Romans832

Brother Michael's Devotional

2008-12-25T19:43:00.000-08:00

"There is a sin unto death." I John 5:16

We make much of the grace of God and that is how it should be. But there is a danger in emphasizing the grace of God to the exclusion of the judgment of God. We learn from the Bible in I John 4:8 "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." We also learn from John 3:17 that "...God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." So the Word of God most certainly declares God's love toward humanity and His all sufficient grace.

But not only is God a God of love and mercy, but He is also a God of holiness and justice. There is a danger for a child of God who dwells overly long on the grace of God and yet never contemplates His vast Holiness in thinking of God as some old sentimental man winking at the sins of his children. Friend, God will not tolerate his children living in sin. We have the the nation of Israel as an example in the Old Testament. Time after time they would dabble in sin and time after time God would send his judgement. Now God is no respecter of persons. If He would not condone sin committed by the Old Testament saints He will not let you and I get by with playing with sin.

So you and I must be on guard against the deceitfulness of sin and here in lies the great danger of sin. The more you dabble in sin, the harder it becomes to resist and the easier it becomes to sin again up until the point God must move in judgement against us. It is similar to a cow in a fenced in pasture. Once the cow discovers it can jump the fence, it becomes nearly impossible to keep him in. So the farmer, to prevent the cow from jumping out and destroying his crops, is forced to tie a stick around the cow's neck. Once the cow attempts to jump the fence again, the stick will get caught on the fence and break the cow's neck.

But we do not have to end up like our proverbial cow. If we will judge sin in our own lives God will not have to move in in judgement against us. Let us now seriously deal with sin in our lives and turn toward God the giver of true holiness.

"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." I Corinthians 11:31-32

Brother Michael's Devotional

2008-03-17T18:17:00.000-07:00

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;"

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:"

"How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,"Ephesians 3:16, 9, 3

Each of us is carrying a burden. All of us are born with the burden of original sin. Lost humanity carries the burden of guilt, the church often carries a heavy load of ministry and the individual saint toils under the weight of there personal vocation. How then are we to bear these burdens?

First, each of us in the body of Christ are given a certain vocation. We are placed in the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit as it has pleased the Father. But where does our strength to function in our vocation come from? We, in and of our selves, have no ability to do anything pleasing to God. So we must "be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man." Friend, we need outside help if we are bear the load of our calling and live within the will of God. The Apostle Paul faced this struggle in Romans chapter 7 when he stated, "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." The apostle Paul discovered that he was incapable of fulfilling his vocation or living within the will of God by himself but that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him.

The Body of Christ corporately has also been called to the ministry and to bear a burden. God has called us as a body of believers to proclaim the gospel so that we might "make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery...that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel." But this burden can not be carried out by one man alone, it requires the entire body of Christ or the "fellowship of the mystery" to complete this task. Just as a human body can not function to it's full potential when it is missing a member, whether it be an eye, ear or hand, even so the body of Christ can not function to it's full potential when one member, even the most insignificant, is missing.

Lastly, lost humanity is burdened with the guilt of sin and the futile attempt to be reconciled to God. Friend, there is nothing your or I can do to please God because he is already satisfied with the work of the Son. God is well pleased with His Son Jesus Christ, what about you? The only salvation from the burden of sin that all of us are born with is the "mystery of Christ...that the gentiles should be fellowheirs..."

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-12-09T20:56:00.000-08:00

"And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he many minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, Aaron's sons." Exodus 28:1

Here we have the election of the priesthood according to the Mosaic Covenant. But who was it doing the electing? If it had been a modern church, there would have been a pastor search committee established, resumes would have been reviewed and the man with the most letters behind his name would have been called.

Friend, let me be plain. An education from a seminary is good, but a call from God is better. We are not to look to ourselves in an attempt to determine a good leader, we are simply to recognize God's called man, and validate his calling through the ordination. It is God that does the electing, not us.

But what sort of ministers do we need? We have a plethora of books and seminars that are being devoured buy our ministers. We have no end of megachuches, television ministries and mini empires being raised by our ministers. And it seems that everywhere around us we have "men of God" crying against the most vulgar of sin on Sunday only to appear in Monday's paper guilty of the very same act.

