Devotion: The Message Of Revelation

Many believers, as well as many non-believers, have a fascination with what is popularly referred to as “the end-times.”  We have all kinds of individuals across the globe foretelling, predicting, and/or trying to give insight into what will happen in “the so-called end-times.”  This has created much unrest amongst believers and led to some incredible actions by those who appear to be concerned about and consumed by the events of the last days.  While sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked him questions about “the end-times” (Matthew 24:3-14).

Despite sternly warning us not to let the many that will come claiming to be “the Messiah” fool us, Jesus also shares the frightening fact that “they will lead many astray.”  Jesus would go on to tell of the many things to come, while assuring that “those who endure to the end would be saved.”  Though Jesus was able to describe the events to come and those surrounding his second coming, he also warned us “to be prepared” because no one knows, not the angels in heaven nor he himself, the date and hour of his return and when the end would come.  The only one that knows this information is God himself (Matthew 24:36).

Today, we see all sorts of bad things happening in the world, but we also know that the days of evil, suffering, and persecution will come to an end.  In the book of Revelation, we find “the revelation” that God gave to Jesus Christ for him to show his servants those things that must shortly come to pass.  John, who testified to God`s word, of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and about everything that he saw, recorded and shared these things.  According to the scripture, God is to bless those who read the words of this prophecy and all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near (Revelation 1:1-3).

“Then I saw a new earth (with no oceans) and a new sky, for the present earth and sky had disappeared.  And I, John, saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven.  It was a glorious sight, beautiful as a bride at her wedding.  I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among men, and he will live with them and they will be his people; yes, God himself will be among them.  He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain.  All of that has gone forever.’  And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new!’  And then he said to me, ‘Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true: It is finished!  I am the A and the Z—the Beginning and the End.  I will give to the thirsty the springs of the Water of Life—as a gift!  Everyone who conquers will inherit all these blessings, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  But cowards who turn back from following me, and those who are unfaithful to me, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those conversing with demons, and idol worshipers and all liars—their doom is in the Lake that burns with fire and sulphur.  This is the Second Death’” (Revelation 21:1-8 TLB).

We now have knowledge of the many signs signifying the “end-times” and the events that take place, but what should we do with this information?  While these signs have their significance, it would appear that being prepared and obeying those things revealed to us in “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” by John are more important than actually trying to foretell or predict the last days, especially since only God knows the exact day and hour it will take place.  Let us point out the fact that when Jesus was asked about “the end-times,” his first response was to warn us not to be fooled by those who would come claiming to be the Messiah because they would lead many astray.  We also want to point out that those led astray are “so-called believers.”  So let us be prepared because “those who endure to the end will be saved and everyone who conquers will inherit the many blessings” when all evil, suffering, and persecution comes to an end.

We forever pray that our 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: You Are Now A Giver

Man has twisted just about every godly message in the Bible, usually for his own purpose or gain.  The prosperity message is not immune to the unscrupulous twisting actions of man either.  We have discussed varying opinions as to the interpretation of prosperity and no matter the path or the road taken, we have continually been directed back to the same passage, “for it is he (God) that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant” (Deuteronomy 8:18).  And yet again, we are saying that it appears that the power to get wealth is of God and that there is a reason for this prosperity.

Recently, we discussed “the giving of alms,” where we basically “give money or goods to those in need of charity.”  We previously asked the question, “Do you serve money or does money serve you?”  Hopefully, you were able to perform an honest self-evaluation and truthfully answer the question.  But for those of you who know how to give alms and whose money serves you and for those of you who have an ear to hear, this message is for you; know that “you are now a giver.”

“But remember this—if you give little, you will get little.  A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much.  Everyone must make up his own mind as to how much he should give.  Don’t force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes.  God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and more so that there will not only be enough for your own needs but plenty left over to give joyfully to others.  It is as the Scriptures say: “The godly man gives generously to the poor. His good deeds will be an honor to him forever.”  For God, who gives seed to the farmer to plant, and later on good crops to harvest and eat, will give you more and more seed to plant and will make it grow so that you can give away more and more fruit from your harvest.

Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help.  So two good things happen as a result of your gifts—those in need are helped, and they overflow with thanks to God.  Those you help will be glad not only because of your generous gifts to themselves and to others, but they will praise God for this proof that your deeds are as good as your doctrine.  And they will pray for you with deep fervor and feeling because of the wonderful grace of God shown through you.  Thank God for his Son—his Gift too wonderful for words” (II Corinthians 9:6-15 TLB).

