May 11

Today’s Reading - Psalm 91 - 93

(Psa 92:12 KJV) The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which tells us of the deep roots the Christian has. We shall flourish like the palm tree because we are planted like the palm tree. The palm tree exhibits some great characteristics. The roots of a palm tree can extend down into the ground about a hundred feet. The roots also spread out very far. The roots of the palm tree will also extend themselves toward any water. If you ever notice a palm tree in a hurricane, it is literally almost blown flat, yet because of its resiliency, when the storm is over, the tree will once again return to and maintain its vertical posture. If you notice other trees, they are easily uprooted and tossed around. A few weeks ago we had a thunderstorm and the wind gusts were about 50 miles per hour (80 kmh). All of a sudden we saw the fire department and the first aid squad around the corner from my house. When the storm was over I walked down to the corner and the storm had taken down a large tree with it a telephone pole. I looked at the bottom of the tree and it was literally ripped right from its roots. Guess what I thought of? (Mat 13:21 KJV) Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

This was a large tree, at least 20 feet high (6 meters). Now when the sun was out and the day was nice, it gave much shade because it had many leaves. It gave the impression that it was a sturdy tree. Now when the winds started to blow on it, the great impression that it gave was just that, an impression. The reality was that it could not stand the pressure of the storm. In contrast to a regular tree, God says we will flourish like the palm tree. This is because the roots of the Christian are buried deep in the Lord Jesus Christ and as a result we will not break under the pressure of storms. We may bend perpendicularly but we will weather the storm because the roots of the Christian go as deep as the nails did in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our roots are in the living God, not a religion or a church. Because our roots are in Christ, we will also grow like the cedars of Lebanon. The cedar trees were large trees growing to a height of 70 or 80 feet (21-24 m). Their trunks have been measured to the size of 30 to 40 feet around (9-12 m). These trees grow for hundreds of years and in the Bible were symbols of strength and durability. (Ezek 31:3 KJV) Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs. God uses a combination of these two trees to teach that because the believer has his or her roots in Christ, even under the most horrible storms, the believer will not only withstand them, but under those circumstances they will grow in the faith. The cedars of Lebanon were used in the construction of the temple of Solomon. The individual believer is also in the temple of God. What a great parallel and truth these two trees give us concerning the Christian walk and our position in Christ.

May 12

Today’s Reading - Psalm 94 - 96

(Psa 94:3 KJV) LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

In today’s reading we come across this verse which is the heart cry of all Christians. Lord, when will the day of evil end and thy Kingdom Come? Every true Christian that lives in this sin cursed world looks forward to the day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return and take His children to glory forever. A verse which has been a great source of counsel is found in Luke 21:19. (Luke 21:19 KJV) In your patience possess ye your souls. It basically admonishes us that as we wait for the consummation of the age, that we are to guard our souls and keep them far from the sinning world. It teaches us to have patience for we do not know when the last one is to be saved. When that happens, then this present world will end and God will re-create the universe and we will then dwell in the New Heavens and the New Earth. Then the body of believers, being the New Jerusalem, will be qualified for that eternal dwelling. Never again having to face sin or the temptations associated with it. The vileness of sin and the sinner will not be found in the new creation. This is why we long for the return of the Lord. Our spirit will no longer be in conflict with a sinful nature and there will be perfect harmony.

(Rev 6:10 KJV) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? Even those believers in heaven look forward to the time when all the judgments shall be past and there will only be eternal bliss in glory with the Lord who redeemed us and our Heavenly Father. As God’s children, we definitely feel the wilderness of this world and our souls cry out because of the wickedness that surrounds us. We feel like Lot who was vexed in his spirit because of the wickedness of Sodom. Yet, Lot, because of the sufficiency of the grace of God, did not become hardened to sin and was able to experience the vexation to the longing soul of sin. Yet God keeps us here until the appointed time and we are to be lights in a dark world. We must continue to realize the task we have at hand is a very serious one and cannot be neglected. The closer we get to the Lord, the more vexed we will be in our own spirit concerning the world and its sin. The things of this world will hold less and less value as we compare the eternal world of righteousness and the temporal sinful world. As the psalmist cries out asking the Lord how long will the wicked reign on earth? We must realize the answer that God gave Abraham. (Gen 15:16 KJV) But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. As the restraining hand of the Holy Spirit is being lifted from this world, we see that this world is getting more sinful by the hour. This is another sign of the end of the world. (2 Th 2:7 KJV) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. The Holy Spirit will be completely taken out of the way on the last day, when the last believer is saved. Notice in 2 Thessalonians that action is simultaneous with judgment day. Then God’s salvation program will be complete and we will be home forever. My personal belief it is very close at hand.

