October 2 – The Identity of Persecution

 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.” – Luke 6:18 (NASB)

Persecution comes from many sources and for many reasons. It’s easy to feel persecuted. It’s more difficult to identify real persecution when it is happening to you. We may feel picked on, or demeaned without experiencing persecution for our faith. The unbelieving world is turning up the heat on believers with increased efforts to cancel, cause injury, grief, or suffering because of one’s Christian testimony. We too swiftly wrongly classify an unpleasant encounter unwelcome regulation as persecution. "The words of Jesus here embody a prophecy. They describe what’s going to happen to followers of Jesus after his departure from this earth. However, it’s not at all necessary to limit this  entirely to the future. Right at this very moment, while the Master is still with his disciples, this hatred is already manifesting itself."[1] One essential element to understand persecution. Persecution is identified as when evil is spoken or acted against a Christian falsely for Christ’s sake or in His name. Persecution per se is not something to be sought but true persecution of believers happens it carries with it the blessing of God.

 

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 ^[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke, New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 11:342.

September 4 – Chosen and Blameless

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” – Ephesians 1:4 (ESV)

We have today, a verse that teaches us a truth many have great difficulty understanding and therefore accepting or believing. The truth in this verse is hard for our rational and reasoning mind to embrace until we are willing to accept God’s word as it is written even if it does not seem fit in to how we reason it.  But it is the absolute truth revealed to us in the Bible. “The doctrine of election is emphasized throughout Scripture*  The form of the Gr. verb behind “chose” indicates that God not only chose by Himself but for Himself to the praise of His own glory (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). God’s election or predestination does not operate apart from or nullify man’s responsibility to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. All before the foundation of the world. Through God’s sovereign will before the creation of the world and, therefore, obviously independent of human influence and apart from any human merit, those who are saved have become eternally united with Christ Jesus.”** God’s purposes exist apart from the bounds of our limited reason. Since both are emphasized, both are truly God’s Promises.

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* (Deuteronomy 7:6;  Isaiah 45:4;  John 6:44;  Acts 13:48;  Romans 8:29; 9:11;   1 Thessalonians 1:3, 4;   2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:10;)

** John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Eph 1:4.

 

July 21 – He Has Done Great Things

“My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. “For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. “For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.” – Luke 1:47-49 (NASB)

 As we are approaching what some call “Christmas in July” we take this moment to remember again the words of Mary the mother of Jesus. After receiving the word from Gabriel, God’s arch angel that she would bear the Son of God in human form, Mary visited her cousin. Mary referred to God as “Savior,” demonstrating both that she recognized her own need of a Savior, and that she knew the true God as her Savior. Mary did not see herself as one free from the taint of original sin. She sang about the wonderful works that God was doing in her life. She had learned that she would become the Mother of Jesus, the Messiah and she realized that it was God doing it. We can praise the Lord just like she did. God does do great things for us and He is ready to do such things for us every day. We can remember that He is the Mighty One and His love for us is so great. So whatever we are facing today, you and I can know that God is able to take care of it for us. Let's trust Him because He has promised.

 

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July 8 – A Name Worthy to Worship

“Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.” -  Nehemiah 9:5 (ESV)

This verse from the book of  Nehemiah is a demonstration of  proper worship of God. This chapter is an account of the people’s reaction after hearing the Law of Moses read. They likstened for 3 hours about the sins of their fathers and for 3 more hours confessed that they had been partakers of similar evil deeds. In response to all of this, they worshiped. Some were a surviving remnant of Israel that was left and not carried away to Babylon; some also those who had returned to Jerusalem from Babylon after 70 years of forced exile. Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem and took nearly all of the excellent, educated and young to live in Babylon during the three mass exiles. While this is a long confession of sin, it is within the recitation of God’s mighty redemptive acts on Israel’s behalf. Indeed, an expression of worship. We might something about true worship from these words. It begins with acknowledgement of the greatness of God’s name and learn that God’s name is glorious and deserves to be spoken with the greatest of awe and recognition that no other name is greater or higher in all creation.     

