“Turning Point – Devotion”

 

Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.
Luke 16:22, NLT

Some people mistakenly believe we become angels after we die. The Bible nowhere teaches such a thing, but it does tell us that angels will accompany believers on their journey to heaven at the moment of death. In His story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus said that when the beggar Lazarus died, he “was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). In other words, the angels escorted him to be with Abraham and all the rest of God’s children in the heavenly places. It’s normal to be apprehensive about dying but knowing Jesus as Savior turns the experience into an adventure. Death isn’t a drop into darkness. It’s a quick journey into the presence of Christ and our loved ones with angels as chauffeurs, bodyguards, and companions.

As you anticipate heaven, remember none of us will take the journey there alone. The Bible says that angels escort us to heaven. What a comforting truth!

Death for the Christian cuts the cord that holds us captive in this present evil world so that angels may transport believers to their heavenly inheritance.

49.f. Wilderness – 13.l. “I will not give you any of their land”

 

Deu 2:1-7  “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the LORD told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. Then the LORD said to me, ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’

And we compassed mount Seir many days. These “many days” are the thirty-eight years during which the people wandered in the wilderness before they camped the second time at Kadesh; their going round Mount Seir. (Unknown)

The descendants of Esau were distant relatives to the people of Israel (400 years earlier, the brother of Jacob was Esau). God didn’t want Israel to take the land that He gave to Esau and his descendants. Perhaps the most famous Edomite in the New Testament was Herod the Great. He was hated by the Jews because he was an Edomite, but he wanted to be received and respected as a Jew. Israel was not just some conquering army, out to get whatever land it could take. It probably was strong enough to simply take the land of Edom, but Israel only received what God had promised to them. God commanded Israel to treat the Edomites with respect, even though they could have dominated them as a stronger nation. How we treat those weaker than ourselves is always a good measure of character. When we have the capability to dominate or abuse others and do not, it shows that we have good character. For some of these reasons, God commanded Israel to treat the weaker nation of Edom well. (Guzik)

Only a short account of the long stay of Israel in the wilderness is given. God not only chastised them for their murmuring and unbelief, but prepared them for Canaan; by humbling them for sin, teaching them to mortify their lusts, to follow God, and to comfort themselves in him. Though Israel may be long kept waiting for deliverance and enlargement, it will come at last. Before God brought Israel to destroy their enemies in Canaan, he taught them to forgive their enemies in Edom. They must not, under pretence of God’s covenant and conduct, think to seize all they could lay hands on. Dominion is not founded in grace. God’s Israel shall be well placed, but must not expect to be placed alone in the midst of the earth. Religion must never be made a cloak for injustice. Scorn to be beholden to Edomites, when thou hast an all-sufficient God to depend upon. Use what thou hast, use it cheerfully. Thou hast experienced the care of the Divine providence, never use any crooked methods for thy supply. All this is equally to be applied to the experience of the believer. (Henry)

49.e. Wilderness – 13.k. “The LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you”

 

Deu 1:40-46  But as for you, turn, and journey into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’ “Then you answered me, ‘We have sinned against the LORD. We ourselves will go up and fight, just as the LORD our God commanded us.’ And every one of you fastened on his weapons of war and thought it easy to go up into the hill country. And the LORD said to me, ‘Say to them, Do not go up or fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be defeated before your enemies.’ So I spoke to you, and you would not listen; but you rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. Then the Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do and beat you down in Seir as far as Hormah. And you returned and wept before the LORD, but the LORD did not listen to your voice or give ear to you. So you remained at Kadesh many days, the days that you remained there.

The great excuse of Israel for their unbelief at Kadesh Barnea was, “If we go and take the land, our children will be killed” (Numbers 14:3). God answered their unbelieving excuse by saying, “You will be killed, and your children will possess the land.” “Anything, in fact, will serve as an excuse, when the heart is bent on compromise.” It is sobering to consider how easily, how quickly, and how completely, God sees through our excuses. We often feel confident in our excuses because other people can’t really challenge them – but God sees right through them. After hearing the consequences of their rejection of God, Israel had a change of heart. Yet they went forth in the flesh and not in faith, because God did not lead them. They did this in the midst of their supposed repentance. Their sorrow was not over grieving the heart of God but over forty more years in the wilderness. God therefore saw through their shallow repentance. After their total defeat, then they wept and wept – but again, this was over the consequences of getting caught, not over grieving the heart of God, and not over their sin of not believing the great love of God. (Guzik)

The Word of God must find purpose, meaning, reverence, and be more precious than gold and silver. If there is a lack of this in your heart and mind there will be room for tolerance, denial, and compromise which leads to and gives root to disobedience. Being lukewarm to God’s Word results in neglect and complacency. Things of this world become more enticing and things of God become less and less important in your life. Rejecting the leading of God will always put you on a path away from God. 

