Devotion: You Are Not Under The Law

Is “The Law,” those so-called “rules of conduct” given to the Israelites back in the days of the Old Testament for us today?  This is one of the more highly debated questions in many religious circles today; however, we wanted to share a few things that we have discovered during the course of our studies.  Under the old covenant, the laws, written on stone tablets and conveyed to the Israelites through Moses, were given to regulate almost every aspect of life (Exodus 24:12).

He cancels the first system in favor of a far better one.  Under this new plan we have been forgiven and made clean by Christ’s dying for us once and for all.  Under the old agreement the priests stood before the altar day after day offering sacrifices that could never take away our sins.  But Christ gave himself to God for our sins as one sacrifice for all time and then sat down in the place of highest honor at God’s right hand, waiting for his enemies to be laid under his feet.  For by that one offering he made forever perfect in the sight of God all those whom he is making holy.  And the Holy Spirit testifies that this is so, for he has said, “This is the agreement I will make with the people of Israel, though they broke their first agreement: I will write my laws into their minds so that they will always know my will, and I will put my laws in their hearts so that they will want to obey them.”  And then he adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds” (Hebrews 10:9-17 TLB).

Unlike the days of the old covenant, where the laws were written on stone tablets and passed along by Moses, under this new covenant, we have those same laws written into our minds and placed in our hearts, so that those “rules of conduct,” originally given to the Israelites are now written into our very being.  However, there is one major difference between the old and the new covenant that everyone involved in the great debate needs to consider.  Under this new covenant, we actually have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, who offered himself as the sacrifice for the penalty of sin and of death for all time, redeeming those who would accept the free gift of salvation, from the condemning curse of the law (Galatians 3:10-14), but he did not free us from “the rules of conduct” themselves.

“Don’t misunderstand why I have come—it isn’t to cancel the laws of Moses and the warnings of the prophets.  No, I came to fulfill them and to make them all come true.  With all the earnestness I have I say: Every law in the Book will continue until its purpose is achieved.  And so if anyone breaks the least commandment and teaches others to, he shall be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.  But those who teach God’s laws and obey them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19 TLB).

While we may not have the laws on stone tablets any longer, that does not mean they are still not in effect; they just appear to be in effect from the inside of us.  We pray that today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings. - KW

Devotion: Gift Or Purchase?

Normally when someone dies, they usually leave behind something called  “a last will and testament.”  This is a legal declaration for the purpose of giving final instructions as to how a person’s estate is to be managed and instructions for the distribution of any properties or inheritances.  Scripture tells us that Jesus is the mediator of a new testament, a new agreement that by means of death, his death, a payment was given as atonement for the offences committed under the first agreement, rescuing those, who answer the call, from the penalties for all sins committed while under that old system, that those who answer might receive the eternal inheritance which had been promised to us (Hebrews 9:15).  Therefore, Christ being offered once, through death, to bear the sins of many, will bring salvation to those who have answered the call and who are eagerly and patiently waiting for him to return (Hebrews 9:28).

Now we have a new agreement that brought to light a righteousness from God that depends on faith in Jesus Christ.  A righteousness where God will accept us, acquit us, and declare us not guilty, if we accept Jesus Christ as our savior and redeemer.  A righteousness that has been extended to all who accept, where it does not matter who we are or what we have done.  A righteousness that justified us freely by the grace of God through the redemption that Jesus Christ purchased, whereby God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we just place our trust in Jesus Christ to remove our sins.  A righteousness, that by the kindness of God, freely removes all our sins and all we have to do is accept the free gift (Romans 3:21-24).

As always, we pray that this inspirational message will be a blessing to you as well as informative.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: I Am Wrong

Most of you have heard that old cliché, “Pride comes before the fall.”  According to scripture, “Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18 TLB).  Pride by itself is not a bad thing.  We should be proud to be in the service of the Lord, but when our pride is combined with haughtiness, with arrogance, with conceit, with self-importance, then we end up heading in the wrong direction.  We find in scripture that, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4).  To not seek after God, or to not have God in our thoughts is definitely not the path we should be following.  But again, this is not to say that we should not be proud of who we are, as children of the most High God, or proud to be in his service.

We also see in scripture, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).  Do not overestimate yourself by thinking more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but in the same token, do not underestimate yourself by thinking lesser of yourself than you ought to.  We should “think highly” of ourselves but to do so soberly, thoughtfully, and/or seriously, even as God, who is not a respecter of person (Romans 2:11), thinks of us, (Ephesians 4:24), which is free of arrogance, conceit, and self-importance.  The righteousness of God should be cause enough for us to conduct ourselves appropriately and in humility without any haughtiness.

We pray that this inspirational message will be a blessing to you as well as informative.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: The Bible Gives You Instructions For Victory

Most of us have a bible or two in our possession that we open from time to time to read, to study, to find encouragement, to be inspired or for various other reasons; too numerous to list here.  In fact, the scriptures tell us that the whole Bible “was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.  It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone” (II Timothy 3:16-17).  Basically, it is our instruction manual and our source for all things God.  The problem for many is that we do not understand the Bible, much less fully know its purpose.  The misunderstandings surrounding this book have only led to many heated debates, which have only served to confuse those who try to gain some type of understanding from the one source that is supposed to instruct us.

First, we need to understand that the Bible is a mystery book with many secrets, hidden in plain sight just waiting to be found.  As one person put it, “The Bible is a coded book, written as a kind of jigsaw puzzle creating a series of smaller pictures within an overall picture that only becomes clear in meaning when one properly pieces together all passages on a subject.”  It is only when we find the keys that we are able to unlock the mysteries or put together the puzzle pieces that allow us to understand the word of God that is contained in the Bible.  Next, we need to trust that God has given instructions, that when followed, will allow us to find those keys that will help with our understanding of those divine revelations from God.  God has told us to seek wisdom and know-how (Proverbs 4:5-7), to listen carefully to his words and to pay close attention to what is being said (Proverbs 4:20-22), to meditate on them day and night (Joshua 1:8), and to study and to rightly divide the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15) as part of the things we need to do.

