus to be separated from His people.

            Since Adam’s fall, all creation has been waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. “Even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event” (Romans 8:22 Living Bible)

            We face problems now like the world has never faced before. Violence in the world; Waste and contamination of the world; several new diseases threatening to engulf the world and men threatening to blow up the world.  “What’s a body to do?” Jesus is coming to take care of it all. He is the only one who can!

            The efforts of our administration to achieve peace in the Mid East are commendable but it is not going to happen until Jesus comes. A man will rise to power who will arrange a temporary peace but only the Prince of Peace can achieve and maintain a permanent peace. He’s coming, world! Ready or not, like it or not, politically correct or not, Jesus Christ is coming back to reign over this world.

“For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

2^nd.Corinthians 4:6

“No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath explained Him.”

John 1:18 NAS

            I want to carry yesterday’s thought a little farther this morning. No man hath seen God but he can be seen in the face of Jesus Christ who is God and who explains God so we can understand.

            Moses asked to see God and God told him, “...thou canst not see My face; for no man can see Me and live.” (Exodus 33:20) So God placed Moses in a cleft of a rock and after He had passed by Moses saw God from behind.

            Abraham saw the Lord in the plains of Mamre! (Genesis 18) Three men appeared to Abraham, two were angels sent to destroy Sodom and the third was the Lord. It seems that when God appeared to men He was disguised as a man and it was afterward that they realized that they had been talking to God.

            Jesus Christ was God in the beginning, God at the present and will be God for eternity. For the short time that he was on earth He was God concealed in a human body but Paul said we can see God in the face of Jesus.

            Some of His God attributes were concealed from human view but some were evident for all to see. That absolute holiness in the presence of which no man could live, was concealed but the incredible kindness and compassion for hurting people was very evident. The power and authority that could have called twelve legions of angels to destroy His enemies (Matthew 26:53) was not demonstrated but the unbelievable love and forgiveness for , even His enemies, was demonstrated until even the hardened centurion who was in charge of the crucifixion, saw God in the face of Jesus. (Mark 15:39)

            The day will come when His face will reflect the wrath of God, offended by the stubborn sinfulness and rebellion  of mankind and at the sight, even the heaven and earth shall flee away.(Revelation 20:11) Some say that is not to be taken literally. Literal or not it doesn’t sound like something that I want to experience.

            I will accept him as I see Him now, the Savior of all who come to him, and avoid facing Him in the day of His wrath.

“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. For God Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

2^nd.Corinthians 4:5,6

            It is Paul’s claim that we can only come to a knowledge of  the glory of God as we see it in the face of Christ. This is why he said “we preach Christ Jesus the Lord.”  He also said, “For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” (1^st.Corinthian 2:2)

            I have been asked by young Christians, “How can I best learn the Bible?” I have always given them the same advice because I practiced it myself. The first 18 verses of John chapter 1 are called the Prologue. The Prologue of John is the catalyst and the key to understanding the Bible. Until we understand the truths of the Prologue of John we are in danger of misinterpreting the rest of the Bible.

             In John 1:1-18 we are told; Where Jesus came from! Who Jesus is! What Jesus is! Why Jesus came to the earth and what He will do for those who believe the record of Him.

            He came out of the dateless eternity past where He was with God and He was God. (vvs.1,2) He is the Living Word Who created all things that have been made. (v.3) He is Life and the source of life for all those who believe in Him.(v.4) He is the Light that dispels the darkness and reveals God to men. (vvs 5,14)

            Many of God’s honest preachers and teachers, disagree on when Jesus is coming back! That’s alright!  I believe the decision as to when He will return is made in heaven anyway. God’s genuine disciples do not disagree on who He is. If you are convinced as to who Jesus is, as explained in John 1:1-18 and have accepted Him on those terms, it does not matter when He comes, you will be ready.

            There is no other portion of Scripture as important to our spiritual welfare as John 1:1-18. Read it and read it and keep reading it until He comes.

He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."

NKJV

Men tend to lose things! God is more concerned and careful. The above has to do with Jesus’ feeding of the hungry multitude but it also reflects God’s dealing with men and women who are much more precious than broken bread and fish.

