Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, April 21, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-21-2018

This is devotional thought number 5 in our devotional series titled, “The Gospel According to Paul.”

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed.This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded! By what principle? Of works? No, but by the principle of faith! For we consider that a person is declared righteous by faith apart from the works of the law.” (Romans 3:23–28, NET).

Today’s Scripture focus is the gospel made simple. I know you are probably scratching your head wondering why I would say it’s simple when, as usual, Paul used complex language to convey his point. Don’t worry, it is much simpler than you may think.

Problem Number One: We have all sinned and by virtue of our sinful acts and nature, we come woefully short of the standard of God’s righteousness, the Ten Commandment law. Remember, sin is the transgression of the law. All unrighteousness is sin. That which is not of faith is sin. Got it.

Problem Number Two: Those who sin must die.

Problem Number Three: Even if sinners like us could keep the law in our own strength, which we cannot, it would not fix problems one and two.

The Ultimate Solution to the Sin Problem: God is love, and thus He gave us His Son Jesus to save us from our sins. Jesus mysteriously took on human form, relied perfectly upon His Father and the power of the Holy Spirit to be victorious over every kind of temptation, and then died the death that we deserve, thereby becoming the perfect sacrifice and seat of mercy for those who accept the blessing by faith. I told you it was simple.

God could not leave the sin problem up to us to solve. We were well capable of lodging ourselves firmly into sin, but completely incapable of getting ourselves out. Jesus kept all of the law His entire life and gave us a head start by applying His perfect righteousness to our lives while He equips us to actually follow His example. He satisfied the claim of the law, which is that those who don’t keep it must die, so that He could earn the right to give mercy to those who walk with Him by faith. SImply put, Jesus cancelled the sin debt for all those who surrender our lives to Him.

All that Jesus did for us makes it impossible for us to take the credit for a job well done. Moreover, it removes our ability to brag or boast. On the contrary, it makes way for us to worship God and give thanks for being merciful, patience, kind, powerful, and wise enough to resolve the sin problem for all willing to allow Him to do so in our lives.

I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, are you?.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, April 19, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-19-2018

This is devotional thought number 3 in our devotional series titled, “The Gospel According to Paul.”

“Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! He will reward each one according to his works:” (Romans 2:1–6, NET).

At the end of the first chapter of Romans, Paul identifies perhaps one of the most elusive causes for persons to lose our way spiritually. He shows how those who put any person, place, or thing in priority above God will invariably act out any wicked thing that comes to mind. Let me say it another way: If you don’t worship God, to the exclusion of anything else, there is absolutely no sin or crime you will be incapable of committing! And whatever bodily, mental, emotional, civil, or spiritual consequence that comes in its train will be your own fault. This seems harsh to some, because so many of us think there are certain things we would “never” do. This is why we see startling news accounts of criminals doing unspeakable things, who were deemed by neighbors, coworkers, and others as being upstanding citizens they never thought would have done such things. Meanwhile, we are all aghast by what they’ve done. It’s actually very simple: again, if I (I will put it on me this time) put a person, place, or thing above God, there’s no wicked thing that I would refuse to do, given the perfect storm of thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. The key here is worship. Do I worship God or my own contrivances or worldly paradigms?

There’s yet another elusive cause of spiritual problems. This cause is hypocrisy. This is where the second chapter of Romans begins. There are purported spiritual persons who see the list of heinous acts underscored in Romans 1:18-32 and stand with their mouths agape and proudly saying they would never do such things, all the while doing the same or similar things. They are self deceived. These persons, have become judges of other persons’ activities, and examiners of other persons’ consciences, and thus can no longer see their own inadequacies. God says that those of us who fit into this category will be judged by the same standard by which we judge others.

There’s hope, however. It is nestled in Paul’s rebuke of hypocrisy. In verse four of our theme passage, Paul says that God is wealthy in kindness, forbearance, patience, and gives repentance as a gift. I know I ask you this a lot, but did you get that? Your loving heavenly Father sees you, whether you are a common sinner or an elitist religious bigot, and is willing to give you the awareness and power to repent! If that were not the case, I would not be here today. The Holy Spirit moves upon the minds of all people, to show us the right path of life; to show us where we have diverged from God’s plan. He shows all who are willing to see, that our Heavenly Father loves us, is merciful, is willing to forgive all manner of confessed and forsaken sins, if we will simply surrender our will to Him. The road...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-18-2018

This is devotional thought number 2 in our devotional series titled, “The Gospel According to Paul.”

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” (Romans 1:20).

