Prosperity has a way of deceiving people into thinking all is well. This mindset breeds complacency, which eventually leads us down the path to say “NO” to God. Having this type of mindset shifts our focus from God to self. We can get what we want, when we want, exactly as we desire it. It changes our thinking from being dependent on God, to independence from Him. It’s has no thoughts of our health or our spiritual development, because it redirects our thoughts to “the now”, away from the “bigger picture”. This lie is big in wealthier nations of the world today. Having means allows us the ability to say “NO” to God. When that happens, the only positive side of the outcome is the opportunity to repent, and return to God, which is extremely hard, and rarely happens. Don’t live your life trying to get rich. It’s a deceptive charm that will pull you away from God, leading you down the path of self-destruction.
Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare, and their prosperity become a trap.
Psalms 69:22
An Ordinary Man's Pursuit of the Extraordinary God of the Bible. These are daily insights from reading the Bible from cover to cover yearly. It is intended to point others to the Truth, and inspire people to pursue the God of the Bible individually.
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Monday, March 30, 2020
Man’s Approval...
One cannot be truly saved if he seeks man’s approval. You cannot believe in God and not follow Jesus, and expect your faith to be real.
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 42 Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust Me, you are trusting not only Me, but also God who sent Me. 45 For when you see Me, you are seeing the One who sent Me.46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.47 I will not judge those who hear Me but don’t obey Me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.48 But all who reject Me and My message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.49 I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.50 And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.” John 12:41-50
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. 42 Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.44 Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust Me, you are trusting not only Me, but also God who sent Me. 45 For when you see Me, you are seeing the One who sent Me.46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.47 I will not judge those who hear Me but don’t obey Me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it.48 But all who reject Me and My message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.49 I don’t speak on My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it.50 And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.” John 12:41-50
Sunday, March 29, 2020
When in Rome....
You’ve heard it said many times, “when in Rome...”, well that’s the worst advice you could ever be given when it comes to the Christian faith. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (ROM 12:1-2). Here in 1 Kings 14, we read about how the people adopted the pagan way of doing many things. When it comes to seeking to do the right thing, follow God. You may never be fully welcomed here on earth, but remember, the earth is not your permanent home.
22 During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking His anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors. 23 For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were even male and female shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 1 Kings 14:22-24
22 During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking His anger with their sin, for it was even worse than that of their ancestors. 23 For they also built for themselves pagan shrines and set up sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 24 There were even male and female shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people imitated the detestable practices of the pagan nations the Lord had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. 1 Kings 14:22-24
Saturday, March 28, 2020
A Different Catastrophe....
It’s one thing to sin against God, but it’s an entirely different catastrophe to encourage or even promote sin to others. I’m sure the consequences for those who do this will be unbearably great.
14 “In addition, the Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. This will happen today, even now! 15 Then the Lord will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that He gave their ancestors and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, for they have angered the Lord with the Asherah poles they have set up for worship. 16 He will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and made Israel sin along with him.” 1 Kings 14:14-16
14 “In addition, the Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. This will happen today, even now! 15 Then the Lord will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that He gave their ancestors and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, for they have angered the Lord with the Asherah poles they have set up for worship. 16 He will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and made Israel sin along with him.” 1 Kings 14:14-16
Friday, March 27, 2020
Who You Listen To Matters....
There are stories in the Bible that I just miss the point (don’t understand). Here’s one for instance. The prophet of God dies because of his disobedience. He was lied to by an older man who called himself a prophet too. It doesn’t seem right that a man trusting another who says he is of God, but what do I know? God told him not to go back the same way he came. And to not eat or drink anything while he was there. The prophet’s disobedience was his downfall. The only sense I can make out of this is when God tells you to do or not do something, follow His directions. If you err, do it in obedience to the initial commands. If God changes His mind, err on being disobedient to the newer command, so that you are not deceived by anyone claiming to be from God. If God changes His mind on the issue, allow only Him to relay the message to you. That way, you’re not eaten by a lion on your way home. Who you listen to matters.
