Different As Night And Day
1. As Different As Night And Day
2. Day And Night
3. Light And Darkness
4. Seedtime And Harvest
5. Hot And Cold
6. Life And Death
7. Troubled, Yet Not Distressed
8. When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong
9. Went Away Full, Came Back Empty
10. From Saul To Paul
11. Hungry And Filled
12. Young And Old
13. Pride And Humility
14. A Time To Every Purpose
15. Joy And Sorrow
16. Many Or Few
17. Behind And Before
18. Choose God Or You Don’t Choose God
19. Light A Candle Or Put It Out
20. As Far As The East Is From The West
21. Making A Difference
22. Good Or Evil
1. As Different As Night And Day
As we went through the “Coming And Going” devotional thoughts, I started thinking of more words that were not necessarily opposites, but contrasting words. A mother may describe two of her children by saying, “They are as different as night and day.” She is saying that they are not alike. We might also hear someone describe how life has changed since finding a new job, or starting on a new medication, or being saved, by using the phrase, “Life is as different as day and night.” We see some of these examples in a verse we saw last week, Genesis 8:22, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
2. Day And Night
There’s no better place to start, than at the beginning. Not only do we find day and night in these verses, we also see heaven and earth, and darkness and light. We can only imagine the beauty of the earth before man sinned. Adam and Eve lived in the perfect place and walked and talked with God until they disobeyed what God had said. At that time the earth was cursed. I can only imagine the beauty of heaven and I know that my Lord is preparing me a place to live there forevermore.
“1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:1-5)
3. Light And Darkness
We read of the beginning of creation in Genesis, but John also tells us of the beginning.
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5)
John has more to say about light and darkness. When we are saved we walk in the light and no longer have to live in darkness. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46)
“5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:5-7)
God brings us out of darkness and into the light! “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” (Psalm 18:28)
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (II Corinthians 4:6) And in closing… "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)
4. Seedtime And Harvest
Let’s go back to our verse in Genesis 8:22. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Sometime in April I hope to be able to start planting my garden. It will be seedtime. I will have to wait weeks before I can harvest the vegetables. They need warmth, sunshine, rain, and time to grow and produce fruit. When I plant, the ground will look bare, and then little plants will begin to grow. By the time of harvest I hope that the ground will be green with lush vines and plants, and fresh vegetables. There are some truths of sowing and reaping. If I sow beans, I will reap beans. I plant what I want to reap. This brings up the first rule of sowing and reaping, we reap what we sow. This is important in life, too. “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12) “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Another rule of sowing and reaping is that we have to wait on the harvest. When we sow the Word of God, we may not see the harvest. And sometimes we see the results of seed that was sown by another. One more thing about sowing and reaping, is that the seed comes up and the harvest is multiplied. When I sow okra seeds, each seed can grow into a stalk that produces several pods of okra, each containing many more seeds. If we share God’s Word with someone and that person believes in Jesus and is saved, then that person can sow the Word and the harvest has multiplied. Keep sowing the seed and trusting the Lord for the harvest. “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38 )
“35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” (John 4:35-38)
5. Hot And Cold
Saturday it was 72 F. degrees and I enjoyed sitting outside for a little while. Saturday night it got down to 27 F. degrees. We went from heat, to cold, in one day. This brings us to another contrast in Genesis 8:22. “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” We know how it feels to be cold and how it feels to be hot. The chemo meds I took made me extremely sensitive to cold. I had to use plastic forks because the metal was too cold for me to hold. Michael had to heat everything I drank before I could drink it. That’s great for hot chocolate, but not so good for water. I stayed dehydrated because I could not drink enough hot liquids. In the letters to the churches God warns of people who are lukewarm. This is the last of the seven letters, and some Bible scholars agree that this is to the people of the last church age, and everything seems to point to the time we are living in now. Are we hot in our spiritual lives, or lukewarm? The old preachers during my early years called it, “being on fire for God.” I want to be busy and on fire for my Lord. In speaking of the last days Jesus said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:12) Let’s not let our love for the Lord wax cold.
“14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:14-22)
6. Life And Death
Moses knew when he was going to die, and we have his last words in the book of Deuteronomy. He reminded the Israelites of how God had been with them, and he told them to follow God. Near the end, Moses said, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
“10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul.
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;” (Deuteronomy 30:10-15)
We are not under the law. Jesus came to fulfill the law and pay for our sin. We can choose life by accepting His free gift of salvation. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) It is true that we are all going to die, but Jesus came to give His life a ransom for us so that we could live eternally in heaven. Accept that you are a lost sinner. Believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life. Confess your sin to Jesus and ask Him to save you. You have a choice… life or death. Choose life.
