Daily Devotional

June 30th, 2015

6/30/2015

John 3:16 - "That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."

One of the greatest verses in the bible is John 3:16. Now why do I think that, you may ask? Well, I like the words "should not perish" and "have eternal life". Now do you know what eternal life means? May I give you a quote from an old evangelist said it this way. "Imagine a little bird taking a grain of sand and flying to a distant planet. It would take him a million years to fly to that distant planet. Then he would drop that grain of sand. Then the little bird would fly back to the earth taking him a million years. He gets another grain of sand and flies back to the distant planet. Back and forth, back and forth it goes. When he will have transplanted every speck of earth to that distant planet, it will only be breakfast time in eternity." Your soul will go on, and on, and on, and on. Eternal life, wow, lives forever, will not perish, we'll be with Jesus for ever and ever. Now that is some words that could use an Amen!!!

Where do you plan on spending eternity? Where do your loved ones plan on spending it? If you don't know, ask them today and get their salvation on the right side of eternity.

June 29th, 2015

6/29/2015

"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works."
Romans 4:6

God imputes righteousness to you through His Son. What does "impute" mean? To put on your account. At the moment you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God makes you righteous. Romans 4:8 says, And this is without you doing any work to get it! Also, the Bible says, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." A lady I know was asked one day what it felt like to be saved and she replied, "It feels as though I am standing in Jesus' shoes and He is standing in mine." I don't think a scholar or theologian could have said it any better.

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus paid it all on the cross of Calvary. He became sin for us, so that HE could pay the sin debt for me and you. Thank God HE did that for us.

June 26th, 2015

6/26/2015

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4

We are living in a crazy world today. Just never know what is going to happen next. Wars and rumors of war are all we seem to hear. Diseases and sickness of all kinds are filling our newspapers and TV stations. But friend, keep your chin up. The One who created the valley, the one who allows evil to work in our world, the one who is in control always; is there with you! If you are in a valley of stress, disappointment or confusion, He has prepared the way through that valley. It is not a place of permanence, but a place of passage. He knows every twist and turn, every changing shadow, every den where danger lurks - that One is with you! Remember that!

Focus on the light and not the darkness. God has made you to walk through shadows. When the shadow approaches, you must walk through. The One greater than death is in you! He is your Jehovah-Shammah - the Lord ever present. His grace is greater. His peace is purer. His devotion is dearer. Where Satan casts a shadow, our Sovereign Lord reigns supreme. Remember that!

This is a day of hope. Meditate on 1 John 4:4 throughout the day and ask God to give you a divine appointment to share this beloved truth with someone today.

June 25th, 2015

6/25/2015

Matthew 14:14
"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick."

It is unbelievable, supernatural replenishment that awakens the world to see the mighty power of God. Jesus demonstrated, once with a crowd of 5,000 and again with a crown of 4,000 that He is God who provides (see Matthew:14-21, 15:32-38). When the most "responsible" thing to do, in human terms, was to ask the multitudes to find their own food, Jesus turned to the supernatural power of God. Moved with compassion, He confidently told the disciples to begin feeding the multitudes. Jesus never wavered in His complete and utter trust in God - Jehovah Jireh.

Read the accounts of these miracles in Matthew with your family today, then ask God to fill your family with an utter and complete trust in God - our - Jehovah Jireh - The God who Provides.

June 24th, 2015

6/24/2015

"For God hath not given up the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

Our church "Open Door Fellowship of Franklin" has been participating in a mission project this week. It has been a wonderful blessing for me and the church. But, do you know, mission projects are sometimes rejected by churches because of the fear "we cannot get enough people to help us". Let me tell you, if God puts it in your heart to be a blessing to others, do it! God can and will prepare the way and the people to help. Sometimes all it takes is for one person to stand for God and HE will do the rest. God is really blessing our missions project. Now why do we FEAR?

If you want victory, you must expose the place of your doubts and fears. Many of us are not willing to do that. The devil has intimidated so many of us that we hide our eyes from the sunshine of God's light. There is really nothing to be afraid of when it comes to the devil. Do you know what fear is? False Evidence Appearing Real. You can be fooled by false evidence. Take a bank robber with his hand in his coat pocket pretending it is a gun. His power comes from the power of deception. His power is the power of fear! Friend, victory's arrows cannot be shot through closed windows. Is there any area of your life that you have been unwilling to open the window on? Turn your face to the light and give it to God. HE will satisfy your fear problem.

