Daily devotion
Posted by Preacher Ray Slater on Thursday, March 31, 2016
Unbelief is dangerous, regardless of who you are.
In the first chapter of Luke, Zechariah, a member of the priestly tribe, was standing in the holy place offering incense before God. And Angel of the Lord brought him a message, but because he refused to believe the message and question the power of God, Zechariah was struck dumb! Another example of unbelief is in Numbers 20:12 when Moses and Arron's lack of trust in God led them to take rash actions. They struck the rock twice instead of merely speaking to it as God had instructed. This simple act of unbelief disqualified them from their long awaited entrance into the promised land. God does not exempt his leaders from judgment if they fail to walk before him in the purity of faith. He is" no respecter of persons" (acts 10:34) and judges unbelief the same in all people . Uzzah steadied the Ark (1Chronicles 13:10) and was struck dead. Nadab and Abihu offered" strange fire" (Leviticus 10:1) and were immediately burned alive by the fire of God. God is also in his holiness and will not be disregarded. Let us serve him" acceptably with reverence and godly fear" (Hebrews 12:28) Daily reading: Numbers 19:1 – 20:29, Psalms 56:1 – 13, Proverbs 11:8, Luke 1:1 – 25
In Numbers 17:8 – 12, one rod ended an entire insurrection. What a powerful rod this was to have amazed, dumbfounded and brought to repentance the powerful forces opposing Moses!
The miracle of this rod was that it represented something impossible: a resurrection. How could a dance date, separated from the tree trunk, polished and smooth, suddenly sprout leaves, buds and almonds? Only by the Resurrection Power of God! Christianity is the only religion in which its leader was dead for three days, then physically resurrected. While all other religions are is mere sticks with man made claims to authority. Christianity is distinguished because Jesus rod has budded. This budding Rod has persuaded millions that he is truly the Son of God! They stand in awe that someone beaten, crucified and speared in the side could stand three days later and say,"All Hail". His name has all authority over demons, disaster and disease (Mark 16:17, 18). We as his disciples can stand, holding the rod of the Resurrection in our hands. Let us preach the gospel of the resurrected Christ to all creation and watch the Lord confirm his word with signs following (Mark 16:20)! Daily reading Numbers 16:41 – 18:32 Psalms 55:1 – 23 Proverbs 11:7 Mark 16:1 – 20
" Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness destroy them" (Psalm 54:5). It is true that God will repay those who falsely accuse us, but how hard it is to remain silent and let God take vengeance! Moses and Aron's attitudes remained perfect throughout the strongest challenge to their authority in the wilderness. The" gain saying of Core" (Jude 11) is marked as the most slanderous, dangerous illustration of rebellion in the old testament. Moses could have easily ordered the opposing leaders death or fought them a fistfight! Instead, he" fell face down" (Numbers 16:4). Why not let God execute he is own justice? Those opposing God's authority are fighting against him. Christ also displayed a quiet, humble spirit before Pilate . As wave upon wave of slanderous accusation came from the Sanhedrin to Pilate," Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed" (Mark 15:5). The moment came when Moses and Jesus were both justified by God before all men – Moses when the ground swallowed Korah, and Jesus through the resurrection. The patient, humble and quiet, for God is your help; the Lord is the one who sustains you (Psalms 54:4). Daily readings Numbers 15:17 – 16:40, Psalms 54:1 – 7, Proverbs 11:5, 6, Mark 15:1 – 47 Jesus stood before the high priest and boldly declared who he was (Mark 14:62).