7. Troubled, Yet Not Distressed
When David was running from King Saul, men that were also trying to escape something joined him. “And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.” (I Samuel 22:2) I’ve often thought about David and his four hundred men; in distress, in debt, and discontented. And I used to wonder how it would be to be a leader of such people. Now, I think that this describes most of the people today. Are you in distress? Are you in debt? Are you discontented? I like the verses written by the Apostle Paul. He was imprisoned for teaching about Jesus, but he still kept his trust in the Lord. “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;” If you are struggling with any of these problems, keep your trust in Jesus. Hebrews 13:5 reminds us that the Lord Jesus is always with us, “… for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
“6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (II Corinthians 4:6-10)
8. When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong
During my last doctor visit, she told me to walk 10,000 steps a day. So, for three weeks I have been able to stick with it, and some days even more. Some mornings I wake up weak and don’t get much accomplished and other days it seems like the walking is making me stronger. I hope that it will help build up strength so that I can soon work in the garden. We are human, and we get weak. Sickness, doing too much at one time, working or playing, and even our age can make us feel tired and weak. Paul said, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (II Corinthians 12:10) How could he say, “When I am weak, then am I strong”? Paul found a source of strength in the Lord. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10) Many people of the Old Testament also found strength in the Lord. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” (Psalm 28:7) “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) When we are weak and realize our limitations, and we fully depend on God, then He gives us the strength we need. There are a few more verses to think about. “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” (Nahum 1:7) “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded.” (II Chronicles 15:7) “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” (Romans 15:1)
“28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:2-31)
9. Went Away Full, Came Back Empty
In the days of Judges, there was a famine in the land. Many families had sheep and goats and during a famine, with no rain, the fields of grass died and people sometimes traveled to different places to find somewhere their flocks could eat. Elimelech took his wife, Naomi, and their two sons to sojourn in the land of Moab. The sons, Mahlon and Chilion, married women of Moab, Ruth and Orpah. Elimelech and the two sons died, and Naomi felt that she had lost everything. “Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.” She told her daughters in law to go back to their homes, but Ruth stayed with Naomi.
“19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the LORD hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?” (Ruth 1:19-21)
This little family left Bethlehem, the “house of bread” and went to Moab, which is described as a washpot, in Psalm 60:8. Naomi said in sorrow, “I went out full, and the LORD hath brought me home again empty.” There may be some today who left the house of the Lord and maybe you feel like you lost everything. You can go back to the Lord. He is waiting for you to come back to the blessings of the Lord. Jesus told of a man who had two sons. The younger son asked for his inheritance and he went away and wasted all that he had. He decided to return to his father and be a servant. But, his father received him with great love. If you left your heavenly Father, He is waiting with great love, for you to come back to Him.
“20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” (Luke 15:20-24)
10. From Saul To Paul
My heart aches for the Christians who are being persecuted and killed for claiming the name of Jesus. I try to pray for them as often as I can, and I also try to pray for those who are creating all the havoc. Only God can change their hearts and minds and make a difference. It is hard to believe that someone that cruel could be saved, but we have a great example in the Bible. Saul is first mentioned consenting to the stoning of Stephen. Then we are told he went to every house putting men and women in prison. The same thing is being done in other countries today. We need to pray for these men and women, and even children being killed for their Christian beliefs. We also need to pray for those taking part in the brutal treatment, in hopes that they will hear God, as Saul did. The scriptures show us what a difference God made in the life of Saul, as he became the great Apostle Paul.
"55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:55-60)
"1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison." (Acts 8:1-3)
"1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:1-6)
God did show Saul what He wanted him to do. His name was changed to Paul and God sent him to the Gentiles so that they, (should I say, "we") too, could receive God's precious gift of salvation. I can't praise the Lord enough for opening up the way of salvation to the Gentiles and saving my soul!
11. Hungry And Filled
As I was praying about my devotions for today, the Lord reminded of His Words in Matthew 5. Preacher Jack Tripp used this passage in a great sermon, maybe a year or two ago. I don’t remember all of it, but I want to share the parts that I remember. Jesus gives a contrast of how we are, to how we can become.
“1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
When we see ourselves as poor, in need of salvation, we can be saved.
“4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
After we see our poor condition, it makes us mourn.
“5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.”
We come humbly to the throne of grace and ask Jesus to forgive us and save us.
“6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
We have a hunger for the things of God and look into His Word and are filled with the goodness of God.
“7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”
Only God can take away our sin because His Son, Jesus, died on the cross to take our punishment. Many people search for something to give them satisfaction in life, but only Jesus can fill the hunger and make this kind of difference.