May 13

Today’s Reading - Psalm 97 - 99

(Psa 97:7 KJV) Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which teaches that those who cling to false teachings will be confounded. This word “confounded” is also translated “ashamed” in quite a number of other passages in the Old Testament. The ultimate shame is going to come at the Great White Throne Judgment when unbelievers will be ashamed for the type of beliefs they held on earth. The ultimate shame will come when, as our verse states, that those who boasted in their idols or their false teachings will be brought to task on it and be forced to realize that they have clung to and actually defended false teachings. Now the great day of reckoning has come and the false teaching will not stand before the righteous judge of all the earth. Israel and Judah both went a whoring after the false gods of the surrounding nations, and maybe partly because they feared the great military might which these heathens possessed. So they figured at least a religious alliance might bring peace. Where do we hear that same type of philosophy today? All around us! It is the ecumenical message which screams from every false church or ministry.

Join hands with us and there will be peace! So many are actually doing it and thinking that by making religious alliances, there may be peace on earth. When all the religions on earth will be holding hands, then the Lord will have something to say about it. (1 Th 5:3 KJV) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. False religions always tend to embrace a false peace. This is because false religions and teachings tend to satisfy the flesh. It gives one a good feeling that they have done something to make the world a better place. 100,000 died today and went to hell, but hey, you saved a whale! Does anybody bother to check their Bibles to see if they are seeking the same peace the Lord speaks of? Remember, the world was supposed to be a better place under Communism. Always keep in mind, if you are a true Christian, then the ecumenical movement is designed by Satan to come after you. He already has those in false religions but he wants to hinder your Christian walk. Satan knows that if he can divert you on to some other seemingly altruistic path, you will have less time to devote to the Great Commission. This is why we must learn from what Israel and Judah did. We must never allow ourselves to hold hands with false religions or false teachings. God is zero tolerant of each. Both robs Him of His rightful glory as our Savior and robs us of fellowship with the one who bought us for all eternity. Do a spiritual introspection today and check to see if you have been courting any false teachings or false religions. This way you will not be ashamed at the return of the Lord.

May 14

Today’s Reading - Psalm 100 - 102

(Psa 101:3 KJV) I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which should be an admonition for every Christian. The words “wicked things” are defined as “a word or thing of Belial.” Now we all know who Belial is. Here David is telling us that we should set no wicked thing before our eyes. David would be the perfect one to warn us since instead of turning away from Bathsheba bathing, he sinned and brought devastating consequences not only to his own family but to the nation of Israel. God hates the evil work of those that turn from His word and warnings. This hatred of sin applies to the Christian also. God knows the destructive nature of sin and what it can do to His children. We should also hate the works of those who would help turn us away from the Lord. The only reason we would look on something wicked is because it will help propel us to sin. No Christian is above sinning since we are still in the flesh and the flesh and the spirit are in opposition to each other. In fact, I have this verse right by my computer to remind me to be careful on line. There are over one million pornography sites out there and being single the temptation can be overwhelming at times. Many times I get spammed pornography advertisements in my mail. You don’t have to go looking for temptation, it will eventually come to you.

Another aspect of the evil things we should not set before our eyes, is the erroneous teachings which are so prevalent on line. The Internet has the ability to draw a person away from the true teachings of Christ much more than any other media. This is so because anyone can create a website with whatever teachings they choose, true or false. There are over 100 million people on line in the United States alone. This means that the possibility of 100 million opinions exists out there. David warns us that all the works of iniquity that he will come across in his life, he will rebut it, so it will have no effect in his life. If someone comes to you with some type of evil plan or situation, do we really have to investigate it to know it is wrong? No, we do this on orders from our flesh hoping to find something good in the evil. If in our spirit we know something is inherently evil, at that point, step away from it. We must be as David and not let any evil work cleave to us. Cleaving is a very intimate action. The husband and wife cleave to each other. The Lord is instructing us that evil or wickedness should not be so familiar to us that it can cleave to us easily. Basically, the question is as follows. Do we allow evil a home in our life? Am I comfortable to dwell with wicked things? When evil comes knocking on our door, we must take the full armor of God and kill it, before it has a chance to walk in the door and plead its case. Remember Eve!

