You Cannot Please God Without Faith

Scripture: Hebrews 11: 1, 6

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.(1) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.(6)

Hebrews 11: 1,6

Commentary: Faith means trusting God for what he will do for you … without faith it is impossible to please him

Faith, belief; trust; confidence; and conviction are words, that are meaningless if what you say and do are not in God’s way of living. Believing in the existence of God is only the beginning.

Noah and Abraham’s life were filled with faith in God. At God’s command they obeyed what he told them to do without any questions. Do you listen when God tells you to do something?

God wants a personal, dynamic, responsive, relationship with you that will transform your life. Faith means resting in what Christ has done for you in the past. It also means trusting him for what he will do for you in both the present and future.

Acts 17:29 says, “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”

Remember God is the creator of all of us, not the creation. God is sovereign and in control, and having faith in him is trusting in him.

God has faith in you. Accept his salvation. Have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Hebrews Chapter 11
Acts Chapter 17

The Destroyer Flees from the Voice of God

Scripture: Isaiah 33: 1-6

Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed. O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. At the thunder of your voice, the peoples flee; when you rise up the nations scatter. Your plunder, O nations, is harvested as by young locusts; like a swarm of locusts men pounce on it. The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.

Scripture Commentary:

In this passage, the “destroyer” is Assyria, and Assyria continually broke its promises, but demanded that others keep theirs. It is easy for us to act the same and demand our rights while ignoring the rights of others.

Broken promises shatter trust and destroy relationships. Attempt to keep your promises; at the same time, ask for forgiveness for past broken promises. Treat others with the same fairness that you demand for yourself. Only when God’s Spirit is in you, can you have and ask for forgiveness.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 33

The Tongue Can Defile The Whole Body

Scripture: James 3: 5-8

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Scripture Commentary: The uncontrolled tongue does terrible things

We all say and do things we regret. Control your tongue. Words, once spoken, can never be unsaid.

When Jesus Christ was crucified, immediately following his death the people wished they had not done it. Satan uses the words from our mouth to divide people and pit them against one another. Our words can wreak horrible results!

You may say we are human, and our flesh is weak, so why bother trying? It’s always worth trying to be better. Jesus gave us the way of life, the way to treat one another. Even if we may not achieve perfect control, we should always ask Jesus to strengthen us. We should always strive to reduce the damage our words can do.

Remember that we are not fighting the tongue’s fire in our strength. Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what we say and do. Careful, winsome speech and wise, loving words are the seeds of God.

Before you speak, remember that words are like fire. You can neither control nor reverse the damage they can do.

Read the Entire Chapter:
James Chapter 3

The Lord is Our Shepherd, We are His Flock

Scripture: Ezekiel 34: 1-2, 6

The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

Scripture Commentary: God is the shepherd who cares for his flock

God promises to take over as shepherd of his scattered flock. When our leader fails us, we must not despair but remember that God is in control. He promises to return and care for his flock.

Know that you can turn to God for help. He can transform any tragic situation to produce good for his kingdom. In hard times it’s easy to forget that God is in control and looking out for us. Let this scripture remind you that he sees our pain. You can always call on him and he will come to care for you.

God’s love for us is boundless, and our love for God should also be boundless.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Ezekiel Chapter 34

Sow to Please God, and Reap Joy and Everlasting Life

Scripture: Galatians 6: 7-9

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows of the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Scripture Commentary: Sow for God Today

The Lord our God woke us up this morning. What are you going to do today? Will you first acknowledge Him, thank Him for another day? Or, will you go on your own way, not giving thanks where thanks is due?

We sometimes forget that God made us, keeps us from harm, and loves us every day. What are you doing for Him today? Thank Him, for waking you up and keeping you from harm’s way. Talk to Him and about Him. He listens when we talk to Him and He hears when we talk about Him.

God has set us free. We are not prisoners to our pasts. Tell everyone you meet how Jesus set you free and propels you forward with every gifted day. Do this because you love Him, to bring praise to Him.

If you plant to please your own desires you will reap a crop of sorrow. If you plant to please God, you will reap joy and everlasting life.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Galatians Chapter 6

Be Humble – Do Not Judge

Scripture: James 4: 10-12

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Scripture Commentary:

Can we look in the mirror at ourselves, humbled, and ask God to forgive us for our sins? Can we be honest with ourselves and still judge others? If we ask God to forgive us, we are asking the Almighty to judge us. God is the only judge. He is the one who will make the final judgement.

