Is the Sabbath a delight?

Praise God for another day. I just want to glorify your name today Jesus, for He alone is worthy!

On to the devotion:

We will wrap this study on Isaiah 58:2-14...I hope it has spoken to you as it has me. Here are the verse today:



13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Here are some great verse to share with those who don't value the importance of worship in Church. This is a beautiful verse for us to really sit down and think about and evaluate ourselves on. It says to keep our feet from breaking the Sabbath and doing as you please on My Holy day...wow how many so called Christians do that every week? It is very sad how we treat God. Do you call the Sabbath a delight? Are you excited about worshiping God every week? I admit some weeks are easier than others but when I walk away it is always a blessing and honor to worship every Sunday. Then this verse goes onto say keep the day honorable by basically not doing our own thing and not speaking idle words. I believe this is a warning to keep our focus on where it belongs...God. The ole devil has put many things in our way to take our focus off of God and He is telling us here don't fall for that! Idle words can be many things but here it may refer to things that don't bring honor and glory to Him. I think you can come up with your own examples here...stay away from those things!

The we go into verse 14 and we see the results of honoring God on the Sabbath. Joy! What a promise! Do you have joy in your life or is life a job for you right now. Maybe you need to look into this promise..get worship of God right and joy will follow! This verse goes onto tell us we will ride on high and feast on the inheritances of Jacob...remember God has told us we are joint heirs with Jesus! Praise God what a promise.

I like the last verse too...the mouth of the Lord has spoken in other words...LISTEN! Read over the entire passage of Isaiah 58:2-14 again and think about what God is saying. Sharing the love of Christ in us with others and obeying God in worship is sooooo important!

Thank you for reading my devotions I am honored that you take your time to do so and may God get all the glory and honor!

Tom

Satisfaction!

What a blessing this morning. I walked out the door and it was actually cool! Thank you Jesus for the refreshing morning. I had a great weekend...I hope you did also.

We have been looking at Isaiah 58:2-14....If you haven't been keeping up it may be helpful to go back and read previous devotions. This one today is a great way to start off the week. Remember God has told us if we are sharing the love of Christ in us with others blessings will come and here he continues that. Here is the verse for today:


11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Ahhh what refreshing words! When we are in Christ and sharing His blessings He has given us, God takes care of us!! The first thing this verse tells us is God will guide you always. Does that even sink in? The God of this universe cares about you and will guide you. What an awesome Father! He will satisfy your needs even in a place where needs are hard to meet. I can speak for myself. God has always met my needs...ALWAYS. Even in times where I was wondering if God was meeting my needs I can look back now and see without a shadow of a doubt He was. Keep in my mind God will meet your needs but not your wants! Then this verse goes on to say He will strengthen your frame. I can't count how many times God has given me strength to get through the troubling waters of life. More times than I can count. One day soon I would like to just lay that out there and see how God has strengthend you in times of need....just a way to praise God for His love and care for us.

Finally this verse ends by reminding us of the water of life....Jesus. Remember these words:

John 4:13-14

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

When we are in Christ our water source never fails and I have seen this so many times in my life. When I am getting a little dry I grab the Word and pray...and my water source ALWAYS hydrates me...thank you Jesus!

I hope this mornings study blessed you as much as it has me....God is so good!

Have a great Monday...Tom

God will answer!

Another great day to be alive serving the living God! Thank you Jesus.

Today we get some good news! Yesterday we were beat down with how we should be sharing the Love of Christ in us by helping those in need. Today we will see we will when we are in Christ and loving others God gives us some promises! Here are the verses:

Isaiah 58:8-10

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

In verse 8 we are told our light will break forth...in other words brightly shine. That is exactly what Jesus was trying to tell us when God's word says "don't put your candle under a basket". Let it shine before men!! Verse 8 also says healing will appear...wow. This could be both physical and spiritual. It could also mean healing with our fellow man in our relationships. I think it means all of these. When we get right with man and God healing of all sorts takes place. This verse also says our righteousness will go before us. Well my righteousness is like filthy rags as the bible says so it must be the righteousness of Christ in us that is leading the way because I in myself am not worthy to lead anything. The verse 8 closes with a great word...glory of the Lord will guard our rear...Praise the Lord! We have no reason to look back because God has our back...think about that this morning!