Finally, we need to open our mind and open our heart so that we may see and hear the truths that God is trying to reveal to us through his Spirit.  We may have to do a little work in order to find truth and understanding, like stepping outside of or climbing over the walls of traditionalism or denominationalism that have kept many in bondage.  In doing so, we can remove any confusion, enabling us to grasp the meaning of all of the things of God.  It has been said, “A closed mind can only grow within the limits of its enclosure; an open mind grows with endless possibilities.”  The Bible is our instruction manual for victory, but you have to use it as an instruction manual.  You also have to open your mind to the endless possibilities contained within its cover.

We forever pray that this inspirational messages will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Why I Speak In Tongues

There is a power that comes from the baptism of the Holy Spirit that is shunned by some religious denominations.  And while many have associated this power with “the gifts of the Holy Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:1-11), the power that we are speaking of is not the same, even though it comes from the same source.  In the last meeting Jesus had with his disciples before he ascended into heaven, he told them that when “the Holy Spirit had come upon them, they would receive power” (Acts 1:8) to testify of him to the entire world.  The power that Jesus spoke of was a special anointing that would enable them to do things beyond or outside of themselves.  Included in this power was the ability to speak in an unknown language or “the ability to speak in tongues.”

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).

While “speaking in tongues is a part of the baptism of the Holy Spirit experience,” many denominations, for various reasons, have chosen to forgo any discussions on speaking in tongues.  Today’s inspirational message is about “the power of speaking in tongues;” however, if you do not believe that this power is for you, in this modern day, then this message is truly not for you.  This just happens to be one of those spiritual things that you have to completely believe in, in order to receive;  “for he that speaks in an unknown tongue, speaks to God, not unto men and he edifies himself” (I Corinthians 14:1-4).

As always, we pray that this message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If blessed by this message please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Accept Jesus As Your Righteousness

Scripture clearly states that no one can be declared righteous or made right with God by trying to keep the law.  Those who depend on the law to save them are under God’s curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who breaks a single one of the laws written in the book of the law at anytime.”   The law, which has nothing to do with faith, teaches that those who do or follow these things (the law) will only have life in doing or following them (the law).  But thank God, Christ has redeemed us and brought us out from under the doom of that impossible system of laws by taking on the curse himself.  Yes, Christ purchased our freedom from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us when he hung on that wooden cross.  Because Christ purchased our freedom, we now can share in the blessings belonging to Abraham, who was full of faith and accepted God’s promise.  It is through the blessings of Abraham that we of like faith might receive the Spirit that God had promised to give.

“Yes, and those who depend on the Jewish laws to save them are under God’s curse, for the Scriptures point out very clearly, ‘Cursed is everyone who at any time breaks a single one of these laws that are written in God’s Book of the Law.’  Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever win God’s favor by trying to keep the Jewish laws because God has said that the only way we can be right in his sight is by faith.  As the prophet Habakkuk says it, ‘The man who finds life will find it through trusting God.’  How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says that a man is saved by obeying every law of God, without one slip.  But Christ has bought us out from under the doom of that impossible system by taking the curse for our wrongdoing upon himself.  For it is written in the Scripture, ‘Anyone who is hanged on a tree is cursed’ (as Jesus was hung upon a wooden cross).  Now God can bless the Gentiles, too, with this same blessing he promised to Abraham; and all of us as Christians can have the promised Holy Spirit through this faith” (Galatians 3:10-14 TLB)

We know that the righteous man finds life through his faith in God (Habakkuk 2:4 TLB) and not through a law that is not of faith, “for as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).  God has made it pretty simply, all we have to do is just accept Jesus Christ as our righteousness to be free from the curse of the law.

As you read today’s message, we pray that it will be an inspiration to you as well as a blessing.  Please share this message so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: You Are In The Army Of Love

Scripture tells us “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17).  So, if you be in Christ, then you be a new creature or creation.  When you become a new creation, the old things are passed away and all things are become new.  You are redeemed from your old sinful nature and a new nature is created for you, the same nature of the original man, before the fall.  And now that you have been brought into a relationship with Christ, then all those things that you needed to be humble before the Lord for, are passed away.  All of your sinful ways are passed away.  Your sinful nature are passed away.  Your pridefulness are passed away.  Your haughty heart are passed away.  If you be in Christ, then you be a new creation and old things are passed away.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us (made us alive) together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Now God, who is rich in mercy, has made us (us being those who have come humbly before him when we repented of our sins, turned from our sinful ways, and asked Christ to come in and be a part of our life) alive together with Christ and have raised us (us being those who have come humbly before him) up together and made us (by now you know who us be) sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  You should know that it is our spirit, not our physical body that God has made alive together with Christ and raised our spirit up and it is our spirit that sits in heavenly places in Christ.

“And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II Corinthians 5:18-20).

We see that God had a hidden plan to reconcile us unto himself, which he did while he was in Christ.  In reconciling us unto himself, God has made us alive together with Christ, and has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ.  And in doing all of this, we have been made ambassadors for Christ, representatives, who have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, the message beseeching all men to be reconciled to God.  As a new creation and an ambassador of Christ, entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, you have been inducted into the army of love, inducted into the army of God.

Today’s inspirational message offers a glance into what being in God’s army truly means.  As you read the message, we pray that it will be an inspiration to you as well as a blessing.  Please share this message so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW