APRIL ARCHIVES
April 1st
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April 2nd
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Samuel 20:38-39 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Have you ever been around two people that are talking in half sentences. You’ll be seated at a table and someone will start the conversations with something like, “We had the best time on our weekend away together.” And then it starts. A couple across the table will carry on a conversation that no one understands. He’ll say, “Do you remember…” And she will answer, “Oh yes I do we went…” And before she is done he reply’s, “I know, I remember” and the both start giggling, “hehehehehe…” Then she says. “And at the restaurant that night…..” And they again start to laugh, “Hahahahahaha” As He finally says, “Oh man that was something…… Were sorry that just brings back memories” Does it really? Memories of what? Memories of where? We have no idea what they said because they never finished a sentence. And as frustrating as that is to everyone else at the table, to the couple who just relived a special moment in the past, it was perfectly clear. They could see the restaurant in their mind. They remember how each of them looked and the fun that they had. A special weekend was completely displayed in full color in their memory to the last detail. They understood everything. Married couples, Brothers and sisters, and real close friends will often develop a special language all their own. David and Jonathan were like brothers. And they had a special friendship that was extremely close. They had a special communication between them. One they had developed as friends and secret code words they used to warn one another. Our verse today is an example. Oh how wonderful to have someone that almost knows your every thought. But never take that for granted and believe you do not have to tell them your thoughts. They may not know. Tell them what your thinking If they know, they will probably finish your sentence.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
There is someone that loves you very much and does know your every thought. Every thought! Want to make a loving friend happy? Think wonderful thoughts of Jesus right now. He’ll get the message loud and clear.
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April 3rd
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April 4th
E – Each Other
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
1 Samuel 30:6 And
David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the
soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his
daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
I remember my most terrifying phone call ever in my life. In fact I can,t imagine forgetting it. I was on the phone with my wife in the middle of the afternoon. I was still at work in the print shop about fifteen miles from home. What we were talking about I really can’t tell you. It was just one of those; hey, nothing in particular, I just want to talk to you calls. But all that changed in a split second. One of the children had set the couch on fire. My wife dropped the phone and I could hear her frantic cry in the background as she and the four little children we had were running back and forth from the kitchen to the living room trying to put out that fire. And then….. Silence. The phone went dead. All the worst possible thoughts raced through my mind. I drove as fast as I could home. (I should have earned my pilots license that day.) When I turned the corner there were fire trucks and people standing all around. Neighbors I never had anything against and people I had never seen. But at that moment they were all obstacles between my burning home and me. For all I knew my wife and kids were still in there. There was no excuse me please,… pardon me,… can I get through. I pushed people out of the way and barged through to get to my family. Fortunately they had escaped the home and were with another neighbor. But the people that I pushed out of the way, they seemed to understand. I was rude, impolite and inconsiderate. But they saw what I thought I had lost and forgave me instantly. In our verse today David’s friends were about to turn on him. But David did not get mad. He understood what they were feeling. He also had lost his loved ones. So what did David do when the men he trusted wanted to turn on him? The Bible says He encouraged Himself in the Lord his God. He just went to God. When life seems unfair and everyone wants to give up on you, remember there is one that will never give up on you. Encourage yourself in the Lord your God.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
It’s never right to be wrong, and never wrong to be right. It’s never right to be impolite and rude. But it’s never wrong to be loving and forgiving. Let’s be right today.
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April 5th
V - Vision
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Samuel 2:1 And
it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I
go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up.
And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Oh
to know the will of God. Hundred and probably thousands of books have been
written on the subject. Several places in the Bible we find where it is
clear what God’s will is. It simply says, “For this is the will of God.”
Like in
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
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April 6th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Samuel 6:11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom
the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his
household.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Blessings or a curse? That was sort of the question surrounding the ark on its journey. David is not sure what to think. Someone he asked to bring the ark to him has touched it and died. David gets upset and sends the ark to Obededom’s place. And how can you blame him? Who wants something around that if you touch it you will die? Scary thought. But the strangest thing begins to happen. This box that was looked on as bringing a curse did just the opposite for Obededom. For three solid months the home of Obededom was blessed by God. So what made the difference? It was that if the ark was properly attended to it would bring about God’s blessings. This ark was a symbol of the presence of God. A person can not treat God irreverently and unthinkingly. But to have the presence of God in their home was to invite the blessing of God to rain down upon them. How about us today? Are the blessings of God coming your way? Is the very presence of God something you are conscious of on more that Sunday morning or Wednesday night? Just as the ark was a symbol of the dwelling of God, so today you are the symbol of the presence of God. And even greater, you actually carry Him around with you in the person of the Holy Spirit. Do you treat God with a passing glance from time to time? Or do you give Him a place of honor in your everyday life. It could be the difference of the blessings of God overshadowing your home and family or not. How did you treat God today?
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
What a joy to know that God is with us every single moment of every single day. It should never be a burden to take God with you wherever you go. If it is, you may be going to the wrong places.
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April 7th
R – Romance and Relationships
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Samuel 12:13-14 And
David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto
David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit,
because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the
LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Sexual sin seems to be rampant today. Everywhere you look it seems that the temptation to do wrong is there. But it is not new. Sexual sin has been around for a long long time. And it really is not the sex that is a sin. It is making a mockery out of what God intended to be something beautiful between a husband and a wife that is sin. Just like the Bible never says money is a sin. It is when we place money above all else and make it a god in our life that it becomes a sin. The relationship between a husband and wife is not sinful. But when we step outside that boundary, this is when trouble comes in. And be sure there is always a price to pay for doing so. David lusted in his heart for a woman that was not his wife. He then arranged to have his lusts fulfilled. Next he found that his sin was going to be very evident as this woman was going to bear a child. So he has her husband come in off the battle field in hopes that he would spend time with his wife and people, including the husband, would believe that maybe the child was his. But the husband refused to enjoy the pleasures of his wife while all the other men he knew were out fighting. So David, being King, arranges for the man to be put in battle where he is sure to be killed. Then he takes his wife to be his own and thinks ok, I have covered it all up. But his sin is found out and he is confronted with it. Finally David says in the today’s verses, “I have sinned against the Lord”. God forgave his sin, but the price for this sin was the life of the child. So many had to suffer because David let lust get the best of him. The mother suffered the loss of her husband and son. The husband and baby suffered death. The people of Israel suffered moral decay. David suffered in sin. And lets not forget, our sins hurt God most of all. For our sins God also suffered the loss of His Son in death.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
The
Bible warns about sinning against God. It says in
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April 8th
F - Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2 Samuel 7:14-15 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
God
has made a promise to David. A commitment that He keeps throughout eternity
with the coming rule and reign of Jesus Christ. He tells David, I will have
a very special father-son relationship with your son. And if he sins, and we
all know that he will, God said I will chasten him with the rod of men. Or
in other words, I will bring him to repentance with mans vengeance and not
my own. He will pay the price for what he does among men. And not only will
he pay the price but the children of men will pay also with many strips or a
lot of persecution. Anyone that knows this story knows that God kept that
promise. Solomon, the son of David, although known to have been the wisest
human man, made many errors in judgment that cost him. And his final acts of
sin also cause the division of Israel again and their ultimate punishment in
exile. But God promises not to let the kingdom be taken away from the family
as He did with Saul’s family. He said His mercy would always be with him.
God has done such a similar work for us. Those that accept Jesus as Saviour
can know that your sins will be dealt with. But they will be dealt with
here. Once we step over into glory, God will no longer allow us to suffer
the penalties of sin. Our sins are forgiven by God here, but all too often
the penalties follow us for years. But inside the gates of Glory there will
be no more dealing with any of our old sin. God also promised that He would
never let His mercy depart from Solomon. Well He made a separate promise to
us that also deals with His mercy. In
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
How we should thank God every day for His mercy. It is what causes us not to have to pay every day for every sin. Thank you Lord for your mercy on me.
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April 9th
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2 Samuel 16:11-13 And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more now may this Benjamite do it? let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him. It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day. And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill’s side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Everyone loves to hear people speak well of us. We all appreciative a persons comments when they tell us how good we have done and how much they appreciate us. And somehow we want to believe that all of that came from the very heart of God. And some of it does. I believe that God does encourage us through the hearts and minds of others in our service for Him. But what about that individual that never has a good word to say? You know the one that is always critical and seems to pick apart everything you do. We often look at that person as being hateful and hard hearted. And there is no possible way that anything they said came from God right? That may not be true. In fact God may have sent them your way for a reason. What would that reason be you might ask? It may be that we need to listen to what the critical person is saying and examine ourselves in light of that comment. They might be providing a better mirror of who we are or what we have done than the kind comments do. It’s easy to tell someone how good they are. It is hard to tell them they have areas that need work. It also might be that God is using you as a testimony to others on how you handle negative conversation. Other believers or non believers may be watching to see if your critical right back or somehow turn even this situation over to the Lord also. Whatever the situation is we need to be somewhat more like David and just accept that this may be from God also.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Today we might pray that God would help us not to be critical of others unless we can be so in a loving way. The Bible tells us to be truthful, but to do so in love. We might also ask God to allow us to examine ourselves and not always others by what they have said. And to be a blessing even to those that curse us. Oh God use me.
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April 10th
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April 11th
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April 12th
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April 13th
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April 14th
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April 15th
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April 16th
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April 17th
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April 18th
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April 19th
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April 20th
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April 21st
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April 22nd
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April 23rd
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April 24th
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April 25th
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April 26th
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April 27th
E - Economics
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2
Kings 15: 34-35
And he did that which was right
in the sight of the LORD: he did according to all that his father Uzziah had
done. Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and
burned incense still in the high places. He built the higher gate of the
house of the LORD.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
“OK
God, I have given a tithe this week so bless me!” That is how some people
look at worshiping God. Or, “I have read a chapter in the Bible this week so
bless me.” Or, “I have done a good deed for someone now bless me.” The
problem is God does not work that way. The Bible does say that he will open
the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on those that give tithes and
offerings. And it does say that if we do well for others that God blesses
those acts of kindness. The problem is the same problem they faced back in
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
Our forefathers began a country called the United States of America. Founded on Godly principals which included the worship of the one true God. Our nation has taken and systematically destroyed that. And just so we remember, we are this nation. We have not only allowed it, but joined in that destruction of Godly principals and values. Let’s get back to what honors God. Let put Him and Him alone FIRST in our lives.