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July 7 – Because This World, Is Not Our Home

“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12  (NASB)

Do you have a heavenly perspective regarding your future beyond this world? Jesus in our verses actually is promising those listening the consequences of being a follower of Him. We’re promised insults, mocking, being reviled and ostracized. The promise is still working out today. Today, many are secret about their faith in Jesus. Secret and silent because who likes to be insulted and we are enamored by what we have here. However there is a wonder ahead for all who believe in the Son of God as Savior. The old spiritual that sang: “everybody talking about heaven ain’t goin’ there.”  Today it’s more like, “everybody goin’ there ain’t talking much about heaven anymore.” Heaven is real, it is a wonderful reward from God and it is beyond description. When asked how he was, the sixth president once replied, “John Quincy Adams is well, sir, very well. The house in which he has been living is dilapidated and old. He has received word from its maker that he must vacate soon.  But, John Quincy Adams is well sir, very well.” So, we look to heaven where we will have that eternal weight of glory, and that new house from God.   

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June 11 – Be Ready, Not Ashamed

“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.” – Revelation 16:15 (NASB)

As faith believer and Christians let’s not think that these are times in which we can dispense with watchfulness or with holy zeal; we need these things more than ever, and may God the eternal Holy Spirit display His omnipotence in us, that we may be able to say, in all these things, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) These days and the ones coming are not easy for the faithful believer. In Revelation 1:3 it is written “Blessed is…” as in this verse for today it is written “Blessed is…” This is the only biblical book that comes with a blessing for the one who listens to it being read and explained and then responds in obedience. There are 7 beatitudes in the book.* Our Lord stresses the need for constant readiness for His return; “Behold I come like a thief!” The imagery pictures a soldier ready for battle, or a homeowner watchful for the arrival of a thief. Christians are not to be surprised by the return of Jesus; we are here warned by Him to be prepared and alert for Christ’s second coming.  

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June 7 – It Requires No Deceit

“Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” -  Psalm 32:2 (ESV)

Come to think about it, an observant and sound minded person is able to notice quite a number of lies that are widespread in our world. These lies lay out, for those who choose to believe them, a way to cover their guilt from the consequent sins. If we also notice who it is that is propagating and spreading these lies, we just might come to understand the answer to the frequent question; “What in the world is wrong with our world today?”  We should be very cautious that we do not buy into these lies for they kill our happiness and extinguish our joy. Alistair Begg says, “Honesty is vital to the discovery of happiness. Joyful, contented people do not lie to themselves or to anybody else. We cannot deceive ourselves and enjoy genuine happiness; deceit and happiness don’t sleep in the same bed.” It is a wonderful promise from God that He will restore and bless us by forgiving us when we repent and confess our sinfulness. King David expressed his personal experience of receiving forgiveness in this Psalm. In a same manner so can each of us. 

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May 31 – Fulfillment Every Time

“And blessed is she who believed for there will be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”  Luke 1:45 (NASB)

Our verse today is one we read and hear often at Christmas time. But the truth and promise in the verse is good for us to remember and apply all year long. These words were spoken by Elizabeth, a cousin to Mary, the when Elizabeth learned that Mary was carrying the Christ child in her womb. Mary certainly did receive God's blessing for believing what He had promised.  For several reasons Mary deserved being called blessed. Mary is the most honored of all women because she believed what she had been told from the Lord. It was a profound expression of Elizabeth’s confidence that Mary’s Child would be the long-hoped-for Messiah. Each of us who believes that God does and will do what He has promised receives blessings through the many promises God gives us. As we think of some of his promises today let's believe and trust that He does keep His  word.

