Tag Archives: blessings

Look for Blessings, May 23, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
As this podcast comes out, we celebrate Memorial Day in the United States. A time to remember servicemen and women who have fallen in service to our country. But the day has become more of an extra day for sales in retail stores and the day that marks the opening of parks and recreation facilities than a day of remembrance.
Perhaps this year will be a little. Most of the country still suffers under severe economic strain, so we don’t have a lot of money to spend, no matter how good the sales might be. Some parks and facilities could open, but remain closed due to the constraints placed on them. Beaches opened in most places, but many remain empty for fear of viral spread.
This year is different in many ways. Doors stay shut. Everyone remains at double-arms length. Masks are not just a fashion statement, but protection against an unseen enemy.
Perhaps we can take time this Memorial Day to think about those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us. As we continue to struggle through these uncertain days with the Corona-SARS-2 virus wreaking havoc around the world, thousands stand in the gap for us trying to make sense of the disease and stop the flood of sick and dying.
Memorial Day has always been about the Armed Forces in the past. Still, I don’t think it would be out of line to remember the first responders and medical professionals that work tirelessly to keep us as healthy as possible under these incredible conditions as well. Having served in the Army Medical Department, many of my friends and acquaintances still serve in those most dangerous areas, putting their lives at risk for us. Many of those professionals not only suffered the effects of the disease, but as you know, some succumbed to its effects and passed away. They, too, died for their fellow man, just as soldiers and sailors, airmen and marines.
Peter wrote to early Christians suffering under the hands of persecutors. In his letter, he encourages them to rejoice. He wrote:

Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.
And later.
Therefore, humble yourselves under God’s power so that he may raise you up in the last day. Throw all your anxiety onto him, because he cares about you. Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. Do so in the knowledge that your fellow believers are enduring the same suffering throughout the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you. To him be power forever and always. Amen. 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 CE

I think the longer we endure this pandemic, the more anxious people become. It’s natural. We want it to be over. We want to believe science can create a pill or vaccine or something that will take this thing away. Aren’t we smart enough with all our genomic studies, our ability to conquer space, our ability to clone a sheep – aren’t we able to defeat this simple virus?
The answer is…maybe. Scientists are working to change a seven to ten-year approval process into a twelve to eighteen-month process. That skips a lot of policies and procedures the government put in place over the years for our protection. I know it sounds like a lot of bureaucracy and a waste of money. Through the years, those precautions saved a lot of lives, though. So we might get a vaccine in a few more months, but I won’t hold my breath.
I think I will listen to Peter’s encouragement. This suffering isn’t from God. He isn’t punishing the world for its evil. We punish ourselves. God is in the business of rescuing us from our sins. He sent his Son for just that purpose. The suffering we endure comes because Adam and Eve introduced disobedience and corruption into the cosmos and disrupted its perfect order. We contribute to that chaos and destruction with every passing generation.
But remember Peter’s words? “… don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. 13 Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed. … you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.”
We may not feel very blessed going through the pandemic separated from our friends and those we cherish. We might long for yesterday when we could go about freely and do as we pleased. We might shake our fist at God, asking why this tragedy sweeps around the world affecting so many of his children.
To your questions and complaints, you might hear his still, small voice in the whisper of the wind, “Rejoice as you share in your suffering now, so that you may have overwhelming joy when my Son’s glory is revealed. You are blessed, for my Spirit rests on you.”
In these uncertain times, recognize the blessings that surround you. God holds all of this in his hands and gives us hope even in the face of what may appear hopeless circumstances. Trust him, and as Paul exhorts us, “Rejoice in all things.” It’s not always easy, but in everything, we can find blessings from God. He loves us and has our best in mind, even when we can’t see it.
You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

Scriptures marked CEB are taken from the COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE (CEB): Scriptures taken from the COMMON ENGLISH BIBLE copyright© 2011, 2012. Used by permission.

We are blessed (Luke 6:20-21) September 30, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Jonah

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Luke 6:20-21
Jesus: All you who are poor, you are blessed
for the kingdom of God belongs to you.
All you who are hungry now, you are blessed
for your hunger will be satisfied.
All you who weep now, you are blessed
for you shall laugh!