12. Young And Old
We kept two of our grandsons yesterday and it was great to have them spending the day with us. But, I will tell you, “I am not as young as I used to be.” It has been a long time since I shot basketball and helped run down balls. It is not as easy to chase down wiffle balls as it used to be. Last week, some of our grands were here, and jumping, and for the first time I realized that I am no longer able to jump. Our bodies change as we get older. Our minds aren’t as sharp, and neither is our reaction time. It always makes me smile to read Joshua 13:1, “Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” The older I get, the more I realize that I can’t do it all. My health, my strength, and my stability just won’t let me. So, I have learned to pace myself. I pay attention to my body and when I need to quit, I quit. When I was younger and working in the garden I would tell myself, “Just finish this row.” I always felt like I had to do it right then. Joshua was old and there was still a lot to do. I am learning to let things go. When I was going through chemo I could barely walk from room to room and it didn’t matter if I didn’t get any work done. Some of that has stayed with me, and I don’t worry so much about what has to be done. There is something that we can do, young or old, and that’s praise our Lord. “Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.” (Psalm 148:12-13) And a message to the young from Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” Don’t waste your life waiting until you are old to serve the Lord. Read the Bible for real wisdom. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (II Timothy 3:15)
13. Pride And Humility
Back when I was working in an office, one of my coworkers gave me a plaque that may have been resin, because it was really heavy. The verse on the plaque was James 4:10, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” We had metal shelves attached to the wall over our heads in our cubicles. I put the plaque on the shelf over my desk. Opening the doors to the shelf jarred anything that was placed up there. One day our supervisor came out of his office and bragged on some work that I had done. Just as I was beginning to swell up with pride, the plaque fell off the shelf and hit me in the head before it landed on the floor. A corner broke off, which was a reminder to me each time I saw it. There are several verses in the Bible about pride and humility. “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” (James 4:6) “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) “A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.” (Proverbs 29:23) Notice what is mentioned first in the six things that the Lord hates. “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,”… (Proverbs 6:16-17) “A proud look” comes before lying and committing murder. I think pride is one of the main reasons people won’t be saved. They are too proud to bow before God and admit that they are lost in sin. We will all bow before God, but it will be too late for those who didn’t do it before they died. “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12) Please don’t wait until it is too late.
14. A Time To Every Purpose
There are parts of the Bible that read as poetry. The third chapter of Ecclesiastes is a great example. It was written by King Solomon, who asked God for wisdom, and God granted his request. We could spend two weeks on these 8 verses, but I’m leaving them just as they are written. Read these verses and think on the seasons of your life. There are good times and bad times, but it all works together for good, for them that love the Lord.
”1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
15. Joy And Sorrow
Some things really give me joy. Being with Michael and sharing our life together is a great joy. Spending time with our family, especially the grandchildren, brings me great joy. Going to church and being able to worship with our Christian family gives me joy. Thinking about Jesus saving me and all that He continues to do for me day after day gives me “joy unspeakable and full of glory:” (I Peter 1:8) It is good to rejoice in the Lord. “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) But, there are also times of tears and sorrow. We can have tears for the lost. “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6) It is good to share the burdens of others and weep with them. “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” (Romans 12:15) When the troubles of this life seem too heavy to bear, we can pray to the Lord and ask Him to restore our joy. “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psalm 51:12) Also, we know that sorrow often brings us to our knees. It was sorrow and tears over my sin that led me to the Lord and asked Him to save me. The Lord gave me great joy and lifted that heavy burden and fear.
“9 Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” (II Corinthians 7:9-11)
16. Many Or Few
We have come to another week. The days seem to come and go faster than they used to. I hope that you are able to go to church today. I like to see our church grow, not just in number, but also in fellowship and spiritual wisdom. But, do you know, just as God can use many, He can also use a few? Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) He also said, “So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20:16) Be faithful to the Lord, even though it seems like we are few at times. Jonathan, the son of King Saul realized that the Lord could use many or few. “And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.” (I Samuel 14:6) The story of Gideon is very interesting. God called Gideon to lead the army against the Midianites. “And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.” (Judges 7:12) Gideon’s army was few against the multitude, then God reduced his army to only 300 men. This is a wonderful story found in Judges chapter 7, of how Gideon’s army won the war with trumpets, pitchers and lanterns. Can you imagine the enemies of the Lord when trumpets sounded around them, and then they heard the crashing of the pitchers, and the fire of the lanterns suddenly rose up when the pitchers were broken? God can use many or few.