May 15

Today’s Reading - Psalm 103 - 105

(Psa 103:12 KJV) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which gives us one of the mightiest descriptions of what God did for us in salvation. Christianity is the only faith on earth which is a living faith. The rest are dead religions. When the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross for His people, he did not cover our sins as the Old Testament ceremonial system did, instead He went much further, He removed them. Did you grasp that reality? There are many churches out there which teach a person can lose their salvation. If God has removed the sins of those who are saved, then what could possibly cause a person to lose their salvation? When the sins are removed, it means that a person is clean before God and have no sin taint. Therefore, if God Himself has removed those sins, then the only way that a person could lose their salvation would be for God to rejoin the believer and their sin. There is nothing like this taught in Scripture, therefore loss of salvation on the part of someone who is truly saved cannot happen.

By God removing our sins, we can actually come into His presence without even a bit of guile on our tongues. (Rev 14:5 KJV) And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God. This verse tells us how clean the believer is before the Lord. The tongue is the hardest thing to control and here God is claiming that our tongues are clean. When you look at all the religions of the world like Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roman Catholicism. Not one of these religions can guarantee a person’s salvation. Only true Christianity can give a guarantee that one is saved. The rest of the world’s religions are all based on a system of works. Notice in our verse it tells us that God is the one that removes our sins. Salvation is all of the Lord without any contribution by man. If man had to contribute to his salvation, then he would turn it into a religion and then no one would get saved from the smokescreen of works which would have to be accomplished. It is also interesting that God uses east and west. If you continue to walk east, you will never hit west. If you try to use north and south in this analogy, if you walk north, you will eventually come to the North Pole and once you cross that, you will begin to walk south. This analogy teaches that the Christian and their sins, past, present, and future, will never meet again. This means the moment you are saved, you are already prepared for heaven. Some believe that only their past sins have been forgiven. Well, ask yourself the following question. Where were you when Christ went to the cross? You weren’t even born yet. That means all your sins were in the future, which includes the ones you haven’t committed yet. True Christianity! It has only just begun.

May 16

Today’s Reading - Psalms 106 -108

(Psa 106:15 KJV) And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which is a good thought provoker when we pray. There is an old saying, “Watch what you pray for, you may get it.” In this Psalm we see another short history of Israel and their rebellion toward God after he provided well for them throughout their entire journey in the desert. How soon the torments of Egypt were forgotten. The Israelites were complaining that they were tired of the Manna and they wanted something different. So God sent them Quails and while they were still eating them the Lord sent a plague and many died from it. You can find this sad scenario in Numbers 11. The Scripture states that they buried the people that lusted. This is not only an Old Testament warning but we find the very same warning in the New Testament. (James 4:3 KJV) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Sometimes we tend to use prayer as we do an order form. It is like we are going on line to Heaven.com and placing our order for what we want. While requests are always a part of our praying, God wants us to assess our prayers and assess why we are asking for the things we do. He wants us to focus our prayers on Him and not on our lust for things.

Many times in prayer we ask the Lord for things which we believe we need. Sometimes we evaluate that need according to the flesh. Now there are times when we ask the Lord for things, such as a job, food, health, etc. There is not a legitimate thing that we cannot take to our Heavenly Father. God evaluates every prayer we pray. Some people feel that there are times when God does not answer prayer and that is not true, “NO” is an answer. Sometimes we ask for things without thinking of the long term effects a “yes” answer would have. The Israelites didn’t think there would be consequences when they murmured against God. We should always structure our prayers in the mindset of “consequential praying.” In other words, we should ask ourselves, if God would grant me what I ask for, would I be better off ten years from today? Evaluation of our prayers should be a steady thing. We need to know, for our own spiritual health, whether we are asking God to be our God or to be our servant. There are many out there in the signs and wonders gospel, who believe that God will give us everything we ask for. What if that was true? Suppose someone in your church prayed for you to drop dead because they misunderstood something about you. Would you want God to answer that prayer? God answers prayer according to His will and if our will is in concert with what God is going to do in a situation, then He will answer in the affirmative. This is why it is important to know the mind of God by means of searching the Scriptures. Then we will be able to pray intelligently. Stop allowing yourself to be deceived by “name it and claim it” charlatans. Next time you pray, ask for God’s will to be done, and accept it, whether you like it or not. Father Knows Best!