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

I always find it interesting to compare the various stories and sermons in the different gospels. We now come to the famous Sermon on the Mount as Luke records it, and particularly the first section known as the Beatitudes. Matthew and Mark record these first verses in a much more spiritual context as they share that those who are poor in spirit are blessed and those who hunger after righteousness will be filled. But Luke leaves out the object of those longings in his gospel.

Luke, the physician thinks about the physical aspects of those Jesus addressed that day. The poor did not fare well in Luke’s day. They labored hard for little. The poor were considered lesser beings than even slaves. Slaves belonged to their masters and were well fed, clothed, housed. Good mastered took good care of their slaves. But the poor, that was another matter. They didn’t have enough to afford adequate shelter from the heat and cold so suffered injury because of it. They didn’t have enough clothing to keep it clean and in good repair to protect them from the elements during the day. They didn’t have enough to eat and so malnutrition was always just around the corner. Sickness took a harder toll on the poor because they didn’t have the means to care for themselves or their family. Life was hard for the poor.

Luke recorded the words that those who suffer in poverty in this world won’t carry that burden into the next if they follow God’s commands. They will have the riches of heaven at their disposal. No one will be able to call them poor. In fact, if you think you are poor now, but you are a child of God, you are anything but poor. The kingdom of God belongs to you. Can you imagine what that means? No, you really can’t. It’s really beyond anything we can imagine.

Not many of us know hunger. We talk about being hungry, but few of us in the country know real hunger. The Army took me to a few places where I saw hunger, though. Children with empty, vacant looks in their eyes not knowing when or where their next meal would come from. Even then, their meal would consist of just a few scraps, nothing compared to the feasts we enjoy at every meal. As a physician, Luke dealt with the hungry often. Hunger leads to malnutrition, illness, and diseases.But the hungry now, if they believe in Jesus for their salvation, will not carry that hunger into the world to come. Their hunger will be satisfied. They will eat until they want nothing else to eat. The hungry will be satisfied.

Luke also saw many who mourned. In his day, physicians couldn’t save as many as they do today. Luke didn’t have the technology or the array of medicines we have today. Many died. Many became permanently disabled. Health became a cause for much suffering and as a physician, Luke was in the middle of it often. It’s never easy to console those who have lost loved ones or who struggle through the rest of their life with disabilities they know will never improve. The grieving process is real. But Luke hears the message. Knowing Jesus as Savior can turn mourning into laughter because we know this is not the end. We can face the suffering of these few years in this life because we know a better one is coming.

Matthew and Mark, notably heard the Beatitudes from a spiritual perspective. Jesus spoke the words as He shared the good news that God’s kingdom is near. His kingdom is not of this world, but is housed in and entered through a spiritual realm. His kingdom is not seen in this place. It exists everywhere, just as He does, but we cannot see it with our physical eyes.

Luke on the other hand, dealt with the physical maladies of people every single day and heard Jesus’ message with a promise for relief from the physical maladies of life as much as the spiritual maladies of life. Jesus gives us hope for a future absent the plagues of this physical frame. It is no wonder Luke recorded the sermon differently than Matthew and Mark.

So what does this difference in how the gospels record the Beatitudes mean to us today? We can know that our future home with Jesus touches every aspect of us. The Jews understood we cannot separate our body, soul, and spirit. We are one entity and each part influences the others. And as we give ourselves to Christ, He gives us hope for the future. We will someday live with Him with new bodies absent the poverty and hunger and grief we experience now. We are blessed because of Him. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Count your blessings (2 Samuel 22), May 12, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 22
Set – 2 Samuel 22; 1 Thessalonians 1
Go! – 2 Samuel 21-23; 1 Thessalonians 1

