Tag Archives: future

Where Are We In History? November 16, 2020

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Many wonder what we have to be thankful for as we look at what has happened this year. The world moves toward a full year facing the coronavirus pandemic with more than 50 million victims globally, and more than 1.2 million deaths. In the United States alone, we have topped 10 million cases and a quarter of a million deaths. Still far less than the scientists predicted nine months ago but devastating to the world and our country.

The mistrust our media created over the last several months caused political upheaval resulting in mistrust in our elected officials, the integrity of our voting systems, and our political system. The blatant bias and censorship across the news media and social media failed to let citizens hear both sides of issues breeding mistrust and fomenting divide we haven’t seen here since the Civil War.

We can see injustice across the country based on wealth, race, social connections, political connections, media involvement, and a host of criteria that makes us think the entire system reeks of corruption. In reality, almost every system, that one or two percent of truly corrupt legal representatives give the rest we don’t hear about their reputation as a whole. Just like the cry about police brutality, a few police abuse their authority and should be dealt with accordingly, but the vast majority of law enforcement officers do not fall into that category and see their role as a calling to help society, not harm it.

The last year put not just the United States, but every nation in an economic crisis. As businesses closed due to the pandemic to try and stop the spread of the disease, millions lost their jobs. People went from living paycheck to paycheck to wondering if they would get by at all. The government stepped in with unemployment and other benefits, but those benefits barely keep a family above the poverty level, if that. Many business haven’t recovered and some economists predict as many as 50% of small businesses may close their doors for good. We are in hard times.

Then we faced all the natural disasters above and beyond the pandemic. They started with the wildfires in Australia that destroyed so much of that country. Our western states still don’t have their fires under control. Floods around the gulf coast devastated that area of our country as they faced multiple hurricanes this year. Earthquakes in several countries cost billions in damage and multiple lives. This has been an extraordinary year for disasters. And it’s not over yet.

Judah must have felt the same way as Zephaniah began his prophecies. His tone didn’t help their already devastated state. They faced multiple invasions in the 7^th and 8^th centuries BCE. The kings filled their pockets at the expense of the common people and injustice rampaged the country. The prophets spoke of the deplorable condition of the widows and orphans, those who could not care for themselves in that culture. They faced drought, floods, and famine again and again in those years. And when crops were good, invaders came and took them.

Zephaniah said it was much the fault of the leaders and those who followed them. Listen to his words.

Be silent! I am the Lord God,

and the time is near.

I am preparing

to sacrifice my people

and to invite my guests.

I’ll search Jerusalem with lamps

and punish those people

who sit there unworried

while thinking,

“The Lord won’t do anything,

good or bad.”

Their possessions will be taken,

their homes left in ruins.

They won’t get to live

in the houses they build,

or drink wine from the grapes

in their own vineyards.

The great day of the Lord

is coming soon, very soon.

On that terrible day,

fearsome shouts of warriors

will be heard everywhere.

It will be a time of anger—

of trouble and torment,

of disaster and destruction,

of darkness and despair,

of storm clouds and shadows,

of trumpet calls

and battle cries

against fortified cities

and mighty fortresses.

The Lord warns everyone

who has sinned against him,

“I’ll strike you blind!

Then your blood and your insides

will gush out like vomit.

Not even your silver or gold

can save you on that day

when I, the Lord, am angry.

My anger will flare up

like a furious fire

scorching the earth

and everyone on it.” (Zephaniah 1:7,12-18 CEV)

It wasn’t long before Israel faced another invading army and exile. Children forcibly removed from the land became indoctrinated in Babylon and the brightest put into the king’s service. Only the poorest finally ended up remaining in a ruined, burned out, rubble filled country. Why? Because they failed to do what God told them to do in the first place. They chased after the idols and gods of the people of the land God gave them instead of worshiping him. They failed to show the nations around them the true God of creation as he had instructed through Abraham, Moses, and the prophets.

What can we learn from the Israelites fate and Zephaniah’s words? First, God watches our actions and attitudes. The Israelites didn’t get away with their injustice. There is a day of reckoning. As a God of love, he cannot just stand by and do nothing about our decaying world. He must bring justice back. He must put everything right again or he is not a loving and just and true God. But we know he is and a day of reckoning will come.

We also know he is a God of grace and mercy. He has held off his judgment to allow as many as will to come to know his grace. He wants humanity to come to him willingly, to know him as he is. He does not look forward to the day his wrath is poured out on those who refuse to listen to him, but instead he yearns for and gives every opportunity for humanity to come to salvation, even knowing many will not.

Finally, we know God gives us many warnings about what will come. His word tells us about the judgment he will bring upon the unjust, the unrighteous, those who will not believe. The earth shudders and gives its signs as if in labor waiting to give birth to a renewed creation. We see it all around us, but so many refused to see the very signs the prophets spoke of as they talked about the coming of the Lord.

So what should we do? Pray. Know your relationship with the Lord. Let him search you heart. Reach out to him and let him turn his spotlight on your life and make you more like him each day. Stay in his word. Get to know his word. Study it. Let it soak into your life and become part of you – not just on Sundays or in some Bible study, but every waking moment of every day. Let it be the guide for your life. God’s spirit will assure you of your relationship with him as you stay in his word. His spirit in you and his word will never disagree with each other.

If God points something out in your life that needs changed, repent and fix it. Turn away from those things that do not look and feel like God and his plan and purpose. Repentance is more than being sorry for getting caught. It is stopping those things and doing what is right. Following in his footsteps. Going wherever he is.

Pray unceasingly. Pray for yourself. Pray for your family and your friends and neighbors. Pray for your coworkers. Pray for our nation and its leaders. Pray for the world and those whose decisions touch the lives of others. Pray for the healthcare workers and those on the front lines who put themselves in danger each day to care for others during this pandemic. Pray that God will intervene and bring revival to our world, our nation, and our neighborhoods.

Share the good news that the Messiah came, died for our sins, rose from the grave, and sits as King of the world on God’s throne. Jesus is his name, Lord of lords, King of kings, creator of the universe and all that is in it. He died that we might have life more abundant. Believe in him as savior and king and you can have life eternally. Share the message. We are priests, ministers, with special gifts that God can use in many ways to show his love to the world around us. All are not preachers or teachers or evangelists, but all have gifts to share with a world that needs love desperately.

Judgment is coming. Jesus is coming. God’s grace has extended the time of his judgment to let us introduce a few more before he does. We need to take advantage of the time we have so another one can learn about his love before it is too late.

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.

The best predictor of tomorrow, October 1, 2018

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It has been said the first sign of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results.

It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But often we act like it’s true. We think we can get away with doing what we want to do and not reap the same consequences we have experienced in the past or we have seen someone else reap because of the same actions. We mistakenly believe we can get away with doing what we want without repercussions. But unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. God built into the nature of things the cause and effect consequences that accompany behaviors just as they accompany the theorems that are the mechanical underpinnings of physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sounds familiar, right? The same thing kind of follows through in the consequences we feel because of our behavior, whether good or bad.

There is another saying that seems to hold true, also. It says that the best predictor of the future is the past. We humans have a tendency to do what we did yesterday and the day before and the day before. We are creatures of habit. We do what we learned and what we are used to doing. Our behaviors take a lot of energy and concentration to change. For instance, my wife gets on to me in restaurants and other social situations because I’m always tapping the table, turning my glass, moving the salt shaker around, twisting my fork, or something. I’m constantly moving my hands.

I’m a professed fidgety person. It seems that I just can’t hold still. I’m sixty-four years old and I’ve done this as long as I can remember. My parents told me to quit fidgeting. My teachers told me to quit fidgeting. My wife tells me to quit fidgeting. My kids tell me to quit fidgeting. Everyone tells me to hold still. I can’t. Whether it’s learned behavior, some mental or medical condition, or just bad habit, I can’t seem to stop. I have to be moving something all the time. It’s not big thing, but it’s distracting to others sometimes. So that innocent habit takes away the focus I might be wanting from those I’m talking with around me. As a consequence of my movements, they may miss an important point I or one of the other speakers in our group might be making. It’s not a good thing, but it’s a natural consequence of my behavior.

Is it big deal? Usually not. But sometimes a point is missed. Focus goes the wrong direction. Attention veers off the speaker for a moment and those accompanying me miss an opportunity to hear or see something because I’ve distracted them from what is certainly more important that watching me fidget with a water glass. But guess what, I would predict that if you sit down at a table with me this evening or tomorrow or next week, between the time our drinks come to the table and our food is served or as soon as I finish my meal, you’ll get to see me playing with something on the table. It won’t be long before I’m moving a glass around or playing with some utensil or flipping packets of sugar around or doing some other mundane action with my hands. I just can’t keep still. As hard as I try, I just can’t seem to do it.