May 17

Today’s Reading - Psalm 109 -111

(Psa 109:5 KJV) And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which gives a pretty good capsulized definition of the Christian life. The world hates us and wishes we would go away. The reason they hate us is because we don’t want them to burn in hell. Can you imagine the following scenario? Person “A” is about to throw your children off a bridge into a raging river and person “B” comes along to stop this murder. Instead of you getting angry at person “A”, you are getting mad at person “B” for stopping him. This is what the unbelieving world does to us. All their philosophies and systems will send them to hell, but the Christian wants to save some of those people from the results of following these systems. So who gets beat up for it? The person bringing the lies or the Christian? You know the answer. But this is exactly what happened to the Lord Jesus. After all the things He did for the people as he walked the dusty roads of earth, yet, His kindness was returned with hatred. This is why we are not surprised when these things happen to us. This world is no friend of the Christian. This is why God makes sure that we understand that this world is not our home. Sometimes we view it like we are staying here for a hundred more years. He gives us the understanding that we are just pilgrims who are journeying on our way home.

Sin is in direct opposition to God and this is why sinners hate us. They see us as a threat to the fact that they will have to give an account of their sins to God. This goes against the grain of what the world has been taught. You know, we all came from monkeys or some type of miasmic sludge that was burped up on to the ground. If we are just an evolving species, then our faults that we presently have like crime and evil, will eventually be done away with as we evolve into a higher intellectual species. Yeah right! Christians are walking, talking representatives of God on earth and it really does frighten the unbeliever that they might have to give an account of their life. If this is true, then it will cramp their lifestyle. It may trigger a conscious approach to life and they might not be able to sin like they want. So Christian bashing and quashing are the methods used to try and shut us up. What if we were silenced? Then God said the rocks would cry out. (Luke 21:33 KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. This means that as long as there are Bibles on this earth, Christ’s words will be with us and as long as we continue to bring those words to the unbelievers, we will be reviled. But that is God’s business, He will open the eyes of many and many others will not see. After all, when the unbelievers hate us, it is misguided hatred. It is God and His righteousness they are really showing contempt for. So today, just be faithful and leave the results to God. They may hate you, but the Lord loves you. Whose love would you rather die with?

May 18

Today’s Reading - Psalm 112 - 114

(Psa 112:1 KJV) Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

In today’s reading we come across this verse which tells us of a two-fold blessing. The first way in which a person receives a blessing is to fear the Lord. As children of God we do not look at God as some kind of nasty despot and we fear Him in that light. We fear God as an awesome God and as a parent. We also fear Him knowing that He will still chastise us. When we filter our lives and thoughts through the fear of God, what happens is a growth pattern. When something crops up in my life which may not seem entirely biblical and I begin to filter the situation through the fear of God, it will give me a divine perspective on whatever is before me. Three questions which may come to mind immediately would be: 1) Will this bring glory to God? 2) Will this strengthen my testimony? 3) Will I be chastened of the Lord if I do this thing? Whenever we live in the fear of God we begin to do Godly assessment on everything that enters our life. This creates a spiritual astuteness in our walk. I have heard people say to me while doing something wrong, “The Lord knows my heart.” Like that is an excuse to do what we feel like. The Lord does know our heart and that is why we must come humbly before Him in fear so we don’t get into trouble doing it our way.