June 23rd, 2015

6/23/2015

"The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him." Proverbs 20:7

Can I ask you a question? What kind of an example are you leading, as a parent, spouse or neighbor? Integrity, what is that, you may ask? Well let me say this; This world says if we could just arrange conditions where we never have any sorrow, pain, or hurts, then we could change men. If we change conditions, we can change character. But the Bible teaches just the opposite. The world puts the emphasis on condition - God puts the emphasis on character. Someone has well said you can't purify the water by painting the pump. And yet that's what we try to do. We think that if we can change the exterior or make conditions such that we haver have any hurts, then we're going to be okay. But Jesus put the emphasis upon character. Upon what you are, not what you have. If there someone in your life you admire? Someone who is a person of integrity? Praise God for His work in that person's life and give him or her a word of encouragement.

June 20th, 2015

6/20/2015

Tomorrow is Fathers day. If your father is passed from this life, why not adopt a father for tomorrow and invite him to take you or go with you to church. Worship our Heavenly Father tomorrow in the assembly of your congregations.

June 19th, 2015

6/19/2015

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge." Proverbs 14:26

What does our family really mean to us today? Satan wants our children to believe "if I'm good and not a trouble maker, it doesn't matter what Dad or Mom says about salvation through Jesus Christ". That is what Satan is putting into our children's head, through the help of friends, family, school and the liberal churches. The devil hates families who worship together. He will allow parents to be religious, but he does not want them to take their children to heaven with them. As a result, we're losing an entire generation. Our children are being left behind to die and go to a devil's hell, because we are compromising with Satan. Catherine Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, prayed, "Oh God, I will not stand before Thee without all my children." Do you or I have this conviction? What does it really mean if Grandpa and Grandma went to church; and Mom and Dad went to church? The children of the streets are not even told who Jesus is, or what it means to trust Jesus. We all are going to face Christ one day and give account of what we do or don't say; good or bad; religious or not; Christian or not. For me, I cry for our lost generation coming up who's Dad and Moms don't think it necessary to take their children to church. There are many fathers and mothers today who need to stand firm, on what church is all about and gather those children close to you and love them all the way to Jesus.

June 17th, 2015

6/17/2015

"Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:10

Are you secure in your relationship with Jesus? Most people I have talked to are not happy or satisfied with their spiritual relationship with the God of this universe. I had an elderly man tell me once when I asked him about his salvation and security with Jesus, he said: "I hope I am". It's a shame to live a life not really knowing whether or not you will go to heaven when you die. I've heard people say, "Pray for us that we'll hold out faithful to the end." I think I know what they mean, but I always smile. I picture Noah's ark, and I can see Noah and his wife and family. Rather than being on the inside, they're holding on to some small pegs on the outside of the ark. And Noah says to Mrs. Noah, "Honey, pray for me that I'll hold out faithful to the end." But God said to Noah, "Come into the ark," and the same God that shut the water out, shut Noah in. Now Noah may have fallen down inside that ark, but he never fell out of it. It's not that we hold on to Him, but that He holds on to us. Now that's a security life. Know HE is holding on to me. Why don't you spend some time today simply praising God for His faithfulness, His steadfastness, and His unconditional love for you.

June 10th, 2015

6/10/2015

When do friends mean the most to you? When does your families love mean the most to you? Does love really bind a family together? Does love keep your friends around you? These are questions that are normally asked of me, as a pastor, when people are going through problems in their relationships. Another question I ask people is: "Does God's love mean anything in our relationships to others?"

People form their own opinions about family, friends and God. God is God whether we agree or disagree with His Word. If His Word says it, it doesn't matter what the popular opinion says. Even in our relationship with friends. Friends remain friends even when events happen that isn't popular to everyone's opinion. Families remain family, even if someone else says this or that about one of them. The world looks at political correctness rather than the truth of the matter. How do we measure truth? I have a friend who tells me that when I answer a question based on the Bible, it's my opinion because man wrote the bible and man is inferior. So, what is your truth based on? What is your friendship with others based on? What is your relationship with Almighty God based on?