When we go around judging others we are saying, “God, I have the right to play you, to play god.” There is only one God, the God who made us. He is our judge. Only because of his grace and his mercy are we here.

Examine your attitude and actions toward others. Humble yourself and you will recognize that you are here – we are all here – because God loves us. Humble yourself so God can work through you, guide you, and empower to do His work.

Read the Entire Chapter:
James Chapter 4

The Rebellious Will Stumble

Scripture: Hosea 14:9

Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Scripture Commentary:

Hosea closes with an appeal to listen and learn from God’s word. To those receiving the Lord’s message through Hosea, this meant the difference between life and death.

God’s concern for justice can be seen in his dealings with Hosea. He required faithfulness and a love that offered forgiveness from Hosea. For you, the reader of the book of Hosea, the choice is similar. Either listen to the book’s message and follow God’s ways, or refuse to walk along the Lord’s path.

We can err by forgetting God’s love and feeling like our sins are hopeless. We can err by forgetting his wrath against our sins and ignorantly believe he will accept us no matter how we act. People who insist on following their own direction without God’s guidance are in “deep darkness, they do not know what makes them stumble.” If you are lost you can find the way by turning from your sin and following God.

Forgiveness is a key word. When God forgives us he judges the sin but shows mercy on the sinner. We should never be afraid to come to God for a clean slate. Remember, we must forgive others before we can ask for forgiveness.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Hosea Chapter 14

We Are Branches Grafted onto the Tree of Life

Scripture: Romans 11: 16-18

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches are broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, Do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

Scripture Commentary: We are all branches of God’s tree

Has anyone ever boasted to you about how great they are? About their connections and knowledge? Have you ever asked yourself what kind of person does this?

The old saying, “The apple does not fall far from the tree,” is true. God has grafted us onto His tree of life. In return, we shall produce fruit that is acceptable to Him. We thrive on His Word.

If we boast, we boast about God. How God has taken us out of the sinful life we were living and gave us a fruitful life with Him. God is the source of all things. He is the power that sustains and rules the world we live in. He governs the universe and our lives in perfect wisdom, justice, and love.

We are Gentile that he grafted onto his tree. He is our root. He feeds us. With Him we can branch out to form more branches.

Read the Entire Chapter
Romans Chapter 11

God’s Justice Comes in God’s Time

Scripture: Jeremiah 12:1

Righteous art thou, O Lord, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgements: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

Scripture Commentary: Looking for God’s Justice When Other Do You Wrong

Life was extremely difficult for Jeremiah, despite his love for and obedience to God. Jeremiah knew that God’s justice would ultimately come, but he was impatient. He wanted justice to come quickly. Are you patient? Can you wait on God?

God didn’t give Jeremiah a doctrinal answer; he gave him a challenge. If Jeremiah couldn’t handle this how would he handle the injustices ahead?

It is natural for us to demand fair play and cry for justice against those who take advantage of others. If you call on God for relief, God may reply, “If you think this is bad, how are you going to cope when it gets really tough?” Not all of God’s answers to prayer are nice or easy to handle. When we call for justice, we must realize that God gave each of us what we truly deserve.

Do not ask for vengeance. Pray for forgiveness, love, and understanding. Commit to God in everything you do in life, because God is committed to you.

Read the entire chapter:
Jeremiah Chapter 12

Tame Your Tongue – Watch What You Say

Scripture: James 3: 6, 8

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell … But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Scripture Commentary: Ask the Lord for the Strength to Tame Your Tongue

Words are often contradictory and puzzling. At times your words are right and pleasing to God. At other times they are violent and destructive. The tongue exposes aspects of your basic human nature. It is a powerful weapon. How hard is it to tame your tongue when irritated or stressed? God made us in his image, but we fell into sin.

Satan uses the tongue to divide people, pitting them against each other. Idle, hateful words can be damaging because they spread destruction quickly. No one can stop the results once they are spoken. We dare not be careless with what we say, thinking we can apologize later. The scars will last longer than any apology. Words spoken in a moment of anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. It is better to avoid setting a fire than to go around trying to put it out.

Remember that you are not fighting the tongue’s fire in your own strength, for your strength is not your own if you have given yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will increase your power to monitor and control what you say. Before you speak, ask the Lord to give you the words. He will. Otherwise, satan may give you the words if you don’t ask the Lord to help you.

Let the Holy Spirit remind you of God’s love. Let that love prevent you from reacting in a harmful, hateful manner.

Read the Entire Chapter:
James Chapter 3