Category Archives: Devotion

LOT

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“Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.”             Genesis 13:5 NIV

 

We have been reading of this man, Lot, all through the story of Abram. He was Abram’s nephew, and he came with him out of the land of Ur. The whole story of this man is told in one brief phrase in verse 5, “Lot, who went with Abram.” That sums up Lot’s whole life. He went with Abram! Wherever Abram was, Lot was. When Abram stopped, Lot stopped. “With Abram” – that is all that can be said of him. Many of the commentators seem to feel it was wrong for Abram to take Lot with him out of the land of Ur. There is no doubt he was a continual weight around his neck. But Scripture never implies that it was wrong to bring Lot along. Lot evidently responded when God spoke to Abram and called him to go out into a land which would be shown him. Lot wanted to go along, and Abram, wishing to help him, agreed. The trouble is not with Abram, but with Lot. Lot seems to be a picture of those Christians who depend upon others for faith and inspiration to act. There are many Lots around. They never seem to learn to walk alone with God but lean on another’s faith for strength. When Abram’s faith failed, Lot’s faith failed. Lot just leans on Abram all the way. Lot clearly symbolises a second-hand Christian. One who leans on another Christian in their faith. Never learning to walk their own walk of faith with the Lord. Their faith is genuine nevertheless they depend wholly upon another Christian for the effectiveness of their service.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, teach us to walk with others yet in dependence upon You.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, may we not be second-hand Christians, but walk in dependence upon You as we serve You with others alongside us. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Jonah 4:1-11

 

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FAITH FAILURE

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“Where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.”                Genesis 13:4 NIV

 

Someone has pointed out that life seems to be arranged backwards. We are called upon to make our most important choices at a time when we have the least amount of experience to guide us. Because of this, we so frequently hear expressions of regret like, “If only I had known,” “If I had it to do over again,” etc. But it is this very quality of life which reveals our inability to handle life by ourselves. It is a wise person, indeed, who learns this lesson early and gives heed to the Biblical admonition, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”(Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV) After the temporary failure of faith which took Abram from Canaan into Egypt, we find him once again in the land, with his tent and his altar, enjoying the fullness of divine supply. As we have seen life in the land is a life of continual conflict; we must go from victory to victory. Furthermore, it is a life of unending choices. May we learn to surrender our daily choices to the Lord, before we rush into places where our Lord desires us not to go. Whatever choices you are facing at this moment, before consulting with others around you, lay on the altar of our Lord. Lay hold of the promise given to us in Proverbs chapter 3. Thank the Lord that He will make your path straight.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, we choose to submit our choices to You, trusting Your leading.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, with the many choices we face each day, thank You that we can submit them to You, knowing that You will lead in the direction that brings glory to Your name. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 22:1-13

 

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THE NAME OF THE LORD

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“Where he had first built an altar. There Abram called on the name of the Lord.”              Genesis 13:4 NIV

 

The name of the Lord stands for all the resources of God. When we cash a cheque we are calling on the name of the person who signed the cheque. When Abram calls on the name of the Lord he is discovering the resources of God. He discovers that God is able to meet his needs despite the famine, the trial, or the circumstances. In the closing days of Hudson Taylor’s life, the Boxer Rebellion broke out in China. Every day reports were coming to missionary headquarters of the death of national pastors, or the persecution and imprisonment of missionaries. It seemed that all that Hudson Taylor had given his life to was crumbling before his eyes. One black day, after some particularly distressing news had come, Hudson Taylor’s associates wondered if it would be too much for the old man. He spent the morning in his house, alone, and when they came to see him in the afternoon, they trembled at what they might find. But as they approached the house, they heard him singing to himself: “Jesus, I am resting, resting, In the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness, Of thy loving heart. Thou hast bade me gaze upon Thee, And thy beauty fills my soul, For by thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole.” Are you in a time of testing and trial that makes it difficult to hang onto God? We must not think for a moment we will find what we need by running down to Egypt.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, we have all we need when we call upon Your name.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, thank You that when we take time to call upon Your name, we discover that You will meet all of our needs as You have promised in Your Word. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 19:17-25

 

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BACK TO THE ALTAR

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“From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been earlier.”           Genesis 13:3 NIV

 