Keep His Word ever before your eyes, feast on it, meditate upon it, learn what God has said and is saying to you. Our Christian lives should be ever-growing in our knowledge and understanding of the things of God so that we will honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

 

1 Corinthians 1:4-5

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge

His blessings are endless.

Rejoice and be Thankful always for the Lord our God has done and is doing Great Things.

He is worthy of all our praise, worship, and thanks.

Pathway to Victory Devotion

The Idols Of Recreation And Money

 

If I have put my confidence in gold, and called fine gold my trust, if I have gloated because my wealth was great, and because my hand had secured so much; . . . that too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, for I would have denied God above.

–Job 31:24-25, 28

If we do not guard against it, Satan can use our freedoms to lure us away from Christ. For example, there are many Christians who allow their love for recreation to suddenly become an idol in their lives that takes them further and further away from God.

In Eugene Peterson’s memoir, the pastor talked about a couple in his church who faithfully attended worship every week. But one Sunday, Peterson noticed they were not there, and again the next Sunday, and the next. After six weeks, he went to visit them. The husband explained, “A few weeks ago on a whim that seemed totally spontaneous–I didn’t really think about it–I said to Betty, ‘I think I’ll go fishing today.’ . . . We drove to the Big Gunpowder River, and while you preached, I fished and Betty caught the emerging bloodroot and round-lobed hepatica blossoms with her watercolors. . . . We had abruptly, even though casually, interrupted a forty-year routine of Sunday worship and nothing happened. We didn’t feel guilty. We didn’t miss it. Lightning didn’t strike us. Everything was just the way it had always been. We didn’t intend to make a habit of it, but I guess we have.” The freedom they had in Christ suddenly became an idol to them and led them away from God.

Another freedom we have as Christians is money. Money can be used for great good, but it can also become an idol in our lives. Job 31 explains, “If I have put my confidence in gold, and called fine gold my trust, if I have gloated because my wealth was great, and because my hand had secured so much; . . . that too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, for I would have denied God above” (vv. 24-25, 28). He was saying, “If I have put my confidence in money, if I have gloated about the pile of money I have accumulated, that is the same as denying God Himself.” I read about a company that told its workers to tape a picture of a new lake house, a new car, or a new vacation spot on their refrigerators. And if they meditated on that thing they desired, it would motivate them to work harder. That is idolatry. That is allowing something other than God to captivate our thoughts.

What do money, recreation, and entertainment have in common? They are all freedoms we have in Christ that if we are not careful can wrap their tentacles around us and choke out our love for God. That is why we ought to use our freedom not to pursue sin but to pursue righteousness.

49.d. Wilderness – 13.j. “The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion”

 

Deuteronomy 1:34-39  “And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!’ Even with me the LORD was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

In response to Israel’s unbelief and lack of trust in God’s love, God swore an oath (Psalm 95:11) that the adult generation which came out of Egypt would not inherit the Promised Land, but would die in the desolate wilderness instead. The only exceptions were Caleb and Joshua. These were the faithful two among the twelve spies which came back with the report from the Promised Land. Even Moses himself would not enter the Promised Land. (Guzik)

And the Lord heard the voice of your words,…. Of their murmurings against Moses and Aaron, and of their threatenings to them, Joshua and Caleb, and of their impious charge of hatred of them to God for bringing them out of Egypt, and of their rash wishes that they had died there or in the wilderness, and of their wicked scheme and proposal to make them a captain, and return to Egypt again: (Gill)

Doubts form out of lack of trust and reliance in God and lead to disobedience. Knowing God and having an ever-growing desire to know more and more of Him will give us confidence in His power and sovereignty over all things on earth and in heaven. I dare say that lack of desire for His Word and knowing Him more and more leaves a void that will be filled with foolish thoughts, doubts, fear, anger, worry, confusion, etc…. His Word is given to us so that we have examples of His awesome power, might, and control over all things. It also gives us examples of His grace, mercy, and love, as well as, right and wrong thinking which led to distrust, disregard, and denial of His power, promises, purpose, and plans.

