I just finished a book called "Slave" by John MacArthur. A great read and very informative. I found it very interesting that as the the scriptures were translated into English some of the meaning of certain words has been lost. For example the word slave appears 124 times in the original greek text but it is correctly translated only once in the King James version of the scriptures. Instead of using slave they choose the word servant in its place. In the old testament the word for slave in Hebrew appears 799 times as a noun and another 290 times as a verb. Again it is translated in the King James version as servant or manservant the majority if the time. At this point you may be thinking..."yeah so what"? This is a big deal for your understanding of what following Christ means. You see if you are a servant of Christ you have a choice. You can come and go as you choose. Serve when you want and not serve when you don not want to or feel like it. When you are a slave of Christ there is not a choice. The scripture says:
1 Corinthians 6:20
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
A slave is bought, a servant is paid for services. When we accept Christ we willfully become slaves of Christ. Think about that this morning. Do you see why understanding that the use of the word servant compared to slave, the meaning is much different? In today's times slave have a negative meaning but when we are serving Christ it does not because we have a loving master who desires our service and worship. I am humbled to be the slave of Christ! I am not worthy but am very thankful to do so.
Don't read this devotion lightly, take time to think about what being a slave of Christ should mean in your life!
Colossians 4:1
1 Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
A bondservant is a slave.
Tom
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Good ole Monday!
Well sometimes you get up to a wild Monday. That happened to me this morning. First of all we have some pretty good storms roll through complete with tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. Over the weekend my wife and I cleaned out the washer and dryer closet in anticipation of the delivery of the new washer and dryer we bought last Monday. They told us it would be delivered today. I took my daughter to school in the pouring rain and when I got back home there was a message on the answering machine. Guess what it said???? "Your washer and dryer have not come in yet and will be delivered next Monday!" What??? We had prepared everything for delivery today and did not do any laundry all weekend long because we had taken the old washer and dryer out! Now another week? I think you get the picture. Ever had one of these Mondays? You may be having one right now. I was getting ready to call Lowes and voice my concerns when this verse came to mind:
1 Peter 5:7
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
As I thought about this verse and my crazy Monday so far, I thought that in reality this is no big deal and God is in control. I thought about how many folks are having a much worse day than me. Some are fighting cancer, some are hungry, some have no roof over there head, some have no family, and I could list a million more blessings. All I need to remember today is cast my problems to God, He cares about me! Guess what He cares about you too so turn everything over to God on this Monday. Who better to handle my difficulties than God???? No one!
Slow down a little and remember 1 Peter 5:7 on this Monday!
Tom
1 Peter 5:7
7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
As I thought about this verse and my crazy Monday so far, I thought that in reality this is no big deal and God is in control. I thought about how many folks are having a much worse day than me. Some are fighting cancer, some are hungry, some have no roof over there head, some have no family, and I could list a million more blessings. All I need to remember today is cast my problems to God, He cares about me! Guess what He cares about you too so turn everything over to God on this Monday. Who better to handle my difficulties than God???? No one!
Slow down a little and remember 1 Peter 5:7 on this Monday!
Tom
Friday, February 25, 2011
A wife that can be hard to find!
God gives us a description of what a godly wife will be like here in proverbs 31. Ladies for you the description is what God desires in you and men this is what you should seek in a wife. I am so thankful God has provided me with such a wife whom to be honest I don't deserve...thank you Jesus!
Proverbs 31:10-31
The Virtuous Wife
10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “ Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Wow what a woman. To sum it up....she works long hard days to takes care of her children and husband. She fears the Lord. She is in His Word as that is where she gains her wisdom. She reaches out to take care of those in need. She is crafty and finds ways to help support the family financially. The husband brags on her because of her godly life....wow! God desires women to be like this and men he desires us to take care of and love our wives the way Christ loved the church and we need to brag on them!!!!
A proverbs 31 wife is to be desired by both man and woman!!!!
Tom
Proverbs 31:10-31
The Virtuous Wife
10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
And provides food for her household,
And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “ Many daughters have done well,
But you excel them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
And let her own works praise her in the gates.
Wow what a woman. To sum it up....she works long hard days to takes care of her children and husband. She fears the Lord. She is in His Word as that is where she gains her wisdom. She reaches out to take care of those in need. She is crafty and finds ways to help support the family financially. The husband brags on her because of her godly life....wow! God desires women to be like this and men he desires us to take care of and love our wives the way Christ loved the church and we need to brag on them!!!!
A proverbs 31 wife is to be desired by both man and woman!!!!
Tom
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Are you opening your mouth?
Not long ago I wrote a devotion on this subject but God's Word has spoken again on this subject and I want to share it with you. Please read these verses.
Proverbs 31:8-9
8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
These verses speak for themselves. The speechless are those who have no voice in our society. The unborn, the poor, the elderly, those who are being persecuted for their faith, and you can put in others that fit into this category. God tells us to speak up for them and to take a stand! The more I read my Bible the more God points out to me to speak and stand for the poor and the needy. I think of Jesus taking a stand for the woman caught in adultery. That is to be our example.
Please take time to think on this verse this morning and let God's Word speak to you.
Tom
Proverbs 31:8-9
8 Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
These verses speak for themselves. The speechless are those who have no voice in our society. The unborn, the poor, the elderly, those who are being persecuted for their faith, and you can put in others that fit into this category. God tells us to speak up for them and to take a stand! The more I read my Bible the more God points out to me to speak and stand for the poor and the needy. I think of Jesus taking a stand for the woman caught in adultery. That is to be our example.