What we need are men with blood tipped ears on their face before God seeking a word from God. What we need are men of God with blood tipped thumbs carrying out their God called vocation. And what the Church is in the most desperate need of is God called men with blood tipped toes living their life Monday in light of what they preached Sunday (Leviticus 8). Friend, the reason there is so little power in America's pulpit is not because of the lack of potency of the Word of God, it is because of secret sin in the life of the ministers occupying those pulpits.

"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and [before] Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep [this] commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:" I Timothy 6:11-14

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-12-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." John 16:12-14

We hear much of "Spirit filled churches" and "moving of the Spirit" in modern Christian circles. But how exactly do we identify a Spirit filled assembly? More often then not, when we hear the phrase "Spirit filled church," we hear of miracles, healing or some other outward manifestation. But are these genuine phenomenons of the Spirit or simple showings of the flesh? What exactly is the ministry of the Spirit in this Age of Grace.

We find our answer in John 16. Here we have our Lord speaking to the disciples on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane of his impending departure. The disciples become sorrowful and so our Lord tells that He will not leave them alone but that He will send another, a Comforter, to keep them.

Now what exactly did our Lord say this Comforter would do in lives of the believers? Was He to manifest signs and wonders? Was He sent to heal the sick, and give sight to the blind? Friend, the ministry of the Holy Ghost is to glorify the Person of the Son. If you want to find a Spirit filled Church, find one that exalts the person of Christ.

God can a does heal the sick and move in great experiences in our lives. But it was the will of the Father to send the Holy Spirit to glorify the Son in this Age of Grace. We find in John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me." It is the good pleasure of the Father to draw men to Christ's person and work, and that is were our emphasis should be.

"But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." John 15:26

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-11-30T19:16:00.000-08:00

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Romans 3:24-25

What is of primary importance in relation to the remission of sins and the work of Christ on the cross? Some may say it is the cleansing of the saint or the salvation of the sinner. But what is of more importance, the holiness of God or the salvation of man?

As to the cleansing of the saint, let us look to 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." As we look at this passage of scripture we see it begins with the confession of sins and ends with the cleansing of the saint. But what is the fulcrum, the hinge of this verse? It is the faithfulness and justness of God. There is a popular notion that a "saint" can live like the world and only has to come to God and ask for forgiveness and God is somehow obligated to forgive the individual. May I say, friend, God is under no obligation to forgive sin on the basis of allowing us to live like the devil. God will never compromise His holiness for the sin of man. God has indeed made a perfect provision for the cleansing of the soiled saint through confession while maintaining His attribute of divine justice as the judge of the universe. But God makes no provision for the sinning reprobate who intends to trample upon the blood of Christ through willful sin.

We see this same principle in Romans 3:25-26. Here the Apostle Paul lays the ground work for the great declaration of the propitiation as "to declare...at this time his (God's) righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Some may be under the impression that God's chief concern in this universe is the salvation of sinners. While it is indeed true that God is deeply concerned with the salvation of man, there is something even greater than man's salvation that God is concerned with, and that is His own righteousness. If man's salvation compromised the holiness of God there would be none that would be saved. What is the first thing that God declares when listing the motivation of the propitiation? Was it the justification of the sinner? No, it is the righteousness of God, that He might first be just, and then after His justice is satisfied He justifies them which believe in Jesus.

Friend, God loves you, and His great motivation in delivering up His only Son was His great love for you. But He will not compromise His holiness with your sin to slip you in the back door of heaven.

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-11-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

"The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven," Nehemiah 1:1-4

Have you ever wondered what your calling is? You may wonder what ministry will the Lord place you in. Though a man or woman's calling is a very personal thing there are some definite signs that God gives us to point us in the right direction.

First, let us establish that God has a ministry for all of those in the Body of Christ. We read in I Corinthians 12:7 that "the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal," (emphasis mine.) Each one of us have unique spiritual gifts and a ministry to edify the Body of Christ. These gifts are not natuaral talents and these ministries are not of our own design, but they are bestowed upon us as it pleases the Holy Ghost. I Corinthians 12:11

Which brings us to the original question, what ministry would God have you or me in? Well let us look to the life of Nehemiah. Nehemiah, after hearing the news of Jerusalem's broken down walls and breached gates, is burdened for the capital city of his people and does what any man of God should do in his situation, pray. After mourning, fasting and praying, Nehemiah, who is King Artaxerxes cupbearer, has a sad countenance and the King asks him why he is sorrowful of heart. Nehamiah bears his heart to Artaxerxes and relates to him the state of Jerusalem and his desire to rebuild it's walls. After this, the King gives Nehamiah letters of conveyance and sends him to rebuild Jerusalem.

Now friend, what is it that God has burdened you heart with. Do you anguish for the lost who daily perish in their sins? Do you lament the lack of sound Bible teaching? Maybe your heart breaks for those bound to convalecent homes or hospitals. Perhaps you have gone to God in prayer for these things. It very well may be that God has placed this burden on your heart, and desires to minister in this need through you. You may balk at this, protesting your inability, but that is exactly the people God uses. Those who have a burden for a certain need, but do have the power to meet them. Go to God now, cast your inadequecy at His feet, and see not what you can do, but what He can do through you.

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen th weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence." I Corinthians 1:26-29

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-11-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

"Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must buy it also of Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance." Ruth 4:5

For whom did Christ die? Did He die for the sins of some men or for all men? Has God set His covenantal love on all men or the elect only? To discover the answers to these questions we must turn to the book of Ruth. Naomi and Elimelech have left Bethlehemjudah, the house of bread and praise, and gone to Moab, God's washpot, during a famine. They have left full but only Naomi will return, and that being empty, having lost her husband, two sons and land. And so Naomi returns, but not alone, Ruth the Moabitess follows Naomi.

After arriving in Bethlehemjudah, Ruth begins to glean in the field of a man called Boaz. After Naomi sees that Boaz is kindly affectionate to Ruth, Naomi attempts to get Boaz to perform the right of kinsman redeemer. Boaz could redeem Ruth, but first he would have to redeem the field that she was bound up with.

Now compare this to Mathew 13:44 where our Lord says "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Here we have a man that finds a treasure in a field and goes and sells all that he has to purchase that field. As the man sold everything to purchase the field even so God gave everything to redeem this world. But why did God redeem the world? Was His heart set on this world? Friend, just as that man's heart was on the treasure and Boaz's heart was on Ruth, so was the Church on the heart and mind of Christ when he hung on the cross to redeem the world. And just as Boaz purchased the field for the love of a bride and the man in our Lord's parable sold all that he had for the joy of a treasure our Lord redeemed this world for the love of a bride He would call out of this world.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:25-27

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-11-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." John 10:16

Most likely the first thing that comes to mind when reading this verse is the church and how our Lord was going to call out one living "fold" out of the Jews and Gentiles. But there is something else I would like you to notice. Jesus does not speak any further about the "other sheep." All He let the Jews know is that there were others and it was His business what He did with them.

This brings us to the question of what happens to those around the world that have never had the privilege of hearing the gospel. Do they go to heaven or to hell? There are only a few hints that the Bible gives us as to the answer to this question. We find in the book of Ephesians chapter 2 that "ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." This paints a rather grim picture for those without the Word of God. But then we read in Mark 4:24 "Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given." and John 3:19 "And this is condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Here we learn that men are not saved by the amount of light they have but will be judged by it. So we know that the gentile nations had no hope without God but that the more light of the Word of God a people have the greater their condemnation.

Now all of this brings us to the original question, what happens to those who die having never heard the Word of God? There can only be one answer to this question, it is none of our business or God would have told us. We read in Deuteronomy 29:29 that "the secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." Friend, you and I are responsible for the revealed Word of God, but what He has chosen not to reveal to us is none of our business.

But for those things that we must take by faith, we can rest assured that the Judge of the universe will do right.