2 Samuel 22
1 David composed the following song of praise to the Eternal because He delivered him from all of his enemies and especially from Saul.
2 David: The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3 He is my True God, my stronghold in whom I take refuge,
My strong shield, my horn that calls forth rescue,
my tall-walled tower and strong refuge,
My savior from violence.
4 I call on the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised,
and I have been rescued from my enemies.
5 The waves of death surrounded me;
the torrents of terror tugged at me.
6 The sorrows of the grave tightly tangled me;
the snares of death met me.
7 In my time of need I called upon the Eternal One;
I called to my True God for help.
He heard my voice from His temple,
and my cry came to His ears.
8 Because of His great anger,
the earth shook and staggered;
the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked.
9 Smoke billowed out from His nostrils
and devouring fire from His mouth;
glowing coals flamed from Him.
10 He bent the heavens and descended;
darkness is beneath His feet.
11 He rode upon a heavenly creature, flying;
He soared swiftly on the wings of the wind.
12 He placed darkness around Him like a canopy
and made His home in dark watery clouds of the sky.
13 Out from His brightness,
hailstones and burning coals flared forth.
14 The Eternal thundered in the heavens,
the voice of the Most High speaking.
15 He shot forth His arrows and scattered the wicked;
He flung forth His lightning and struck them.
16 Then the deepest channels of the seas were revealed;
and the foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Eternal One,
at the blast of wind breathed from Your nostrils.
17 He reached down from above me, He held me;
He pulled me from the raging waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from all those who hated me,
for they would have overwhelmed me.
19 When my enemies came for me on the day of my destruction,
the Eternal stepped in to support me.
20 He led me out onto a broad plain;
He delivered me because of His delight in me.
21 The Eternal One rewarded me because I sought righteousness;
He rewarded me because I kept my hands clean.
22 He rewarded me because I kept the ways of the Eternal
and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness.
23 For all His laws were there before me,
and I did not push His statutes away.
24 I made myself blameless before Him;
I kept myself from guilt and shame.
25 That’s why the Eternal has rewarded me for seeking righteousness;
He’s rewarded me because He sees I have remained pure.
26 To the good, You show Your goodness;
to the blameless, You prove to be blameless;
27 To the pure, You show Your purity;
to the crooked, You make Yourself twisted.
28 For You rescue weak people,
but the proud You bring low.
29 You are the lamp who lights my way, O Eternal One,
the Eternal, who lights up my darkness.
30 With Your help, I can conquer an army;
with Your help, I can vault over walls.
31 God has made an upright way;
the promise of the Eternal rings true;
He stands and shields all who hide in Him.
32 Who is the True God except the Eternal One?
Who stands like a rock except our God?
33 The True God who circled me with strength
puts the upright on His way.
34 He made me sure-footed as a deer
and placed me high up and safe.
35 He teaches me to fight
so that my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You have given me the shield of Your salvation,
and Your support has made me strong.
37 You taught me how to walk with care
so my feet would not slip.
38 I pursued my enemies and defeated them
and did not stop until all were destroyed.
39 When I eliminated them, they fell down beneath my feet
so they could not rise again.
40 For You equipped me with strength for battle,
and You made my enemies fall beneath me.
41 You made my enemies turn and run,
and all who hated me, I destroyed.
42 They looked everywhere, but no one came to save them;
they asked the Eternal for help, but He did not answer them.
43 I beat them until they were as small as the dust of the earth;
I flung them away and beat them down like mud in the gutters.
44 You delivered me from conflict with the peoples;
you raised me up to rule over nations;
people whom I did not know came to serve me.
45 Strangers came to me, cringing and afraid;
as soon as they heard about me, they obeyed me.
46 Strangers had their courage shrivel before them
and came fearfully to me from behind their high walls.
47 The Eternal One is alive! May my Rock be blessed;
and the True God, the Rock of my deliverance be exalted,
48 The God who avenged me
and tamed the peoples under me,
49 Who rescued me from all my foes.
You raised me up above my enemies;
You saved me from the violent ones.
50 For this, I will praise You, O Eternal One, among the nations
and sing praises to Your name.
51 He is a tower of salvation for His king
and shows His loyal love to His anointed,
to David and his descendants, continually.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It’s easy to grumble about life and belly-ache about the way life treats you. But life David, every once in a while it’s important to just stop and count your blessings. Then remember where they come from. Remember all good things come from Me. I like to pour our good gifts on My children. I also like you to stop and give thanks for them every once in a while. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Who and how do you love? (Matthew 15:21-39), Apr 28, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Matthew 15:21-39
Set – 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15
Go! – 2 Samuel 3; 1 Chronicles 12; Matthew 15

Matthew 15:21-39
21 Jesus left that place and withdrew to Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman—a non-Jew—came to Him.

Canaanite Woman (wailing): Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is possessed by a demon. Have mercy, Lord!