We know that blessed is the person who gives to the poor in their time of need, because it shows that the love of God resides inside of that individual.  We know that God loves a cheerful giver and every man should give as it is purposed in his or her heart to give.  And though God want you to freely give and not grudgingly, or of necessity, know that if you give little, you will get little.

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38 KJV)”

“You are now a giver.”  Today’s inspirational message is just another example of why the children of God are supposed to prosper in this life.  It would be hard to do as God has commanded and it would be totally unfair of him, if he does not make previsions for us to do what he commanded, since “we are workers together with God” (I Corinthians 3:9) “helping to establish his covenant” (Deuteronomy 8:18).  As always, we pray that this 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: What Are Alms?

We have had several discussions about prosperity, and we keep coming back to this passage, “for it is he (God) that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant” (Deuteronomy 8:18) as we have tried to answer the question, “Prosperity, is it truly of God or is it of the devil?”  We have discussed varying opinions as to the interpretation of prosperity; however, we continually mention that from this passage, it appears that the power to get wealth is of God and that there is a reason for this prosperity.

One of the purposes for the wealth is for us to be a blessing to others through the giving of “alms.”  The giving of “alms” is when we basically “give money or goods to those in need of charity.”

“He who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in his own time of need” (Proverbs 21:13 TLB).  “Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them.  To help the poor is to honor God” (Proverbs 14:31 TLB).  “When you help the poor you are lending to the Lord—and he pays wonderful interest on your loan (Proverbs 19:17 TLB)!  “Happy is the generous man, the one who feeds the poor” (Proverbs 22:9 TLB).  “The good man knows the poor man’s rights; the godless don’t care” (Proverbs 29:7 TLB).  “But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help him—how can God’s love be within him” (I John 3:17 TLB)?

Blessed is he who gives to the poor in their time of need.  He who ignores the calling to help the poor, insults God.  To help the poor is to honor God.  Think of this way, when you give to the poor, you are lending to the Lord, who pays interest on what you give.  When you help the poor, God smiles down upon you, because you show that you have the love of God inside of you.

“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:1-4 KJV).

But be warned, do not make a public showing of your giving as some do.  When you do, you lose the reward from Father God, for your public acknowledgement will be your only reward.  When you give, give secretly, not telling your left hand what you right hand is doing.  When you give as instructed, God will reward you as he promises in his word.

And as we have previously mentioned and say yet once again, we know that today’s message will not settle the debate, but it just might help us “to better understand the purpose for the prosperity.”  As always, we pray that our message will bless you, inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it.  If this message was a blessing to you, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Divorce

What if we told you God was married?  As you read the scriptures, you will find,

“Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt (wing) over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea I sware (swore an oath) unto thee, and entered into covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.  Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.  I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.  I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.  And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.  Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.  And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God” (Ezekiel 16:8-14).

Some of you have been blessed and have received a new revelation from the passage.  Some of you are trying to figure out who it is that God entered into a marriage covenant with.  Some of you have a totally different interpretation of the passage and have not received the same revelation.  Some of you are still in denial even after you have been presented with the biblical proof, still saying, “I don’t believe this.”  For many of you, it would do no good for us to tell you that God was also divorced.  As you read these scriptures, you will see,

“The Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done?  she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.  And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me.  But she returned not.  And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.  And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill (certificate) of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also” (Jeremiah 3:6-8).

While this is not in any way a traditional marriage, when God entered into covenant with Israel, he considered it worthy to be called a marriage and he treated it as such.  Now for you who are still trying to accept the fact that God was married note this; you can only give “a bill (certificate) of divorce” to someone that you were married to.  For those who have an ear to hear, the fact that God was married and divorced may open a whole new level of exploration as you seek spiritual truth and the revelation knowledge hidden in God’s word.  Please bear in mind that we do not point these passages out to advocate for or against divorce, for this is neither our intent nor our purpose.  We know this commentary does not contain any definitive answers.  However, seeing that things, as they pertain to God and his ways, are not always how we understand them to be and not always as we have been led to believe, this just might cause you to revisit the “marriage-divorce thing” that is debated in many religious circles today.

We forever pray that this 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: Help, Mate!

Most of us are familiar with the story we find in the second chapter of the book of Genesis.  You know the one where God is about to make “a help meet for man” because he said, “it is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18).  In the subsequent verses (Genesis 2:19-24), God reveal his best solution for a situation that he brings to our attention with his “it is not good” statement, “the loneliness of man.”  God eventually takes a rib from the man, creates a woman from that rib, and now man has “a help meet,” a helper, a companion to overcome something God had said was not good; “man’s loneliness.”  The scriptures go on to say “the man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave (be joined) unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).