But the same too often holds true in our spiritual life, too. If you didn’t go to church last month, it is likely you won’t go next month. Not because you’re necessarily a bad person, but because we are creatures of habit. The past is the best predictor of the future. We do what we’ve done and expect different results. But the world doesn’t work that way. We usually do what we’ve always done.

If you didn’t do any devotions at home this week, I would predict you won’t do any devotions at home next week. Why? Because we are creatures of habit and usually do what we’ve always done. Change is hard. Changing spiritual things when the world does its best to keep us from God is extremely hard. Remember Jesus said the world would hate us because of him. The world will deceive and put obstacles in our path. The world will try its best to kill our spirit and shape us into its mold instead of God’s.

We talked about how hard habits are to break last week. Change is hard, but sometimes necessary. Change takes commitment and perseverance. Two words that have somehow disappeared from our vocabulary in the last decade or so. We won’t commit to anything and when things get hard, we just quit. Something changed in us to make us rather lazy as a society. We don’t want to work. We don’t want to spend the time and effort be excellent at anything. We don’t reach out for new opportunities or new experiences. We don’t recognize the importance of life and the worth of the human soul. We have changed as a society in the last couple of decades. We have lost God.

Now we need to change. We can’t do it with just words. We can’t change easily. We can’t expect things to get better by sitting around doing the same things and hoping something different will happen. It won’t. We must change our habits. Our behaviors. The way we think. Paul admonishes us to “let our mind be transformed”. That’s where it all begins. We must work hard to think differently. Change the way we think. Dismiss the evil thoughts that the world puts there. Change the pattern of thought and as the Psalmist tells us so often, “meditate on God’s word day and night”.

David meditated on the word of God available to him at the time. Did you ever stop to think about what he really had? The Old Testament came to be what it is today after the Israelites were allowed to return to Jerusalem after their exile. Around 400 BC. David wrote many of the Psalms we have today. He had the Torah, the first five books of our Old Testament. He might have had the stories from the book of Judges. He knew the story of his heritage from Naomi and Ruth and Boaz and his father, Jesse. He didn’t have much else, yet through scripture David was noted as a man after God’s own heart.

Why? His habit was to meditate on God’s word. Did he always please God? Absolutely not. Bathsheba. Uriah. Murder. Adultery. Deceit. Treachery. Bigamy. Favoritism among his children. He failed many times. But he always came back repentantly to God and asked forgiveness. He changed his heart and his actions. He changed his thinking. He meditated on God’s word instead of the things the world popped into his brain. He changed his focus to try to see the world from God’s eyes instead of his human eyes.

To become like Jesus, we must change. He can help us if we let him. But we cannot do the same things we always do and expect to be like him. He will continue to shape us and mold us throughout our life when we honestly and fervently seek him and desire to be like him. He is the change maker. He created us in the first place. He knows how to fix our broken parts. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it to help us make it through this journey toward heaven.

How can we change what our future looks like? We need to recognize what we’ve done in the past and remember that the only way to change the future is to do something different. When we do the same things, expect things to be just like they were. When we think the same way, we will act the same way. If you want a different future than than your past or current state, look to Jesus and let him transform you. Only by breaking through with him and living life in a different, Jesus filled manner can you hope to have a different future.

Expecting a different outcome from the same actions is insanity. Let Jesus help you change your future by directing your thinking and your actions. Let him in today as the change agent for your life.

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.

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.

Killing giants takes a little faith, July 9, 2018

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

Today we will talk about the last in our series of what can help us defeat Goliaths of addiction and habits in our lives that we just can’t seem to conquer. Those things that seem to just linger on and seem impossible to change. You’ll recall we first said you can’t fight Goliath alone. God will go with us if we ask him. We should also try to take with us trusted friends, accountability partners, prayer partners, those that understand the battle we face and can help us through those struggles because they have been there before us.

We talked about overcoming our fears when we face our Goliaths. That doesn’t mean we won’t have any fears as we face them, but we must control our fear and use the energy, drive, emotions, and all the positive things that come from that singular emotion to help us focus on the addiction or habit we want to overcome.

We said we sometimes hold on to those habits and addictions because of our fear of rejection. We think if others know what is going on with us, they won’t like us. They will turn away from us. They will think poorly of us. If they knew, they might push us out of their lives and we would be alone. To be honest, some will, but you probably don’t want those in your repertoire of people trying to help you through victory over your problem anyway. You need to be surrounded by people who will be honest with you and not condone the habits or addictions you want to rid yourself, but you need people who will love you and stick with you through the tough times of change, as well.

