Mar 13

“…I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.” Exodus 5:2

The Pharaohs of Egypt, considered themselves to be gods in their own right. Pharaoh was stating he had neither respect for, nor obligation towards Yahwah, and His command through Moses. Such is the arrogance and ignorance of humanity. Often blinded by position or status among other men, some think they are beyond the Almighty’s reach, or that because they choose not to acknowledge Him, that He does not know them, or that He is not Lord over them regardless of their indifference! This is a typical case of humankind functioning with an inflated ego and overstated self-importance. Pharaoh might have been the greatest and most cherished king in the Israel’s early history, had he listened to God and facilitated God’s will towards His people. Instead, he hardened his heart and resisted God, and might be considered a fool, in line with the biblical definition of the word, for denying God and His directive. Certainly this man paid severely for his haughtiness; losing position, control, respect, children, the kingdom and ultimately his life! It is important for all mortals to realise that in spite of our grand talk and boast against God, we are only ever a breath away, from demonstrating how weak and frail we really are! It is futile and foolish to defy God and the purposes He has set for us. The end result cannot be good, when we dare to superimpose our will onto God’s. That was true of Pharaoh, and it is true of anyone who can be so impertinent. Yet we find most of humanity still blissfully and blindly, existing as if they have not a single responsibility toward God. Even when shown, with love and patience, they deny knowledge of the Lord, or duty towards Him. It is prophesied that God will come with judgment, to repay the disobedience and disregard of His word, for which so many men and women, are guilty. On the Day of Judgment, there will be no human boast or self-aggrandisement! Ignorance, defiance or indifference will not be possible, when we are face to face with Almighty God! Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess the supremacy and Lordship of Jesus Christ! Yet this acknowledgment will have come too late, to make a positive difference to the eternal destiny of our souls. Doesn’t it make very good sense, to willingly bow a knee now, and receive the amazing benefits that come by serving Jesus!? 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Mar 2

“…a message by the hand of a fool…” Proverbs 26:6

In an age of technology where zillions of messages are sent via all the electronic gizmos and gadgets we employ, our scripture text may not seem at first reading, all that applicable. It is probable that most of the messaging communicated on our phones and electronic apparatus nowadays, is barely relevant, and certainly not essential to life or survival. However in the context of the time the verse was written, sending a message was not only of the highest importance and may be a matter of life and death, but was also no easy task for the despatcher. Often specially trained ‘runners’ would travel on foot or beast for hours, or days non-stop across all sorts of terrain, at the risk of their lives and with one goal and sole aim in mind, to safely deliver the message into the hands of the receiver. In those circumstances, the sender of a message would want to make certain that a reliable individual was chosen for the task. With that in mind, we see the point of the proverb at hand. The text implies that not to use someone, who with prudence and diligence could deliver the message and perhaps return an answer, safely and in good time, would be equivalent to cutting off the feet of the runner or sending someone who had no feet! The imagery is strong! The moral in the proverb, is that ‘important’ tasks should not be relegated to irresponsible people. This is true of life in general and it should form a part of what we do and practice in the service of the Lord. The task of serving God is one of the most important undertakings any human being can be involved with. God needs reliable, dependable, wise and enduring messengers, to take His Word and deliver it to the lost! It is an urgent task, a pressing task and one which one be handled with care, prudence and faithfulness. This is no job for a fool! In all our personal grounding let us personally prepare in excellence to serve the Lord, and never settle for ‘just getting by’. In turn, let’s make certain that all that which is of spiritual importance is delegated to sensible individuals, filled with the Spirit of God and wisdom from above, who have shown themselves to be reliable in their personal lives and witness for Christ, for all service unto the God, is of great importance! 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Feb 5

“…but every fool will be meddling.” Proverbs 20:3

Some people seem to find pleasure in strife. They do not seem satisfied unless they are involved in some contention, crisis or problem even when to begin with, it has nothing to do with them! Meddling is getting involved unnecessarily into things that do not concern us. It takes wisdom to know and differentiate between what things we are capable of and responsible to help and assist in, and what is simply none of our business. The scriptures often refer to ‘the fool’, as being the person who doesn’t see the obvious, doesn’t recognise boundaries and has no respect for wisdom. For instance, it is a fool, according to scripture that believes there is no God, speaks his entire mind, and in this verse, meddles in matters unnecessarily. This proverb indicates the good sense and honour of a man who makes efforts to cease from contention, and contrasts it with the foolishness of the person who insists on involving themselves with strife wherever they find it and worse, making a point of creating their own, almost every time they have a conversation. The notion that one has to speak their mind about everything, even when they are not asked, and particularly when it is not their place to direct or correct, is hardly evidence strength or wisdom! The Bible calls it foolishness! Yet many consider it their life calling to ‘straighten out’ whoever it is they are speaking with. Maybe if we were wiser and stopped ‘meddling’, we would find agreement more frequently and be more like the ‘peacemakers’ which Jesus blessed. God desires for us to live peaceably and as much as we can, to maintain harmony with those around us. Naturally this doesn’t mean we should compromise our values and stand in God, but ‘getting along’ and avoiding being overcritical, or making comments that engender discord, is most definitely a Christian virtue!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion