Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, December 12, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, That I will make a new covenant With the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers In the day that I took them by the hand To bring them out of the land of Egypt; Which my covenant they brake, Although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, And write it in their hearts; And will be their God, And they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: For they shall all know me, From the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: For I will forgive their iniquity, And I will remember their sin no more. Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, And the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, Which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name:” (Jeremiah 31:31–35).

Today’s Observation:

In verse 35 of our theme text we see the imprint of God’s authority, which uniquely qualifies Him to make a special covenant with His people. God created the sun to rule the day. God governs the moon and stars, and assigned them to rule the night skies. God is the one that divided the waters from dry land and created the mighty seas. The Lord of the innumerable heavenly throng, and Sovereign Ruler of the universe, is His name. Therefore, He is uniquely qualified to forgive our iniquities and sins, and remember them no more.

Now, in order for the Creator of the universe to effectively make provision to handle the sin in our lives there must be a special work in play in our lives. This special work is facilitated by His promise, His covenant. He said that He promised to make a special agreement, which would later be ratified by the precious blood of Jesus, that He would etch the governing principle of right relationship with God (His Law) in our minds. He would do this great work in such miraculous fashion so all people from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, would know in their hearts what the Lord required of them. This fact, along with the ministry of the Holy Spirit calling us into all truth about God and ourselves, positions us in a way that makes us susceptible to His voice. Obviously, we do have the choice of whether to accept or reject His leading. But God has made every way possible in the authority of His right as Creator, to educate our consciences against evil, teach us His ways, forgive/cleanse us of our sins, and present us to Himself without fault.

Today’s Marching Orders:

In light of all I have said and more, there is really only one major thing left for us to do—ask God to help us keep our end of the bargain. Unlike the ancient Israelites who often prided themselves in fastidiously keeping the Law, we must boast only in the fact that we know the Lord, and allow Him to work out His will through our lives. Only then will God’s New Covenant meet its intended purpose.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, December 11, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; For he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11).

Today’s Observation:

As you may have come to expect from me, I am always searching for fresh insights on familiar truths. Today is no different.

The promise I discovered from a different angle is the one God made to Himself. Get this: He made it to Himself, so we both could benefit—a win-win situation. He gave Isaiah a prophecy that foretold the blessing of a whole new world. Having described the utter anguish and sacrifice Jesus endured in order to save us from our sins, He drops a clue in verse 11 of Isaiah 53 of the blessings of that better world. He said that He would (one day) see the travail of His soul and be satisfied. That’s a promise. One day, He will be able to look back on all of the suffering, pleading, sacrificing, wooing, and loving He did for us, and be satisfied!

You see, God created us for His glory. He never intended for us to sin or be destroyed through consistent wrong choices. Yet, some are bent on having our own way, which, if cherished to its illogical conclusion, will mean eternal separation from God. However, there will be those, who accept the beautiful sacrifice of Christ; who will deny themselves and follow Him. Looking down through the corridors of time, God prophesied the day He satisfied His greatest desire—to have us with Him in the kingdom. In another place He said, “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, And will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: Declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.” (Isaiah 43:25–26).

His promise to Himself; His promise to you, is that one day, if you keep the faith, He will remember His suffering, but be satisfied, because you are safe in His eternal kingdom. Then, it will have been well worth it.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Ask God to glorify Himself in your life today. Keep asking until you see His handiwork manifest in every area of your life.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, December 10, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9).

Today’s Observation:

God has an interesting way of doing things. Today’s theme text highlights the fact that God recognizes we cannot do anything without Him or keep a vow of dedication to Him. Therefore, He establishes a power base for all who would receive it by faith. You may wonder where I get all that from so few words. I am so glad you asked.

The promise of reaping a bountiful, Spiritual harvest is contingent upon two factors: One, the Lord presupposes that we have received His power to do well. Through Paul He said that we should not become weary in well doing. Since we, according to Romans 8:8 & Philippians 4:13, cannot please God in our own strength, if we are to be rewarded for doing well, it is a fact that we have accepted God’s supernatural power in our lives. He establishes a power base for us.

Two, the Lord promises a bountiful, spiritual harvest to those who faint not! Have you ever faltered on anything in your relationship with God? Don’t answer. I know you, like me, have faltered more times than you can count. Therefore, if God is making a promise to those who do not faint or falter, this means those who don’t, have been given the rich benefits of the following Scripture: “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28–31). As I said in the beginning, God establishes a power base for all who wish to do His will. Now here’s the kicker: After He gives us all the power we need to do His will, He then rewards us with a bountiful, spiritual harvest. That’s a great deal! God rewards us for the work He has done in our lives, because He knows very well that we cannot be faithful any other way.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Accept God’s power to do His will today. Refuse to focus on you, and focus on Him instead.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:7–8).

Today’s Observation:

Today’s Scripture is full of promises to those with spiritual eyesight and faith in God. I will focus on just one.