"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Genesis 18:25

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-11-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

"And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house int the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." Genesis 7:1

During this point in history man had become increasingly wicked and "every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually," Genesis 6:5. So God told Noah that the end of all flesh was come and that Noah was to build an ark of gopher wood, pitch it within and without, for the preservation of his and his family's life.

Here is the problem, though. There is no possible way that an ark could have survived the flood spoken of in the Bible. We often envision the flood as starting with a light rain, which gradually becomes harder. Slowly the waters rise as people begin to beat on the door of the ark to be let in. Friend, that is just not a Biblical picture of the flood. Genesis chapter 7 verse 11 tells us "the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were open." This was a cataclysmic event on a world wide scale, and there would have been no possible way for any ark to survive such an event.

Now before you think that I question the history of the flood, I want to ask you a question. Where was God during the flood? Look closely at Genesis 7:1 again, "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark." Notice that the LORD did not say go, but said come. The Lord was in the ark and He was with Noah and Noah was with the LORD during the flood.

Now look to Matthew Chapter 19 beginning with verse 16. Here we have a man come to Jesus and ask Him what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus first points the young man to the law (which will reveal his need of a Savior.) The man replies that "All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" Here our Lord will reveal where the man's heart is and tells him to "go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor," at which time the man leaves sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then our Lord makes one of the most striking declarations found in the scripture. He states, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." At this the disciples "were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?"

Just as impossible as it would have been for that ark to make it through the flood, it is just as impossible for a man to be saved. But now look to the words of Jesus, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."(italics added) Friend, even as with man it would have been impossible to survive that flood, even so with man it is impossible to be saved, but with God, all things are possible.

"Is there anything to hard for the LORD?" Genesis 18:14

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-11-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

"So she gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that she had gleaned: and it was about an ephah of barley." Ruth 2:17

Here we have Ruth gleaning in the field of Boaz. After she gathers up what she has gleaned she begins to "beat out" the barley to remove the heads from the stalk.

Grain, seed and old corn are frequently used as symbols for the Word of God in the Bible. Those that minister the word are called to sow the seed of the word, but it often becomes a difficult proposition to keep the attention of those he is speaking to. So the minister adds humor or personal stories to regain the attention of the audience. There are also times that he may interpose his own thoughts or opinions into his sermon or Bible study.

Now in the same way that those stalks attached to the barley did not affect the quality of the barley, a minister's humor or personal opinions attached to the Word of God does not affect the quality of the word. But just as Ruth "beat out" those stalks from the grain she gathered in the field, you and I must "beat out" that which we gather in our personal study.

Friend, do not let the fact that a minister has some stalks attached to the barley keep you from feasting on the word. That is the only way you are going to get it. All you and I need to do is just beat it out, leave that which is unprofitable, and feast on what we have gleaned.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." II Timothy 3:16

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-10-31T14:50:00.000-07:00

"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." Hebrews 9:11-12

After His crucifixion, our Lord went to heaven with all of His literal blood to the tabernacle that was the pattern for the Old Testament tabernacle. There He placed His blood on the judgement seat thereby changing it from a place that a holy God must move in judgement against a sinful world into a place that a God of all grace could extend mercy.

But now think on this. When Lazarus died and was buried and Jesus came and told them to roll away the stone that covered his grave, what did Martha say? She said, "Lord, by this time he stinketh." (John 11) Why was it that Lazarus had a smell? Because of corruption. You see friend, you and I have a corruptible body because of Adam's sin in the garden. When we die our flesh and blood shall rot. But this is not so for Jesus, for we read concerning Him in Psalm 16:10, "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Now you may ask, "What does the fact that our Lord presented His blood in heaven on the mercy seat and that His blood does not suffer corruption have to do with us?" It has everything to do with us. Leviticus 17:11 tells us that, "the life of the flesh is in the blood." But if we turn to I Corinthians 15:50 we learn that, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." We also know that our body in the resurrection shall be "fashioned like unto his glorious body," and that Jesus had not flesh and blood but, "flesh and bones." (Philippians 3:21 and Luke 24:39)

So, if in the resurrection we shall have flesh and bones like our Lord, how is it possible that the life of the flesh is in the blood? Remember when we talked about that incorruptible blood of Jesus in heaven. That same blood that He put there 2,000 years ago is there today and will be there for eternity future. And not only is it a testimony to the grace of God but it will be the life of the flesh of His body, the Church. Friend there is life in the blood, your life is in the blood and my life is in the blood and 10,000 years from now the life of the church will still be in the blood.