Please take time to think on this verse this morning and let God's Word speak to you.
Tom
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Learn from an ant!
Have you ever read this verse before?
Proverbs 30:25
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
This is a great lesson from God's Word to grab a hold of this morning. Preparation for the future. Two ways we can look at this. The first is physical. The ant is not what you would look to when you think of when you picture something strong. Although they can lift something several times their weight. When we think of something strong we would look more to the elephant or something like that. Yet the ant makes preparations all summer long for winter. They store food so they can survive. We need to grasp this from the ant. We need to also plan ahead for difficult times. We must be careful though not to be greedy but to have enough to survive! We can also look at this spiritually. We are week but HE is strong! We need to be prepared for eternity. Have we ask Jesus into our live as Lord and Savior? If you haven't......then you are not prepared!
Learn form the ant and be prepared!
Tom
Proverbs 30:25
25 The ants are a people not strong,
Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
This is a great lesson from God's Word to grab a hold of this morning. Preparation for the future. Two ways we can look at this. The first is physical. The ant is not what you would look to when you think of when you picture something strong. Although they can lift something several times their weight. When we think of something strong we would look more to the elephant or something like that. Yet the ant makes preparations all summer long for winter. They store food so they can survive. We need to grasp this from the ant. We need to also plan ahead for difficult times. We must be careful though not to be greedy but to have enough to survive! We can also look at this spiritually. We are week but HE is strong! We need to be prepared for eternity. Have we ask Jesus into our live as Lord and Savior? If you haven't......then you are not prepared!
Learn form the ant and be prepared!
Tom
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Wow does this sound familiar?
I was reading this proverb this morning and it never ceases to amaze me how alive God's Word is for today!
Proverbs 30:11-14
11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.
There has never been a time in America in which young folks are more disrespectful to their parents. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying all youth but much more than in my youth! It floors me to see how some youth talk to their parents! Is this the generation this proverb is talking about? As verse 12 states we live in a time where everything is ok. We are pure in our own eyes. We do not care what God's Word says..as long as everyone else is doing it it is ok!!! Many claim to be Christians but if we are not washed by the blood of Christ we are not cleansed from our filthiness. Verse 13 continues on to say how great we are in our own eyes. We think we have all the answers to all questions, but without Jesus we are dumb and know nothing. Then verse 14 speaks to our cut-throat society. We are all about self. Don't get in our way because we will trample over you. We are not worried about the less fortunate. God is clear in His Word that he desires us to be humble not proud. God wants us to help those less fortunate than us and we had better not think we are better than anyone!!!
Wow do these verses sound familiar this morning. Pray for this nation of ours...that we would have a revival.....a turn back to God!
Tom
Proverbs 30:11-14
11 There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
13 There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.
There has never been a time in America in which young folks are more disrespectful to their parents. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying all youth but much more than in my youth! It floors me to see how some youth talk to their parents! Is this the generation this proverb is talking about? As verse 12 states we live in a time where everything is ok. We are pure in our own eyes. We do not care what God's Word says..as long as everyone else is doing it it is ok!!! Many claim to be Christians but if we are not washed by the blood of Christ we are not cleansed from our filthiness. Verse 13 continues on to say how great we are in our own eyes. We think we have all the answers to all questions, but without Jesus we are dumb and know nothing. Then verse 14 speaks to our cut-throat society. We are all about self. Don't get in our way because we will trample over you. We are not worried about the less fortunate. God is clear in His Word that he desires us to be humble not proud. God wants us to help those less fortunate than us and we had better not think we are better than anyone!!!
Wow do these verses sound familiar this morning. Pray for this nation of ours...that we would have a revival.....a turn back to God!
Tom
Monday, February 21, 2011
God's Word...don't add to it!
Read carefully:
Proverbs 30:5-6
5 Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
These are some awesome Words from the Bible this morning. First we see God's Word is pure. There is nothing more pure than God's Word as it comes straight from Him...the truth!!! When we listen to His Word and put our trust in Jesus we have a shield or a protection from God that nothing can penetrate for eternity...wow stop and think about that for a while! Then God goes on to tell us to handle His Word very carefully. Do not add to what God's Word says...His Word is very clear in it's meaning and we don't want to teach others something that His Word does not say! For those who teach God's Word you need to pay close attention to this as we will be held accountable for this! I sure don't want to stand before Him one day to be told I was a liar and be rebuked!
God's Word has spoken this morning...let us take it to heart!
Tom
Proverbs 30:5-6
5 Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
6 Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
These are some awesome Words from the Bible this morning. First we see God's Word is pure. There is nothing more pure than God's Word as it comes straight from Him...the truth!!! When we listen to His Word and put our trust in Jesus we have a shield or a protection from God that nothing can penetrate for eternity...wow stop and think about that for a while! Then God goes on to tell us to handle His Word very carefully. Do not add to what God's Word says...His Word is very clear in it's meaning and we don't want to teach others something that His Word does not say! For those who teach God's Word you need to pay close attention to this as we will be held accountable for this! I sure don't want to stand before Him one day to be told I was a liar and be rebuked!
God's Word has spoken this morning...let us take it to heart!
Tom
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