Luke 19:10

“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

 Luke chapter 15 (vvs 4-7) represents Jesus as a shepherd out searching for one lost sheep; The woman searching for one lost coin (v 8) also represents Jesus searching for the lost and  the father of (vvs 11-32) who watched patiently for his lost son to return also represents God’s love for the lost.

People tend to write the lost off but God does not give up so easily.

In the late 1960s Carol and I started a new church in Anchorage, Alaska. A family, the parents and two daughters attended but there was a son who never came. One day I asked one of the girls about her brother and she replied, rather flippantly, “Oh! He’s an unbeliever, but two out of three is a good average.”

The above Scriptures don’t reflect such an attitude. Ninety nine out of a hundred is a very good average but it didn’t satisfy the shepherd! Nine out of ten is a pretty good record but it wasn’t accepted by the woman, and of course, one out of two could not even be considered by the loving father.

Jesus’ instructions are, “let nothing be lost.”

The shepherd, the woman and the father, in the parable shared a common attribute; they never gave up!

Being lost now is a bad position to be in but there is hope of being found. To be eternally lost is unthinkable.

That means reaching a region where Christ searches no more and where searching for Him is hopeless. Christ’s searching for the lost is confined to those in this life and that is why Paul wrote,

2 Cor 6:2

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of know Christ Jesus my Lord...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death...”

Read Philippians 3:7-11 NAS

“From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the brand-marks of Jesus”

Galatians 6:17 NAS

            I once read a book titled “The Great Obsession”! The record of Paul’s life from the day that he met Jesus on the Damascus Road until the chopping block at Nero’s court, could be titled ”Paul’s Great Obsession.”

            In  the above reference to Galatians Paul claimed that he was branded in his body with the marks of Jesus which was physical evidence of his willingness to enter into the “fellowship of His sufferings”. Paul was branded in his soul also with the brand of Jesus for he  could be not discouraged or deterred from the life of service that he set out on. He said, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

            Now that Mrs. Cummins is somewhat limited by health problems I do all of the shopping, which is a new experience for me. I have learned to trust brand names. The unknown may be cheaper but the quality is uncertain. When Paul said, ”let no one cause trouble for me” (Galatians 6:17) he was undoubtedly referring to the  false disciples of (Galatians 6:18,19) who discounted Paul’s ministry. (2^nd.Corinthians 10:10,11)

            He could say that others could follow his example with confidence (Philippians 3:17) because he was branded with the brand of Jesus. He could say that the route that he was taking may be a rougher road but the destination was certain. I guess if Paul would have had a “Logo” it would have been “Pressing On To The Upward Call”

            Those who follow the example of Paul are “marked with a mark”(Ezekiel 9:4) while those who take a cheaper way can get lost in the crowd.

            It is true that some Pilgrims seem to walk a rougher path that others but don’t be discouraged, it is the destination that is important.

“...A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at suppertime to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.”

And the servant said, Lord, it is done as Thou hast commanded and yet there is room.”

Read Luke 14:16-23

“And while they went to buy the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”

Read Matthew 25:1-13

            The two passages of Scripture both refer to God’s future preparations and place of residence for “whosoever will” accept the Gospel message. I am not going to attempt to identify the groups but rather look at a couple facts. No one will ever hear God say, “It is too full!” but some will hear Him say “It is too late!”

            He has room unlimited but He has limited the time. We are advised that ,”...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2^nd.Corinthians 6:2)

            Jesus has prepared a place, a large enough place, for all who serve Him here but we have a time frame in which to make our reservations and we do not know when our allotted time will come to an end. At the present time we have but to ask Him for forgiveness, accept Him as our Lord and Savior and our future is secure but this dispensation of grace when that is possible will also come to an end and we don’t know the day or hour.

According to Luke 14 the preparations are complete, the invitations are sent out and there is room for all but there were those who made excuse and declined the invitation.

            In Matthew 25 the wedding preparations are all made, the invitations are sent out and there were those who really intended to come, (sometime) but they waited too long and the door was shut.