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by the tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" I Peter 1:18-20

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-10-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

"And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-Sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people." II Samuel 24:1-2

Here we see David commanding Joab to number the people of Israel. Now Joab attempted to talk David out of numbering Israel but David refused to listen, so Joab obeyed the King's command. After Joab had numbered all the people David's prophet Gad came to him, rebuked him for numbering the people, offered him three different plagues and allowed him to choose the one he and the nation would receive. The first plague would be 7 years of famine, the second would be 3 months of war and the third would be three days of pestilence at the hand of the LORD. David chose the third and seventy thousand men died.

The question arises, what was David's great sin in numbering the people. There are varying opinions as to why God disciplined David and the nation so severely but I believe the answer can be found in Exodus 30:12. Here the LORD says to Moses that "when thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them."

Moses is clearly told that every one that is numbered is to give half a shekel of silver, and silver speaks of redemption. Friend, just as the nation of Israel was under the judgement of God and required a price of redemption so you and I are born under the judgement of God and require redemption. But where is our redemption price to be found? Shall we redeem ourselves with our good works? Isaiah 64:6 says that "all our righteousness are as filthy rags" in the sight of God. Shall we bring gold or silver? I Peter 1:18 states that we "were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold." Friend there is only one thing that can redeem you and I to God, and that is the precious blood of Christ. "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish or spot:" I Peter 1 18-19

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" Ephesians 1:7

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-10-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." Job 14:4

What exactly is the state of man? Are we creatures that have some minor defects but all in all possess a natural good inside of us or are we totally separated from God and unable to come to Him?
Friend, man is a person, which means we possess a mind, a will and emotion and all three facets of mankind's person are totally separated from God and unable to comprehend, come to or love Him.
We learn from the book of Romans chapter 8 verse 7 that "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." We also learn from I Corinthians 2:14 that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them." Notice how the Bible uses the word can. Can is a word of ability and the natural man's mind is unable to be subject to the law of God or comprehend that which is spiritual.
Now look at John Chapter 5 verse 40 where Jesus was speaking to the Jews and said "ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." What was there problem? Was God not allowing them to come? No, they were unable to come, their will was, by it's very nature, in complete rebellion against God. Look at John chapter 6 verse 44 where Jesus said, "No man can come to me." Once again we have the word can, man is unable to come to God without a supernatural operation of God.
Lastly, look to Romans chapter 1 verse verse 30 where the Apostle Paul declares mankind in it's corrupt descent to be "haters of God." Man is unable to love God without God first imparting him the ability to love, (I John 4:19.)
Friend, all men are born dead to God and are separated in their mind, will and emotion from Him. Simply going forward in a church service, taking the minister by the hand and being baptized is of no use to those that are dead and alienated from God. The message this world needs to hear and which we must proclaim is "Ye must be born again." On this hinges man's salvation for without the new birth no man can see the Kingdom of God.
"Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Brother Michael's Devotional

2007-10-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

"And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,"
I Kings 18:1, 42b.

"Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the earth brought forth her fruit." James 5:17-18

Why do we pray? That is an honest question. The first response most would give is that prayer changes things. The popular view is held that if we do not pray for our loved ones they will be lost or that if we do not pray for peace or safety there will be lawlessness and anarchy. But is this true? When we pray are we attempting to get a reluctant God to do that which is good?

First of all God has an eternal purpose (Eph 3:11) and "worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:" Eph 1:11a. Secondly, God does not change and vacillate such as man does, "For I am the LORD, I change not;" Malachi 3:6a. So if God has an eternal plan and purpose and he does not change what is the point of prayer?