Then we go to verse 9 and 10...it brings a smile to my face. When we have Jesus in our hearts...we call and He answers. You won't hear better news than that all day!!! We cry out for help this verse says and He will say HERE I AM! Thank you Jesus..thank you!

The the word tells us...take the yoke away, quit pointing the finger, stop gossiping and hurtful talk, feed the hungry, meet the needs of needy and then our light will shine like Jesus...bright so all will see the love of Christ.

I hope God's word spoke to you today like it has me! Wow! If you haven't read the past two days please do as it amplifies this devotion today even more!

God bless your day...Tom

Share, share, share!!

I want to jump right into the devotion today. I have had this thought process that the verse is sharing come up quit a bit recently. As I have said previously I am speaking to myself in these devotions and God is shouting out loud to me today! Here is the verse:


7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Remember we are thinking over the past few days about sharing the love of Christ in us with others. God continues in verse 7 sharing what he wants from us. It all basically comes down to this "LOVE OTHERS". This is the second greatest commandment according to Christ. I want us all to look at each command.

1. Share food with the hungry. Sounds pretty simple right? Are we doing that. The first thing I want to jump right in and say is well our church gives such and such. That's awesome! But what are you doing personally?? There are people everywhere that are hungry....we must do more. One example. We drive the best vehicles we can afford don't we. What if we down sized to something comfortable but yet not the top of the line and used that money to feed the hungry??? Something to think about. People are hungry...and we are riding in style...is God happy with that?

2. Provide poor with shelter. Where I live I am not sure there are many homeless but In Nashville which is not far their are plenty. Again like I said about the hungry we live in very nice houses...way more than we need yet folks are without shelter...is God happy with that???

3. People are without clothes. I know this happens where I live as I see children who need better clothes, greatly in the winter time. We have to have our American eagle, Ambercrombie(sp), ect. What if we bought decent but not name brand clothes and spent what we saved on others in need??? Is God happy with our greed??

4. I could go many places with the flesh and blood in the last verse but I want to think if they are human they are flesh and blood and we are to love as commanded by Jesus. Basic needs are numbers 1-3 and we as followers of Christ should be doing way more than what we are.

So I am goi ng to close with this....are you going to read this and say that is a good devotion or are you going to do something about it in your life. Don't look at others and compare....God is talking to you...and me.

Honestly as I think on this I am ashamed and I am going to do more!

Tom

Loose the chains!

I am a little late with the devotion today...sorry! Wow is it hot or what here in Tennessee??? This time of year is not my favorite as I do not fair well in the heat! On to the devotion.

Here in Isaiah 58:5-6 as we continue on to discover if we are sharing the love of Christ in us with others God gets right down to what he expects from us! Here are the verses:


5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

First of all in verse 5 God points out that we are not just to humble ourselves during a fast. It should be a continual characteristic for a follower of Christ. Again he was pointing out that they were putting on a good show by bowing and doing what was normal in their day with the sack cloth and ashes. But once their fast and showing off was done they went right back to their true selves...proud and arrogant!

Verse 6 God tells us what he expects...to help those who are in need. Those who are being taken advantage of. He tells us to break every yoke. Now lets think about this for a moment. When is the last time we have taken a stand for someone??? I am not talking about your wife or son or daughter because that is natural for us to do. I am talking someone who can't help themselves like the unborn or the elderly or the poor. Well what about it? This is what Jesus did and set the example for us. We even need to help those who can help themselves...Jesus did. I am thinking of the woman at the well. She could have helped herself many times in her life and walked away from adultery but she didn't. Did Jesus outcast her??? No he helped her and told her where she can get living water...through HIM!!

So my brothers and sisters are we humble and helping others and sharing the love of Christ or are we proud and arrogant...putting on a good show but not fooling God???

Sleep on this tonight and stay cool cause it is hot out there!

God bless...Tom

Are we being heard?

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend. I believe summer is here. It is hot!!

Well lets continue our study of Isaiah 58:2-14 and look at verse 4 today. Remeber our goal is to see if we are sharing the love of Christ that in us with others.

