HE KNOWS

READING: JOHN 2:23-25

Verses 23 & 24: “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men”

When the Lord Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem, He knew that many of those who loudly praised Him would soon just as loudly call for His death. He was never deceived by demonstrations of belief and support by the people. The reason, as stated in verse 24, was that He knew all men. Later, in verse 25, it also states that, “He knew what was in a man.” Now, more than 2000 years later things are not greatly different. There are still superficial professions of faith which repeat the ancient and sad experience that was encountered by our Lord. Those who are insincere or dishonest for whatever reason will still deny Him when that suits them more. For His part, He will still not commit Himself to those who will only prove to be disloyal. Those who desire the blessing of the commitment of the Lord, will not receive it if they hang around merely for what they see Him doing that impresses them at some time. Those who desire to receive that commitment must instead believe in and accept the Lord Jesus for who He is, the Son of God and their Savior. Only they will receive the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What in these days might cause an insincere attraction to Jesus?

2. What is meant by the statement “He knew all men”?

SCARED TACTICS

READING: ACTS 9:10-19

Verses 13 &14: “Then Ananias answered, ‘Lord I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.’” 

Even as Christians we are confronted with fears. However, we do much better in these confrontations when we confess our fears to the Lord. This is illustrated by the experience of Ananias, a 1st century Christian. The Bible reports that Ananias feared Saul of Tarsus, knowing him to be the great persecutor of the Church. Regardless of that, the Lord wanted Ananias to go to Saul and pray for him. As God instructed him, Ananias reminded the Lord of what a dangerous person Saul was. In effect, he was honestly expressing his fear. God responded to Ananias by affirming the importance of the assignment he was being given. The Lord’s response helped him to be encouraged so that he was able to complete his mission. Ananias had an experience with the Lord that models what is available for us all. He demonstrated that the first step in solving a problem is to face it, even when the problem is fear. He confessed his fear to God. For us too, by confessing fear to the Lord, we admit to Him that we need help. When we do that, His promise as stated in Psalm 46 is that He is a very present help. His love will cast out our fear! That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Does anything keep you from expressing fear to the Lord?

2. How can good come from fearful situations?

HE IS COMING

READING: JOSHUA 23:6-11

Verse 10: “One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, as He promised you.”

Does the following sound familiar? The good guys are caught in a threatening situation. They have tried every idea that has come to their minds in trying to get out of trouble. However, with each failure the situation has become more and more desperate. It has begun to seem that the bad guys will prevail. Finally the good guys resort to their last possibility, but it doesn’t work either. Now they are defeated and just waiting for the end to come. Suddenly there is a sound in the distance. As the sound comes closer they are able to see what is coming. It is the chief good guy and he is coming to their rescue. They shout for joy! That is the story for many fiction adventures. What is infinitely more important, and greater than fiction, is that this scenario is an absolute truth and reality for Christians. He who fights for us has promised and He is faithful to keep His word. He consistently grants us victories as we need them, and He will appear to complete the ultimate victory of all time. On our own, we are just waiting for the end to come, but under the lordship of our mighty God we have our rescue. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What is the Lord’s most frequent form of rescue in your life?

2. What is your response when the Lord fights for you?

WE AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN YET

READING: ACTS 9:32-35

Verse 34: “And Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately”

We become stirred up and excited by miracles of the Lord. It is always a blessing to see a situation dramatically resolved in an unpredictable or even an impossible manner. Those events are made greater by the fact that Lord obtains recognition and is glorified. There is still another very notable intent, purpose and significance of miracles. This is exemplified in the verse above. This event was certainly fully miraculous, but verse 35 following tells of an even greater display of supernatural power following this miracle. It says all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him (Aenas) and turned to the Lord. As the direct result of this miracle, the people of two complete communities were saved. They saw the power of God impressively displayed in a way that was amazing to them. From their perspective, what could have been greater? However, there was greater and more to come. Today, even though we are aware of so much that is beyond their experience, there is still more to come. There is no end or limit to the expressions of God’s miraculous power. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. Is there any way that modern miracles are different from those recorded in the Bible?

2. Do you expect to see or experience miracles?

USE AS PRESCRIBED

READING: ACTS 9:26-31

Verse 31: “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the LORD and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”

The Book of Acts captures in the brief verse above a remarkable period of Church history. It was a time of well established success. The key to this success was not generous resources or masterful human organization or planning. The churches were blessed because they were found to be walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Fear of the Lord in this verse refers to reverence and respect for His authority. The comfort of the Holy Spirit means receiving relief or consolation through the alleviation of grief or anxiety. That is the prescription for success that was effective in that day. It is a prescription that is still good until now, this very day. To the degree that we walk in the genuine fear of the Lord, and in the authentic comfort of the Holy Spirit; our churches also will have the same results. We too will know peace and be edified and multiplied. Our hope truly is in the Lord! That’s a thought – about God’s Word

RESPONSE

1. Is the type of success described above visible today?

2. Does the prescription above apply to your personal life?

WE’RE STANDING FIRM

READING: DEUTERONOMY 4:32-40

Verse 39: “Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”

In this day and time there is much that people make subject to question, debate and personal preference. Our society teaches that our opinions matter and that the desires of every person should be considered equally. Modern technology makes it possible to produce tremendous variety in manufacturing. This adds to our ability to obtain products that are tailored to our individual likes and dislikes. In these and many other ways people are encouraged to believe things should be just as they want them. The word “entitlement” has come into use to describe this development. Sadly, this way of thinking and responding has even extended to judgments about God’s sovereignty. Standing against this trend, we who honor the Lord confess that no opinion is able to alter God’s lordship, His truth or His word. There is no change to the ancient charge spoken by Moses to the nation of Israel. This day as then, there is no question, debate or personal preference. We know as Moses declared, that the Lord our God, He is God. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. What is the root of “entitlement”?

2. Is there anything to which we are truly entitled?

GETTING TO GIVE

READING: PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4

Verse 4: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

A great deal of biblical instruction teaches Christians to care for others. The Bible also reminds us that we are to permit ourselves to receive care. In fact there are times when we must receive God’s special care and provision to even be able to help others. In the safety briefing given before airplanes depart, passengers are informed about the use of oxygen masks in case of cabin depressurization. Those who are responsible for others with whom they are flying, are instructed to put their own masks on before helping those in their care. If this practice were not to be followed, the responsible person could become unable to properly assist someone else because of their own lack of oxygen. Then both would suffer the result of that mistake. In the same manner there are times when God’s order demands that we receive from Him as a means of preparation to care for others. The Apostle Paul establishes that order in the verse above. We take good care of our tools so they will be ready for use to serve their purposes. We should receive care for ourselves as tools for the hand of God. That’s a thought – about God’s Word.

RESPONSE

1. How well balanced are you between caring for yourself compared to others?

2. Is there a way that you consistently receive what the Lord has for you?