Day 5–Not One Word Failed!
Scripture reading for April 24: 1 Kings 8:56 “Blessed be the Lord Who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all He promised. Not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He spoke by Moses His servant.” 1 Corinthians 3:17-18 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”
Solomon spoke this Word of Truth to the congregation as they dedicated the temple that his father David had planned and provided for and he had been allowed to build. He reminded God’s people of His faithfulness to His Word. God’s Word would stand any test of time and is not dependent on our faithfulness but on God’s Holy character. He is a God of Truth. He is not a man that He should lie. (Numbers 23:19) Heaven and earth would pass away, but His Word would never perish. (Matthew 24:35)
In my nearly eighty years of my journey through earth’s wilderness, I have learned and continue to learn God’s Word is gold! What He has said, He will do. What He promises, He will deliver. This includes all blessings coming by faith as well as the curses brought on through disobedience and unbelief. God watches over His Word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)
Worship is our response to His goodness and promises and the fulfilment of them through His faithfulness. “Blessed be the Lord” was Solomon’s cry before God’s people. God’s presence had filled the temple with His Glory, causing the priest to not be able to even stand up outside the holy place. But now, we who believe in Jesus Christ, are being transformed by the Holy Spirit into greater degrees of glory into the image of Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your amazing Word and Your faithfulness to fulfill it. Help me to walk in rest and peace and freedom as I respond to those in need. Thank You for supplying all my needs according to Your riches in Glory in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Day 4–Provided with Life and Godliness
Scripture reading for April 23: 2 Peter 1:2-4 “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
When we think of God as a provider, we usually think of material things that we need or want. We are told in Scripture to pray and ask God for our daily bread. We are told we can ask Him for anything he has promised and He will provide. But Peter, writing to the church right before his death, asked that grace and peace be multiplied to the believers. This would be appropriated through a knowledge of our Lord Jesus, the Word of God made flesh. Grace and peace are provisions only God can give us.
Peter taught that the resurrected Jesus through His divine power had granted believers everything they needed for life and godliness. Jesus’ glory and perfection in holiness was imparted to believers through the promised Holy Spirit as a down payment. Believers could appropriate and partake of God’s divine nature through faith in His promises and allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell within. These promises are more precious than gold or precious jewels. They are promises of eternal life, healing, joy unspeakable and full glory at Christ’s second coming. These promises help us escape corruption and the punishment of eternal damnation coming through our fleshly appetites.
As first responders who believe in Jesus Christ, we should strive to know Him and the power of His resurrection. To do this, we should read and listen to God’s Word and claim by faith the precious promises. We can live in grace and peace and more effectively help those in various troubles. We can reflect Jesus Christ to the world.
Prayer: Thank You Father for providing everything that I need for life and godliness as I live in a corrupted world. Help me to keep Your precious promises in my mind and heart so I can partake of Your divine nature and live eternally in Your glory. Amen.
Day 3–God Will Provide
Scripture reading for April 22: Genesis 22:11-14 “But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”, as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
God often tests His people for genuine faith and love for Him that produces obedience. In this amazing story from the life of Abraham, the father of faith, we have God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaac. This was a difficult request but Abraham feared God and also trusted God’s promises to him that through Isaac and his offspring all nations would be blessed. Abraham obeyed God and set out for the place he was to make the sacrifice with Isaac carrying the wood and he the fire and knife. He prepared an altar and laid Isaac on it. As he raised the knife, God stopped him by calling his name. God told Abraham not to touch his son, for he had passed the test of trusting God. Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket and offered the ram instead pf his son. He named the site, “Jehovah Jireh”, which means ‘The Lord will provide.” It was near the place where two thousand years later Jesus Christ was offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
As responders, we are often called to help in difficult assignments where we don’t fully understand how we will make it through. Abraham’s life lesson for us is that obedience to God is always the best way forward. As we go, God will surely provide what we need when we have obeyed. I have experienced God’s amazing supply numerous times on my journey through life.
Prayer: Father, I am not sure that I could have obeyed Your request to sacrifice my son to you. Examine my heart today and lead me in paths of surrender and obedience to Your will. I am learning to trust the promise of the Name Abraham learned the hard way–“The Lord Will Provide!” Amen.
Day 2–Look at the Birds!
Scripture reading for April 21: Matthew 6:26-27, 31-33 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? . . . Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
As far as first responders go, volunteers don’t get paid or are paid very minimally. Those working in rural areas in law enforcement and as EMT’s are also receiving a smaller salary and finances are usually tight. Besides dealing with the stress of their jobs, finances can also cause worry and rob us of our energy and focus. This has been true throughout time and Jesus Himself spoke to those following Him about faith in God’s ability and promise to provide what is needed.
Jesus asked His followers to look at the birds flying around them. They should take note that these birds had no jobs or fields of their own or barns to store up food. Yet God cared for each one of them and food was supplied daily. Jesus noted that each person was far more valuable than a bird. Jesus warned them that worry or anxiety about these daily necessities would not help to lengthen their lives.
Instead of worry and seeking out of life’s necessities, Jesus offered them simple advice. They were to put effort and focus into seeking God and His kingdom. They should strive to lay hold of His righteousness through faith. If they would pursue God He would bless them with what He already knew they needed. He had earlier taught them to pray to their Father, asking humbly for their daily bread and for forgiveness of their trespasses. (Matthew 6:9-12) All of us can apply these simple instructions on a daily basis. Where we focus our minds and efforts will determine our peace and provision.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for focusing my efforts on meeting my needs and neglecting to seek You first and Your kingdom and righteousness. Thank you for the lesson of the birds. I rest in You. Amen.
Week 17–Day 1–Provision for Responders
Scripture reading for April 20: Philippians 4:18-20 “I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Paul was in jail facing an uncertain fate. He was not sure if he would live or die. But he maintained his faith in God and fulfilled his responsibility to the churches he had helped found who were now supporting him while in prison. Paul viewed their gifts as a blessing and stated that they were like a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice to God.
Part of God’s way of caring for His people is through others of faith who are willing to share from what God has blessed them. But God does not force anyone to do anything. He makes promises through His Word which are given to bring faith to act on them. In Paul’s message of thankfulness for the Philippian’s giving, He spoke a promise to them that God would supply all of their needs in return for their faithful and cheerful giving. The law of sowing and reaping is simple and true. If we sow or give cheerfully and abundantly, God will provide a time of reaping even more abundantly than what we sowed. (2 Corinthians 9:6)
So, we can conclude that one of God’s ways of meeting the needs of His children is through giving. Giving helps the one given to but it also blesses and sets in motion a harvest for the giver. When we are generous, we reflect our Father and His Son Who are continual givers of every good gift we receive. All we have in our hand is from Him. As we act in faith, we also bless God and bring Him joy and blessing. It is a win for everyone. Our God will supply all of our needs in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, I sometimes fear that I may come up short if I give resources that I am a steward over. Thank You for faith through Your promise to meet all of my needs in Christ Jesus. I say ‘amen’ and ‘thank You’ that all my needs have been met through the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Day 5–Humbled and Thankful!
Scripture reading for April 17: 2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for His inexpressible Gift!”
As we just passed the half-way point of this devotional, I want to personally share how thankful I am for God’s ‘inexpressible Gift’ in my own life. The big ‘Gift’ is His Son, Jesus Christ given to all mankind to show the heart of our Father to bring forgiveness of sins and restoration into His Forever Family. God patiently worked with me through a believing mother sharing God’s love and Jesus with me from my earliest remembrance. She read the Bible to me and told me the stories of Jesus through flannel board and songs. She took me to church and Sunday School where others shared the Good News. Their joy and encouragement drew me to a commitment to follow Jesus in my early teens when I responded to an altar call at youth group.
My loving Father God and the Savior also provided me with Mary, a wonderful wife of 58 years and five children and ten grandchildren and one great grandchild. I have also had the privilege of being given many wonderful friends and Christian brothers and sisters who have encouraged me in my journey and challenged me to follow Jesus day by day.
Another ‘inexpressible Gift’ is from God our Father–the indwelling Holy Spirit Whom I received as I believed on Jesus. The Holy Spirit has given me assurance that I was in God’s family and daily reveals God’s Word and will to me. He is ‘God with me’ on a daily basis. His presence brings transformation and power to live in the freedom of forgiveness and grace. He comforts me in my trials and strengthens me to be a witness of Jesus Christ in word, deed, and attitude. He corrects me with gentleness and directs me with a still small voice. He brings God’s Word to my remembrance and empowers me to share it as He opens doors.
Father God, Thank You for Your ‘Inexpressible Gift’ in Your Son Jesus Christ for revealing Your heart and giving His body and blood for my salvation from sins power and consequences. Thank You for the Holy Spirit living in me revealing Your glory and holiness. Thank You for my wife, family, and friends given as gifts to enrich my journey. I am so blessed and the best is yet to come! Amen.
Day 4–The Meal of Thanksgiving
Scripture reading for April 16: Matthew 26:26-29 “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat’ this is My body.” And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for man for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.””
Today’s Scripture gives an account of the ‘Last Supper’ Jesus had with His disciples before His crucifixion. The church has called the celebration of this meal the “Eucharist”, which is translated “Thanksgiving” because Jesus thanked God for the bread and the cup before He offered it to His disciples.
Jesus was demonstrating as a their Lord the heart of thanksgiving that He had for doing the will of His Father. He would give His own body to be beaten, mutilated, and nailed to a rough cross. He did this willingly and thankfully, knowing by faith that this alone would bring deliverance from death to those who would believe. He would shed His own blood as the final sacrifice for those sinners who would repent and trust in the New Covenant that He was soon to ratify. His blood was for the forgiveness of sins. He thanked God the Father for the Gift of the bread, representing His body, and the cup, representing His blood. He gave it to His disciples to take and eat.
His final statement was to tell His disciples that He would not drink this fruit of the vine until that day that He would drink it with them in the resurrection glory of Father’s kingdom. This provided vision for a prophetic pronouncement of Christ’s return in glory for His people. The promise is affirmed for believers each time we celebrate the ‘Eucharist’!
Prayer: Father, as a first responder, help me to thankfully offer my own body and if necessary, my life for doing Your will. Like Jesus, I willfully surrender to Your will and await the promise of Your return and the joy of eating this meal with You in Your glory. Amen.
Day 3–Cheerful Giving Produces Thanksgiving
Scripture reading for April 15: 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, 11-12 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” . . . .“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”
Some people struggle to give their money or time and talents to others in need. They are stingy and give reluctantly fearing lack themselves. They find it hard to serve others voluntarily and use their own energy or resources to bless those who cannot help them. This stinginess results in a diminished harvest back to them. God’s Word declares that if we sow (give) sparingly, we will reap sparingly.
But God, Himself, sets the example for us. He is a lavish giver to all. He sends His blessings of rain and grain to the just and the unjust. (Psalm 65:9-13) He instructs us that if we sow abundantly, we will reap abundantly. This can be giving money, but it is also our time, our energy, our talents and our love and care. When we give, God promised that all grace will abound in our lives and we will have plenty more to give in the harvest coming our way. God loves a cheerful and abundant giver.
But another harvest is also produced when we give cheerfully. The people we bless are thankful and thank God and us for our giving. God is blessed by the thanksgiving, and He in turn pours out more blessing on us. As responders, we can apply these truths every time we respond to a call for help. We give our time and talents voluntarily with joy and thanksgiving. As we sow abundantly, the thanksgiving will flow and blessings from our work as well. What a way to live in abundance!
Prayer: Father God, I want to sow abundantly of my time, talents, and resources to produce a harvest of thanksgiving to You. Thank You for the promise of abundant harvest to multiply thanksgiving. Amen.
Day 2–Pray–Don’t Worry
Scripture reading for April 14: Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Paul was writing to a supporting church from prison in Rome. He was awaiting a verdict that would determine whether he lived or was executed. He knew that the believers would be distressed because of his circumstances and that they also faced possible arrest and execution. He wrote to instruct them and to show them how to cope with daily stress and temptations to worry. His instructions are simple and helpful to all of us in the responder community.
Again we are encouraged to rejoice in the midst of difficulties and troubles. In fact, Paul states it twice for emphasis! He then tells them to let their reasonableness be known to all. When we are secure in Christ Jesus through faith and relationship, it is reasonable to rest in joy and confidence that God is in control. It is our choice to rejoice and to pray with thanksgiving recognizing that God is near to us and with us.
We are also instructed not to worry but to pray about all our fears and needs. When we pray, we should pray in faith that God will answer and even thank Him in advance for hearing and providing. When we cast our cares on the Lord we are to leave them there. In place of our cares and fears, God’s peace will come over us and guard our hearts and minds from worry and fear. We do our part by refocusing our thought life on what is good, lovely and perfect. We also set an example for other believers that helps everyone. (Philippians 4:8-9)
Prayer: Father, thank You for this simple instruction for Your children to live in peace and not fear or anxiety. Help me to practice this and be the example You desire for others and those You send me to help. Thank You for hearing and answering! I will meditate on Your goodness and grace. Amen.
Week 16–Day 1–“Thankful–Not Critical”
Scripture reading for April 13: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
When dealing with accidents, illness, addictions, and hurting people, it is sometimes hard to maintain a good attitude. One of the keys to staying positive in God’s Word is choosing to be thankful instead of critical. Paul was writing to those in the church and writing this letter to appeal to them to keep a godly attitude in the midst of persecution and mistreatment.
We notice that he appealed to the believers as ‘brothers’ and gently suggested the proper course of attitude and action that would maintain peace among them. The first issue in this passage was the respect of those in leadership. Their jobs are stressful, in that they must see a big picture and guide those under them, sometimes making corrections. Giving honor to them and respect instead of criticism helps everyone. Other areas he addressed were idleness and revenge. When we don’t do our jobs, everyone suffers and others have to do double duty. When we repay evil for evil, that never promotes unity and peace.
Instead of avoiding the wrong behavior, it’s best to be proactive. Doing good to all with continual rejoicing keeps a peaceful environment. Prayer for others instead of criticism is wonderful. And a thankful heart in all circumstances is the will of God for us who abide in Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Father God, I ask for forgiveness for being critical and negative instead of thankful and rejoicing. Fill me today with Your Spirit and produce good fruit and works in my soul. May my attitude and actions bless those I work with and those we serve. Amen.