Isaiah 58:4

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

When we have fasted, which by the way is not a common practice among Christians today, it should have brought us into a deeper relationship with Christ. So if that did take place why would we be arguing and beating each other up??? That is definitely not doing what Jesus taught. He told us to turn to the other check. To be humble. To build others up. To avoid confrontations if at all possible. So we must ask ourselves this morning are we fighting and quarreling with others frequently? Are we physically taking out our anger on others? If this is happening something is wrong. We need to seek out the Lord and coreect theses things immediatly. If we are truly sharing the love of Christ these things should not be in our lives.

Verse four goes on to tell us one more very important thing. If we are fasting and still doing these things, fighting, arguing, hitting, ect, it tells us that our voice will not be heard on high. Wow! That is something to really chew on for a bit today. Now the way I interpet the Bible is as long as you are in Christ God hears your prayers. The only wat God does not hear your prayers except for salvation is if you are not in Christ. So these folks were still putting on a show as we talked about last week. They were even trying to fast and fool God. These people had no relationship with God and it was pretty obvious in their behavior. So lets bring it back to us today. How is our behavior. If it is not showing the love of Christ in a consistant manner we made need to look and see if we have a relationship with Christ. Remember we may be fooling others but we can't fool God. God only hears two kinds of prayers...those asking Jesus into their lives and those who have truly accepted Christ....all other prayers go no futher than the end of the tounge.

Wow this has given me something to think on for a bit!

God bless you my friends!

Tom

Questioning God.

Good Friday to all and an early Happy Fathers day to all you Fathers. As we continue on in this study of scriptures from Isaiah 58, verse 3 made me think on the tone we use with God and how we question Him many times. Remember yesterday we talked about how we put on a show of being sincere before God even though He knows our hearts. Look at this verse:


3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

This reminded me of my children when they do something they say "daddy look". Only they are really interested in me seeing what they have done. In this verse these folks were fasting so PEOPLE would see them. Then they would ask God have you not seen what I have done??? Again God knows our hearts and the motives behind our actions.

Next in this verse they tell an ought right lie. "We humbled ourselves"! They are complaining to God have you not noticed. This sounds so much like folks today..."why isn't God blessing me?" Let me remind you if you make over $2 a day you are in the top percentage in the world of being rich. God has blessed America way, way, way more than we deserve but yet we still complain. Christians should be examples of humbleness but have you ever sat in the wrong seat on a Sunday morning??? Ouch! Why oh why aren't we better examples of Christ?

Look at the response of God to their humbleness, basically saying your fasting is a fake and humbleness is not exploiting your workers. Talk about slapping some folks on the rear end! I am afraid the church is in need of the same thing. We aren't fooling God! He knows how humble we are, He knows our thoughts and motives if they are pure or not. When we examine ourselves is God top priority? I have used an example here for years. Ball practice or Sunday school. If we had the same commitment to Sunday school or church as we do ball practices we might actually impress God a little bit....but guess what we don't so what does that say about our love for God???

Have a great weekend and tell someone about Jesus!

Tom

Eager??

Well let's break down this long passage that we read yesterday. Remember our goal in studying theses verse's is to see if we are sharing the love of Christ that is us with others. Today's verse is going to just kind of set the plate of where we are in America right now. Here is todays passage:

Isaiah 58:2

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

I hope God's word just knocks your socks off like it does mine. How can we read this scripture and not see how alive and on target it is for us today??? This was written thousands of years ago but seems as though it was written yesterday.

I want you to really pick up on the words "seem eager". That is another way of saying not sincere! They were putting on a good show for God but He knows the heart. They and us can't fool God! It says "day after day they seek me out" I wonder in America these days how many are actually doing that? I hear that in places like China people are so hungery for the word of God it is unbelievable. I have been told by missionaries that it is so much easier to witness out of the U.S.A. because peoiple want to hear God's word...what is wrong with us?

I believe God answers that question in where He says "as if they were a nation that does what is right".
Sure sounds like America to me. We think we don't need God we can do it on our own. We are now reaping the benefits of that and we are not doing very well in case you haven't noticed. We have "forsaken His commandments" matter of fact we don't even want then mentioned! Oh how it hurts me even to say that.

The last part of this verse says "seem eager for God to come near them". I guess many Americans do want God to come near them but only when they need Him. When things are good He needs to stay away. We NEED God all the time and we should praise Him in the good and the bad for He alone is worthy. I often think how blessed I am. If God called me home right now I couldn't complain one bit. I pray for you and me this morning that God isn't looking at us saying "they seem eager" knowing that we are not sincere in our commitment to Him.