Jesus said that if we remain vitally united with Him and His Word remains the vital driving force in our lives, we can ask whatever we will, and He will do it. I’m certain that most reading this would focus on the “it shall be done unto you” part of the text, and that’s fine. I have a habit of searching for hidden gems. I need not share about the obvious. Here is the promise that is hidden in plain sight: When we abide in Christ and His Word pervades our lives, Jesus promises to modify our will. That which we will (to) ask is moderated, cultured by, and overwhelmingly influenced by our abiding in Him. Thus it is that He promises to change our will. Let me say it another way: If I were focused on worldly things in my pre-Jesus life, and happened to pray, those prayers would be about worldly things. Whether subtilly or overtly, they would be based on the worldly paradigms of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. However, when Jesus takes the helm of my life, abides in me, and His Word becomes the guiding principle of my life, my prayers begin to align with the One who abides in me, and whose Word guides my life. Are you getting this? Simply stated, when the Lord is enthroned within our lives, our prayers, our wills, are submitted to His kingship, and thus when we ask Him anything in prayer, we are well on our way to the perfect answer. As Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, we will also pray, “not my will, but thine be done.” God will always answer that prayer in the affirmative. It’s a promise.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Ask the Lord to teach you to abide in Him today, and watch your prayers get answered in unexpected, yet marvelous ways.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Monday, December 7, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48).

Today’s Observation:

Today we have a welcome surprise in the spirit of God doing exceedingly, abundantly above what we can ask or think. In the few words from our theme text we find a whopping four promises! Hard to believe; I know.

The short version of the story is that there was a woman whose female monthly bleeding was horrifyingly out of control, to the point that she hemorrhaged for 12 long years. It’s a wonder she lived that long in that condition. She did all she could and should have done. She hoped, she wished, she went to many doctors and spent her life savings for care. But instead of getting better, she got worse. The Bible seems to indicate that the doctor visits were actually the cause of her decline.

When the desperate woman knew that Jesus would be in town, she was determined and full of saving faith. She thought that if she could just touch the blue tassel/ribband representing God’s Holy Law, which was on the border of His garment, she would be made whole. And she was right! As Jesus walked through the pressing crowd being carelessly brushed by all sorts of unwitting people, she crawled through and touched His garment. He immediately recognized her touch of faith despite His disciples’ ignorance of this level of faith. He sensed that virtue, (i.e., healing power) was transferred from Him to her. When He discovered the recipient of His healing, He made four incredibly potent promises. I hope you’re ready for this:

1.)He called her “daughter.” Do not miss this. There are so many right now, perhaps even you, who feel outcast and separated from God. You don’t understand your value in the eyes of God. To her, and to you, IF you have saving faith, He promises that you will no longer be called servant, which may be cool, but daughter/son (John 1:11-12; John 15:15). When we keep saving faith in Him, we are guaranteed a place in the family of God.

2.)He said, “be of good comfort.” Did not Jesus promise in Matthew 5 that He would comfort the comfortless? Did He not promise to send His other self, whom He called the Comforter, who would teach us all that Jesus commanded? When you need the comfort of God, if you simply center your faith upon Him, He will comfort you.

3.)He said that her faith made her whole. The kind of faith to which He referred was obviously not a flippant mere belief or assent to truth. We know this based on the outcome of her exercising of it. She was made whole. What the doctors, deliberate effort, etc. could not do in 12 years, her faith in God did in a moment of time. It took firm grasp of the limitless power of God, which destroys yokes (that’s a promise), mends broken hearts (that’s a promise), makes sinners holy (that’s a promise), decimates fatal addictions (that’s a promise), and much more.

4.)He said, “Go in peace.” Obviously, she was not living a peaceful life while she was afflicted. The thoughts concerning her disease, incredible weakness, and intense pain consumed her like our guilt feelings do when we sin. But, when she received the other three promises by faith, she was in prime position to inevitably receive the final one—peace. Jesus promised her a peace that the world could neither give, nor take away—the peace of God.

I will just stop there. I hope you are invigorated by these incredible promises of God.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Give any and all of your trials and joys to God by faith and receive all of the healing virtue He has in store for you.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, December 5, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;” (Deuteronomy 6:1–14).

Today’s Observation:

God’s promise to His ancient people was simple: If you keep my words dear to your life and love me unreservedly, I will give you the peaceful land I promised to your forefathers. And we see in history that this was indeed the case. The first generation of emancipated Israelites chose to disrespect God and do their own thing, and as a consequence of their lack of faith, they all eventually died in the wilderness. Their children’s generation, however, finally got the memo, learned to love God and keep His commandments, and under the faithful leadership of Joshua, they inherited the Promised Land through many conquests, trials, and temptations.

We are living in a time just preceding the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to return to earth, deliver His people to eternal reward, and the ultimate destruction of sin. We, like those ancient peoples have a decision to make. Will we choose to embrace evil lifestyles, relationships, entertainments, and overall paradigms, or will we choose complete surrender to God’s will for us and faithfully teach our children the same? Our personal answers to this question will determine our eternal outcome.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Ask God today to help you make the obvious choice to follow Him.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, December 4, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.” (Mark 10:28).

