Monthly Archives: July 2011

To, but not past!

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July 31: Isaiah 63-64; John 2

Scripture: Isaiah 64: 9 Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us we pray, for we are all your people.

Observation: The prophet is not saying that God should not be angry. In previous verses he clearly states that God has a reason to be angry with them. They have sinned! They have turned away!

The prophet is asking God to put limits on his anger. He requests that God not be angry “beyond measure.” And he is asking God to put limits on His memory, not to remember their sins forever.

Application: I have come to understand that God’s wrath on my sin is abandoned when I come to the cross and accept the death of Jesus as the payment for my sins. And when my sins are forgiven, there is no need to remember them! God remembers them to the cross but not past the cross!

Prayer: Lord, Praise you, O Lord, for your great mercy in not holding against me what you have forgiven! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Being light

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July 30: Isaiah 60-62; John 1

Scripture: John 1:4 In him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Observation: We really do not see the beam of light shining into the night sky from the high powered light at the business advertising their sale (or the rotating beacon at the airport); we see the dust particles in the atmosphere reflecting that light. In the dark we do not see the light of the sun until its rays hit the moon and are reflected to earth.

God was/is ever present, but could not be seen until Jesus put on flesh and bones to walk here on earth.

Application: As Jesus became the light of the world, He has set me as a light to my world. The darkness around me will not understand Him unless I let my life reflect His light.

Prayer: Lord, “this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…Hide it under a bushel, NO, I’m gonna let it shine…Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine; let it shine; let it shine; let it shine.” Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Death

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July 29: Isaiah 57-59; Psalm 103; 2Peter 3

Scripture: Isaiah 57:1 The righteous perish, and no-one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no-one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.

Observation: What a thought. There are times when God removes the righteous so that they will not have to endure the evil times coming. It is a ministry of God’s grace to spare them. After all, they are going to a better place. Paul said it is “far better” to depart.
The second verse above gives two special words in describing death. The first is “peace.” The battle is over. The second is “rest.” The labor of living is over.

Application: I have often sung, “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.” (E. Hewitt) I am glad I do not have to wait until I arrive to rejoice in what is prepared for me.

Prayer: Lord, you promised to prepare a place for me in your Father’s house. The very thought of it causes my heart to rejoice. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

God-given Joy

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July 28: Isaiah 53-56; 2Peter 2

Scripture: Isaiah 56: 7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Observation: ” I will … give them joy in my house of prayer.” The house of prayer is a place of joy. It is a place of God-given joy! There we find the joy of fellowship. There we find the joy of discovery. There we find the joy of participation. And there we find the joy of victory!

” … a house of prayer for all nations.” From the context this would mean that all people are welcome to come and pray in God’s house. It is not necessarily a place for prayers to be made for all nations, which clearly would be appropriate and commendable, however within this context it clearly applies to those from other nations who choose to honor God. They are welcome and their prayers will be heard.

Application: Sometimes I want others to pray for me, thinking that their prayers are more acceptable to God than mine. It is good for them to pray for me, but it is not because God cannot hear or understand my prayers. It is good to know I am always welcome to approach God in prayer, and that it is a place where God gives joy!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making it clear that in my desire to honor you my prayer is acceptable. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Mornings are special

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July 27: Isaiah 50-52; 2Peter 1

Scripture: Isaiah 50: 4 ¶ The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

Observation: What a special time of the day is the morning when the mind is fresh from a night of rest. The mind is not yet filled with all the activities of the day. It is available to consider God’s Word. Furrows of concern are not yet etched across its memories so there is less to hinder the consideration of God’s Word. The mind has not yet had the time to make its own determination as to the day. It is open to God’s agenda. As the mind becomes accustomed to awakening in the morning to read God’s Word, it takes to it eagerly with anticipation.

Application: What a blessing to arise and find God is already at the place of fellowship! What a blessing to anticipate learning something fresh from His heart!

Prayer: Lord, you are with me all day long and often speak to me throughout the day, but mornings are special. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Even in old age!

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July 26: Isaiah 46-49; 1Peter 5

Scripture: Isaiah 46: 1 ¶ Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary….
3 “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.
4 Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.…

Observation: Those in the world, who worship idols, find that those idols a heavy burden. They cannot do anything for themselves and must be carried by their worshippers. What a contrast is Jehovah God! He does not depend on His worshippers to carry him; He carries His worshippers!!!

Application: My hair is already mostly white (what is left) and I have crossed into my sixties. God will not only sustain me, He will also rescue me. What a privilege to serve Him. He accepts me in spite of all my weaknesses and flaws. It is truly amazing!

Prayer: “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust you; How I’ve proved you o’re and o’re; Oh, for grace to trust you more!” (Louisa M.R. Stead) Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Greater Joy

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July 25: Isaiah 43-45; 1Peter 4

Scripture: 1Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

Observation: Most people enjoy receiving gifts. Someone thought of them enough to give them something they did not earn. Another part of the joy of receiving gifts is that the gift can be used to bless others. Many times the joy of using the gift to bless others is greater than the joy experienced in receiving the gift.

Application: Oh, what joy I miss when I take God’s gifts selfishly. God wants me to experience a greater joy beyond the joy of receiving. He wants me to experience the joy of giving—so He gives me something I can give others. He blesses me to make me a blessing.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving me gifts I can use to bless others! I am truly blest! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Promise Keepers

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July 24: Isaiah 40-42; 1Peter 3

Scripture: Isaiah 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Observation: For those whose hope is in the Lord, there is a wonderful promise in verse 31. But what makes it such a wonderful promise is the revelation of the character of God found in the previous verses! A promise (from God, from a spouse, a parent, a boss, a politician) is no better than the character of the one who made it.

Application: The better I know God, the better I can trust His promises.

Prayer: Lord, may others be able to rely on my promises as I rely on Yours! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

Doubly blest!

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July 23: 2Kings 20; Isaiah 38-39; Psalm 75; 1Peter 2

Scripture: Psalm 75: 1 We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near;  men tell of your wonderful deeds.

Observation: As I read through this verse, I recalled the verse in Proverbs 31 about the husband praising his wife. It is proper for a husband to do so for then the wife is not so drawn to praise and appreciation from other sources. But if it is proper for a husband to praise his wife, how much more appropriate is it for those called Christians to praise the Lord whose name they carry!

Application: I need to make it a priority to praise my wife and my Lord! May neither of them feel unappreciated in my presence.

Prayer: Jesus, I am so blest to have Sharon as my wife and double blest to have you as my Lord! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

The Goal of My Faith!

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July 22: Isaiah 36-37; Psalm 76; 1Peter 1

Scripture: 1Peter 1: 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. …9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Observation: Faith is such a wonderful part of my life. I act according to my faith. The foundation of my faith is the Word of God, and the foundation of my faith in the Word of God is the character of God. He is ever faithful and can be trusted.

Application: As I struggle to apply my faith to the various needs and problems I face in my every-day life, I must not forget that the goal of my faith is the salvation of my soul.

Prayer: Lord, this song still rings in my heart: “Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul; Thank you Lord, for making me whole; Thank you Lord for giving to me; Thy great salvation so rich and free.” Amen.

Pastor Leon

Making friends for time and eternity!