God help this nation of ours to get right with you is our prayer this morning. Lord it starts with me. Help me dear Lord to correct my faults and keep my eyes focused on you for if I am focused on You I will not sink.

Have a great day!

Tom

Showing the love.

I was sitting on my porch this morning reading the scripture I want to share with you this morning and I believe God got my attention. I know it is fairly long but please take your time and read it and think about it. Here it is:

Isaiah 58:2-14

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.


The next few days we will look at theses verses in depth. So let me ask you this are you showing the love of Christ that is in you to others? We shall see!!!

God bless....Tom

Filthy rags!

Good morning to all. We are in the middle of VBS this week. Please pray for these children and their teachers as we try to bring them closer to Jesus.

This mornings devotion is intended to make you do some thinking. I guess all my devotions are intended to make you think now that I think about it! As you will see it is kind of disgusting but there is no doubt God gets his point across.

Here is the verse I want us to look at:

Isaiah 64:6 (New King James Version)
6 But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away

The part of the verse I really want to focus on is where is tells us of our righteousness. I think most people this they are pretty good people and therefore think that they are pretty righteous but that is certainly not what God's word says. He tells us very bluntly that our righteousness is like filthy rags when compared to Him! Ouch! Now in my studies on this, and be prepared this is pretty graphic, the flthy rags mentioned here is refering to used menstrual garments. If you are disgusted by this then you get the point God is trying to make!


This verse should keep our lives in check. Even when we become a Christian through accepting the shed blood of Christ for the remission of our sins we are then forgiven but we should think back on this verse and remind ourselves that it is not because of our righteousness or anything that we have done but by the mercy and grace of a loving God!

Oh God this verse has brought me to mt knees this morning. I am so underserving but yet so thankful for your love and for the shed blood of your Son on my behalf...thank you, thank you, thank you!

Have a great day brothers and sisters,

Tom

Are we prostitutes???

Well my bothers and sisters in Christ a friend of mine sent me this in an email over the weekend and it about knocked me down. It takes something pretty hard core to get my attention. Well guess what this did in a major way.

Check it out....I am still thinking on it!


A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry.
My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to
challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival
in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe.
It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:

"Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and
became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to
Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became an enterprise."

Some of the students were only 18 or 19 years old--barely out of diapers--and I
wanted them to understand and appreciate the importance of the last line, so I
clarified it by adding, "An enterprise. That's a business." After a few moments
Martha, the youngest student in the class, raised her hand. I could not imagine
what her question might be. I thought the little vignette was self-explanatory,
and that I had performed it brilliantly. Nevertheless, I acknowledged Martha's
raised hand, "Yes, Martha." She asked such a simple question, "A business? But
isn't it supposed to be a body?" I could not envision where this line of
questioning was going, and the only response I could think of was, "Yes." She
continued, "But when a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute?"

The room went dead silent. For several seconds no one moved or spoke. We were
stunned, afraid to make a sound because the presence of God had flooded into the
room, and we knew we were on holy ground. All I could think in those sacred
moments was,
"Wow, I wish I'd thought of that." I didn't dare express that thought aloud. God
had taken over the class.

Martha's question changed my life. For six months, I thought about her question
at least once every day. "When a body becomes a business, isn't that a
prostitute?" There is only one answer to her question. The answer is "Yes." The
American Church, tragically,
is heavily populated by people who do not love God. How can we love Him? We
don't even know Him; and I mean really know Him.

... I stand by my statement that most American Christians do not know God--much
less love Him. The root of this condition originates in how we came to God. Most
of us came to Him because of what we were told He would do for us. We were
promised that He would bless us in life and take us to heaven after death. We
married Him for His money, and we don't care if He lives or dies as long as we
can get His stuff. We have made the Kingdom of God into a business,
merchandising His anointing. This should not be. We are commanded to love God,
and are called to be the Bride of Christ--that's pretty intimate stuff. We are
supposed to be His lovers. How can we love someone we don't even know? And even
if we do know someone, is that a guarantee that we truly love them? Are we
lovers or prostitutes?