23 Jesus said nothing. And the woman continued to wail. His disciples came to Him.

Disciples: Do something—she keeps crying after us!

Jesus: 24 I was sent here only to gather up the lost sheep of Israel.

25 The woman came up to Jesus and knelt before Him.

Canaanite Woman: Lord, help me!

Jesus: 26 It is not right to waste the children’s bread by feeding dogs.

Canaanite Woman: 27 But, Lord, even dogs eat the crumbs that fall by the table as their master is eating.

28 Jesus—whose ancestors included Ruth and Rahab—spoke with kindness and insight.

Jesus: Woman, you have great faith. And your request is done.

And her daughter was healed, right then and from then on.

29 Jesus left and went to the Sea of Galilee. He went up on a mountaintop and sat down. 30 Crowds thronged to Him there, bringing the lame, the maimed, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many other sick and broken people. They laid them at His feet, and He healed them. 31 The people saw the mute speaking, the lame walking, the maimed made whole, the crippled dancing, and the blind seeing; and the people were amazed, and they praised the God of Israel.

Jesus (to His disciples): 32 We must take pity on these people for they have touched My heart; they have been with Me for three days, and they don’t have any food. I don’t want to send them home this hungry—they might collapse on the way!

Disciples: 33 We’ll never find enough food for all these people, out here in the middle of nowhere!

Jesus: 34 How much bread do you have?

Disciples: Seven rounds of flatbread and a few small fish.

35 He told the crowd to sit down. 36 He took the bread and the fish, He gave thanks, and then He broke the bread and divided the fish. He gave the bread and fish to the disciples, the disciples distributed them to the people, 37 and everyone ate and was satisfied. When everyone had eaten, the disciples picked up seven baskets of crusts and broken pieces and crumbs.

38 There were 4,000 men there, not to mention all the women and children. 39 Then Jesus sent the crowd away. He got into the boat and went to Magadan.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Some thought Me cruel and lacking compassion when I didn’t answer the Canaanite woman’s plea to free her daughter from the demon that possessed her. Others thought I was doing the right thing since I was a Jew and showed proper priority of the nations refusing to acknowledge anyone but Jews. Of course, they forgot I had healed Samaritans, and Roman servants, and countless others from the surrounding countries, all considered enemies of God’s “chosen people”.

But like the man born blind from birth, I wanted to use the woman’s nationality and her pleas as a teaching point to those around Me and to My future disciples. The Jews forgot their place in the world. That’s why I came in the flesh in the first place. I told Abraham he would become the father of a great nation so that all nations would be blessed through him.

That doesn’t mean Israel would be the greatest nation or the most important nation among all others. It doesn’t mean I love them more or less than any other. It means I have a special mission for them. I chose them to carry the message of salvation to the rest of the world. I chose Israel to teach the rest of the world about Me. Unfortunately, they let themselves be carried away by the rituals and practices of the nations they were supposed to teach instead of remaining holy.

I used the coming of the Canaanite woman to show the Israelites just how callous they had become. Everyone around Me recognized the faith the woman exercised. She knew I could heal her daughter’s pitiful condition. They saw Me drive out demons with just a single word. It would take Me almost no effort to grant this mother’s desperate request.

My actions that day showed the Israelites how they had failed to reach out to the foreigners among them. My first refusals demonstrated the Jews actions in shutting out their neighbors and failing to embrace them in their faith and teaching them about Me. Their mission from the beginning was to teach others about Me. Instead, they shunned anyone not of their race.

I’m afraid many who call themselves by My name today do the same thing. If others don’t look like them, dress like them, worship like them, speak the same language, travel in the same neighborhoods, they just don’t belong. Nothing could be further from the truth. I created all people. All races. All nations. They exist only because I allow it. Everything belongs to Me. Evil scarred My perfect world, but those who really know Me have an opportunity to introduce others to Me and bring hope to the hopeless. Peace into the middle of turmoil. Calm from chaos.

The world can still be blessed by those who are of My kingdom. The new covenant gives those who follow Me the opportunity to bless each individual in the world in the same way Abraham had opportunity to bless the nations of the world. And like with Abraham and the Israelites, I do not expect you to think yourself better or superior to others, but like when I walked with you, be a servant to others. Show them My love. Love God and love others with all your whole being.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.