News Flash! God wants every person in every nation, kindred, tribe, language, and people to know Him. You should be happy about this. He stopped at nothing to make Himself known around the world for one principle purpose—so we can have eternal life. This is good news. Among the ways God has manifest His power and love on earth is through nature. God is not nature and nature is not God, but nature rightly understood reveals God. Unfortunately, there are people living in our day who misuse nature and abuse the evidences manifest in nature, to fight against the truth of God. All sorts of evil theories, horrible false evidences are strung together in dishonest disorder with the intent to dethrone the King of the universe. During every age of Bible times people misused nature to mimic God. They formed images, shrines, statues, relics, and other things to so-called represent deity, which caused them to sin further, fall deeper into disobedience, and eventually experience the consequences for false worship. Replacing God with that which He created is idolatry. When we put any person, place, or thing in higher esteem than God, it is idolatry. I have good news today, however, if we ask God to give us discernment, nature will magnify His name in all the earth, including in our hearts.

I would like to direct your attention to one of my favorite passages in the Psalms, which clearly shows why those who experience nature are without excuse, considering it reveals its Creator. Be on the lookout for a transition in thought. Are you ready? “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, And his circuit unto the ends of it: And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:1–10). Now you understand what Paul was saying. The invisible God, in power and beauty is manifest to everyone in the world through nature. All that He created praises Him. If the sun, moon, and stars exist where you are, they point to God. If there is water where you are, it glorifies God. If there are birds, bees, or trees where you are, they all hail the King. This is wonderful news!

Now for the transition I mentioned. If it were only about nature, the message would be incomplete. The Psalmist transitioned us from the truth about God in nature to the truth about God in His holy law. He said that the commandments are pure, enlightening, precious, and right. He did not stop there. He said that reverence for the Lord is clean...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-17-2018

This is devotional thought number 1 in our devotional series titled, “The Gospel According to Paul.”

“For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” (Romans 1:14–18, NLT).

If the apostle Paul were still alive, I would attend one of his open air meetings and tell Him how proud I am of him. Paul was an interesting character. I suppose we all are, in some ways. But Paul was interesting to me because he could tick all the boxes in the Jewish culture of his day, of what it meant to be a “good” spiritual leader. He was “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Philippians 3:5–6). Yet, when he finally encountered Christ, and submitted to Him, he said, “...what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 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,” (Philippians 3:7–8). It was this Paul, who was so zealous for the cause that he missed the God of the cause, that also persecuted God’s people, and separated himself from those “Gentiles” whom leaders like he would have considered unclean, who finally found it pleasurable to carry the message to those whom he once persecuted, and others he once deemed unclean. His was a miraculous story of God’s power to transform hopeless sinners into holy saints. I am proud to know of brother Paul’s legacy, and to be a recipient of some of the wisdom he imparted, in the Spirit a couple thousand years ago.

I am also enamored by Paul’s confession. He said that the power of God unto salvation, the gospel of Jesus Christ was for everybody - all comers! Jesus said that His house, the fellowship of all believers, was to be a house of prayer for all people! What an incredible blessing! In an age of exclusive country clubs, secret societies, A-List events, and gated communities, it is refreshing to know that there’s Someone who accepts me. That special Someone is God. All of heaven rejoiced when I repented. All of heaven rejoiced when you gave your life to Him. All of heaven will rejoice, if you are still on the fence about surrender, and you finally see the light and repent.

Our God is able to save 100% of persons who act upon the little measure of faith God gives everyone, and allow it to grow and facilitate our connection with Him. God is able to save 100% of people who surrender all of the good, the bad, and the ugly that we are in our own strength, in exchange for His love, holiness, and empowerment to live like Jesus lived. I respect brother Paul, because he did not continue to allow his pedigree and knowledge to continue to separate him from his God. He finally surrendered his will to God and became one of the most prolific followers of Christ the world had ever seen. I...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Monday, April 16, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-16-2018

This is devotional thought number 71, and final in our devotional series titled, “Wisdom for the Ages.”

“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, And obtaineth favour of the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22).

In our final devotional thought in this series, I would like to highlight one of the chief features of Scripture, next to Jesus, of course—a good woman. Unfortunately, just as God predicted for Eve after she ate the forbidden fruit, our beloved mothers, sisters, and daughters are being subjugated by evil men around the world. Systemic misogyny and abuse have taken firm hold in most cultures, and we must do all we can to reverse the tide. God highly esteems women, and thuswe must too. God personifies love, wisdom, His tender compassion towards us, and all that is virtuous as a woman. The apple of His eye, the one upon whom He places supreme regard is a beautiful woman. She’s the daughter of Zion, the church. Jesus will return for a woman whose character is all arrayed in bright splendor and has chosen absolute love above all things.