How opposite Jesus assertion was from Peter's timid, fearful denial of who he was (Mark 14:68)! Oh, what a difference the presence of the Holy Spirit makes as he gives us boldness to fearlessly declare our witness for God! There stood Christ, unafraid of death, declaring before all man his identity and their judgment. His bold, resilient declaration ignited a storm like a match in a powder keg! Peter, on the other hand, shrunk back, cursing, swearing and denying that he had ever known Christ. If the fear of man brings a snare (Proverbs 29:25), the in Peter fail headlong into that snare. What a change we can observe in Peter's life, however, when he stood up on the day of Pentecost. He demanded repentance from the men who had crucified Christ! Joshua and Caleb had the same boldness when facing a whole assembly about to stone them (Numbers 14:10). Never let the fear of man intimidate you in your greatest hour of destiny. Others may run, hide and deny, that you must stand tall and be bold! Daily reading Numbers 14:1, 15:16, Psalms 53:1 – 6, Proverbs 11:4, Mark 14:53 – 72 The plague of small thinking strikes again! In Numbers 11:28, Joshua was extremely concerned that someone other than Moses might be used of God to prophesy.
Joshua did not comprehend that God can use whomever he wants in order to accomplish what ever he wants. In Numbers 13, the 10 spies had to decide between the grapes and the Giants. Huge clusters of fruit should have captured the Israelites attention, faith and excitement. Instead, their eyes were on the Giants who stood guard over the abundance. The devil always tries to get our attention moral his resistance that on God's provision. A small, limited vision will make us see ourselves as" grasshoppers in our own eyes" (Numbers 13:33) instead of" well able to overcome" v (. 30) Philip rehearsed to Jesus how impossible it was to feed 5000 men in the wilderness, while Andrew went and found five loaves and two fish. Small thinking involves meditating all negative, impossible faults that outweigh God's word. Although Moses had said," be of good courage" (Numbers 13:20), the spies fearful thinking cause them to believe that the Giants were too large to" go for the grapes." Think large: conquest... Good report... Well able! Daily reading Numbers 11:24 – 13:33, Psalms 52:1 – 9, Proverbs 11:1 – 3, Mark 14:22 – 52 The beautiful nature of God is one of sacrifice, the giving of something only half of another. The ugly nature of Satan is one of selfishness, the taking of that which belongs to another.
Never have the spiritual sacrifice and selfishness been so starkly contrasted as in Mark 14:3 – 10 in the story of the woman and Judas. The woman was reckless in her sacrifice, pouring out a very expensive perfume on the head of Jesus. Her perfume was worth one years salary! However, her sacrifice seems insignificant when we consider that it was anointing the head of Christ for burial! This was the last act of love shown to Jesus before his death. Since that moment, millions have read and appreciated the memory of her act, even though the woman's money, perfume and possessions have all long since passed from the scene. In our lives, the unselfish, beautiful sacrifices we make for Jesus and his body will live and return to us forever. By contrast, Judas tedious, greedy act of fattening his purse with 30 pieces of bloodmoney has gone down in infamy. What is the final memory others will have of you: Libby one of sacrifice or selfishness? Daily reading Numbers 10:1 – 11:23, Psalm 51:1 – 19, Proverbs 10:31, 32, Mark 14:1 – 21 " Our God comes" (Psalm 50:3).
These three little words are the most certain fact in the universe. We may be going through terrible trials, tribulations, sufferings and temptations, but we can be certain of one thing:" our God comes." Christ will return to earth. A fire will devour before him (v.3) As he returns to destroy the Antichrist and his armies. God will then" judge his people" (v. 4). The concept of Jesus return took center stage as Christ taught his disciples about the end of time:" no one knows about that day or hour" (Mark 13:32). We must be on our guard carefully and dutifully, for his arrival could be in the evening, at night or at dawn (v. 35). As we battle the enemy, we should be constantly looking skyward for the imminent return of our Lord. Focusing on his coming will keep us on guard against sin, compromise and slothfulness, and will encourage us in battle. We must keep our lives equipped and our hearts ready, because there will be no time for preparation at his sudden return. To the sleeping, distracted, halfhearted Christian, Jesus gives one word that will keep him or her own track for life: "WATCH!" (Mark 13:37). Daily reading Numbers 8:1 – 9:23, Psalm 10:1 – 23, Proverbs 10:29, 30, Mark 13:14 – 37 |
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