The second way that we become blessed is when we delight ourselves in the Scriptures. By reading and studying our Bible we can begin to get God’s perspective on every and anything. There is not a thing the Bible does not cover. When we saturate ourselves in Scripture, we can never be blindsided. Knowing the Scriptures allows us to keep our armor on and we are always ready to battle. Notice the Bible says “Greatly.” You can always tell the ones who greatly delight in the Scriptures. They are the ones who do not see any situation as too hard for the Lord. They always know that God is in charge of every situation. They also realize that the things which may befall them are to grow them in the faith and not to destroy them. By reading in Scripture, the lives of all the faithful, we can see how each one of them became a victorious Christian, even out of the depths of despair and seeming hopelessness. I remember some years ago, Dr. Charles Stanley preached a message called “Out of this Wreck, I rise.” I don’t remember the essence of the message but the title stayed with me. It shows how when the deepest circumstances affect our life, God causes His children to rise out of and above those circumstances. (Isa 58:14 KJV) Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. But we can only rise if we know the mind of God and only if we greatly delight in the Scriptures. We should never take them for granted. There are Christians in parts of the world who never even saw one. So fear the Lord and know His word today. Delighting in the things of the Lord is a solid biblical principle.

May 19

Today’s Reading - Psalm 115 -118

(Psa 118:8 KJV) It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

In today’s reading we come across this warning which teaches us that faith in the Lord is better than confidence in man. How many times have we placed trust in someone only to be let down. This is the essence of trusting man. It does not matter what we trust man for, whether it be the physical things or the spiritual things. Man is a very fallible and fickle creature. Once in a while we will rely on someone and they may be faithful and are there for us. What God is teaching us here is that there should be no steady dependence on any man. In Christianity we tend to attach ourselves to certain teachers and hang on every word they say. How many hung on the words of Jimmy Swaggart or Jim Baker, and when their house of cards came tumbling down, it sent shock waves through not only the Christian community but the world. It caused many unbelievers to belittle the name of Christ. What about those who set dates for the Lord’s return? There have been many throughout history who have set the date for the Lord’s return and with that have gathered to themselves many followers. When the date came and went, the followers realized they had been duped. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are probably the most well-known of all the date setters, with setting many dates between 1914 to 1975.

Faith in man is having faith in a fallible creation. Man’s abilities and knowledge are limited and tainted by sin, making them much more limited. Many people look at the scientific advancements and feel that man is intellectually evolving. These proponents do not realize that the only reason new discoveries are being made is because God is allowing them to discover what He has already placed there. Advances in science and medicine exist only because God is allowing it. In the religious world, one of the greatest examples of trusting in man is the Roman Catholic Institution with their system of intervention by Saints. Each of these people they called Saints, were nothing but mere mortals and yet people by the millions are praying to them. What a disappointment it is going to be for so many at the Judgment Seat of Christ on the last day, when these people are going to see how they were deceived by men into believing these fake saints could do something for them. We see the futility of following men in all kinds of false religion. Whether it be Hinduism, New Age, Islam, Buddhism, or whatever. The devotees to these religions put all kind of trust and confidence in their leaders and teachers but it will lead to eternal damnation. This is why God does not want us placing trust in man because the end is destruction. God wants us to follow only Him because He will lead us into all truth and will not allow His people to be deceived by false prophets and teachers. He knows the frailty of man and how it can lead us down the wrong paths. In Christianity, we must also be on the lookout for those who would lead us astray.

May 20

Today’s Reading - Psalm 119

(Psa 119:12 KJV) Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.

Today’s reading primarily deals with the word of God. Psalm 119 contains 176 verses and gives us an excellent insight into the word of God. There are many different names given to God’s word in this Psalm: statutes, judgments, law, commandments, precepts, testimonies. They speak to every need a person may have in this life. Certainly they tend to every need the Christian may encounter in this life. It is certainly no coincidence that in the last Psalm God admonishes us not to place trust in man, even in Princes. In this Psalm God is emphasizing that we are to order our life according to the Scriptures. Unfortunately, in a psychology soaked society, many people, including Christians, are ordering their lives according to some type of psychological school of thought. Christian psychology is a big business. If you really sit down and analyze any of the Christian Psychology books, you will see how opposite of Scripture they are. How many untold millions are living their lives according to philosophy, New Age thought, or secular humanism. As with following a man, the following of the writings of unsaved man will also lead to eternal damnation. Each world religion has its own guidebooks. The Mormons have their book of Mormon. The Seventh Day Adventists have their writings by Ellen White. No matter what false discipline you look at, each will have their own written authorities for their adherents to follow.