Category Archives: Devotion

THE NEED FOR COURAGEOUS FAITH

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“All these latter kings joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, the Dead Sea Valley). For twelve years they had been subject to Kedorlaomer, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled.”       Genesis 14:3,4 NIV

 

There are earlier references and pictures of ancient men fighting in battle long before Abram’s day, but this war is the first written description of an actual battle between opposing kings and nations. Chedorlaomer is the chief of the invading kings. Historically, he is identified as the Elamite dictator, from the land east of Persia, which is now known as West Pakistan. He came with his satellite kings against the confederacy of five kings from the cities of the plain. His coming represents one side of the world in which we live. A power to harass and enslave, and to remove all freedom. The other is Sodom, a picture of the world in its lust for sensual pleasures. These forces are often found opposed in history. They arise out of the fallen nature of humanity. One is a desire for material gain, economic advancement, luxury, ease, and sensual pleasure. The other is sheer naked tyranny, threatening the very physical existence of others. This is exactly what confronted the cities of the plain, and Lot especially as he now dwelt in Sodom. Lot is enmeshed in the blind commercialism of Sodom. Now he is threatened by a circumstance that would deprive him of his basic freedom. However, the purpose of this account is not to record the facts of a particular war for history. The purpose is to show the courage of Abram and his faith, as he responded to this situation.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, give us courageous faith as we face the battles of life.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, as we face the battles of life, thank You that You have not given us a spirit of fear, but the power of Your Holy Spirit, Your love in our hearts and a sound mind. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Luke 12:35-48

 

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WAR BROKE OUT

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“At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim, these kings went to war against Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboyim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).”         Genesis 14:1,2 NIV

 

To many, the Christian life appears dull, uneventful. It is anything but that! If it appears to be so, it is almost certainly a life out of focus with true spirituality. We have seen whenever Abram is found with a tent and an altar in the land of Canaan, he is a wonderful picture of a Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit and enjoying the pilgrim life, in this world but not of it, daily judging self by the cleansing of the cross. Lot, on the other hand, is a picture for us of the Christian not living a Holy Spirit empowered life but living for self. They have forsaken the place of fellowship with Christ. Lot left Abram up on the hillside and moved down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of the plain. Drawn by the allurements of the world, living for himself and for the pleasures of life. Suddenly, a shattering experience breaks into Abram’s quiet, pleasant existence. Life in the Spirit is like that. We are never permitted to rest beside the still waters very long, nor would we want to, for life there soon grows dull and uninteresting. In Genesis 14, we are introduced to the first war ever recorded in Scripture. It is a stirring account, vividly contrasting the blustering armies of earth with the quiet, overcoming power of faith.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, may we never be complacent in our walk with You.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, in our daily pilgrimage with You, may we never become complacent but be aware that we are in a spiritual battle. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Luke 15:1-10

 

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ABRAM’S ADORATION

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“So, Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.”           Genesis 13:18 NIV

 

Abram does again that which has become his trademark. He builds an altar for the worship of the Lord. A life that is lived in communion with the Lord is a life that our Lord can bless! He desires that every one of us be in a place where we love Him more than anything else in this world. He wants us to acknowledge Him. He wants us to exalt Him. He wants us to love Him. He desires our worship, read John 4:23-24! The Lord is absolutely self-sufficient. Psalm 50:10-15 reminds us of this. He needs nothing! He does not need us. But He wants us! That is precious and we should all determine that we will live our lives for His glory, considering the fact that Jesus gave His life for our salvation. Where are you in your relationship and walk with our Lord? Are you as close as you should be? Are you growing deeper each day in the things of the Lord? When He speaks, do you move? Are you concerned with strengthening your fellowship with Him day by day? Is His worship the number one priority in your life? Those are hard questions to hear and face, but they reveal a lot about the condition of our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. May we determine that, like Abram, our life will be characterized by our altars and by our obedience to the voice of God

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord may our lives be filled with worship and obedience to You.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, we determine through the power and ministry of Your Holy Spirit, like Abram, our lives will be characterized by our altars and by our obedience to Your voice. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Luke 10:25-37

 

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ABRAM MOVED

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“So, Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord.”           Genesis 13:18 NIV

 