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May 9 – A Steadfast Heart

“How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments.” -  Psalm 112:1 (NASB)
“He will not fear evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” - Psalm 112:7 (NASB)
“The wicked will see it and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked will perish.”  - Psalm 112:10

We have chosen three verses which reminded us of steadfast heart and how the world responds.  Verse 1 encourages believers – those who fear the LORD God. They delight in God’s Word. Verse 7 describes a picture of a heart that is resting on something solid so that it is not shaken no matter what happens. There is no fear of the evil in the world.  It is common today to hear the angst expressed by believers when they see that the world around us is unstable and coming apart. Our promise is that our hearts can remain unmoved. The verses today explain how this comes about. It is by trusting in the Lord. What else could provide a more solid foundation than our God? As we trust and fear the Lord we find satisfaction in his promises and commands. The wicked in the world will be disturbed by the believer’s steadfast faith. Gnashing of teeth they melt away. We won't be bothered by things  going on around us. Our feelings and our thoughts will always be steady knowing that God is faithful. Today, let's be like the person in verses 7-9. 

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April 10 – Palm Sunday

“As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”  Luke 19:38 (ESV)

Today is another special day for us who know Jesus Christ as our Savior. We call it Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday because as the people welcomed Jesus they laid down their robes and palm branches in the road in front of Jesus It is the day the people outside of Jerusalem followed him and sang praises to the Lord as he approached the city. Notice the words “the whole multitude of his disciples.” Many people were following Jesus hoping He would establish His kingdom and free them from Roman tyranny. But Jesus had a different plan. The verse we have for today is the message that God wanted people to proclaim on that day. When the Pharisees suggested that Jesus rebuke those who were singing, He replied that if these people did not tell the message, the stones would cry out. What the people sang was the truth which needed to be heard. It's is a message which we all need to proclaim. This Jesus who was to die on the cross that very week is our King. We need to recognize Him as the King of our lives and we need to honor Him every day. 

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February 17 – Happy or Blessed

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” – Ephesians 1: (NASB)

 

Sometimes common usage of a word might lead to a slightly different meaning that the original intended. Say it often enough or read it frequently and the meanings merge. This results sometimes in losing the significance of what the author intended. And example is the exchange of the English words ‘blessed’ and ‘happy.’  Sometimes a Scripture reference with blessed is read as if it says happy. There certainly is a similarity between the meanings. Our passage today uses forms of the word ‘bless’ three different ways. First is ‘blessed be’ as an adjective which is applied only to God in the New Testament Greek. Second is ‘has blessed’ as a verb and communicates God’s promise that He has already given believers total blessing. Third is “spiritual blessing’ used as a noun and not immaterial as opposed to material blessings, but rather speaks of the work of God as the divine source of all blessings we are receiving, have received, and will receive. It is worth noting that it is “in the heavenly” domain from where all blessings come. We may well have joy and happiness because of this promise but saying were ‘happy’ would use a different word.

 

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September 7 – Total Blessings

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” – Ephesians 1:3-4 (ESV)

Whenever we attend a memorial service at a funeral, one part is almost always included is a eulogy. It may be given by a minister, a family member, or friend. The eulogy’s purpose is to speak well and to bless the one being memorialized. The first word in our verses today is “Blessed” and it is derived from the same Greek word we get “eulogy.” It means to praise or commend. Every human has a supreme duty to bless God by thought, word and deed. Not all do. As faith believers we have already been fully blessed in Christ. When the Apostle Paul writes “blessed be” he is using the meaning to give praise to God. When the Apostle writes “has blessed” he is saying that all who are in Christ have already received from Him every spiritual blessing possible. God has already given believers total blessings. And, this He did when God chose us to be in Christ before the world was made by Him. This promise of being holy and blameless before God became ours before the worlds foundations were set. It was God’s choice to promise this for His creatures and its for His praise and glory.