Today’s focus is in this context. In the creation story, we see that all God created and did was good, good, and very good. Yet, in the world of perfection, God broke into the narrative and said that one thing was not good. That thing was that man should be alone. It was not good for Adam to be without an other self; one who was like him and would complement and supplement his essence. And so Adam, who named all of God’s creatures, also named the one whom God carefully molded and presented to him to love. He called her woman. She was like man, but had a womb and all that blessing entails. She came from man, but she had a womb. The womb-man, whom God made for him and to be a blessing to all generations was already a wife when God united them. Adam did not need to manufacture, contrive, settle for, or otherwise worry about generating a random woman. God prepared the right woman, and with love made her a wife, and presented her to him. This is why the Bible says that when a man finds a wife, he finds favor, that which is good, and that which is desirable. I am going to allow the pen of inspiration to describe the perfect wife and let you go. If you are a woman who wishes to be married, let the following Scriptures be your guidebook. If you are a believer and wish to learn better submission to God, whether you are a man or woman, ask God to help you glean from the following verses of Scripture:

Proverbs 31:10–31 (NET)

10 Who can find a wife of noble character? For her value is far more than rubies.

11 The heart of her husband has confidence in her, and he has no lack of gain.

12 She brings him good and not evil all the days of her life.

13 She obtains wool and flax, and she is pleased to work with her hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships; she brings her food from afar.

15 She also gets up while it is still night, and provides food for her household and a portion to her female servants.

16 She considers a field and buys it; from her own income she plants a vineyard.

17 She begins her work vigorously, and she strengthens her arms.

18 She knows that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out in the night.

19 Her hands take hold of the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle.

20 She extends her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all of her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She makes for herself coverlets;...

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sunday, April 15, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-15-2018

This is devotional thought number 70 in our devotional series titled, “Wisdom for the Ages.”

“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.” (Proverbs 30:5–6).

I would like to use Jesus Christ as the perfect Model to exemplify today’s Scripture focus. You’ll understand why momentarily. Are you ready?
John had just baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. The sign that validated His ministry was seen and heard by those who could discern them. The voice of God rang from heaven saying, that Jesus was His Son who pleased Him well. The Holy Spirit descended upon Christ in the form of a dove, perhaps signifying the peace that Jesus would make between God and humankind. By being baptized as our example, Jesus truly fulfilled all righteousness. He embarked upon His ministry in the full power of the Holy Spirit.
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” (Matthew 4:1-2). As soon as Jesus had become physically weakened from the lack of food, the devil appeared to Him to tempt and destroy. There is no doubt that Satan thought he could overcome Jesus because Jesus was clothed in humanity, but there is one thing he had not bargained for. He did not understand the vital connection that Jesus had with the Father. Jesus would not be overthrown by Satan’s appeals.
The first temptation was geared to Jesus’ immediate need, food. Jesus was obviously hungry and the devil tried to exploit the fact. “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Matthew 4:3. Immediately, Satan tried to cause Jesus to either doubt His own identity or prove it by a method that no regular human could. He also wanted Jesus to indulge appetite as most have in the past, including Adam and Eve. Jesus was determined to be victorious in the same area of appetite, failed by the first two humans. “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).
In this victory, the Lord wanted to show us that it is not only possible, but necessary to exercise self-control. When the Lord is in control of our lives, we will posses the fruit of the Spirit called temperance. Jesus also wanted us to understand that while temporal food is necessary for sustenance and nutrition, God’s word is necessary for everlasting life. Had Jesus chosen to perform a miracle to satiate His own hunger, we would be led to believe that the physical life takes precedence over our spiritual lives. This is not the case. “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12).
Many lessons can be learned from Jesus’ victory over appetite, but one thing stands out. It is more important to follow every word of God as He gives us strength, than to indulge the flesh. Every word of God is pure. I thank God that Jesus did not fail, because it lets me know that I, too, can be victorious. It lets me know that He is still a shield unto those who trust Him.
A word to the foolish is wasteful. A word to the wise is sufficient.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Sabbath, April 14, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-14-2018

This is devotional thought number 69 in our devotional series titled, “Wisdom for the Ages.”

“Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.” (Proverbs 29:25, NLT).

As many of you can attest, people are wishy washy. We are sometimes up and sometimes down. We are sometimes happy and sometimes sad. We are sometimes productive and sometimes lazy. We are sometimes friendly and sometimes mean spirited. We are sometimes encouraging and full of faith and sometimes pessimistic. Like I said, people are wishy washy; and this is not to mention our periodic hypocrisy. Saying and doing are not always on the top of our priorities list.

Not only are people inconsistent, we are also limited by our humanity. If we eat one wrong thing and at the wrong temperature, or that came into contact with contaminated surfaces, we will get food poisoning. If we hit our heads the wrong way, we will black out. If we are diabetic and disregard sores on our feet, we will require surgery and/or amputation of the affected foot. We are so frail, yet some of us are proud enough to attempt to intimidate, blackmail, extort, or otherwise unjustly trap others. Some evil men and women create fear in those with whom they come into contact, even though they are as wishy washy and frail as anybody else. And those who are subjected to these people’s fear tactics find it difficult to have peace.

Here’s the thing: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: The righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10). “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.” (Psalm 18:2). “You are to regard only the Lord of Hosts as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be held in awe.” (Isaiah 8:13, HCSB). Do not be afraid of people, friends. Surrender your will to God. Put all your trust in Him. If you do so, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

A word to the foolish is wasteful. A word to the wise is sufficient.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Friday, April 13, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-13-2018

This is devotional thought number 68 in our devotional series titled, “Wisdom for the Ages.”

“He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be abomination.” (Proverbs 28:9).

Let me tell you, it is so disrespectful to disengage when people are talking. This has happened to me more times that I would like. I have been sharing my thoughts and people have started thumbing through whatever on their smart devices, interrupted me with random thoughts unrelated to what I have to say, allowed others to interrupt and take them away mid sentence, etc. This is so disrespectful. Worse, I have been talking to my son, who being a small child who thinks he knows everything (most children do) will tell me that whatever I am saying is not so, even though he has no experience or prior knowledge of whatever we are discussing. I suppose it’s no big thing when it happens a few times, at random, but when it’s a habit that I check on a regular basis, then it rises to the level of disrespect; not because he’s technically incorrect, but because he refuses instruction.

Now that I have made a debatable case regarding disrespect, maybe this will come a little closer to home. So, God knows absolutely everything and He is absolutely holy. He created us and when we chose to sin, Jesus gave His life so we could be forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. Unfortunately, some of us are disrespectful. God will be impressing our minds with the direction He wants us to go on a particular issue, and some of us interrupt Him with our entertainment choices, relationship pursuits, habits, aspirations, etc., that do not align with what He has already revealed to us. Unfortunately, some of us disregard the Ten Commandments Law like they are ten suggestions that we can take or leave, without consequence. Some of us would rather have darling sin habits, with no regard for God’s love and power to give us victory over them. The Bible says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13).

If you desire to be heard by God and transformed by His love, submit to Him. Turn toward Him. Don’t refuse to agree with Him regarding any sin habits you may have. Ask Him to give you a clean heart and to fill you with His Holy Spirit, and know that you will have mercy, peace, and rest.

A word to the foolish is wasteful. A word to the wise is sufficient.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)

Thoughts in Worship

Message Magazine's Online Devotional for Thursday, April 12, 2018

Audio Link: https://www.spreaker.com/user/reachmanyradio/thoughts-in-worship-04-12-2018

This is devotional thought number 67 in our devotional series titled, “Wisdom for the Ages.”

“Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth— a stranger, not your own lips.” (Proverbs 27:2, NLT).

It’s a classic 7 year old child issue. It’s called self praise. The boy says he’s stronger and smarter than everybody in his class, and the whole world. The girl says she’s smarter than the all the boys, and prettier than all the girls. The boy says nobody can build a treehouse better than him. The girl says her hairstyle is the in thing and that other girls want to be like her. The boy says that his picture is better than theirs. The girl says she has more friends than they do. If childhood were its own species, one of the genetic traits would be self praise.

We expect to hear our children’s incessant self-praise. For at least the first couple of years of their lives, parents, family, and family friends do make it seem like the world revolves around their little faces. That’s fine. However, as we get older, we all realize that is not the case. There are other people who are just as important, who have just as many needs, and are just as good, or better at doing some of the things we do. There are so many who have nicer things, are more intelligent, are faster, stronger, and wiser than we are. Welcome to the real world. Unfortunately some of our little children grow up into big, adult-aged children. Although they are increasing in age, they are not increasing in maturity. They still think the world revolves around them. They still give incessant sel-praise and force people, through their constant blabbering, to listen to the figment of their imagination. Unfortunately, even some world thought leaders are this way, and those under their influence are forced to suffer through droning speeches, unreasonable demands, and petulant rants. The Bible gives a simple remedy to this continuous drivel of focus on self. If you are wonderful, intelligent, great, spectacular, incredible, effulgent, and wise, other people will notice. Your gifts will be self-evident and those who are blessed by them will will spread the word. Can you imagine? So many of us have lost focus of our great God, and have magnified self in our eyes. What’s the remedy? As always, I am so glad you asked. If we learn to set our sights on on God and ask Him to teach us how to serve others, we will lose focus of self and whatever we do that might be praiseworthy will be evidenced in the people we help.

A word to the foolish is wasteful. A word to the wise is sufficient.—L. David Harris (www.LDavidHarris.com)