We discovered that sometimes we hold on to those bad habits and addictions because we are comfortable with them. Change is hard even though we know the change is better for us than the circumstances we created for ourselves in our present state, but most of us do not like change and will stick to the devil we know rather than chance the angel we don’t know. So we stick with the comfortable thing we know even when we know it’s bad.

We learned that anger can sometimes help us overcome those Goliaths of addiction. But anger can also hinder us in facing those giants. Anger is not good or bad. It is an emotion God built into us. The question is what sparks our anger and how and where do we focus it. When we focus our anger appropriately, we can use the energy and strength that comes with it to attack those addictions and habits we want gone. When we use that emotion inappropriately, we might strike out against the people that could help us the most.

Last week we talked about the importance of openness about the thing you want to change. Until you identify and name the thing you want to fix, you are at best attacking symptoms, but never getting at the real root of the problem.

Today we look at one more exceptionally important trait that you must exercise to face the Goliaths in your life, those addictions, bad habits, things in your life you need to change. What is that trait? Faith. If you don’t believe you can change, you won’t. If you believe there is no hope, you will create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Without faith, you’ll find all your attempts at change are futile.

Faith, the writer of Hebrews says, is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance of things not seen. It is knowing that an unseen future will circumstance will be true. We all exercise faith in our daily lives. We all have it and really could not live without it. Imagine going through life without faith. Not believing the lights would come on when flipped the light switch. Not knowing if the car would start when you turned the key. Not believing the sun would rise in the morning or the moon at night. Living without faith means wondering if the food you just ate is good for you or poisoned.

No faith in life makes you question whether the next step you take will be on solid ground or something that just looks solid. No faith makes you hold your breath because the air might be filled with toxic fumes instead of good clean oxygen.

So does all of that sound a little crazy? Maybe, but it really shows that everyone has faith. We have faith that the world works in certain ways that we can trust. We exercise faith to just live our lives in ordinary ways every day. It takes a lot of faith just to exist. Faith is faith is faith. The question is how do we direct that faith? In what or in whom do we have faith? I have a lot of faith in myself in certain aspect of life. In other aspects, I have very little faith in myself.

As a simple example, I have faith that I can drive without having an accident, so tomorrow I will get in my car, turn the key in the ignition, and back out of my driveway with full confidence that I will make it across town and arrive at my destination before my appointed time to be there. But I have very little faith that I can climb Mount Everest successfully, so don’t expect to see me even close to those slopes…ever. It would be crazy for me to even attempt the climb because I know my physical limitations and I have like no confidence I would get to even the 7,000 foot camps alive.

What does that have to do with addictions, habits, Goliaths we want to conquer? We need faith that we can actually change if we expect to change. If I don’t think I can kick a habit, I won’t. If I don’t think I can change my behavior, I’ll fail to change it. If I don’t have enough faith in myself to believe God and others can help me through some process to replace those things that need replacing in my life, I will sabotage the efforts and I will keep those things resident in my everyday life.

So, if I want to defeat a Goliath of addiction in my life, whether it is a simple thing like dropping dirty clothes on the floor instead of the hamper or a very complex thing like addiction to heroin. If I can’t picture and believe in a different future, I am stuck with the present life with no chance for change. I must have faith God and those he puts in my path as his helpers can make a new future for me.

Faith. Maybe today you’ll think about faith a little different than you have in the past. Remember, we all have it. Without out faith, I’m not sure any of us would survive. We’d go absolutely nuts. But with just a little faith, we not only survive, but we thrive. And with faith in the right who, Jesus said we would do even more than he did when he lived among us. Think about it. What future can you envision if you let him help you get rid of the Goliaths of bad habits and addictions that have seemed impossible to resolve. It’s time to start today.