I was pondering Martha's question again one day, and considered the question,
"What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute?" I realized that both
do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A
prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay. Then I asked the
question, "What would happen if God stopped paying me?"

For the next several months, I allowed God to search me to uncover my motives
for loving and serving Him. Was I really a true lover of God? What would happen
if He stopped blessing me? What if He never did another thing for me? Would I
still love Him? Please understand, I believe in the promises and blessings of
God. The issue here is not whether God blesses His children; the issue is the
condition of my heart. Why do I serve Him? Are His blessings in my life the
gifts of a loving Father, or are they a wage that I have earned or a
bribe/payment to love Him? Do I love God without any conditions? It took several
months to work through these questions. Even now I wonder if my desire to love
God is always matched by my attitude and behavior. I still catch myself being
disappointed with God and angry that He has not met some perceived need in my
life. I suspect this is something which is never fully resolved, but I want more
than anything else to be a true lover of God.

So what is it going to be? Which are we, lover or prostitute? There are no
prostitutes in heaven, or in the Kingdom of God for that matter, but there are
plenty of former prostitutes in both places. Take it from a recovering
prostitute when I say there is no substitute for an unconditional, intimate
relationship with God. And I mean there is no palatable substitute available to
us (take another look at Matthew 7:21-23 sometime). We must choose.

-Dr. David Ryser

In my opinion he is right on the money! Share this with others and let me know what you think about this!

God bless....Tom

Evidence

I started a new book this morning and it reminded me of a teaching point I have used many times so I wanted to share it with you this morning. The verse I want to look at is Acts 11:26

Acts 11:26 (New King James Version)

26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

I want to really concentrate on the last sentence. The disciples were first CALLED Christians in Antioch. They did not come up with the name Christian others called them Christians. This brings me to the point I want you to think on. Is there enough evidence in your life that you can be called a Christian? I believe that is why the disciples were called Christians because the were followers of Christ! That when folks looked at them they were reminded of Jesus and the way he lived His life!

I like to ask folks if they were in front of a jury and someone was trying to convict them of being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict them. I am afraid many folks today who claim they are Christians would have a hard time proving it by their lifestyle. Ouch! I know that is tough to say and take but it is the truth.

So this morning we all need to examine ourselves and see if we are lining up with what Jesus has told us and set the example for us to be as Christians. Which by the way Christian means "little Christ".

God bless each of you and have a great weekend

Email.

Sometimes I get some good email. Other times I get junk. I want to share an email I got today not sure why but I feel God wants me to share it with you. Really made me think on how sensitive am I to God's leading in what he wants me to do. I usually write my own stuff but this is too good not to share so here it is....enjoy.

HAIRBRUSH EXPERIENCE OF BETH MOORE AT THE AIRPORT

For those of you who do not know Beth Moore, she is an outstanding Bible teacher, writer of Bible studies, and is a married mother of two daughters.

This is one of her experiences:

April 20, 2005, at the Airport in Knoxville , waiting to board the plane, I had the Bible on my lap and was very intent upon what I was doing. I'd had a marvelous morning with the Lord. I say this because

I want to tell you it is a scary thing to have the Spirit of God really working in you.

You could end up doing some things you never would have done otherwise. Life in the Spirit can be dangerous for a thousand reasons, not the least of which is your ego..

I tried to keep from staring, but he was such a strange sight. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones.

The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy, gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I looked down at my Bible as fast as I could, discomfort burning my face. As I tried to imagine what his story might have been, I found myself wondering if I'd just had a Howard Hughes sighting. Then, I remembered that he was dead. So this man in the airport... an impersonator maybe? Was a camera on us somewhere? There I sat; trying to concentrate on the Word to keep from being concerned about a thin slice of humanity served up on a wheelchair only a few seats from me. All the while, my heart was growing more and more overwhelmed with a feeling for him.

Let's admit it. Curiosity is a heap more comfortable than true concern, and suddenly I was awash with aching emotion for this bizarre-looking old man.

I had walked with God long enough to see the handwriting on the wall.. I've learned that when I begin to feel what God feels, something so contrary to my natural feelings, something dramatic is bound to happen. And it may be embarrassing.

