“For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.” I Samuel 30:24 Have you ever been involved in a relay race? The first runner on the team does what they are required to do and then returns to their place while the next one goes. They do not just relax, feeling that their part is done. No, they cheer their teammates on. Everyone on the team shares the reward. David and his men had been…
“And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Exodus 17:11-12 In the first part of this chapter in Exodus, the children of Israel were thirsty. God told Moses to smite the rock and from it flowed a stream of water to satisfy their physical needs and give them strength. Verse eight tells us: “Then came Amalek.” After the Lord gives great victories, there usually comes a battle. As they faced the enemy, Moses stood with his hands lifted toward heaven. As their leader, he felt the responsibility to keep in communication with the Lord. As the battle continued, he became weary. Two younger men, Aaron and Hur, found a rock for him to sit on. Standing on either side of him, they held up his hands for the rest of the day, until…
“Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” II Corinthians 1:11 This week we are looking at ways that each one of us can be a help in the Kingdom of God by “holding the flashlight.” This morning as I was reading the first chapter of Second Corinthians, I realized that this was a fitting example to consider. Paul had suffered greatly in Asia, either through persecution or severe illness. He expressed that he had been brought to the gates of death. Through it all his faith had not wavered, and he had received a miracle of deliverance. In verse eleven, he says that knowing the church in Corinth was praying for him gave him hope during the challenging time. Psalm 20:1-2 “The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion.” We often read or hear stories about faithful missionaries who have been going through a time of trial or difficulty and have experienced deliverance from the Lord.…
“For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” Mark 9:41 I recently read a story about a man and his wife who had purchased a house and decided to remove some of the walls to make one large room instead of several small ones. Because there was electrical wiring in the walls they needed to remove, the main power had to be turned off. The man was an experienced carpenter and knew what he was doing. His wife…
Many of you may remember that I love to watch nature documentaries. A few weeks ago I watched a video on the Serengeti, which is located in the African country of Tanzania. The Serengeti maintains herds of over a million wildebeests among a multitude of other animals. Even the greatest predators find it a struggle to stay alive during the dry season, which can last for up to half a year. They follow any source of water to find nourishment from the grasslands. The dry, seemingly barren land looks destitute until the season begins to shift. It is called the great migration, the changing of the seasons, or the time of the great rain. When the animals sense rain is coming, they begin a journey of hundreds of miles—it is called the great migration. What once was a barren land turns into a lush paradise overnight. A single rainfall can turn the desert into a paradise. What once was empty of migratory animals now holds a copious number of herds, pride of lions, and flocks of birds. RAIN CAN TRANSFORM DESERT PLACES In yesterday’s devotion we discussed the drought Israel endured for 3.5 years (James 5:17-18) due to their unfaithfulness…
They called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made… So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed… But there was no response, no one answered. Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. 1 Kings 18:26-30 NIV. Notice that Baal’s followers were sincere; they were hyped up and energetic, and they had faith that Baal would hear their shouts and believed the fire would come. But the fire did not come. It does not matter how sincere you are or how many good works you do; if you accomplish things in your own flesh, fire will not come. YOU CANNOT FIGHT A SPIRITUAL BATTLE IN THE FLESH What are some things we try to accomplish in our flesh rather than relying on God? With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord… he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water…