Friday, October 15, 2021

Friday, October 15, 2021
The prophet Isaiah pronounces God’s woe on those who pervert justice.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil . . . (KJV)
Bible teacher David Jeremiah said the Bible speaks of a time when the culture would call evil good. He then said, “That time is now!” We live in a world that says, “be tolerant and inclusive” and yet that tolerance and inclusiveness ends where the Word of God and Christianity begins. People are arrested, and justly so, for animal cruelty — yet the law allows a child to be brutally cut apart and murdered just prior to birth — woe to those who call evil good and good evil!
There has been a gradual, almost imperceptible shift in what is morally acceptable. Humanity’s standard for what is right and true has been flipped upside down! Billy Graham once said, “another way that evil is called good is for the conscience to be perverted, and certainly our consciences today are perverted. But right is right even if nobody is right, and wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong. God will not change the moral law to suit our behavior.”

Thursday, October 14, 2021

Thursday, October 14, 2021
The apostle Paul writes of the obligation of Christ-followers to do good.
Galations 6:10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. (NASB)
The concept of Christ-like goodness is profound and fundamental to our service as believers! This verse is radical in its implications. When an opportunity to do good occurs our responsibility is to do it whether anyone ever knows it or not. The Puritan father Cotton Mather wrote, “The opportunity to do good imposes the obligation to do it.”
The scope of this “doing good” is not limited to our neighbor or family members; it is for all people. Is there a missionary in need of support in some far-off country? Is there a village in some country in need of clean water? These are opportunities, we cannot meet every need, but we are called upon to do what we can — and especially to our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Wednesday, October 13, 2021
The apostle Paul writes that Christ-followers are to hate evil and be known for upholding good.

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. (NASB)
There is nothing more repellent than false love! A Christ-follower is to be identified by the genuine, sacrificial love for others that comes from above. However, a love that is all sweetness and never rejects wrong actions — especially malicious evil and blatant unkindness — that is no love!
Part of being salt and light in a sinful world is abhorring evil whether it’s politically correct or not! Christ-followers must never hate the sinner but hate the sin. Conversely, the Church must cling or be super-glued to that which is good. Albert Barnes wrote, “The good here . . . is particularly what pertains to benevolence — to all people, and especially to Christians. It should not be occasional . . . or irregular, but it should be constant, active.”

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Tuesday, October 12, 2021
The Psalmist David writes of the great magnitude of God’s goodness.
Psalm 31:19 How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, . . . (NASB)
One of the chief benefits of being thankful to God, is that it magnifies your awareness of the daily blessings He provides! Some even write down the instances of God’s love poured out. But note there’s more! The day-to-day evidences of God’s Father-love, are nothing compared to the storehouses of blessing that await us in heaven.
George Mueller operated orphanages in Germany completely by faith. He never publicized his needs but depended on God’s answers to his prayers. More specifically, Mueller cared for over 10,000 orphans in his lifetime. In addition, he established 117 schools which offered a Christian education to more than 120,000! Phillips Brooks once said, “You cannot think a prayer so large that God, in answering, will not wish you had made it larger!”

Monday, October 11, 2021

Monday, October 11, 2021
The Psalmist David describes how the goodness of God is a daily manifestation of His family relationship to His followers.
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (KJV)
Just as any earthly parent constantly checks on the welfare of a child and moves to help and support; so, the Heavenly resources of God pursue you no matter what life throws at you! As we prioritize God’s will — with loving determination He meets our needs with unconditional love. Note the goodness of the Heavenly Father is not only for the here and now; for when we cross from this life to the next, we experience a welcome and access to a prepared place!
This is, of course, the Shepherd’s Psalm of David and it’s filled with added meaning from his life. When his son Absalom betrayed him, and David had to flee for his life — God sent friends to escort the king from the palace and provisioned him for exile. Like David, there will never a moment for a Christ-follower, when God’s loving watchcare will not be a constant companion!

Friday, October 8, 2021

Friday, October 8, 2021
The apostle Paul writes there must be an intentional request for forgiveness.

Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
(NKJV)

When I was in high school, I wanted to be in the Letterman’s Club. It was very exclusive . . . you had to achieve something in a sport to be awarded a letter. When you got the letter, you were entitled to a Letterman’s jacket, and go to Letterman functions with full rights and privileges!!

Becoming a Christ-follower requires that you do certain things, or you’ll never become part of God’s family. You must admit that you’re a sinner and cannot do anything to earn God’s favor; you must turn from leading your life and let God have the final say on life decisions; then you must accept God’s free gift of salvation! How? By asking for it.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.