As soon as Abram is back in the land, there is the tent and the altar again. There is no tent or altar in Egypt. That is, there is no pilgrim character, no place of worship or repentance, no fellowship in Egypt. But even back in the land, Abram must come back to the place where he had made an altar at the first, and there Abram calls upon the name of the Lord. In other words, time spent in Egypt is wasted time! There was no growth in grace in that land. He had to come right back to where he was when he went down to Egypt. He had material gain to show for the time in Egypt, but nothing but barrenness and weakness spiritually. Have you discovered how true this is? When we forsake the pathway of faith, when we refuse to walk in fellowship with our Lord, in the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit, when we depend upon the resources of the world to satisfy the empty hunger of our hearts, these are wasted years! They may literally be years. When Abram at last returned, what did he find? There is no mention of famine when he returns, possibly the famine is still going on. Abram is no longer troubled about it. Why not? Because, when he reached the land, the first thing he did was to call on the name of the Lord! This is what he should have done, and could have done, when the famine first struck.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, help us to return to the place of repentance and worship.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord thank You for the gift of being able to return to that place of repentance and worship, after we have wandered away from You, trusting in the things of this world. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 18:1-7

 

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TARNISHED WITNESS

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“But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai.”      Genesis 12:17 NIV

 

Abram became a curse to the world of Egypt with whom he lived. He was called to be a blessing, but when he got into Egypt, he became a curse instead! A Christian out of fellowship with Christ is of no help to the lost people around them. Instead, they are a hindrance. A life of hypocrisy and weakness is a stumbling block and a plague upon the hearts of those who are watching. If we are not walking in the fullness of the Spirit, let us not attempt to witness to anyone about Christ! We have a tarnished witness just like Abram. Egypt is a place of rebuke and humiliation. What a scene this is! Here is Abram, the man of God, standing before this Egyptian king who has better morals than he has, being publicly rebuked for his folly. What a terrible place of rebuke and folly is Egypt. But now the Lord terminates the painful lesson of Egypt in Abram’s life. At the deepest moment of his agony, crushed with humiliation and sick at heart, Abram comes out of Egypt, tarred and feathered and back into the land of Canaan. We read, “Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they set him on the way, with his wife and all that he had.” “Good riddance, Abram, we’re through with you!” What a price to pay for the release from pressure that Egypt affords. But once back in the land, he finds the fullness of supply that he could have had all along! What amazing grace amid a tarnished witness!

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord thank You for Your amazing grace in our failures.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, thank You that You never give up on us, even when our witness is tarnished, You still show us amazing grace. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 17:1-9

 

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A PRICE TO PAY

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“He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.”           Genesis 12:16 NIV

 

Abram was made very rich. You say, “What’s wrong with that? This is not an evil, but a blessing.” It was Jesus himself who used the phrase, ” the deceitfulness of wealth” (Mark 4:19 NIV), referring to one of the things which could choke the Word in a person. In Egypt, Abram was given sheep, oxen, he-asses, menservants, maidservants, she-asses, and camels. This is the wealth of the oriental world. But when he comes back into the land, the first thing we hear of is strife between his herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen over the riches they got in Egypt. Furthermore, we are told he was given maidservants, one of whom was named Hagar, with whom Abram later conceived the child, Ishmael, the father of the Arab nations, who have been ever since a thorn in the side of Israel. The price of living in Egypt is a fearsome price to pay. But this is not all: Abram was called to be a blessing, but when he got into Egypt, he became a curse instead! A Christian out of fellowship with Christ is of no help to the lost people around him. Instead, they are a hindrance. Their life of hypocrisy and weakness is a stumbling block and a plague upon the hearts of those who are watching them. If we are not walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, let us not attempt to witness to anyone about Christ! We may not be a blessing to them!

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Holy Spirit, make us aware of the price we pay in not walking with You.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Holy Spirit, make us aware of the price we pay when we do not walk in fellowship with You, and how it effects our sharing Jesus with others. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 11:11-16

 

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OUT OF FELLOWSHIP

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“When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.”              Genesis 12:14 NIV

 

The result of Abram moving out of Canaan, is the same as being out of fellowship with Christ. Out of the land, away from the tent and the altar, means our old self comes to the fore and assumes control. The immediate manifestation is hypocrisy and deceit. Have you found that to be true? The minute we begin to move away from the control of our Lord, our old self, with its defensive mechanism against being hurt, comes to the surface and we stoop to falsehood, hypocrisy, and deceit. The outcome of the lie was that Sarai was put into a place of real danger. The king claimed her for his harem, and the lie Abram told opened the door for him to take her. The danger he thought existed had no power to harm her until he made it possible by his lie! Abram was trying to protect himself, but in protecting himself he exposed Sarai to danger. This is the trouble with Egypt. It is true the pressure we fear is relieved there, but, when we try to live on the resources of the world, we lose our own strength and endanger those who look to us for help. Not only was Sarai endangered, but Lot also. Lot went down to Egypt with him. When the enticements of Sodom and Gomorrah cast their spell over Lot, we are told that he saw the land as though it were the plain of Egypt and the lust for comforts of this world were born during the stay in Egypt. Remember, when we flee to Egypt, our loved ones are being hurt, as well as ourselves.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Holy Spirit, make us aware of what can lead us away from the Lord.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Holy Spirit, open the eyes and understanding of our hearts to see that which can lead us to being out of fellowship with our Lord, for the effects touch not only our lives, but the lives of our loved ones. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 11:1-10

