The Wicked Find No Favor With God

Scripture: Ezekiel 18: 24

But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

Scripture Commentary: Sooner or later, wicked people are punished

A typical childish response to punishment is to say, “That’s not fair!” In reality God is fair but when we sin, we have broken the rules. It is not God who must live up to our idea of fairness; instead, it is we who must live up to his.

God is the God of love but He is also the God of perfect justice. His perfect love causes Him to be merciful to those who recognize their sins and turn back to Him but He cannot wink or ignore those who willfully sin.

Wicked people die not only physically but also spiritually. God takes no joy in their deaths. He would prefer that they turn to Him and have eternal life.

Step forward in faith and work to live up to God’s standards

If you renounce your life’s direction of sin and rebellion and turn to God, He will give you a new direction, a new love, and a new power to change.

Don’t spend your time looking for the loopholes in God’s law. Instead, live up to God’s standards. You can begin in faith, trusting in God’s power to change your heart and mind. Then determine to live each day with Him, and by being attuned, you will feel the strength of His love for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Ezekiel Chapter 18

God, Put Your Hand on Me

Scripture: 1 Chronicles 4: 9-10

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

Scripture Commentary: Humble yourself under God’s almighty hand

The Hebrew word Jabez means ‘pain.’ During Jabez’s time, a person’s name had meaning. Perhaps the mother’s pain was emotional. Maybe his father died, or perhaps the family had fallen into financial straits. Only God knows for sure what caused the pain of this anguished mother. Jabez cried for God’s hand to be upon him and free him from pain.

Jabez cried out to God, “Oh, that you would bless me …”

To bless in the biblical sense means to ask for or to impart supernatural favor.

We, too, are crying out for the wonderful, unlimited goodness of God.

Proverbs 10:22 reads, “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it.”

Jabez also entreated God to “enlarge my territory!”

Your business is the territory God has entrusted to you. He wants you to accept it as a significant opportunity to touch individual lives. Asking Him to enlarge that territory brings Him great delight.

Oh God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way that I touch more lives for Your Glory. Let me do more for you!

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Chronicles Chapter 4

Additional Reading:
Proverbs Chapter 10

How Many Times Will God Need To Call You?

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3: 9-10

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

Scripture Commentary: … And when you hear His call, how will you respond?

The Lord called Samuel three times before he answered. Why did it take Samuel so long to answer God’s call? It’s because Samuel didn’t know God’s voice. If the Lord called you, would you known his voice?

God talks to us everyday. He tells us when we are doing right and when we are doing wrong. It is vital to our relationship with God that we both listen and respond to Him.

Although God does not always use the sound of a human voice, He always speaks clearly through His Word. To receive His messages, we must truly walk, talk and listen to him.

We cannot hear Him if we are not in His Spirit. To be in God’s Spirit, we must study His Word and live a life that we know is pleasing to God.

If you are His child, you will hear and feel His spirit. Like Samuel, be ready to say, “Here I am Lord.”

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Samuel Chapter 3

God Gives Us a Little Space for Grace

Scripture: Ezra 9: 8-9

And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

Scripture Commentary: God gives us a little space for grace to rest in Him

After learning about the sins of the people, Ezra fell to his knees in prayer. His heartfelt prayer provides a good perspective on sin.

He recognized the following:

That sin is serious
No one sins without affecting others
God’s love and mercy had spared the nation although they did nothing to deserve it

It’s easy to view sin lightly in a world that sees sin as inconsequential, but we should view sin as seriously as Ezra did. With weeping, he expressed shame for sin, fear of the consequences, and desire that the people would come to their senses and repent. His prayer moved the people to tears.

Ezra demonstrated the need for a holy community in our local churches too. Even when we sin in the worst imaginable way, we can turn to God with prayer and repentance.

How fortunate we are that God gives us mercy and grace rather than only justice!

The next time you ask God for fair and just treatment, pause to think what would happen if God gave you what you really deserve. Plead instead for His mercy.

Jesus’s love for us is all that we need.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Ezra Chapter 9

Man Judges the Outward Appearance While God Judges the Heart

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16: 6-7

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Scripture Commentary: We concentrate on our outward appearance but remember to also check the inside

What suit and shoes will I wear today? And how does my hair look? All of us concentrate on our outward appearance; we want to look our best when we go out.

That’s not a bad thing, but how many of us look at ourselves on the inside? We need to ask ourselves if we look good on the inside.

Am I a Christian, inside and out? We are to be loving, kind, helpful, and giving. The outside shell should be a mirror to the inside.

