Total Devotion No Matter the Outcome
I have a confession to make. On Sunday during my message I wanted to read a verse concerning the Hebrews being forced to worship an image of gold instead of the One true God. I had it written in my notes but I put the wrong passage in. I repeated a verse I had read earlier in my sermon. So let me make those verses the focus of this devotional.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are being forced to serve and worship the god of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar set up before the people. It was actually an image of himself. The king said that if they didn’t, then they would be thrown into a burning furnace. It has come down to a confrontation. Look with me at Daniel 3:16-18:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
They had complete confidence that God was in control, not the king. Here is where these three show their devotion to God. When they said, “Even if He does not deliver us, we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Now that is total devotion. They trusted God enough to know that no matter how things ended up, God was going to do the right thing.
How many times throughout the day do you think that things should have gone another way? How do you know that? What if God’s design was to let things work out differently? That is why it is so good to be in tune with what the Lord wants to do. Don’t let anything rob you of your time with the Lord. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will know His heart. The more time you spend with Jesus, the less of you will be in the way.
May you spend today wanting more of God’s Will than your will. Let the Holy Spirit guide you into all Truth as you seek Him with all your heart.
This Sunday is Grandparents Day at church. Bring your grandparents, your grandkids, your mom and dad and enjoy the day together. There will be a delicious meal following the second service. Come and celebrate how the Lord continues to work through ALL generations to bring glory to His name. That’s what I love about our church – we all work together to accomplish more than we could do by ourselves.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
www.findlayfirstnaz.org
Intimacy with God - Part 3
Psalm 15
We have been looking at the question, “Who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The latter part of verse 5 says, “He who does these things will never be shaken.” The first “thing” the Psalmist writes is to walk blamelessly. In order to walk blamelessly, one would have to obey the commands of God in everything. The next qualification has to do with speech: Speaks truth from his heart. The word translated “truth” comes from a root meaning “to be firm, reliable, and trustworthy.” In other words, “He who speaks with one mouth,” “He whose words are straight,” or “He whose words are true.” When you mix in the heart, you are adding a whole lot of sincerity.
The next qualification for entering the Temple has to do with not spreading malicious gossip or speaking ill of others. The next two deal with two synonymous terms, friend and neighbor. The Temple dweller does no harm or nothing bad to others. That would be implying those who may be considered enemies as well.
David sets himself to remind his friends of certain key truths about God. He is sovereign over all (v. 4a). He is well aware of the wicked and what they are doing (v. 4b). He is not ambivalent about evil but has a perfect dislike for it and in due time will bring judgment on the wicked (vv. 5–6). On the other hand, the Lord loves righteousness and smiles upon those who practice it (v. 7).
Such truths present us with a sharp dilemma. If the Lord indeed loves righteousness and hates evil, why does he allow evil to flourish and to trouble His people? David does not attempt a detailed answer. He wrote to affirm his faith, not to unravel the tangled thread of evil. But he does drop a hint for us: ‘The Lord tests the righteous’ (v. 5).
When evil thrives, it gives the people of God the opportunity to show the stuff of which they are made; to show that they do not love and serve God only in fair weather but also in turbulent storms.
Continue to read through Psalm 15 and ask the Lord to reveal new and ever-flowing truth to you as you learn to love others as Jesus does.
Pray for the services on Sunday as we continue the series in Daniel.
May you speak the truth from your heart today as you show a lost world the hope of Jesus.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
Intimacy with God - Part 2
Psalm 15
Last week we began to look at the question, “Who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The latter part of verse 5 says, “He who does these things will never be shaken.” The first “thing” the Psalmist writes is to walk blamelessly. In order to walk blamelessly, one would have to obey the commands of God in everything. The next qualification has to do with speech: Speaks truth from his heart. The word translated “truth” comes from a root meaning “to be firm, reliable, and trustworthy.” Many different languages would pen this phrase differently. Let me just list out the different ways this could be stated. “He who speaks with one mouth,” “He whose words are straight,” or “He whose words are true.” When you mix in the heart, you are adding a whole lot of sincerity.
This brings a picture of someone who is intent on speaking the truth no matter what circumstance they find themselves in. It shows that there is no other option. No matter what the outcome, the one who speaks the truth from his heart will not have to wonder what he said to who because it will all be the same. It is this person who will live on God’s holy hill.
Next week we will look at the third qualification. Are you living out these qualities that God sees through and through? Continue to read Psalm 15 and allow the Holy Spirit to plant seeds of truth as you go throughout your day.
Last Sunday was a powerful service as we asked the Lord to protect the law enforcement in our community. What a tremendous opportunity to pray for people who are willing to sacrifice at any moment for the safety of their neighbors. Keep them in prayer and also remember to put your faith before your politics as we lead up to November 8.
I want to extend another invitation for those who want to be a part of the Front Row Ministries at the church. We meet every Wednesday morning at 6:30 a.m. for one hour of prayer. If you are not able to physically be there and still want to be a part of this vital ministry of the church, then talk with me and I will tell you how you can participate.
May you speak the truth from your heart today as you show a lost world the hope of Jesus.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
Intimacy with God - Part 1
Psalm 15
There is a question posed in Psalm 15 and the answer is sandwiched in the middle of a promise in the last verse. I would like to take the next few weeks to unpack this Psalm as it pertains to walking upright before the Lord. The question found in verse 1 is, “Who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?” The latter part of verse 5 says, “He who does these things will never be shaken.” Now I want to dive into understanding what it is that I can do not to be shaken. So for the next few weeks we will look at verses 2-5 as we try to understand what God is saying.
Psalm 15 is not about what God expects people to do to be saved from their sins. The psalm is about enjoying close fellowship with God.
In Old Testament times high standards of personal holiness were required of someone who wanted to remain in the presence of the Lord, which was represented by the ark of God in its tabernacle. Dwelling in the sanctuary in the Old Testament referred to a specific place. In the New Covenant we are living in today, the temple is our bodies. We are the dwelling place of God where His Holy Spirit lives. Today, in the church, only people with high standards of personal holiness enjoy a deep intimacy with God. Psalm 15 is a signpost on the road along which the Holy Spirit yearns to lead each believer in Jesus.
As you read through the conditions of personal holiness, you will notice that they are all moral and spiritual in nature and not ritual and ceremonial. In other words, they have to do with character and conduct.
According to the response to the questions, a worshiper must walk blameless or perfect. Using the word, “walk,” gives the impression of all of life. It reminds me of Psalm 1:1 where the Psalmist writes, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.” The word blessed is a Hebrew word that does not mean that God blesses, or rewards such a person; rather it means that such a person is happy, or fortunate. It is the same word used in the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5. It doesn’t mean “lucky.” That would imply chance. A godly or blameless walk results in close fellowship with God. It is one who obeys the commands of God in everything. Even when things around us are not working out, we still have a deep settled peace because we are never shaken.
I want to encourage you to read this passage a few times. Let it begin to read you as you seek to understand the kernel of truth God has for you today.
This Sunday will mark the 15th anniversary of “911.” Come and participate in one of our services as we pray for our local law enforcement, and are reminded of our need of the Almighty God in our Nation.
Joy in Jesus!
Pastor Mike