            It is not an offer, “Good as long as the supply lasts.” The invitation is good as long as you and I last and we don’t how long our sojourn here will be. The choice is ours and we must choose while in this life. There is no greater, more important choice that men will make in their lifetime than to accept Jesus’ offer of eternal life and an eternal home with Him when our departure date arrives.         

Luke 19:1-6

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.  5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house."

NKJV

It is written, Jer 29:13

” And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

Zacchaeus was such a person! He wanted, with “all his heart”, to see Jesus but he had a handicap. He was a short man and there was a crowd of taller people between him and Jesus. He may have been short but he was also resourceful and he found a way. He put aside any pride more becoming a “businessman” of his stature, and he climbed a tree.

Such a desire did not go unnoticed! Jesus looked up, saw him and invited himself to Zacchaeus’ home. Jesus stands at the door and knocks, (Rev. 3:20) but a desire like Zacchaeus’ demonstrated opens the door and Jesus will come in.

The happy ending to the narrative, Luke 19:9

 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house,”

Bartimeus (Mark 10:46 , Luke 18:35) was such a man but he had a greater handicap than Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was short but Bartimeus was blind!

He was blind but there was nothing wrong with his lungs! When he heard that Jesus was passing by he begin to shout, Luke 18:38

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

The crowd told him to be quiet but he only shouted the louder.

The happy ending to the story of Bartimeus? Luke 18:42-43

 Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."

John 3:16

“… whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

 That is Jesus’ promise but believing for everlasting life is not a “Ho-hum” matter. It is a desire like Bartimeus and Zacchaeus demonstrated that overcomes all interference, like people who get in the way and advise you to be quiet.

“For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost.”

Luke 19:10

            In the above Scripture verse Jesus states the principal reason for His coming, as the hymn reads, “Down from the ivory palaces into a world of woe” The next line reads, if my memory hasn’t failed, “Only His great redeeming love caused our Savior to go.” It was the great love of Jesus for fallen man that brought Him to this world to rescue and restore.

            Luke chapter 15 is the “Lost & Found” section of the New Testament. It  illustrates His manner of seeking and saving those lost ones. Luke 15:4-7 is about a lost sheep and a shepherd who never stopped looking until he found it and restored it. Luke 15:8-10 is about a lost coin and a woman who never stopped searching until she found it and restored it. Luke 15:11-32 is about a young man who lost himself and a father who never stopped watching until his son came home.  

            Vvs 7,10 both inform us that “There is joy in heaven over each sinner who comes home” so all three parables illustrate the love of God for fallen mankind and the desire of Jesus to find and reconcile every fallen human to their heavenly Father. No one goes so far down and so far away that they are discounted by Jesus. He doesn’t give up on any of us for which we should be eternally thankful

            The Gospel is about the Great God Who comes searching for those who are strayed, stolen and lost. Men had not been on the earth very long until, according to Genesis 6:5  “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

            Even to the most patient among us that would seem like a hopeless situation.   

 God could very easily have obliterated the race and spoken a new one into existence  that wouldn’t have been so troublesome. There was one thing that prevented God’s doing that! It was His “great redeeming love for mankind”.

            He searches for the lost until He finds them, rescues them, makes of  them  “new creatures” (2^nd.Corinthians 5:17) and with the help of the Holy Spirit, Who is now here to help, we can become what God has in mind for us.

            It all depended on Jesus coming to seek, search and rescue the lost.

“Behold a king shall reign in righteousness and princes shall rule in judgment. And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

Isaiah 32:1,2

            There is, undoubtedly, some reference here to that promised reign of righteousness described more fully in Isaiah 35 but I see promised provisions for the New Testament believer. The only King that will reign in righteousness is the Lord Jesus Christ; The only man that can be a hiding place from the tempests of life is the God Man, the Lord Jesus Christ; The water for the dry places in life is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, “If any man thirst let him come unto Me and drink...” (John 7:37) And Jesus is the rock in a weary land. “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:38)

            There are times in life when we need a place to hide. There are things in life that we face which are too much for us and we must “Flee to the rock that is higher than I.” For an illustration from the natural world think of the record breaking number of tornados that just swept through the Midwest states. The Kansas City area was my childhood home and I have seen tornados. When you see a funnel cloud coming the only smart thing to do is look for a hiding place and pray that it is secure.