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April 28th
R- Relationship and Romance
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2 Kings
20: 17-19
Behold, the days come, that all
that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store
unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith
the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt
beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the
king of Babylon. Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the
LORD which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth
be in my days?
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
Ungrateful, unthankful, unkind and selfish. Now that’s a way to be romantic,
right? WRONG! In fact it’s just the opposite of love. It’s a hard and greedy
heart. That is what had happened to King Hezekiah. He had prayed that God
might heal him and God does. But instead of being grateful, he becomes
arrogant and prideful of what he has and a bragger or all he had done. He
begins to gloat and give God no credit at all. And when the Prophet comes
and tells him of all that is going to befall the people and even his own
children, his response is sort of; Oh well as long as it does not happen to
me or in my days. In other words, If I don’t have to deal with it fine, let
everyone else fend for themselves. And it seems easier today for people to
get that way with all that we have around us. The electronic toys and
immediate gratification with everything from food, sports and all sorts of
entertainment. We too quickly forget that all we have comes from God. And we
should be quick to give Him praise and time in our lives. But instead we
often see people with the attitude, well if it does not hurt me then
everyone else can fend for themselves. Even our relationships become self
gratifying if we’re not careful. If it is not making me happy then it’s not
working. That’s why people that co-habitat before marriage often have
trouble later. The reason they lived together first was sort of saying,
“Lets see how well you treat me and then I might marry you”. It becomes all
about me. And we become ungrateful, unthankful, unkind and selfish. Un-Christlike.
LETTING
THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
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April 29th
F -
Foundation
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2 Kings 21:2 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
From
the beginning of Second Kings and throughout this weeks reading of it we
have continually read the words “And he did that which was evil in the sight
of the Lord.” So many of these kings and so many of God’s chosen people have
repeatedly done that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. And yet here
in chapter twenty one we see they are still within His sight. He has never
taken His eyes off them. With all the evil that made Him sorrow and all the
possibilities He saw that were lost because of their disobedience to His
word, He never quit watching them. We find that He does punish them in the
upcoming chapters for their continued disregard of the warnings given by the
prophet. But even into the New Testament and in the final book of John’s
Revelation we see God still mindful of the Children of Israel. You might be
thinking why did He not choose another people? Why did He stay focused on
this disobedient group? The reason is simple. He promised Abraham back in
the book of Genesis that He would make of him a great nation. That they
would be His people and that He would be their God. And He never breaks a
promise. Now the same God that promised them in Genesis has also made like
promises to those of us that know Him as Lord and Saviour. He said He will
never leave us or forsake us. You’ll find that in
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
This old world has proven time and again that it is ever changing. Nothing here seems to last forever. Isn’t it good that you can know that there is something that is real, that is permanent and that will never change? All of that is wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. Trust Him with everything and He will make life worth living.
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April 30th
O - Openness
GETTING PEOPLE INTO THE WORD OF GOD:
2 Kings
22:8
And Hilkiah the high priest
said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house
of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
GETTING THE WORD OF GOD INTO PEOPLE:
“I know it’s around here somewhere. I just saw it not too long ago I’m sure.” These are the words often heard as people are searching through piles of papers or rummaging through a drawer looking for something. Sadly I have been in some homes where I have been asked a Bible question and when I say, “get me your Bible and lets see what it says” they start in with “I know it’s around here somewhere. I just saw it not too long ago.“ Then buried under a bunch of magazines or newspapers or in the back of a junk drawer they drag out an old Bible that appears to have not been opened for years. Inside the front cover will often be someone else’s name or that of a deceased relative or friend. Even if that is not the case and you know exactly where your Bible is, having a Bible in the house will not help you if you don’t open it. God can not communicate to you the truths written inside if you never get inside. In the verse above we find out why Israel was in such trouble and God was preparing to bring judgment upon them. The words of God were buried and never read or heard by the people. Their parents had begun to believe that they could live anyway they wanted and nothing would be done. So they did not read or care about God’s word. Sadly this is how some people live today. There is an open line of communication available to us from God by reading His word on a daily basis. It will give us direction for our home, families, and churches if we will just read it. And don’t think, I read that book once, that’s enough. It’s not. It is the living word of God that will speak to you in different ways according to what’s happening in your life and your spiritual maturity at the time. I heard it once said that the Bible has only one interpretation, but it has many applications. I have found that to be so true. You can only interpret what is there one correct way. But the principals inside may be applied to a multitude of situations in our life. To hear from and listen to God you must read His word.
LETTING THE WORD AFFECT OUR LIVES:
I often start my Bible reading by quoting Psalm 119:18 to the Lord in a prayer. It says, “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law”. That is my desire everyday. That God might open my eyes to see His wondrous truth.
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