June 15 – Living By What We Know

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”  Deuteronomy 29:29 (NASB)

These are words of Moses are part of his farewell address to those he had led out of Egypt and for more than 40 years in the wilderness to a place near to their entrance into the Promised Land. He was near to the end of his life. God had revealed much to him for His people. Moses knew, however that not all things had been revealed – only the truths which God wanted them, and us, to know. “The things revealed” included the law with its promised blessings and threated curses; that which is hidden refers to the specific way in which God will carry out His will in the future. God used others to pass on truths which we have in the Bible. This revelation is for us and intended to help us live according to His will. Someone once said, “It is better to know than not know,” and that is often true but we must recognize that God knows more than what He has revealed to us and what he has revealed, is in our Bible. Thank God for what he has made known through the Bible and then live by it.

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November 25 – Before the Beginning Began

"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)

Three times in this letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul uses the term “heavenly places.” The heavenly places are not often on our mind and yet as this letter tells us, this is where our real treasures are in Christ. We have received not one spiritual blessing but all spiritual blessings. God our Father has blessed us with riches promised and untold, particularly spiritual ones. The knowledge of God, the forgiveness of sins, righteousness, eternal life are spiritual riches and blessings which no human reason or method has revealed to us, but only by the revelation of the Holy Spirit these promises are made known. Paul says that it was determined by God choice, by His eternal decree made before the foundation of the world. God chose us so that our sinful life might be wiped away by the sacrifice of his Son Jesus. All because of His love for us, He chose us, and not because of any goodness we produce through our actions, thoughts or words, we will and do stand before Him blameless and holy. It has been planned this way by God and there is no other way but by believing in Jesus. 

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July 28 – Grace In Place of Grace Received

“Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” John 1:16 (NIV)

The Gospel of John begins by telling us how the Son of God took on a human form and lived here on earth.  Our verse today reminds us how much good we have received because Jesus did this, because God the Father sent His Only Son to earth for us.  When John wrote these words, Jesus had returned to heaven but the blessings His followers had received from Him were still continuing.  And they still continue for each of us.  We don't need to go through a day without experiencing the blessings of the Lord. And the blessings we received are not limited to one-a-day.  God's grace can be as our verse says, blessing upon blessing. God's grace comes to us multiple times and so we receive grace heaped upon grace we have already received.  So aren't you glad my friend,that God continues to pour out His blessings on His children?  His storehouse is great and has an endless supply of blessings for us.  What an encouraging promise we have received from God.

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September 20 – Grace Upon Grace

“Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” John 1:16 (NIV)

John was testifying about what our Lord Jesus had done for him and for those living at that time. John had received blessings from the Lord and so had all his friends. We believe that what he wrote has been given as a true promise for all believers and it is true for the followers of Jesus today. Yes we can testify that we have all been filled by the grace of our Lord in continued blessings. We believe that you, our readers are receiving blessings from the Lord, if your are open to them. His blessings are of so many different kinds – all made to fill our different needs. Let's be open today to receive the blessings from God? 

February 6

“Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.” Psalm 21:6 (NIV)

Does it make any difference to us when we are reminded that God is present with us each day? Our verse lets us see what the psalmist David thought about this question – this is his testimony of praise to God. The presence of the Lord gave him much joy. He called it the “joy of your presence.” Can’t we see the same thing? When we acknowledge that the Lord is with us, no matter what else is happening, doesn’t this realization give us joy? We can be glad for this truth and consider it one of the eternal blessings of being a child of God. 

January 26

“All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:” Deuteronomy 28: 2 (NIV)

“You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.” Deuteronomy 28: 6 (NIV)

Our Lord has promised to bless those who obey Him. We are reminded of this in the verses for today. These are words Moses spoke to the Children of Israel near the end of his life. He was reminding them of the importance of obedience to God and we today can benefit from the truth of these words. First we are told that there are blessings that come on us and accompany us if we are obedient to the Lord our God. The passage lists many specific blessings promised by God. We focus on one in verse 6 which tells us that if we obey the Lord He will be blessing us wherever we are. Wherever we go the blessings will accompany us. Whether we go far or only a short distance, God has promised to be the source of our blessings if we obey what He teaches us in His Word. 