What does the future hold? (Revelation 4:1), May 19, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Wouldn’t it be nice to look into the future and know what was going to happen in the next few days or weeks? Then you could prepare for it and maybe even avoid some of the crises that are headed you way. Well, we do not what happens next if we will pay attention to Jesus’ words.
Scripture
1. Rev 4:1
2. A Voice: Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.
Devotional
1. I like Chinese restaurants
  1. Décor
  2. Food
  3. Fortune cookies
    1. Disappointed if they don’t give them to you at the end of the meal
    2. Usually don’t say anything worthwhile
    3. Always want to see what they say, though
2. We want to know what’s ahead
  1. Card readers
  2. Palm readers
  3. Fortune tellers
  4. Horoscopes
  5. Astrologers
  6. Psychics and mediums
  7. $2 billion industry
3. Interesting that not a large percentage of those spending those $2 billion spend much time looking into the book that tells them what the future will really be like
  1. Every prophecy laid out in scripture has come true in its time
  2. Read through the Old Testament and watch all those prophecies come to pass the prophets gave the kings
  3. Red the prophecies about Jesus and see them fulfilled in the New Testament
  4. Now Jesus gives this vision to John as he sits in exile on the Isle of Patmos
  5. If all the other prophecies have come to pass, why wouldn’t we think the things Jesus tells John in this book will not take place?
4. We want to know the future
  1. It’s good to be prepared for contingencies
  2. It’s good to know a little of what will happen so we’re not surprised
  3. It’s good to know God knows what is happening so we are assured He has everything under control
  4. It’s good to know none of the brokenness that continues to fracture this world shakes the Eternal from His throne
  5. It’s good to know God will stand with us and live in us to help us through the roughest times of life when we give ourselves to Him
5. We don’t need psychics and mediums, palm readers and fortune cookies to tell us about tomorrow
  1. In plain sight for us if we just read God’s word
  2. He tells us what to expect and how to prepare for it
  3. His book isn’t that long, but making it the volume you go to everyday as your number one self-help book, will certainly change you more than anything else you could do
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Are you a pessimist? (John 21:7-8), May 5, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
My daughter calls me a pessimist because I like to plan for contingencies that might happen in the future. But I think we would all like to know a little bit of what will happen next so we can be prepared. Does that make me a pessimist?
Scripture
1. John 21:7-8
2. Jesus: The Father, on His own authority, has determined the ages and epochs of history, but you have not been given this knowledge. Here’s the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth.
Devotional
1. I was putting together some information a few months ago in preparation for things that I hope will never happen to me or my family.
  1. Daughter saw me gathering the information
  2. “Dad, do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist?”
  3. Optimist, I like to think I look on the bright side of things
  4. “Then why are you always planning for the worst case?”
2. Good question that made me start thinking about how I approach some of the bigger problems that can confront us in life.
  1. Insurance – life and health
  2. Shelter
  3. Provision for family
  4. How to leave a legacy of values for family
  5. Not a survivalist, but prepare for disasters
3. Some of the thought process comes from military training
  1. Strategic planner during military career
  2. Built plans around contingencies
  3. “What if” thinking to avoid surprises that shook you to inaction
  4. Crossed over to thought process in other things
4. I don’t necessarily see planning for contingencies as pessimism, but…
  1. We can go too far and miss life
  2. Jesus warned early Christians to perform a task instead of trying to guess when He would return
  3. He had a job He wanted them to do
  4. If they spent all of their time planning for the contingency of His return, no one would hear the good news of His power to forgive sins
  5. Enough that God knows the future and will take care of the ages and epochs of history
  6. Enough that God gives us His spirit to enable us to do the work He gives us to do
  7. Enough that we can concentrate on the work at hand and not worry about what comes tomorrow, He has those contingencies covered
5. Knowing the future is already determined and taken care of by the Commander of heavenly armies, how does that make you feel about contingency planning?
  1. The future is in His hands and He has your best in mind.
  2. So are you an optimist or a pessimist about tomorrow?
  3. With Him on your side, how can you be anything but an optimist?
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

What is in store for us next? (John 5:19-21), January 27, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
We are amazed at all the things Jesus did during the few years He walked the earth in the flesh. But He said some incredible things about what will happen next. Listen to His words to His disciples and us.
Scripture
1. John 5:19-21
2. Jesus: The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father. The Father loves the Son, so He does not hide His actions. Instead, He shows Him everything, and the things not yet revealed by the Father will dumbfound you. The Father can give life to those who are dead; in the same way, the Son can give the gift of life to those He chooses.
Devotional
1. I remember a smoking cessation commercial many years ago that said a lot about kids behavior.
  1. Man washing his car
  2. Pre-school aged son mimicking with rag and squirt gun
  3. Dad takes a break to take a smoke
  4. Son picks up the pack from his dad’s shirt pocket and pulls out a cigarette
  5. Warning from the surgeon general
2. Children mimic their parents
  1. It’s how they learn most of their skills
    1. Fishing
    2. Camping
    3. Tools
  2. It’s how they learn good and bad behavior
    1. Previous illustration
    2. Helping others
    3. Kind gestures (Christmas picture)
  3. It’s how they learn about relationships
  4. It’s how they learn about God
3. Jesus tells us the Father does not hide His actions from His Son, but shows Him everything.
  1. Miracles performed are just a taste of what’s in store
  2. Healing the sick
  3. Feeding the hungry
  4. Raising the dead
  5. Forgiving sins
  6. Giving us His spirit to live in us
4. The things not yet revealed by the Father will dumbfound you.
  1. Can you imagine what they might be after all we have seen today?
  2. God’s word is still true!
  3. I can’t wait to see what is in store for us at the hand of the Father can you?
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