When God told Samuel to go and anoint the new king, Samuel was looking for a man who was tall and handsome like Saul. God warned Samuel against judging by appearance alone.

When we judge by outward appearances we overlook qualities that are on the inside. God sees all of us, both inside and out. God judges by faith and character, not appearances.

If you love God, it will show. Check yourself. What steps are you taking to improve your attitude and to show your love for God?

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Samuel Chapter 16

Let Your Heart Rejoice In the Lord

Scripture: 1 Samuel 2: 1-10

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.

They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.

The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S, and he hath set the world upon them.

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

Scripture Commentary: Rejoice and praise the Lord for His love

We should be confident of God’s ultimate control over the events in our lives, and we should be thankful for the ways God has blessed us. We acknowledge God’s ultimate control when we praise Him and rejoice in all of the good gifts He gave us.

Hannah praised God for being rock-firm, strong, and unchanging. In 1 Samuel 2:2, she prayed, “There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.”

In this fast-paced world, friends come and go, and circumstances change. It’s difficult to find a solid foundation that does not change.

Those who devote their lives to achievement, causes or possessions place their security in what is finite and changeable. The possessions we work so hard for will eventually pass away.

Remembering God’s sovereign control helps us put both the world and personal events in perspective. God is always present. He will never fail – hope in Him. God will always love you.

Love God.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Samuel Chapter 2

God Is My Rock, Fortress and Deliverer

Scripture: 2 Samuel 22:1-4

And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Scripture Commentary: God is the rock in whom I take refuge

David called on God many times to save him, and God did. And in 2 Samuel 22, David is thanking God again. I say, thanking Him again, because God had saved David many times. David called God his rock and his shield.

How many times has God saved you? How many times have you been confronted with a problem so challenging that you couldn’t find a way out? And God gave you that way.

We go through life knowing God is taking care of us, but do we acknowledge Him and tell others what He is doing for us? Do we even thank Him?

God is our Rock, our Fortress, Saviour, Redeemer and Deliverer. God forgives and forgets; He loves and cares for us. We can’t pay God for what He does for us, but we can love God, and live as best we can as children of Our Lord and Savior.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Samuel Chapter 22

God Is the Shield of My Salvation

Scripture: 2 Samuel 22: 3-7

The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Scripture Commentary: God is the shield that surrounds me

David called God, “The horn of my Salvation,” referring to the strength and defensive protection animals have in their horns. God rescued David from his enemies, and helped him overcome them.

David sinned but God had made him clean. David wrote (in Psalms 51), “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow … Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

We also are made clean and perfect through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God replaces our sin with His purity, and He no longer sees our sin.

Call on the Lord and He will answer you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Samuel Chapter 22

Additional Reading:
Psalms Chapter 51

Have You Rejected God After All He Has Done For You?

Scripture: 1 Samuel 8: 5-7

And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

Scripture Commentary: What would your life be if God rejected you?

How would you feel if you had been taking care of someone all of their life, and they suddenly said that they wanted someone else to take care of them? You had protected them from harm, cared for them when they were sick, and loved them unconditionally. What must it feel like to be so rejected?

The Lord did all of these things for His chosen people again and again – and yet they asked for a new leader.

How many times has God taken care of you? How many times has He protected you, and worked things out in your favor? And how often have you turned away, walking in your own way, not following Him?

The Bible tells time and time again how the Israelites rejected God – and He forgave them every time. How many times have you forgotten what God has done for you? Why do you constantly look to others when God has been taking care of and protecting you?

Our obedience is weak if we ask God to lead us but continue to live by the world’s standards. Reach higher – grow in your faith. Turn to God for all things; He is waiting for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Samuel Chapter 8

God Said to Ask What He Should Give You

Scripture: 1 King 3: 5, 9-10

In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.(5) Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.(9-10)

Scripture Commentary: Don’t ask for help and not do your part

When you pray to God, what do you talk about? What do you ask for? Are you asking for things you think you need, or are you asking for things on behalf of others in your life?

God has given all of us gifts to use. Solomon had wisdom, but he had to use it. The gifts God has given you are meaningless if you do not use them.

Don’t ask God to help you or others, and not do your part. Use the gifts you were given to help others in His name. This gives God the glory.

The Bible tells that Solomon was wise in governing his people, but foolish in running his household. Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and also the strength of character to act upon that knowledge. The Bible tells many stories of people who made mistakes and squandered their gifts. This is so you can learn vicariously through others.

God shows all of us the way to behave! Amen!

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 Kings Chapter 3