I immediately began to resist because I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. 'Oh, no, God, please, no.' I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, 'Don't make me witness to this man. Not right here and now. Please. I'll do anything. Put me on the same plane, but don't make me get up here and witness to this man in front of this gawking audience. Please, Lord!'

There I sat in the blue vinyl chair begging His Highness, 'Please don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane.' Then I heard it......'I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair.'

The words were so clear, my heart leapt into my throat, and my thoughts spun like a top. Do I witness to the man or brush his hair? No-brainer. I looked straight back up at the ceiling and said, 'God, as I live and breathe, I want you to know I am ready to witness to this man. I'm on this Lord. I'm your girl! You've never seen a woman witness to a man faster in your life. What difference does it make if his hair is a mess if he is not redeemed? I am going to witness to this man.'

Again, as clearly as I've ever heard an audible word, God seemed to write this statement across the wall of my mind. 'That is not what I said, Beth. I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to go brush his hair.'

I looked up at God and quipped, 'I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane... How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?'

God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: 'I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works.' (2 Timothy 3:17)

I stumbled over to the wheelchair thinking I could use one myself. Even as I retell this story, my pulse quickens and I feel those same butterflies. I knelt down in front of the man and asked as demurely as possible, 'Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

He looked back at me and said, 'What did you say?'

'May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?'

To which he responded in volume ten, 'Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that.'

At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, 'SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?' At which point every eye in the place darted right at me. I was the only thing in the room looking more peculiar than old Mr. Long Locks. Face crimson and forehead breaking out in a sweat, I watched him look up at me with absolute shock on his face, and say, 'If you really want to.'

Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, 'Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush.'

'I have one in my bag,' he responded.

I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted.. I don't do many things well, but must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.

A miraculous thing happened to me as I started brushing that old man's hair.

Everybody else in the room disappeared. There was no one alive for those

moments except that old man and me. I brushed and I brushed and I brushed

until every tangle was out of that hair. I know this sounds so strange, but I've never felt that kind of love for another soul in my entire life. I believe with all my heart, I - for that few minutes - felt a portion of the very love of God. That He had overtaken my heart for a little while like someone renting a room and making Himself at home for a short while.

The emotions were so strong and so pure that I knew they had to be God's. His hair was finally as soft and smooth as an infant's.

I slipped the brush back in the bag and went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knee and said, 'Sir, do you know my Jesus?'

He said, 'Yes, I do'

Well, that figures, I thought.

He explained, 'I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior.' He said, 'You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride.'

Only God knows how often He allows us to be part of a divine moment when we're completely unaware of the significance. This, on the other hand, was one of those rare encounters when I knew God had intervened in details only He could have known. It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.

Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft.

I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, 'That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?'

I said, 'Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!'

And we got to share.

I learned something about God that day. He knows if you're exhausted, you're hungry, you're serving in the wrong place or it is time to move on but you feel too responsible to budge. He knows if you're hurting or feeling rejected. He knows if you're sick or drowning under a wave of temptation. Or He knows if you just need your hair brushed. He sees you as an individual. Tell Him your need!

I got on my own flight, sobs choking my throat, wondering how many opportunities just like that one had I missed along the way ..... all because I didn't want people to think I was strange.

God didn't send me to that old man. He sent that old man to me.


Did it make you do some thinking??? I know it made me do some thinking!

God bless...Tom

Roman Road #5

Well we have reached the end of the road...the Roman road that is...ok my humor needs work. Let's get into the devotion.

The last verse we use in the Roman road is Roman's 10:13 but I want to look at the two verses before thirteen too! So here they are:

Romans 10:11-13 (New King James Version)

11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

These are some great words and great promises too. Verse 11 says for those who believe on Jesus will not be put to shame. Shame in front of who??? God. Remember the verse that told us if we are ashamed of Jesus before man He will be ashamed of us before the Father. Well here is the promise that God will not be ashamed of us!!! The next verse is another great promise for us Gentiles! Even though the Jews are God's chosen people if we accept Christ He makes no distinction between us. In other words we are joint heirs in eternal life in heaven...that should make us want to shout out some praises to God!

Then verse 13 is what we use in the final step of the Roman road. It tells us very plainly that God is not partial. Whoever calls upon the name of Jesus will be saved. Thank you Jesus...thank you! Again I want to say there is nothing we have done to earn this it is all by the grace and mercy of our glorious
Lord.