Remember when God sent a drought to Samaria during the reign of King Ahab through His prophet Elijah. When God was ready to send rain again He sent his servant Elijah to tell King Ahab that it was about to rain. After Elijah told King Ahab God's message about impending rain do you know what Elijah did? He prayed for rain. Now you may say, wait a minute, Elijah already had God's Word that it was going to rain, didn't he trust God? Yes Elijah did, but Elijah also had a proper understanding of prayer. We do not pray to get a reluctant God to do that which is good, we pray so that we may be used of God to effect his eternal purpose in his kingdom. Friend, that is what it means to pray in the name of Christ. That is not some religious tag that we add on, it means that when we come to God the Father, we come through Christ asking His eternal will and purpose to be done.

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:" I John 5:14

Brother Michael's Devotional

2006-04-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it." Luke 8:5

A friend of mine once commented that there were a lot of birds on television. Now he had not been watching the latest wildlife documentary but religious broadcasting. It seems that you can not turn on Christian television without being asked to "sow a seed" of twenty dollars, fifty dollars or more.
Friend, God's word has a lot to say about sowing seed, and it does not involve money. Jesus said in Luke 8:5 "A sower went out to sow seed..."
Now when this sower went to sow his seed some of it fell by the way side, and was trodden under foot and devoured by birds. Some of it fell upon a rock, other seed fell among thorns and still other fell on good ground, and bare fruit.
We are told that all we have to do is "plant a seed of faith" and send a certain amount of money to some preacher and we will receive fruit, "...some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred," whether it be by our prayers being answered or our financial needs being met.
There is only on problem with this, it contradicts the word of God. Jesus interpreted the seed as the word of God and not money in Luke 8:11. Do you know who it was devouring the seed? It was Satan, (Luke 8:12.)
Let us remember that the next time we see some "bird" on television squawking for seed. The Lord of the harvest has provided the seed, and it is good seed.

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-09-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

"And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive,he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan. And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people." Genesis 14:14-16

During the first recorded war in the Bible, Lot, nephew to Abram is taken captive. When word is brought back to Abram of Lot's plight, Abram arms his trained servants and rescues Lot.
Now Lot was in a situation where he could not help himself. What he needed and what God provided for him is a rich relative to help him.
That is the same for you and I friend. Let us put it in a modern circumstance. Let us say that I have lost my job and am not able to pay the note on my home. Now let us also assume that I have two uncles, one very rich, and one very poor. That poor uncle can listen to my problem and sympathise with me but he is in no position to help me pay my mortgage. But it is a different story with my rich uncle. He is in a definite position to help me.
Now let us apply this to the spiritual realm. In Galations 6:1 we read "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." Friend, you and I are in no position to help our overtaken brother unless we like Abram are rich.
What we need is some practical sanctification in our lives if we intend to be a help in our brother's life. I am not talking about some emotional experience, but a daily walk with Almighty God. All of this requires work. Real practical sanctification requires daily study of the Word of God, daily prayer and obedience of the revealed will of God. This is the price you and I will have to pay if desire to help our brethren.

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-08-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

Genesis 8:6-9a "And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark..."

Here Noah is attempting to discern how much the flood waters have gone down. He first sent out a raven. The raven flew over the waters and spied the carcasses left by the flood. To the raven these dead creatures left over from God's judgment were exactly what he wanted so he stopped and had a meal. After seven days the raven had not returned so Noah sent out a dove. Now the dove was not satisfied with a world under judgment full of dead things so she returned to the ark.
The child of God has two natures. One similar to the raven is an old nature that we all have inherited from Adam. It is often referred to as the flesh or the old man in the New Testament and is satisfied by the things of this world.
The other nature similar to the dove can not find rest in this world. She can only find rest at one place, the ark, and the ark speaks of Christ. This nature is often spoken of in the New Testament as the spirit or the new man.
Now here lies the problem. These two natures are diametrically opposed to each other. The fifth chapter of Galatians states, "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other..." And worse still the new nature is powerless in this body of flesh, "...so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Galatians 5:17b
Is our situation hopeless? No, for God has not left us comfortless, He has sent us the Holy Spirit. "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." Galatians 5:16
Friend, you and I are to have no confidence in this flesh of ours. It can never please God and we are to reckon it crucified. Now that we are dead to the flesh we can live in the Spirit.
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." Galatians 5:24,25

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-08-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

II Peter 2:16b "...the dumb ass speaking with man's voice..."