January 16

“Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” John 1:16 (NIV)

After starting with a description of Jesus as the Son of God, as being with His Father from the beginning of all things, the Apostle John writes these words of encouragement. We are reminded, as we need to be all the time, how much we are receiving from our Lord Jesus Christ. We have become God’s children through faith in Jesus as our Savior but that is only the beginning of His blessings to us. Our verse inspires us to think of all the good things God is giving us each day. Because of His grace we receive blessings every day of many different kinds – so many that it would be difficult to count them. Let us agree today with the writer of our verse and be thankful for the grace we are receiving.

January 12

“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)

God has provided many blessings for those who accept His Son as Savior. It is true that as we read the Bible or hear someone teach it we learn about some of these blessings. Let us remember that those who wrote the Bible were inspired to write about these blessings. It is God the Holy Spirit who helps us understand what we read in these writings. The Holy Spirit can also help us in other ways to what God has planned for each one of us. Let us be sure our hearts are open to learn what the Spirit wants to teach us each day. Remember all those who have believed have received the Spirit who is from God and is God. 

October 21

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12 (NIV)

At the very end of the writings of Moses we find a compilation of the blessings promised to the children of Israel. The verse today is the promise given to the tribe of Benjamin. These are promises that are as valid today as they were in the days of Moses. I say that because they are for those whom the Lord loves. He did love the people of Benjamin then and He loves His own today. We read that the one whom God loves rests between His shoulders. Does that not mean that the Lord embraces those who He loves? And doesn’t an embrace mean safety and protection? He draws you to Himself and loves you in His embrace. That means safety.

October 2

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” 1 Corinthians 15:10a (NIV)

This is part of the testimony of the apostle Paul. In writing these words he was reminding his readers of the great change that came into his life when he realized how much God had done for him. God changed him from an enemy of Jesus Christ to a close friend. And after that God used him to get the message out to many people in many places. What Paul said is that it was God who did all this by His grace. He didn’t deserve it. Neither do we deserve the blessings and good things God does for us. We need to recognize that God is working in each of us and we need to give Him the credit for it, so we can say with Paul, “By the grace of God I am what I am.”

June 17

“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:7-8 (NIV)

The nearness of God does not depend on our earthly circumstances. We find some of the most intimate expressions of the joy of knowing God’s presence in songs written by David in the most unpleasant situations. These verses today were written when he was out in the desert hiding from those who were trying to kill him. Spiritual blessings are not dependent on physical circumstances. Out there in the desert by himself, David sensed that He was not alone. God was with him sustaining him. So whatever your situation, be sure to lean upon the Lord because He is near, and by faith stay close to Him.

March 3

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” Genesis 15:1

God said that He would be Abram’s reward. Abram, or Abraham as he was later called, was thinking, as we are apt to think, that God will give us something as our reward. It is true that God does reward us by helping us in various ways here on earth. And we know He will reward those who trust Him with special blessings in heaven. But our greatest reward here on earth is to have a wonderful God in heaven. And when we get to heaven, the greatest reward of all will be God Himself. Let’s trust Him today. HE is your reward today and always.

March 1

“It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,” Psalm 92:1-2  (NIV)

We know, of course, that the Psalms were written by God’s people, the Jews, and were sung by the Jewish people. Their day of rest, of course, was the Sabbath. It was a day to worship God in a special way. We have our special days set aside to worship God. Whether we get to church or not we can have the special blessing that comes from praising God in word and in song as well as in our thoughts. We experience that it is good to praise Him, telling of His love as we begin the day and His faithfulness when the day is over.

February 15

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you; who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.” Psalm 89:15 (NIV)

Are you looking for a blessing from God in your life? There are quite a few scriptures that give promise of His blessing. Let’s think especially of this verse. There is a blessing for those who walk in the light of His presence. God has promised to be near to His own. He wants us to be conscious of His presence and to live that way. This means that we won’t be hiding anything from Him. We will be doing only those things we can share with Him. We’ll be thinking only those thoughts that we know He will approve. That’s what it means to walk in the light of His presence. Is it any wonder that God promises a blessing to those who live this way?

January 29

“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself. The Lord will hear when I call to Him.” Psalm 4:3 (NIV)

Our Lord is anxious that we recognize what He has done for those who follow Him and believe in His Son. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, we enter into a very special relationship with God our Creator. He sets us apart for special treatment. One of the benefits of this new relationship is the assurance that God hears us when we call to Him for help. That’s what the Psalmist was so thrilled about as he wrote. But there are other benefits of being set apart for God. Just think of all the blessings He gives to His own. Be aware of those benefits!