Isn't it great to know all we have to do is call upon Jesus to be Lord of our life and as Jesus said "It is finished!" Praise be to God!

See ya tomorrow!

Tom

Roman Road #4

Whew weeee it was a hot one today! It was an awesome day though working with the kids at sports camp. I hope you had a good day too! Now onto the devotion.

The fourth verse we use in the Roman road is:

Romans 10:9 (New King James Version)

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Again this is a very simple verse and it tells us what we must do to be saved. Confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus! It is absolutely important to voice your belief in Jesus. Jesus tells us in another verse the importance of voicing your belief in Him:

Mark 8:38 (New King James Version)

38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

That pretty well sums that point up doesn't it. Why is it we are so afraid to tell everyone we come in contact with about Jesus and what he has done for us??? The most important thing in our life but it is so hard to share it....I have never understood this. I struggle with it too. I believe Satan has us fooled into thinking nobody wants to hear when in reality many do.


Romans 10:9 also tells us to believe in our heart. That is where the soul is....in the heart. Here He is stressing the belief in the resurrection which is vitally important. There are some other essential beliefs of the heart we need also such as death on the cross, virgin birth, the trinity and yes the resurrection! These are beliefs of the heart that are of no debate in the Christian faith. Do you believe these things with the heart??? Take a moment to think about them...they are very important. Many folks for an example don't believe in the virgin birth.....if one doesn't believe in the virgin birth then they don't believe in the gospel of the Bible. That is why I say these things are essential!

I like the final words of Romans 10:9 you will be saved! Isn't that great news??? Some may ask saved from what? An eternity in hell that's what! Being saved is so simple...I think that is what makes it so hard. Child like faith in Jesus. Trusting that He did what He has told us he would do. Death, burial, and resurrection and He is coming soon to take those who believe home!

Are you saved? If you need to talk to someone drop me a line I would be glad to talk to you!

God bless....Tom

Roman Road #3

Roman Road #3 6-8-09


What a nice day today. We kicked off sports camp today. Please be praying that God will do a mighty work in these kids lives this week.

Sorry this devotion is so late today. It will probably be like this all week due to sports camp.

Today's verse is so awesome. It is very simple but yet so powerful. Here it is:

Romans 5:8 (New King James Version)

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

There are basically three points to this verse. The first is God has demonstrated his love for us. If you are at all like me I often wonder how God can love me??? When we think about how Holy, Righteous, Perfect, Powerful, and mighty God is how can He love a worm such as I??? But He does and He has demonstrated that love by sending His Son to die for me and for you even though we are filthy rags. Wow!

The second point is God loves us even though we are sinners. I want you to think for a moment on how much love you show for someone who completely disrespects you, blatantly chooses to ignore what you ask them to do, and requires the death of your child to pay their sin. I believe if you are similar to me I know it would be no love at all! Thank God His ways are not my ways. He loves us even though we do these very things to Him!

The third point is mentioned in the first teaching point but we need to say over and over and over again.
Christ died for us. This is how God demonstrates His love for us. By sending His one and only Son to die on the cross for unworthy worms like you and I. Wow. Take time to think on this love today! Thank you Jesus for dying for me I am so unworthy!

God bless you all!

Tom

Roman Road #2

Good morning everyone. It is a beautiful cool morning outside here today....a good day to get outside and praise the Lord!

Today we are going to look at the second verse we us in the Roman road. Here it is:


Romans 6:23 (New King James Version)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


This is such an awesome verse. It basically has two componets to it. The first is what causes sin. If you remember in your bible studies. Way back to Adam and Eve. Life was perfect and there was no sin in the Garden of Eden. Until the serpent tempted Eve and she bit into that forbidden fruit and ole Adam followed right along. Because of that sin there were many consequences one of them being death. There are also two kinds of death. Physical in which you die. Then there is spiritual in which you are seperated from God. Both of these are a result of sin!

The second part of this verse is the good news! God has a gift for us. I don't know anyone who doesn't like presents....do you? John 3:16 tells us why God gives us this gift....

John 3:16 (New King James Version)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.