It’s time to remember our past (Matthew 13:52) April 1, 2016

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Jeremiah 7-11

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

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:52
Jesus: Every scribe and teacher of the law who has become a student of the ways of the Kingdom is like the head of the household who brings some new things and some old things, both out of the storeroom.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

If you really want to learn, there are two kinds of teachers you want to avoid, those that have the “we’ve never it done it that way” attitude, and those that chase after every new idea that comes along. Both will lead you down the wrong path.

The first will hold you back and make you think progress is terrible. Only the old ways are God’s ways. There’s a problem with that kind of thinking, though. God gave us a brain to use it. He enabled us to progress. He gave us the intelligence to build cities, make machines, discover the science behind things. If He didn’t want us to discover and use that knowledge, He would have hid it from us. There is nothing wrong with progress.

I doubt if those that only want the “good old days” really do. The good old days mean hot water comes from boiling water over an open fire after you’ve hauled it to your house from the closest creek or river or pond. It means cooking over an open fire because progress means no stoves have been developed. The good old days means oil lamps haven’t even been invented and anything that is done at night is done by fire light. Do you really like the good old days? The good old days mean walking wherever you go because no cars are around, no saddles for horses, no wagons. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

No, God doesn’t intend for us to stay in the stone ages. He wants us to learn and progress. That means even progressing in what we know about Him. We should know more about Him than our ancestors did. Each generation should be able to build on its knowledge of God if we will take what our fathers knew and add to it in our own search and study of His word and infinite wisdom.

Conversely, the teacher who jumps at every new idea and throws out the old is bound for problems. You see, we have progressed to the we are today because of the knowledge of those who have gone before us. If we throw out the principles and understanding of those that made the present possible. When we forget all the principles on which our current successes are founded, we find ourselves standing on a slippery slope. We see it in our nation today.

At one time, we were a Christian nation. Kids could play outside without supervision, without parents’ fearing they would be taken, bullied, introduced to drugs or gangs. Kids left the house after breakfast and came home safe when the street lights came home. Adults looked out after each other’s kids and authority meant something. We didn’t hear about police brutality. Neither did we hear about out of control crime rates, overcrowded jails, rampant evil.

Why was America less insane that it seems to be today? I think in great part because we lived by the principles of our fathers and their fathers before them. Somehow, the last couple of generations have felt it’s okay to forget the past. It’s okay to forget what made us great. The thing that made us great was not our ingenuity or brilliant ideas, it was a combination of the our reliance on the principled life our forefathers lived coupled with those brilliant ideas. It was the importance of keeping the past and reaching out into the future.

Jesus’ message is just as true today as it was when He spoke it 2,000 years ago. When we fail to live by the principles that make us live with respect and admiration for God and each other, the foundation upon which this nation was built, we can never achieve much. We reached for the moon in the early sixties, but what have we done since? We decided we could live by our own rules and in so doing, we have almost destroyed our society today.

It’s about time we go back into the storehouse and pull out some of the old and mix it with some of the new. We’ve forgotten the old things that make the foundation strong and rich and fruitful. Unless the foundation is there, the rest just blows away in the storm. We need to find that foundation again. We don’t need to go back to the “good old days” as some would have us do. But we do need to go find those sacred principles of life, family, godliness, purity, holiness, that God’s word tells us are so important. Those things haven’t changed since the beginning of time. If we think we can stand long without them in this modern era, we are sadly mistaken.

It’s time to remember our past.

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.