 

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THE LIE

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“Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”            Genesis 12:13 NIV

 

What else happened in Egypt? It is most evident that when Abram lost his faith, he also lost his courage! Even before he got into Egypt, he grew afraid and descended to cowardliness and falsehood. He told a little white lie; that is what we would call it today. But a lie is a lie! He said to his wife, “Look, dear, I know these Egyptians. I read about them in the library in Ur. They are all wolves, and you are a beautiful woman. I know what will happen when we get down there. They will want to take you, and if they know you are my wife, they will kill me. Let’s play it smart with a little strategy. You tell them you are my sister.” This was not wholly a lie. Sarai was Abram’s half-sister. She was the daughter of a woman who married Abram’s father after Abram was born. So, this was a half-truth. But a half-truth is also a half-lie, and a lie in any proportion is intended to deceive. The nearer it is to the truth, the more perfectly deceitful it is. Abram’s intent was clearly to deceive. Doubtless he justified it on the grounds that it was needed to protect his beautiful wife. Perhaps this is the most startling thing about this story. Sarai was sixty-five years old at the time, yet so remarkable is her beauty that Abram is afraid he may lose her. Abram depends on his own resources to defend her, and his only recourse is to lie. The ramifications for Abram were huge, as they are for us, when we lie.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, You have always said that the Truth will set us free.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, a lie is a lie, even if it is a “white” lie, and You have always told us that the Truth will set us free. Nothing else! AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 10:1-4

 

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ADOPTING ATTITUDES

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As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.”            Genesis 12:11-12 NIV

 

Abram’s flight into Egypt is not a warning to us that we should have nothing to do with worldly people. We are expected to live our lives in the world and its ways but not compromising our faith and commitment to our Lord and His ways. Going down to Egypt means adopting the attitudes, the expectations, and resources of this world. Abram’s experience here is given to teach us the unutterable folly of Egypt. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful to behold; and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; then they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared on your account.” When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh saw her; they praised her to Pharaoh. The woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. For her sake he dealt well with Abram. But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. The implication of self-preservation has a huge ripple effect on not only our own lives, but everyone around us. Whatever decision we see to make, let us first seek the Lord in prayer.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, teach us to seek You in prayer before we decide on anything.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, we know the implications of self-preservation have a huge ripple effect on not only our own lives, but everyone around us. Help us to come to You in prayer before we decide upon anything. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 9:1-7

 

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A FAMINE

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“Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.”          Genesis 12:10 NIV

 

Abram was a man with flocks and herds, and when the rains failed these were severely threatened. He saw his immediate source of sustenance endangered, and it must have seemed increasingly impossible to remain where he was. As the scarcity of food grew, he felt driven to leave, even though God had called him to be there. There is not a word here about asking God’s permission to go down to Egypt. Abram took counsel, not from God, but from his fears alone. To use a contemporary expression, he “pushed the panic button,” and down to Egypt he went. It was fear that drove him. If the land is a symbol for us of the life of fellowship with a living Christ, then a famine in the land is any circumstance that threatens our dependence upon Him. It is any circumstance that makes faith difficult to maintain. Have you ever experienced such a famine? Have you been living in the full joy of fellowship with Christ, and the strength of God is your portion, and suddenly some circumstance beyond your control makes it difficult to maintain that fellowship, and there is a famine in the land? When this occurs, the temptation is to flee rather than to stick it out. We do not enjoy trials like this, and we try to get away, and at times, physically, if we can. If we simply cannot flee physically, we try to run away mentally. We escape the unpleasant reality by a flight into unreality. There is so much of this being done today. Some retreat into a mental Egypt where life seems much more pleasant than it is in reality.

 

PRAYER THOUGHT

Lord, help us not to flee in fear in those times of famine in our lives.

 

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Lord, help us not to flee in fear in those times of famine in our lives, but to seek You in prayer before we do anything that may harm our lives or that of others. AMEN

 

INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)

Isaiah 6:1-13

 

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