49.c. Wilderness – 13.i. “Israel’s Refusal to Enter the Land”

 

Deu 1:21-28  See, the LORD your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ Then all of you came near me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall come.’ The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man from each tribe. And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. And they took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us, and brought us word again and said, ‘It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.’ “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the LORD hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’  Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God,  who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.

As Moses remembered this suggestion, he looked back with regret. There really was no compelling reason to send forth spies into the Promised Land.  God had told them that the land was good. Unless they did not believe Him, there was no reason to confirm it on their own. God had told them they would take the land and defeat the nations living there. Unless they did not believe Him, there was no reason to take a look at the enemies and see if God was somehow up to the challenge. Moses must have had regret as he remembered this. The people suggested it and Moses agreed to it. Yet when ten of the twelve spies came back with a report filled with fear and unbelief, the nation believed them and refused to believe God’s promise and enter in. (Guzik)

Moses reminds the Israelites of their march from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, through that great and terrible wilderness. He shows how near they were to a happy settlement in Canaan. It will aggravate the eternal ruin of hypocrites, that they were not far from the kingdom of God. As if it were not enough that they were sure of their God before them, they would send men before them. Never any looked into the Holy Land, but they must own it to be a good land. And was there any cause to distrust this God? An unbelieving heart was at the bottom of all this. All disobedience to God’s laws, and distrust of his power and goodness, flow from disbelief of his word, as all true obedience springs from faith. It is profitable for us to divide our past lives into distinct periods; to give thanks to God for the mercies we have received in each, to confess and seek the forgiveness of all the sins we can remember; and thus to renew our acceptance of God’s salvation, and our surrender of ourselves to his service. Our own plans seldom avail to good purpose; while courage in the exercise of faith, and in the path of duty, enables the believer to follow the Lord fully, to disregard all that opposes, to triumph over all opposition, and to take firm hold upon the promised blessings. (Henry)

Trusting and relying on God in all things leaves no room for doubting His promises, power, goodness, grace, mercy, and sovereignty. There is no room for doubt. When God speaks into your heart hear and obey His leading. It is far better for the soul to trust in our all-powerful God than to live in doubt and fear.

Will Graham Devotion

 

Things were going wrong in his personal life. He was immersed in a society that valued everything that he stood against. He was pressured to bow down and worship things that he knew were wrong. There was constant temptation to succumb to the worldliness around him.

Sound familiar? No, I’m not talking about the world in which we live today, but rather a young man from the Old Testament who was captured and taken into captivity in Babylon. I’m talking about Daniel.

The prophet Daniel is widely considered one of the greatest men in the entire Bible. In fact, unlike many other heroes of the faith, there is nothing negative said about him at all.

In Daniel chapter 1, we see a young man who was going through difficult tribulations:

  • Daniel’s home of Jerusalem had been overthrown, and he’d been carried off into a foreign and godless land as a slave of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar.
  • Daniel endured a “reeducation program” of sorts, meant to brainwash Daniel and the other young men to assimilate them into the Babylonian culture and prepare them to serve the king. He was taught astrology and magic, as well as Babylon’s Chaldean language.
  • He was given a new name. No longer would he be called Daniel (God is my judge), but now he would be called Belteshazzar (Bel protect my life), a pagan name.
  • Daniel was expected to eat the king’s meals, which were certainly gourmet. This was an indulgence that many would have happily accepted.

New home, new education, new language, new name, new food. … All of these things were an attempt by the Babylonians and King Nebuchadnezzar to indoctrinate the young Israelites, including Daniel, into their culture. And I’m sure that many of them were more than happy to enjoy the spoils.

Daniel could have gone along with all this by compromising his convictions as well. He could have said, “Everyone else is doing it,” or “I better obey the king!”

However, Daniel “purposed in his heart” that he would not disobey God (verse 8), even amid the pressure and temptations. He even convinced the powers-that-be to allow him to eat a diet of vegetables and water rather than the king’s royal feast.

Because of his faithfulness and obedience, “God gave them [Daniel and his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah] knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (verse 17).