Trust God to carry you through (Proverbs 16), May 31, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Proverbs 16
Set – Proverbs 16; Romans 12
Go! – Proverbs 16-18; Romans 12

Proverbs 16
¹ People go about making their plans,
but the Eternal has the final word.
² Even when you think you have good intentions,
He knows your real motives.
³ Whatever you do, do it as service to Him,
and He will guarantee your success.
⁴ The Eternal made everything for a reason.
Even wrongdoers fit in His plans; troubled times await them.
⁵ He abhors arrogant people.
Make no mistake about it! They will be punished!
⁶ The penalty of sin is removed by love and loyalty;
and by devotion to the Eternal, evil is avoided.
⁷ When people make good choices, He is pleased;
He even causes their enemies to live peacefully near them.
⁸ Better to have little and stand for what is right
than to become rich by doing what is wrong.
⁹ People do their best making plans for their lives,
but the Eternal guides each step.
¹⁰ The king makes a decision under divine inspiration,
but he must never render an unfair judgment.
¹¹ The Eternal requires that business be conducted honestly;
He wants fairness in all your dealings.
¹² When kings commit evil, it is despicable,
because their thrones should be built on justice.
¹³ Kings admire those who tell the truth;
they adore those who set the record straight.
¹⁴ A king’s rage signals that people will die,
but whoever is wise will pacify him.
¹⁵ If a king is smiling brightly, life will be granted;
his favor is like a cloud swelled with the first spring rain.
¹⁶ How much better it is to receive wisdom than the riches of gold
and to gain understanding over some silver prize!
¹⁷ The highway of the just bypasses evil;
those who watch where they’re going protect their lives from sin.
¹⁸ Pride precedes destruction;
an arrogant spirit gives way to a nasty fall.
¹⁹ It is better to be humble and live among the poor,
than to divide up stolen property with the proud.
²⁰ Those devoted to instruction will prosper in goodness;
those who trust in the Eternal will experience His favor.
²¹ The wise at heart have a reputation for understanding;
pleasant words make the lips more persuasive.
²² Understanding for those who have it is a spring of life,
but it is pointless to try and instruct a fool.
²³ From a wise heart flow careful words;
wise words make the lips more persuasive.
²⁴ Pleasant words are like a honeycomb:
they drip sweet food for life and bring health to the body.
²⁵ Before every person lies a road that seems to be right,
but at the end of that road death and destruction wait.
²⁶ People work to stay alive,
pressed daily by their need to eat.
²⁷ Good-for-nothings conjure up evil ideas;
their conversations fuel destructive fires.
²⁸ Perverse people stir up contention;
gossip makes best friends into enemies.
²⁹ Violent people try to recruit their neighbors,
wanting to lead them down the vile path of evil they have chosen.
³⁰ Body language can expose a person’s intentions:
whoever winks the eye is planning perversity;
whoever purses his lips is intent on evil.
³¹ Gray hair is a crown of honor,
earned by living the right kind of life.
³² It is better to be a patient man than a mighty warrior,
better to be someone who controls his temper than someone who conquers a city.
³³ We may try to control the roll of the dice,
but actually, the Eternal decides what they will determine.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

You just heard a lot of good pieces of advice from if you’ll take them to heart. Things like young people should listen to people who have life experience. They know a little bit about what you’re going through. Times really haven’t changed as much as you think.

Violence is contagious. You’ve seen it recently in America as mobs took to the streets in some of your major cities in response to violence. You see how mobs react and how peaceful protests turn violent with just the spark of one blow thrown.

Look at the aftermath of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, and other natural disasters and you see the truth in “people work to stay alive; pressed daily by their need to eat.” When hunger strikes people will do almost anything for a crust of bread.

But in the proverbs you heard, probably the most important is the first one in this chapter. “People go about making their plans, but I have the final word.” You have no promise of the future. You have this moment. That’s all. I want you to plan for the future. I want you to stay diligent in caring for those in your responsibility. Don’t cry the sky is falling and quit all your activities in planning for the tomorrow. But remember life is really just a breath and is gone.

Make right choices knowing that I have the final word in everything you plan. Also know that I will do what is best for you and what brings glory to Me. You may not think it best at the moment, but trust Me. I might let you go through pain and suffering for a moment in time, but I know the end results. I know what you’re going through and I’m with you to the end. I know your future and you can trust that I know what you need in your life for each moment.

The final word is mine. Trust Me as your God and Savior to carry you through this life into the next well.

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.

Watch and see what happens (Genesis 41:37-57), Jan 16, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Devotional

Today’s background scripture comes from Genesis 41.
Lots of stories circulated about Joseph when he was young. He didn’t use the best judgment as he told his brothers and his father about his dreams. I was beginning to give him some insight into his future. I would use dreams as a way of speaking to him later and needed him to begin to understand how to interpret the information that I sent to him in his dreams. But telling his brothers they would bow down to him really got him in trouble.