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August 14 – Whole Hearted Commitment

“Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!” – Psalm 119:2-3 (ESV)

Psalm 119* is longest of the psalms and chapters in the Bible. Like Psalm 1 and 19 it exults God’s Word. We cannot be certain who the psalmist is since he is not identified. Each verse contains the author’s reverence and love for the Word of God (using eight different terms**), we take each of the statements as an affirmation of the promises God has given us regarding the effectiveness of His Word. We find again the use of the word “heart” which  refers to our intellect, volition, and emotion. When we say we are seeking God with “all my heart” what we are affirming is that we have a complete commitment to God and to His Word. We don’t use it occasionally or when our circumstances are desperate and we are driven to seek God’s will in His Word. We don’t use it conveniently or only when we think about it. Our promise is that as we keep our commitment to what God has instructed us in His Word, it will keep us from doing wrong. It will keep us on the path He has made straight before us.  

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*This is an acrostic psalm composed of 22 sections, each containing 8 lines. All 8 lines of the first section start with the first letter of the Hebrew (language). alphabet; thus the psalm continues until all 22 letters have been used in order.

** Every verse includes a reference to one of these terms referring to Scripture. The terms occurring throughout the psalm are: 1) law, 2) testimonies, 3) precepts, 4) statutes, 5) commandments, 6) judgments, 7) word, and 8) ordinances. 

Other acrostic psalms are Psalms 9, 10, 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 145.

July 15 – Trust in Waiting

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 
O my God, in you I trust; 
    let me not be put to shame; 
    let not my enemies exult over me. 
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; 
    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. – Psalm 25:1-3 (ESV)

David often struggled with the demanding issues of life. In this psalm he writes of avoiding denial and affirming dependence. He knows he must trust God in the face of his troubles and troublemakers. The important perception of shame for the wicked and no shame for the righteous returns in our promise. There are actually two promises here – one is positive for those who trust and wait for God and the other is negative for those who are disloyal and unfaithful. First, there is no shame in waiting for the Lord to act for us or give us the guidance we can have only from Him. It is good for us to remember that waiting for God to act on our behalf is a manifestation of the faith He has given to us.  We are always fighting the temptations to rush ahead with our own plan. In Isaiah 30:18 God is waiting to pour his grace upon us and He will. Waiting is a way to blessing. Second, those who are recklessly unfaithful and deceitful; those who seek to follow their own way are the ones who will be shamed for trusting in their own false teaching. 

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July 13 – To Know, To Obey

“If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” – John 13:17 (NASB)

A favorite quote is “It’s always better to know than not know.” That sort of flies in the face of another quote of lesser quality, “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”  Well, not knowing some things or overlooking them might result in loss. What things you might ask? Anything we know we should do in obedience to God. There should be no delay is what Jesus was saying to his disciples at the last meal they had together before His arrest, suffering and crucifixion. It happened to be the Passover meal and Jesus knew the time had come for Him to go through all that it was going to take to provide salvation to all who were lost in their sin. Phony obedience is a state of mind in which we work up occasions to sacrifice ourselves; zeal is mistaken for thoughtfulness. It is easier to sacrifice ourself than to fulfil our spiritual purpose. (Romans 12:1–2) As the prophet Samuel said to the disobedient King Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22)  The promise we have today is that joy is always tied to obedience to God’s revealed Word.

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June 12 – Not Rejected

“Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me.” Psalm 66:20 (NASB)

Perhaps there are times when we feel as if God has not heard our prayers or maybe rejected them. God  always hears the prayers of those who abide in Him and love Him. As so many of the songs we have in the book of Psalms in our Bible, this is an expression by the writer about what God had done for him. Written many centuries ago we can still believe this promise and it can become our own expression of praise to God. We know that God hears and answers our prayers and even in those times when we receive an answer different than our request, we know that God has not rejected our prayer. He may have answered it in a different way than we expected or hoped, but we know it is in a way that is best for us because He loves us and he does not withhold his love from us. Our promise today is that He has not rejected our prayer, and because he loves us so much, he has given us an answer that is better for us. Let's trust Him today and enjoy His love for us. 

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June 3 –Steadfast Convictions

“Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.” Psalm 112:1 (NIV)

“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”  Psalm 112:7 (NIV)

There is a positive result seen in the promises of these two verses from Psalm 112. With no title to this Psalm, it is evidently a companion to Psalm 111. We consider the promises in these verses. The exhortation at the beginning of 112:1 is never given too often; our Lord is the LORD God and He always deserves praise. The exhortation is for all thoughtful persons who observe the way and manner of life that appropriately fears the Lord. God’s favor towards the God-fearing is a display of His character and encourages gracious feelings in others. We study the divine precepts while we endeavor to observe them, and we rejoice doing so. Our promises are: We will have no dread that evil tidings will come, and we will not be alarmed when they do come. If our hearts are fixed in our reliance upon God, any change in circumstances will barely affects us; our faith makes our conviction steadfast. When the worst should come to worst we rest and remain quiet, patiently, waiting for God.

Compare line by line Psalms 111 & 112 and see the greatness of God and its reflection. 

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May 21 – Fear So to Not Fear

“Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” Psalm 112:1 (NASB)

“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.”  Psalm 112:7 (ESV)

The act of fearing the LORD is an emphasis throughout the Old Testament. The concept “fear of the Lord” occurs most prominently in the Old Testament’s Wisdom Literature such as our selected verse today. It is defined as the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10) or, as the responsible attitude of all humanity toward God (Eccl 12:13). When it is used it conveys either devotion or dread of consequential punishment. Such a devotional attitude is both fitting and pleasing to our Lord God. We can and should fear God in both ways. When faith believers are walking in the fear of the Lord, they are also in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Such and attitude actually give us courage from our faith so that we are not afraid when bad tidings come our way. No one likes bad news but true Christians have no need to fear any news we receive. We have been given steadfast hearts, firm and trusting in the LORD. We can actually say, if we fear the Lord God, we really have no need to fear anything else in this world ⸺we are blessed because we fear only the Lord.

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October 8 Blessing and Blessed and Being Blessed,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”  Ephesians 1:3 (NASB)

The word 'Bless' has been seriously cheapened by common usage in our language. We even use it to deliver a back-handed compliment, "Bless your heart" when we really mean something demeaning. "God Bless America" rolls off our lips without even thinking about what we are asking for.  Or what God requires to bestow that blessing on America. The promise we have in our verse today may be beyond our ability to fully grasp. When we try to stretch our minds around the understanding of what it says, we face the challenge of believing something that is beyond our ability to even fully comprehend. Think on this: “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” has been given to us because we are in Christ Jesus and that is a blessing from God. Our God and Father has BLESSED us with EVERY spiritual BLESSING that exists in heaven. The Apostle Paul declares God to be BLESSED†, and declares that He has already BLESSED⸶ us with EVERY spiritual BLESSING⸷ in the heavenly places. Because we are in Christ by our new birth, we have already received this BLESSING it’s a promise. And we will continue to receive the BLESSINGS forever. 

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†Held in reverence: blessed ˈble-səd  

⸶Honored in worship: blessed:  ˈblest 

⸷A favor or gift bestowed by God: blessing ˈble-siŋ  

Source

June 22 – Happiness is in Knowing

If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.- John 13:17  (NASB)

Remember, Jesus taught us how to be ‘Blessed’ in Matthew 5.  If we are blessed it means we are ‘Happy’ and who doesn’t  want to be Happy these days of conflict and crisis.  We might say “we’re in a world of trouble.” Consider some of the ideas people make trying to solve the serious human condition of hate.  The “know these things” Jesus references are the things that lead us to serve others in the name of our Lord Jesus. In his book “My Utmost for His Highest” Oswald Chambers says, “If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters … you have to get out through the harbor bar into the great deeps of God and begin to have spiritual discernment.” Our God allows and promises us times of crisis – for our benefit.  The world continues to reject God, continues to create the chaos. Great acts of self-sacrifice signaling our “virtues” are not what God wants. It is a great deal better to fulfil the purpose of God in our lives by seeking and discerning His will than practice counterfeit obedience trying to align with current trends. 

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