God gives us this gift out of his great love for us!!! Isn't that awesome! So what is this great gift God gives us....eternal life. Spiritually and physically. I don't know about you but I am not sure my mind can fully understand what God has done for me and you in giving us this gift. It is truly amazing. There is one more thing I want you to think about this morning. As with any gift the one who gives the gift it has cost him something to have a gift to give. For example if I was giving you a gift such as a hunting rifle it would have cost me money to buy it. Well what did this great gift of eternal life cost God? HIS SON!!! Yes God sent his only Son Jesus to pay the penalty of our sins so we can live forever in heaven.

Stop and think abpout that this morning and give praises to Jesus this morning for surrendering His life on the cross for you and me. Thank you Jesus.

You will never give a more precious gift than telling someone about Jesus....give that gift to someone today!!

God bless and be safe this weekend!

Tom

Roman Road #1

Good Thursday morning to everyone. It is a rainy morning here. I am going to start another series this morning. God has laid it on my heart a few times so God here it is. Use it to bring folks closer to you. For those who might not know what the Roman road is, it is a group of scriptures from the book of Romans that is used for leading people to Christ. What I want to do is to look at each verse and study a little bit about it. I encourage each of you to memorize these verses as they are very handy in bring someone to the Lord. So here we go.

Romans 3:23 (New King James Version)

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Wow such a short verse but yet so very powerful. It is very easy to see when we are witnessing to someone why we would start with this verse. Just stop and think for a moment....all have sinned! That means you and me and everyone else. There has been only one who has not sinned and that of course is Jesus. When I witness to someone I like to use the ten commandments with this verse because we can show the person how we have broken every commandment which then proves we have sinned before God.

For a long time I often wondered about the second part of this verse....fall short of the glory of God. I guess at that time I was to lazy to do some research and find out what it means. I could figure out what fall short means....doesn't meet the standard or didn't meet the goal. But what about that word glory. What is the glory of God? Here is what I found...the glory of God can be defined as honor, dignity, splendor, majesty, glorious moral attributes, infinite perfections of God. Now stop and chew on that for a while....wow! I can see where I fall short in every area. As the old saying goes "God is God and we are not".

I hope and pray we realize everyday as Christians where we have been in sin and where we have been delivered to through the shed blood of Christ. In God's eyes once we have accepted Christ into our hearts we don't fall short of His Glory anymore we become joint heirs with Jesus. That is really too much for my feeble mind to comprehend. But you know what I believe it because God's word says it is so!!!

Have a great day brothers and sisters!

Tom

Nature

Well folks I am back. Sorry for missing so many devotions in recent days but Summer is here and I am busy, busy, busy. Thank you for all the prayers. God answered them and my grandpa went home quickly.

As I was in Michigan for my grandpa's funeral, I was able to take a morning to go turkey hunting with my brother. As usual we got out there before sunrise and settled into a thicket on the edge of a field. As the darkness began to fade God's creations awoke from the sleep of the night. It was a beautiful morning. Deer were all over the place and it reminded me of this passage of scripture:


Psalm 42


1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?

It is a joy to watch deer in search of food and water in the woods. They are diligent yet so very careful to watch for predators. Do we search for our life giving source in the same manner? As the psalmist so beautifully put it....does your soul pant for God? We should be longing for Him. Have you ever been so thirsty that when you finally got that drink of cold water it was overwhelmingly satisfying? I have and this is the picture here. Nothing will satisfy us in life more than the life giving waters of God.

The psalmist is asking when ill he be in heaven with God...wow. Am I longing o be with God right now? Are you. If I answered honestly I would say "No". I still have things right here I want to do like see my children grow up and grow old with my wife. I need to work on that! Why don't I long for heaven right now....perhaps it is because God has blessed me with good health, a roof over my head, and food on the table all which I am greatful for.

Then the psalmist says basically people are making fun of him and he is heart broken over it. "Where is your God?" Our world today is basically asking us the same question today. One day soon they will find out if they don't accept Jesus as Savior. Are we affected at all today by those who are lost and going to hell if something don't change in their life soon? Maybe our cheerios and pizza should be filled with tears too for those that are perishing. Then maybe we would be doing as He commanded and share the good news of Jesus!

So when you get a chance get out to God's creation and enjoy a sunset or a sunrise, take a bible and let God speak.....He has much to say!!!

Have a great Tuesday!

Tom