1 At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.6 The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”8 But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. 9 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’ ” 10 So he left Bethel and went home another way.11 As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12 The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken. 13 “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.14 Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”“Yes, I am,” he replied.15 Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. 17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’ ”18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’ ” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. 21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where He told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”23 After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, 24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25 People who passed by saw the body lying in the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in Bethel, where the old prophet lived.26 When the prophet heard the report, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the Lord’s command. The Lord has fulfilled His word by causing the lion to attack and kill him.”27 Then the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle a donkey for me.” So they saddled a donkey, 28 and he went out and found the body lying in the road. The donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey. 29 So the prophet laid the body of the man of God on the donkey and took it back to the town to mourn over him and bury him. 30 He laid the body in his own grave, crying out in grief, “Oh, my brother!”31 Afterward the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the message the Lord told him to proclaim against the altar in Bethel and against the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true.”33 But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines. 34 This became a great sin and resulted in the utter destruction of Jeroboam’s dynasty from the face of the earth. 1 Kings 13
1 At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” 3 That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.6 The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”8 But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place. 9 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’ ” 10 So he left Bethel and went home another way.11 As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king. 12 The old prophet asked them, “Which way did he go?” So they showed their father which road the man of God had taken. 13 “Quick, saddle the donkey,” the old man said. So they saddled the donkey for him, and he mounted it.14 Then he rode after the man of God and found him sitting under a great tree. The old prophet asked him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”“Yes, I am,” he replied.15 Then he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place. 17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’ ”18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’ ” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet. 21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where He told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”23 After the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the old prophet saddled his own donkey for him, 24 and the man of God started off again. But as he was traveling along, a lion came out and killed him. His body lay there on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. 25 People who passed by saw the body lying in the road and the lion standing beside it, and they went and reported it in Bethel, where the old prophet lived.26 When the prophet heard the report, he said, “It is the man of God who disobeyed the Lord’s command. The Lord has fulfilled His word by causing the lion to attack and kill him.”27 Then the prophet said to his sons, “Saddle a donkey for me.” So they saddled a donkey, 28 and he went out and found the body lying in the road. The donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey. 29 So the prophet laid the body of the man of God on the donkey and took it back to the town to mourn over him and bury him. 30 He laid the body in his own grave, crying out in grief, “Oh, my brother!”31 Afterward the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the message the Lord told him to proclaim against the altar in Bethel and against the pagan shrines in the towns of Samaria will certainly come true.”33 But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines. 34 This became a great sin and resulted in the utter destruction of Jeroboam’s dynasty from the face of the earth. 1 Kings 13
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Serving Willingly or Unwillingly...
Here’s the question everyone must answer in this life: do you want to be used by God willingly or unwillingly? God will use you to accomplish His will. The question really is will you help Him carry it out, or will you unknowingly (against your will) carry it out? Either way His will gets accomplished. You will either share in his Glory, or be used for His glory and receive no benefits for doing so. For me, I’d rather help God, than focus all my attention on myself, wishing for happiness, when I can know I’m significant, and fulfilling my purpose by serving Him and others. The ultimate reward of serving Him will not compare to the minuscule rewards of living for self might bring. Again, for all those anti-God, Christian haters out there; you will help fulfill the will of God, but you won’t reap the rewards, if you are unaware by not knowing God in the process. Here, the high priest was prophesying without realizing the magnitude of his very words. Killing Jesus to them was to save their way of life, an extremely selfish act. They were serving a much greater purpose, unknowingly, serving the One they pretended to know. The irony of the unbeliever’s life is far more complex than most realize. In the very act of rebelling against God, through selfish acts, you might just end up helping God accomplish great things, like the religious leaders did here in John chapter 11. In your resolve to abandon God, He May use you to bring others to Him. And worse yet, you’ll do it thinking your going against Him in your rebelliousness.
45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow Him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in Him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped His public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will He?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest Him. John 11:45-57
45 Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen. 46 But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow Him to go on like this, soon everyone will believe in Him. Then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”49 Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about! 50 You don’t realize that it’s better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”51 He did not say this on his own; as high priest at that time he was led to prophesy that Jesus would die for the entire nation. 52 And not only for that nation, but to bring together and unite all the children of God scattered around the world.53 So from that time on, the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death. 54 As a result, Jesus stopped His public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with His disciples.55 It was now almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, and many people from all over the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the purification ceremony before Passover began. 56 They kept looking for Jesus, but as they stood around in the Temple, they said to each other, “What do you think? He won’t come for Passover, will He?” 57 Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly ordered that anyone seeing Jesus must report it immediately so they could arrest Him. John 11:45-57
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Good Medicine...
God is the source of life. A regenerated spirit refreshes others. It like medicine for the soul. Those who live without God, have a harder time coping with life. His spirit gives us the ability to build others up in truth, which refreshes the soul. How we need this in difficult, uncertain times. Share your source of life with others today and watch good medicine take effect.
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22
22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. Proverbs 17:22
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