And even though this union is God’s best for mankind, the union has had some issues from the very beginning and those issues have carried over throughout the years.  If you remember, Adam, instead of manning-up and taking responsibility for what he had done, blamed the woman, telling God “the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12).  This was not exactly the response that Adam was supposed to give when God asked him if he had eaten of the tree that he was commanded not to eat of.  It appears that the man did not fulfill his responsibility when it came to the commandment of God or his obligations to his “help meet,” whom he claimed was “now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23).

God would later instruct the man as to how they should treat his “help meet.”  But not to worry ladies, God also left instructions for you as to how you are to treat the one you were created for, but unfortunately this will not be covered in today’s devotional.  Scripture tells us, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).  It also tells us, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.  He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” (Ephesians 5:28-29).  We are told, “Husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered” (I Peter 3:7).

To our brothers in the body of Christ, today’s inspirational message is for you.  Hopefully, it will give you insight into just how you are to love “the help meet” that God created because “it is not good that the man should be alone.”  To our sisters in the body of Christ, understanding this message will give you insight into just how you are to be loved by the one God created you for as well as helping you to understand God’s instructions for you.

We forever pray that our 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: God Is Not Angry With You

One of the hardest concepts for many believers to understand is the concept of God’s grace.  Grace is this wonderful free gift that God has given to us.  And because of this wonderful gift of grace, we have been saved.  “Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ.  And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 TLB).  God’s grace is extended to us because of what Jesus Christ did.  It is not extended to us because of something that we did; it was a free gift from God.

“But God is so rich in mercy; he loved us so much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, he gave us back our lives again when he raised Christ from the dead—only by his undeserved favor have we ever been saved—and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with him in the heavenly realms—all because of what Christ Jesus did.  And now God can always point to us as examples of how very, very rich his kindness is, as shown in all he has done for us through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-7 TLB).

All of this “amazing grace” is given to us free from God and we do not need to do anything to earn it; we just need to accept it.  Many believers are still trying to make themselves righteous with God by keeping the old Jewish law but it is actual grace that makes us right with God, not by keeping the law.

“The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).  “Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law.  And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law.  For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law” (Galatians 2:16 NLT).

So, trying to keep the law will not make you right with God.  Did you know, “the person who keeps every law of God but makes one little slip is just as guilty as the person who has broken every law there is” (James 2:10 TLB)?  And, there is no amount of work a person can do to earn his or her righteousness.  It all comes through the grace of God.

“We were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, and slaves to our desires and various pleasures too.  We were spending our lives in evil behavior and jealousy.  We were disgusting, and we hated other people.  But when God our savior’s kindness and love appeared, he saved us because of his mercy, not because of righteous things we had done.  He did it through the washing of new birth and the renewing by the Holy Spirit, which God poured out upon us generously through Jesus Christ our savior.  So, since we have been made righteous by his grace, we can inherit the hope for eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7 RSV).

So it by his grace, the free gift, that we are saved through faith, faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10).

“And he guarantees right up to the end that you will be counted free from all sin and guilt on that day when he returns” (I Corinthians 1:4-9 TLB).  “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  Now we live with great expectation” (I Peter 1:3 NLT).

While this commentary may not give you the complete understanding of God’s grace, it will get you headed in the right direction.  Just remember, “God is not angry with you.”  We pray that this message will give you a different perspective as well as add to your understanding.  May this inspirational message bless you abundantly as well as inform you.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW

Devotion: Harvest Is Coming

Most of you are familiar with the principle of “seedtime and harvest.”  You know that principle which God established that says, “For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  With this principle, the words that we speak can produce a crop much like that of the farmer who planted seeds in a field and it is from this crop that we reap a harvest, be it good or be it bad.  The same applies to the things that we do, where our actions are also like seeds, producing a crop from which we reap a harvest, be it good or be it bad as well.  It is important to note that the crops we produce can be “good or bad,” depending on what we have sown.

Basically, we continually have a harvest ready to come in, always based on the things that we say and/or the things that we do.  While these crops can be good or they can be bad, it is amazing how quickly we will distance ourselves from “a bad crop,” even though we are the ones responsible.  We are the ones that planted them, but we are quick to blame others and/or even blame God for the bad crops that appear in our lives from time to time.  There is a harvest coming and it will come from the seeds that you have planted either by your words or by your actions in the past few days, weeks, months, or even years.  The question for you is “What kind of harvest will it be?”

As always, we pray that today’s inspirational message will bless you as well as inform you.  If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well.  Amen.

Enjoy your blessings - KW