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Please read Deuteronomy 6. Thank you. There is much in this chapter to consider. This chapter follows one of the sections of Scripture that list the Ten Commandments. These laws have been debated over, taken down and essentially forgotten. Some have even said that the Commandments and the Old Testament are not relevant today. They are wrong and we are seeing the proof of that in society and all over the world. In Deuteronomy 6, Israel is told to be careful to follow these commandments. They are to teach them to their children. This is to be a c...
There is a verse in Proverbs that I am sure most people have heard, whether you read the Bible, whether you are a believer or not. This verse deals with a characteristic of each of us that we must be careful about. Here it is, “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). This is from a collection of proverbs written by King Solomon. If you study the life of Solomon as king of Israel you will find that he knows what he is talking about. He allowed the sin of pride and arrogance to get in the way of...
I had the privilege, with several others from my church, to see the movie “Sound of Freedom.” This was a good but difficult movie to watch. I am thankful that our movie theater showed this movie and I pray that they will continue to have the courage and boldness to show other Christian-based movies and we must support them as well. As I reflect on the experience and think about some of the statistics shared at the end of the movie, I ask myself, “What can I do or should do as a Christian?” Now, I know that I cannot go to other countri...
The following is the book of Jude: a letter that was written to a group of Christians who were being led astray. This is happening today on all levels whether that be local, state, national or worldly levels. Read it and think about what is going on in the world today. We need to be vigilant in our faith in God and his plan for us. Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James: To those who are the called, loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ. May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Dear friends, although I was...
We are approaching Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday. It is a week when we focus and meditate on the sacrifices that Jesus made for us. We read the final words and teachings that He shared to the people and the disciples during that week. We experience the love that Jesus shows without hesitation. We receive the forgiveness given freely no matter the mistakes or choices that are made. “He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it out of the way by nailing to the cross” (Co...
I have been preaching a series from the book of Haggai. I thought that I would share some of my thoughts from the message I shared this past Sunday. Especially since no one could hear what I had to say. I am going to talk about Haggai 2:4-5. “’Even so, be strong Zerubbabel’ – this is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land’ – this is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Work! For I am with you’ – the declaration of the Lord of Hosts. ‘This is the promise I made to you when you came...
In the book of Numbers, we have a passage that many are familiar with but since it is in one of the least read books of the Bible we do not read it like we should. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26). This may not be a passage of Scripture that we think of this time of year. I don’t think about this passage during Thanksgiving. But as I read it I see two things from it. I see a blessing for the future and remin...
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). This is the last verse of what is called “The Love Chapter.” Love is what we are also thinking about this Advent. It is usually thought about during the fourth week of Advent. It’s fitting that Christmas is part of the fourth week. What a gift that we were given. Christ coming to earth to live as one of us. He endured much of what we endured. He overcame everything, even death. Because of that we have been given gifts. We have been given the...
1 John 4:17-19 has some interesting words to read that are appropriate for where we are as a community, state and nation. Here is what John says (just in case you do not have a Bible handy), “In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in the world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment (torment). So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us.” Now I am sure that for som...
In the world today we hear the word conspiracy talked about quite a bit. Sometimes the word is actually used and sometimes it is not. Sometimes the word is used if someone wants others to not believe it. It seems that our leaders are obsessed and confused because of conspiracy. What is a conspiracy? Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition, states, “a planning and acting together secretly, esp. for an unlawful or harmful purpose such as murder or treason.” Conspiracies have existed throughout history. With the wide use of the interne...
This is a devotional that my father submitted to the newspaper when he was pastor at Alva Wesleyan Church. It was from Sept. 18, 1998. What he has to say is similar to what we are going through now. He titled it “America on Trial!” What follows is what my father wrote: “It would be almost impossible to be alive today and not hear some bit of detail about the crisis the president is having. Amid all the accusations and denial I have to ask myself, “What is really going on in our country?” What the president is accused of is reprehens...
Please read Deuteronomy 6. Thank you. There is much in this chapter to consider. This chapter follows one of the sections of Scripture that list the Ten Commandments. These laws have been debated over, taken down and essentially forgotten. Some have even said that the Commandments and the Old Testament are not relevant today. They are wrong and we are seeing the proof of that in society and all over the world. In Deuteronomy 6, Israel is told to be careful to follow these commandments. They are to teach them to their children. This is to be a...
We have just finished celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. We had services all week leading up to Easter. It was a great time for the community of churches to get together and worship. It was exciting for Cedar Grove and I to be a part of this. This is also a good time to remember who is lord of your life. Philippians 2:9-11 reminds us, “For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and e...
I have the privilege to write this devotional on the week before Veteran’s Day. As I have become older I have come to appreciate and understand the sacrifice that many in my family have made. The ones that I know about all made it back from wars. It is amazing to see how God protected each one and how they are using their lives to honor God. My wife has uncles who served and one uncle who is still serving. Each one of them can share how God protected them and kept them safe when they were serving overseas away from their family. My father s...
This last Sunday, Sept. 23, my family and I attended my mother and father’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration at their church in Enid. As I watched them together and as I think about it now, I realize what an example they were to my brother and I. You do not see or hear about marriages going 50, 60 or even 70 years anymore. I realize that this is because people do not share the love toward each other that is necessary. The Apostle Paul states in I Corinthians 7:3, “Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her and likewise als...