Of course, I used their jealousy and evil plots to My advantage and worked out My plans anyway. I allowed Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery. I felt some compassion for Jacob, but Jacob’s blatant favoritism for Joseph and Benjamin brought some of his troubles on himself, too. Those I also used to carry out My plans. You might not understand how I can use the evil in the world to My good, but since I ultimately control all things, I really can work all things for good.

As with Abraham, I began to work in Joseph’s life to prepare him for an assignment he could never accomplish otherwise. He needed some humbling early to understand how important I was in his success. He learned his lessons well. He leaned on Me in Potipher’s household. He leaned on Me in prison. He leaned on Me during those dark dungeon days, imprisoned for doing nothing wrong, but falsely accused by a sinful woman.

Joseph learned to depend on Me completely, just as his great-grandfather, Abraham did. Just as Isaac and Jacob learned to do. But unlike his ancestors, I wanted to use Joseph to show the rest of the region that the God of the Hebrews really could make a difference in all of their lives. So I set Joseph up as the second in command of all of Egypt, the most powerful nation in the world at the time.

I can use you the same way I used Joseph, if you will let Me. Will you lead in the time of famine? Maybe not, but I still have a plan for your life. You may go through some tough days, or months, or even years to prepare you for that special task that I have for you, but understand that I know the plans I have for you. They are good plans if you will stick with Me. Like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, I won’t let you down. You’ll succeed if you follow Me. You’ll do some incredible things if you’ll pay attention. Just watch and see what happens.

Today’s Scripture

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Genesis 41:37-57
Set – Genesis 41; Luke 16
Go! – Genesis 39-41; Luke 16

Genesis 41:37-57
³⁷ Pharaoh and all his advisors liked Joseph’s suggestion.

Pharaoh (to his advisors): ³⁸ Is there anyone else you know like Joseph who has the Spirit of God within him?

³⁹ (to Joseph) Since God has shown all of this to you, I can’t imagine anyone wiser and more discerning than you. ⁴⁰ Therefore you will be in charge of my household. All of my people will report to you and do as you say. Only I, because I sit on the throne, will be greater than you. ⁴¹ I hereby appoint you head over all of the land of Egypt.

⁴² As a symbol of his power, Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s. Then he dressed him in fine linens and put a gold chain around his neck. ⁴³ He had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command, and servants ordered everyone, “Kneel!” as he rode by. So this was how Pharaoh appointed Joseph head over all of the land of Egypt. ⁴⁴ But Pharaoh had one more declaration.

Pharaoh (to Joseph): I am Pharaoh, and I decree that no one may do anything in the land of Egypt without your consent.

⁴⁵ Then Pharaoh gave Joseph an Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah, and arranged for him to marry an Egyptian woman, Asenath (daughter of Potiphera, priest of On). So this was how Joseph gained authority over all the land of Egypt.

⁴⁶ Now Joseph was 30 years old when he entered into Pharaoh’s service. He left the king of Egypt’s presence to travel throughout the land. ⁴⁷ For seven years—the years of plenty—the land produced abundantly. ⁴⁸ Joseph gathered up all of the food he could during those seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt and stored the grain in the cities. He arranged for every city to store the food grown in local fields. ⁴⁹ And he stored up so much grain—as much as the grains of sand on the seashore—that he stopped measuring it. It was more than anyone could measure!

⁵⁰ Now before the famine began, Joseph had two sons by his wife Asenath (daughter of Potiphera, priest of On). ⁵¹ Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh because he said, “God has made me forget all about my hardship and all of my father’s family.” ⁵² He named the second son Ephraim, because as he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my misfortune.”

⁵³ Eventually, the seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine settled in, just as Joseph had predicted. Although the famine extended to all the surrounding lands, in Egypt there was still food stored away in the cities. ⁵⁵ When the people in Egypt became famished, they appealed to Pharaoh for food; and Pharaoh directed them all to Joseph.

Pharaoh: Go to Joseph, and do what he tells you to do.

⁵⁶ So when the famine had spread across the land of Egypt, Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians. But he waited until the famine had become severe in the land. ⁵⁷ When the surrounding peoples heard Egypt still had food, they journeyed to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because by this time the entire world was in the grip of a severe famine.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
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.