Do you have a pastor? Does he at times upset you? Pastors can be stubborn, pushy and meddling. Some times they can hurt our feelings by their actions.
Why is your pastor so hard headed at times? It may be God's doing. In Ezekiel 3:8,9a the LORD said to Ezekiel "Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead:"
Why did the Lord give Ezekiel this hard head? Ezekiel 2:3,4 gives us the explanation "And he said unto me, Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation that hath rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me, even unto this very day. For they are impudent children and stiff hearted. I do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD." The reason God made Ezekiel so hard headed is because the people were so stiff hearted.
Friend, this may be strong medicine, but let us not allow our pride to get in the way of hearing from God. God is in the business of communicating His word through a man of God led by the Spirit of God. Do not allow the fact that your pastor may act like a donkey cause you not to hear God speaking through him.
Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-03-28T21:23:00.000-08:00

Genesis 1:1a "In the beginning God..."

Who is God. Is He some sort of force that can be manipulated? Is He the product of the imagination of some near eastern sheep herder? Maybe He is some impersonal power that set this universe into motion and now has left it to wind down like some child's top.
God is a person. He has a mind. He can reason. Isaiah 1:18 declares "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." God has a mind and can reason. He does not want you to take some blind leap in the dark in trusting Him, he wants you to come to Him with an open mind and put Him to the test.
He also has a will. II Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance." It is not His will for you to go to the Lake of Fire. He has prepared a way of escape. In fact there is only one Way, and that is through the work of the Son.
God also has emotions. He can love and He can hate. He has even wept. Friend, God loves you right now. It does not matter how low or rotten you have ever been, He loves you. You may reject this message right now, but if there ever comes a time in your life when you are flat on your back with nobody and nothing to hold on to, remember this. He loves you. He cares for you. You are precious to Him.
But God is holy. He can not accept you in your sins. In fact, He can accept only perfect righteousness. And He is ready to impute that righteousness to you, the righteousness of His Son.
So God is a person, He has a mind, will and emotions. And right now that person wants a relationship with you. Do you want to know Him? Go to Him in His word and in prayer. He will meet you and make Himself real to you.
Revelation 22:17 "And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let hem that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely,"

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-03-17T23:16:00.000-08:00

II Corinthians 12:9 "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most Gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

There is weakness in all of our lives. There are certain sins that may be a great temptation to us. Something that appeals to the flesh, is attractive to the eye or lifts ones pride. Or maybe it is a physical ailment. There are disabilities that hinder the ministry and service of God. How shall we be delivered from these things?
It may not be God's will for you or I to be delivered from all of our infirmities. When we are well and not tempted by sin we find little time for God. But let a trial or temptation come our way and we flee to Him. God can and does use or weakness to display His strength and teach us to rely on Him. Friend, do not trust in your own talents and abilities, trust in the grace of God. He has enough for me, and plenty left for you. His grace is sufficient for you, and He has enough.
Corrie Ten Boom in her book "Amazing Love" recounts the following, "Years ago I told the story of Jesus' feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes to a class of feeble-minded boys. Carl had become so absorbed in the story that he jumped to his feet and shouted, 'There is enough, there is enough, take as much as you want, there is enough!'"
Do you need more grace? There is enough, there is enough, take as much as you want, there is enough!

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-03-14T01:36:00.000-08:00

Genesis 2:9 "And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

I Peter 2:24 says "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree,..." The word for tree in this verse is the same word for tree found in Revelation 22:2 "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life,..."
Long before Adam sinned God prepared a way for him to be reconciled. That same tree of life there in the garden of Eden was the tree that Christ hung from and will be the same tree that shall grow in the New Jerusalem.
Friend, long before you were ever born God made provisions for you. Long before you were trapped in sins God made the Way out. Long before you despaired God provided the Way of hope. Long before you were dead in sins and trespasses God provided the Way of Life.
God cares for you. He loved you before He ever did anything about it. He began providing for you before the foundation of the world and continues to provide for you today. We do not have to run around in an attempt to earn God's good grace. The full cup of His grace is already there waiting for you to drink deeply.
Have you thanked Him lately. Have you told Him how much you love Him for meeting your needs. He wants to hear that as any good father would.
Revelation 13:8 "...the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-03-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