Fast forward through the centuries to today. You haven’t been captured and carried into a far-away land (I certainly hope not!), but the society around you perhaps looks unfamiliar and troubling. Young people—like Daniel in his day—are especially being led astray by a culture that is largely opposite of the life we’re called to live as followers of Christ.

With so many prevalent temptations all around us, it would be easy to assimilate and enjoy all that the world has to offer, but like Daniel, we must purpose in our hearts to serve Jesus and Him alone. We must feast on the things of the Lord rather than the evils of this age. As we do, God will not only give wisdom and understanding, but—I believe—opportunities to share His hope with those around you.

It’s hard to find peace in this troubled world, but Christ came so “that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10, ESV). Would like to begin a relationship with Jesus and find the hope that He offers?

“Turning Point Devotion”

 

Psalm 119:11  Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

John 8:43-44  Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

What do we do when we think we’ve received some incorrect information? We go back to the source: the warranty, the instruction book, the letter, the person—wherever the correct information is located. Bad information can only lead to bad outcomes. Nowhere is that truer than in the spiritual realm.Since Satan traffics only in lies (John 8:43-44), he is more than ready to feed us bad information about God. And his lies can only lead to a bad outcome in our relationship with God. Satan tried to give Jesus bad information when they had an encounter in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan misrepresented God and His Word three times. But Jesus countered his lies with a correct rendering of God’s truth with three verses from Deuteronomy. As far as we know, Jesus didn’t have a copy of Deuteronomy with Him in the wilderness. Instead, He quoted the Scriptures from memory and rebuffed Satan’s temptations. Jesus exemplified Psalm 119:11—hiding God’s Word in one’s heart to avoid sin.

Are you in a daily habit of taking in and memorizing God’s Word? Truth is the only way to counter Satan’s lies.

The truth of Scripture demolishes speculation.

49.b. Wilderness – 13.h. “So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men”

 

Deu 1:9  “At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strifeChoose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do.

Moses experienced this crisis in Numbers 11 when the people complained again about the food God provided. To help Moses bear the burden, God directed him to appoint seventy elders to assist him in bearing up under the pressure of leading the nation. As described in Numbers 11, these elders had a precious function: To stand there with Moses (Numbers 11:16), to have the same Spirit as Moses, and to bear the burden of the people with Moses (Numbers 11:17). Moses chose the elders of Israel by using a combination of approval by the congregation, and approval by Moses himself. Moses then instructed the elders in principles of righteous leadership, and thus relieved himself of many burdens. (Guzik)

Moses reminds them that he had done all that was required on his part to conduct the people to the enjoyment of what God had freely given to them. The people had so increased in number that Moses found himself unable to attend to all the matters that concerned them, or to adjudicate in all the differences that arose among them. God had brought to pass that which he had promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:5), that his seed should be as the stars of heaven for multitude; in this Moses rejoiced, nay, he would even that their numbers were, with the Divine blessing, increased a thousandfold beyond what they were. But he found the burden, the weight of care and trouble, especially in connection with their strifes and suits thereby brought on him, too much for him; and, therefore, whilst they were still at Horeb, he had, following the advice of Jethro, his father-in-law, counseled them to select competent men from among themselves, who should relieve him by attending to those duties which he found it too burdensome for him to have to attend to. (Unknown)

Sometimes the weight of the position we are in, the expectations of those we serve, the complaints and concerns of the people (some rightly and some wrongly), and the seemingly endless strife of both minimal or complicated issues just take the joy out of life. We can see this not only in our professions but also in our churches. People being wronged or feeling they have been wronged. Many times our position does not allow us to see all of the consequences of the decisions (or lack thereof) that may cause concern for others. Sometimes people will rightly and humbly bring up their concerns and other times they will not. Grumbling can and does find its way into people’s hearts, which is the root of issues. People can grumble just for the sake of what they have heard 2nd and 3rd hand. They join in for a perceived wrong. They do not know the whole issue but speak as though they do and speak down upon those in leadership roles. 

Paul and Peter both speak of keeping this type of mindset at bay in a person’s mind and heart. They say these types of actions and mindset should not be what drives us, but rather that of grace, mercy, love, kindness, forgiving, and even to the point of allowing ourselves to be wronged for the sake of unity.