Abram moved his tent and came down to the oaks of Mamre. Mamre means “fatness,” the place where the soul is made fat with the fullness of supply. Hebron, which means “fellowship.” Abram built an altar to the Lord. In the place of fatness and fellowship, Abram confessed again by the building of an altar that he was nothing but a fallible human being, without strength in himself, needing that constant supply of the cleansing of the Lord. It is a wonderful picture, isn’t it? All of us dwell in a world exactly like that of Abram and Lot. A world in which material values constantly clamour for us to make a choice. We have only so much time to invest, so much life to spend, and we are pressured to try to grab the best for ourselves while we can. We can say with Lot, “I want what the world can offer me now, I want the cities of the plain.” Or we may wait with Abram, content with our “tent” and “altar”, enjoying the blessings of the land by faith now, and waiting for the Lord’s fulfilment of all His promises in that wonderful age yet to come. The Christian who is content to let the Lord make their choices finds it easy to fulfil the New Testament word: “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV).

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, help us to be totally content in what You desire for us.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, You desire nothing but the best for our lives, even in a world that seeks to distract from what You want for us. May we be content in all that You desire for us. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Luke 16:1-13

 

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LOT WOULD NEVER KNOW

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“Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”           Genesis 13:17 NIV

 

Lot would never know! Nor will we, if we make our choices on the basis of what we see, relating to the materialistic, commercial standards of those about us. But if, like Abram, we are content to have what the Lord gives us in life, all the fullness of Christ will be ours. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:21b-23 (NIV): ” All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God. God said to Abram, “Not only do I give this land to you, but I will fill the land with your descendants.” That is, “I will make you fruitful beyond belief. I will make your life one of such blessing that after you are gone there will be those who will stand up and say, ‘I received my spiritual life through that man/woman; there came to me strength for my journey through them; they have been a great blessing to my heart and life.'” Then He said to Abram, “Arise, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I will give it to you.” The land is all that Christ will be to us through the eternal ages to come. Our Lord is saying to us, “Don’t wait for it. You don’t have to wait until you die to enjoy this. You can have it now, if you will possess it in Christ. For you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.”

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Father, help us to grasp the spiritual blessings we have in Jesus Christ.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, help us to grasp every spiritual blessing we have in Christ Jesus, Your Son, so we live life in the fullness of Your Holy Spirit, now. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

2 Samuel 12:1-10

 

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ABRAM’S CHOICE

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“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west.”            Genesis 13:14 NIV

 

What happened to old Abram? How did it go with the man who was willing to let the Lord make the choices for him? The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Look around….” So, Abram went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he pitched his tents. There he built an altar to the Lord. (Genesis 13:14-18 NIV) Lot had lifted up his eyes and chosen for himself; now the Lord says to the man of faith, living in his tent on the hillside, “Abram, look around from where you are.” Where? Everywhere – to the north, the south, the east, even the portion Lot chose, and the west. All the land is his! This land is consistently the symbol for us of the fullness of life in the Holy Spirit. The life of joy, power, love in the Holy Spirit, The life of refreshing ministry to others. Surely this is what Paul longs for us when he prays, ” And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV). This is all ours, if we are willing to let our Lord make the choices of life for us. Are you willing to make that choice today?

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, thank You for the fullness of life You offer to all who trust You.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Thank You, Lord, as we choose to accept Your choice for our lives, we encounter the fullness of life through the power and ministry of Your indwelling Holy Spirit. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Zechariah 11:4-17

 

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WHAT LOT MISSED

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“Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom.”            Genesis 13:12 NIV

 

Lot saw the prosperity and the beauty, but he did not see that this was a place marked out for judgment; it was all to be swept away forever. You may say there was no way for Lot to know these things. This is true. Neither Lot nor Abram could foresee the death, the rottenness, the judgment that life in Sodom would bring. But the whole point of the story lies right here. Lot, presuming to run his own life, “chose for himself,” and, deceived by what he saw, stumbled blindly into heartache and judgment. Abram, on the other hand, was content to let the Lord choose for him, though it meant apparent second-best. Long before the true nature of Sodom became apparent to Lot, Abram saw it in its true light. When will we learn that the inner nature of things as they really are is only revealed to the person who lives at the foot of the Cross? It is only as we take the pilgrim character and remember we are not to have our final dwelling place here on this earth, and we hold lightly the things of earth, that the Word of God begins to unfold to us and we see something of the judgment, the moral corruptness, the deadly character of what otherwise looks so attractive and is highly regarded on every side. “Lot chose for himself.” What a descriptive term that is! As he looked out, Self said, “Ah, this will advance you, this will make you prosperous, this will give you status and position.” He chose for himself, pitched his tent toward Sodom. That is, every time he moved his tent, he moved it constantly nearer Sodom.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, it’s at the foot of Your Cross that we see everything with clarity.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord may we be kept at the foot of your Cross so we will see our lives and this world from Your perspective. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Hosea 3:1-5