II Corinthians 5:7 "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

Why does God allow babies to die? Why does He allow war? Why does he allow some of the worst pain in the lives of those who love and serve Him but bless those that curse Him? It would be foolish to charge God in any of these situations but there can be legitimate questions in the life of a honest Child of God.
To be frank, I do not always understand why God allows what He allows. But there should come a time in the life of the believer when he does not need all the answers. Ephesians 1:7 says God "...worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:"
Friend, God is not surprised by the trouble in your life. Your temptation and sin did not catch Him off guard. He has seen the pain and misery in this world long before this world was called into existence and He is doing something about it even when we cannot see it.
Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose." Friend, you may not be able to see God, but He is still there. You may not be able to hear God, but He is still talking. You may not be able to see God's hand in your life, but He is still patiently working all things together for good to them that love Him. And that is a comforting thought.

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-03-07T22:32:00.000-08:00

Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;"

Go out tonight and look at the stars. Look at the vastness of the created universe. A God that called this world into existence must be an infinite God. And if He is an infinite God he me must have infinite attributes. He must be infinitely loving, infinitely gracious but also infinitely holy.
An Infinitely holy God by his very nature demands perfection. But you and I can not measure up to God's righteousness. We have transgressed the law of a holy God and his holliness demands absolute justice, the sentence of death. What we need is a place to appeal to the mercy of God, and we have such a place.
Hebrews 5:5 speaks of a mercy seat. That mercy seat was a place where the high priest could intercede for his people through the shedding of innocent animal blood. The word mercy seat is the same word propitiation in Romans 3:25.
Today we have a mercy seat friend. It was not obtained through the shedding of animal blood, but by the blood of Christ. After Christ died on the cross He took all of his literal blood to heaven to the very throne of God and applied it there. And a seat of judgement became a throne of grace.
Let us not go to God on our own merit. I do not want justice from God, I want mercy. 1 John 4:9,10 "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins."

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-02-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Genesis 3:8,9 "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"

In the beginning God called this universe into being. When summoned even Lucifer must present himself before God. The Lord's presence causes demons to tremble and His voice caused the rocks to split at the crucifixion.
And yet, in spite of all of His power and majesty, when Adam became separated from God, God went to Adam. God had created Adam as a being He may have fellowship with. When Adam sinned that fellowship was broken and Adam died spiritually. Do you see Him now going to His lost creature and calling for Him. Do you hear Him now calling for you? He is longing for you and He left His place in heaven to come to you.
How much do you mean to God? Well think about this. God spared you, but He did not spare His own Son. "He...spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all,..." Romans8:32 The only thing that that prevents your fellowship with God is your rejection of him.

Brother Michael's Devotional

2005-02-21T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 3;1 Wherefore, holy brethern, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus:

There is so much in the way of stress in the age we live in. There are the demands of work, family and church pulling us in a dozen different directions. We are also submereged in great billows of loneliness and isolation in the age of mass communication. We have a thousand forms of technology to communicate with one another and yet few are able to connect any more. And lastly, we are a people that can find no satisfaction. We run from one hobby to another or live a life of endless acquireing of things to be left in the end empty and not satisfied.
Are you under stress? Consider Jesus. He knows what a life of pressure and strain is. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4;15b.) Go talk to him about your problem, He wants to hear about them.
Are you lonely? Consider Jesus. He knew what it was like to be forsaken by His closest friends and have his own Father turn his back on him. He will have compassion on you. He is ready to comfort you and carry you when you are weak.
Lastly, are you not satisfied? Consider Jesus. He has water that will satisfy and lead to a well springing up into everlasting life. I doubt seriously He will give you all the answers but you will be satisfied with what He does give you.
Have you considered Jesus today? He wants you to talk to him about your problems and He is there to help.
Won't you go to Him now.