Today’s Observation:

When I consider purchasing any item in a store or on the Internet, there are a few things that I must be clear on before I go through with the transaction. I must understand the return policy, warranty, and overall replacement policy. With the exception of the price, these three have my greatest focus. I don’t like being stuck with a product that I am unhappy with. Whenever I find that either the product is faulty or not up to my standards, I like to return or exchange it for something more suitable. I also like the security of knowing that if it goes bad in the next several months, there is a replacement warranty in place to protect my investment.

Looking for some affirmation, Peter spoke to Jesus. After having been struck, along with the other disciples, with the reality of salvation being about God and not about human attainments, Peter said that they had left everything in order to follow Christ. Then Jesus began to explain the lifetime replacement warranty to the disciples. “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:29-30). Jesus taught that life without Him is faulty. It is not worth retaining. We would be well served to take it in to have it replaced. The friends that we have lost by choosing Christ will be replaced with new ones who will help us win others for Him. Those who edify us and support our new life with Jesus will supplement the family members who do not know the Lord. We will never be without somewhere to live when we are in Christ because every believer in the world is at our disposal in our times of need. If we ever need food, clothing, or anything essential for life, God has promised that He will supply it.

We will not always have a bed of ease when we leave all to follow Jesus. We look forward to persecutions just as He experienced because we are not more important than He. The servants will not escape trials if the Master did not. The promise is that all we have forsaken will be more than supplied, and we will receive the gift of eternal life.

The replacement warranty on our lives says that if anyone realizes, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that their lives are faulty, He will replace it for an upgraded model; a model that will not fall apart or malfunction. We all need to have our lives replaced for a complete life in Christ.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Pray that the Lord will teach you how to forsake all that you have in order to follow Him.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, December 3, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Today’s Observation:

In a time when senseless acts of terror and mass killings are becoming the norm and we all yearn for relief from the atrocities we now must face, the hope of Jesus’ return is becoming more precious. Our world is spinning out of control, and the media reports this fact several times per day in nauseating detail. What consolation do we have? How can we survive with these realities constantly pressing their way upon our consciousness?

One of the many promises that the Lord has made to every believer is, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:3). The imminent return of Jesus has been the blessed hope of believers since the first century. We all have waited, with great anticipation, to experience the absolute and final victory over the devil. We look forward with eager anticipation, to the day when righteousness will pulse throughout the endless expanse of creation. We eagerly await the call of resurrection that will beckon our sleeping loved-ones from the dust to life, without the fear of death. One day soon all who anxiously await Jesus’ return will finally see Him coming in the clouds and will be caught up to meet Him in the air. Soon sickness and suffering will come to an expected end.

Today’s Marching Orders:

Pray for God’s guidance and power to endure the difficulties you will face today. Pray that He will give you the strength and empathy to help someone else do the same. Pray for the families who have lost loved ones by the senseless acts of evil men.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12).

Today’s Observation:

The Bible is full of promises. To those who love Him, God promises eternal life and peace with the Father. He promises answered prayers to those who pray according to His will and in His name. Jesus promised to prepare a place for His children and one day soon, He will return to receive us unto Himself. All of God’s promises are sure. We never need to doubt that God will make good on His word.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Paul wrote a promise to His son in the gospel. It may not seem like a promise from God, but it most certainly is. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). The Bible says if we are faithful to God, we shall, not might, but shall suffer persecution. Paul was saying this from his own experience to encourage brother Timothy to remain faithful to God through the scriptures. It seems that Paul was quite comfortable with the fact that faithfulness to God brings persecution from the world. “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” (Philippians 3:8-10). Since Paul loved Christ so much, he was happy to suffer for His sake.

You may be wondering why a promise of persecution for righteousness’ sake would make anyone happy. Notice the words of Christ Himself. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).

You see, all of the persecution that we encounter is nothing compared to the suffering Jesus endured for our sake. He did it all that we might be saved. Why do we have this promise of persecution? “…because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8). One day soon this journey will be over, and we will meet the King. Be encouraged by these words: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Today’s Marching Orders:

Surrender your heart to God. Be patient in tribulations. Be thankful that God will reward you if you’re faithful.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Monday, November 30, 2015

Today’s Scripture Promise:

“For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:31–40).

Today’s Observation:

Life is full of challenges. This may be too obvious for you, but sometimes what is less obvious in context of today’s focus is why some of our challenges exist. Sometimes we bring trials upon our own heads due to disobedience. Sometimes we are sad, guilt-ridden, and outright depressed because we have done some thing wrong. Sometimes we bear the consequences of our sins and feel forsaken by God. If you can identify with this, please listen up. God’s promise is that if you’re in this situation and are willing to turn again to Him, He will not abandon or reject you forever.

Our God is not in the “gotcha” business. He is not searching for ways to cause grief for us. He is compassionate and merciful. He is loving and kind. He loves to restore all who have fallen short of His high mark of holiness (and His standard is indeed high). So if you find yourself buried beneath the burden of guilt and feelings of abandonment due to some sin you’ve committed, let me add a promise to emphasize what we have already said: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).

Today’s Marching Orders:

Surrender your heart to God. Be patient in tribulations. Confess and forsake your sins. Accept God’s promise that He will not abandon you forever.—L. David Harris (www.DavidWritesaLot.com)