 

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THE CHOICE

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“Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)”        Genesis 13:10 NIV

 

Evidently Lot and Abram went out on a ledge overlooking the valley and Lot lifted his eyes. What did he see? It is obvious he only looked in one direction. He had been out looking around before! Without hesitation now, he looked to the east and saw the well-watered plain below like the garden of the Lord in the midst of the desert. He saw the Jordan River cutting through its great gorge, the deepest point on the face of the earth. On either side of the Jordan, the lush green grass was growing, and the variety of palm trees made the whole place a veritable garden, and he was greatly attracted to it. Then he saw the cities of the plain. They were like Egypt! Lot remembered Egypt well as a place where one could get rich quick, with its vast commercial enterprises and its blind materialism. This is what Lot saw as he looked across the valley. The Jordan valley was there before his eyes. He did not see the river descending out of the living waters of Galilee, dropping far below sea level into the Dead Sea, from which there is no outlet. Outwardly it was fair to look upon, spiritually it meant the place of death. All Lot saw was the profitableness of these cities, but he did not see their moral corruption. Moral corruptness has permeated our social life and is one of the consequences we must take into consideration as we face the choices of life. This Lot failed to do.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Open our eyes Lord, to the implications of the choices we make.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, as we face the many choices we have each day of our lives, open our eyes, through Your Holy Spirit to the implications of our choices. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Ezekiel 12:1-7

 

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WE ARE CONNECTED

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So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.”             Genesis 13:8 NIV

 

We are “relatives”! That means we are tied together in the same bundle of life, and if I hurt you, I am hurting myself. If you hurt me, you are hurting yourself. Whenever strife develops between members of the Body of Christ, it always has this result. Abram, in his God-given wisdom said, “Let us not have any of this. We are relatives, so do not let this become an issue between us. Let us calmly settle the matter now before it breaks out in open conflict.” Then Abram did a godly thing; he gave up his own rights without a murmur. He said to Lot, “Lot, you take the first choice.” There is the story of two Christian men who almost came to blows over a disagreement. One man finally stood and pounded the desk and shouted, “I don’t care what you do, but I will have my rights!” At that, an old, partially deaf man, who had been sitting near, leaned forward and cupped his ear in his hand and said, “Eh? What’s that? What did you say? Your rights, is it? Is that what you want? Ah, if you had your rights you’d be in hell! The Lord Jesus didn’t come to get His rights – He came to get his wrongs, and He got them.” With that the belligerent man sat down, saying, “You’re right, you’re right, settle it any way you like.” Soon there was perfect agreement. It was this same spirit that moved Abram to give Lot the first choice.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, may we never seek our rights, but only Your way.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, whatever the conflict, stop us from seeking our rights, and rather Your way of dealing with conflict. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Ezekiel 8:1-16

 

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CONFLICT

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“And quarrelling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.”        Genesis 13:7 NIV

 

Abraham takes the initiative. Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarrelling between you and me, or between your herders and mine, for we are close relatives.” Every word here is instructive. In the last part of verse 7 we are told, “The Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land.” Why are these mentioned here? Is it not a warning to us that whenever strife looms between Christians, the enemies of the Lord are ready to take full advantage of it? These Canaanites and Perizzites, dwelling in the land, are watching the interaction between Abram and Lot. They would have heard in some way about the faith of Abram.  They were watching and witnessing. The world is watching us as Christians, and how we deal with conflict, whether it is within the body of Christ, the church or without. Within each one of us, as Christians, lurk the remnants of our old human nature: jealousy, envy, resentment, bitterness, malice, etc. They are always ready to spring into action if there is any dissension or grievance between Christians. Abram acted before these could be awakened, for he knew they were in the land. There is that in each of our hearts which, if allowed to fester, will come to the fore. Jealousy, resentment, unforgiveness and bitterness are not a great testimony for us as Christians to the world. Abram acted before this could happen. What a great example to us. May we be on guard against such, as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Holy Spirit, make us aware of any potential conflict we may face.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Holy Spirit, make us aware of any potential conflict that we may face, so we can deal with it in Your way, and allow Your fruit to be born through it. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Jeremiah 38:1-13

 

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