            Jesus is the only safe and secure hiding place when the storms sweep down upon you. Jesus is also the river of water in the dry land!  During the war I spent 1½ years in Eastern Australia where it was hot and dry. Our drinking water was in what was called a Lister Bag. A canvas water bag hanging under a tripod in the hot sun. I used to dream about a drink of cool, clear water from the well on my brother’s farm in Kansas.

            It was a thirst that only a drink of water could satisfy and we all have a spiritual thirst that only Jesus can supply and His invitation is still open.

            God knows about your thirst! He put it there and He provided the needed water. We just have to recognize the thirst and go to the source of supply. God knows about the storms and He provided a hiding place that is secure. You will find your answers to the trials of life in Jesus Christ.

“For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.”

1^st.Corinthians 15:25

            Some things are going to happen! They are not open to arbitration, accommodation or cancellation. It will happen because God has ordained it that way.  The Scripture above tells us that Jesus is going to reign over the world and all that is in it. Sometime back I heard a news brief,  of a meeting between an official of the Muslim world and a government official  of France in which they talked of a new world in which all people would be required to worship Allah.

              Their plans are in direct opposition to the word of God and they are doomed to disappointment. The Scriptures do tell us of a short period when  the government of that time will attempt to enforce worship of the Antichrist on the world (2^nd.Thessalonians 2:3,4 – Revelation 13:13-15) but that also is doomed to failure. (2^nd.Thessalonians 2:8)

            I don’t believe that there has ever been a time in history when there was so much apprehension about the future; when so many are wondering and worried about what is in store for the world. We cannot continue indefinitely in the direction that we are going. Sooner or later some madman will push the button that starts a nuclear holocaust. Let me assure that God is still in control! The best is yet to come! Things will get bad but not out of God’s control. Read Matthew 24:22 “And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened.”

            Men can, and likely will, start the destruction but God can and will determine when it shall stop. It is determined that Jesus shall reign over this world and it will not be ruled by violence indefinitely. We can’t know all of the details but we can know the final outcome.

            It will be a world “wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2^nd.Peter 3:13) and it will be ruled over by the only completely righteous and just ruler that the world has ever known.

            We are told in 2^nd.Timothy 2:12 that,”If we suffer; we shall also reign with Him...” It means that if we would reign with Him in a future world of righteousness He must reign in our hearts now in this present world of suffering and violence.

            Let me quote an advertising slogan that I once saw, “What you do today will determine how you feel tomorrow.”  

“Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. That He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the BREADTH, and LENGTH, and DEPTH, and HEIGHT; And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge...”

Ephesians 3:13-19

            This is Paul’s prayer for his congregation at Ephesus and I’m sure it is the prayer of every faithful pastor for their congregation. The love of God is the greatest thing in the world and the most immeasurable  It’s BREADTH  reaches from the East to the West; It’s LENGTH is from eternity to eternity; it’s DEPTH reaches the lowest condition to which men can sink and it’s HEIGHT reaches to the highest heaven where a place is prepared for those who will  receive His love.

            The only thing that the love of God cannot reach through, around or past, is the refusal of stubborn men and women to receive.

            Paul maintained that the love of Christ, especially as demonstrated on the cross, was past knowledge or beyond our ability to comprehend but the fact that men will spurn such love is also beyond our ability to comprehend.

            It is impossible to turn the love of Jesus into hate. When His love is rejected he does not hate, He weeps. “And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it.”(Luke 19:41)   “If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself.” (2^nd.Timothy 2:13) Jesus is love (1^st.John 4:8) and He cannot and would not, deny that fact.

            The love of Jesus is not based on what men do with it, it is based upon what Jesus is and He cannot be anything else “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 6:14)

            If men choose to deny such love and therefore accept the only alternative which is eternal separation from the love of God, they have no one to blame but themselves. God’s love is broad enough, long enough, high enough and reaches low enough to cover the needs of all who will accept His offer.

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