“16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.” (Judges 7:16-22)
17. Behind And Before
Today we are looking at Psalm 139. This is a wonderful Psalm where David praises the Lord for creating him. “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” (Psalm 139:14) The first few verses give us more contrasting words for today. David proclaims that God knows him when he’s sitting down, when he’s lying down, and when he’s getting up. In verse 5 David says, “Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.” This is a wonderful promise. God has been with us in the past, behind us, and He will be with us in the future, before us! God was with me through my hardest storms, through cancer and chemo, through Michael’s heart surgery. The Lord has been with me through my greatest triumphs. God is faithful and will be with us all the way!
“1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:1-5)
18. Choose God Or You Don’t Choose God
This is the biggest contrast you will ever know. This is the most important choice you will ever make. You can choose God, and accept His free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ His Son, or you don’t choose God and all that He has offered to you. There is no middle ground. When we were young, we played marbles, or jacks, and sometimes we would say, “Do over”, if our hand slipped. There are no do overs after death. You will surely bow to Christ at the judgment, but it will not save you then. I just finished reading I Kings and thought how sad this verse is. “And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.” (I Kings 18:21) The people did not take a stand one way or the other, but by not choosing God, then they were choosing Baal. Moses chose to follow God and became a great prophet and leader of the Children of Israel. “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.” (Hebrews 11:24-26) Joshua was an old man and he led the Israelites into the Promised Land after Moses died and he told the people to make a choice. “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) You may know John 3:16, but do you know John 3:18? “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” We have two very sad examples in the New Testament. Paul witnessed of Jesus to Felix and to King Agrippa. Both men had excuses, and we never read that they were saved. If you have not believed on Jesus and asked Him to forgive you of your sin, please do so today. We are not promised tomorrow. There are probably many who are in hell because they were waiting for a convenient time, even though they were almost persuaded to choose Jesus.
“And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.
23 And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him.
24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” (Acts 24:22)
“26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner.
27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” (Acts 26:26)
19. Light A Candle Or Put It Out
Have you ever been in a place so dark you could feel the darkness? In one of the plagues of Egypt God told Moses there would be “darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt… They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” (Exodus 10:21 & 23) In Job 18:5-6 we read, “Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.” And in Proverbs 24:20, “For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” David said, “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” (Psalm 18:28) What a contrast! I was often intrigued by these verses until I almost died after my last chemo session. We got home after a long day at the hospital and Michael had to roll me to the door on a computer chair. He helped me to a comfortable chair and I stopped breathing. My throat closed shut and I could not speak to tell him that I wasn’t breathing. I could feel the darkness rising up from my feet through my body. All of my light rose to the top of my head and there was the greatest brightness I had ever seen. I started falling forward and knew that my spirit and soul were leaving my body. Maybe the compression on my lungs opened up my airway, or maybe God knew it was not time for me to go, whatever the reason, I started breathing. Michael told me it took an hour for me to breathe normally again. I remembered these verses that say, “the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” My Lord lit my candle and it will move to heaven when I die. But, the wicked will feel the darkness when they die. Jesus said, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:11-12) Jesus is the Light of the world. If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, I pray that you will believe in Him and trust in Him to be your Light and your Savior. Ask Him to forgive you for your sin and He will save you. It will be terrible for those in outer darkness throughout eternity.
20. As Far As The East Is From The West
When I was taking geometry, those many years ago, I learned that a line segment is part of a line with endpoints. I also learned that a line extends indefinitely in both directions, in a straight path, and has no end. I also learned in school that the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west. Now, if I stand in my front yard and I extend one arm and point to the east, and I extend the other arm and point to the west, the two paths will never cross. The east goes indefinitely to the rising of the sun, and the west extends indefinitely toward the direction of the going down of the sun. Now, I just wanted us to think about that as we read our verse for today. Psalm 103:2 reminds us to, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” David continues in the Psalm to tell us some of the benefits of the Lord. Look at verses 11 and 12. “For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” When we confess our sin and believe on Jesus Christ to save us, He takes away our transgressions and removes them “as far as the east is from the west.” That means that there is no endpoint… they just go on and on away from us. Isn’t that wonderful! Jesus died to pay for our sin. “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) And we can be forgiven. “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34) The writer repeats this in Hebrews 8:12 and 10:17. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more… And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” So, when the devil tries to remind you of some sin in your past, remember that it’s under the blood and as far as the east is from the west!
21. Making A Difference
As we are nearing the close of our topic, “Different As Night And Day”, I looked up the word, “different” and found that this word is not used in the King James Bible. But, the word, “difference” is used 12 times. The last reference is found in the 22nd verse of the little book of Jude. “And of some have compassion, making a difference:” Can we make a difference in the life of someone? As I type these devotionals each day I often pray that God will speak to someone through the scriptures and that someone will be saved, or encouraged in the Lord. If I didn’t think it could make a difference, I would not continue to write them. We can smile and try to be kind to those we meet, hoping that it will make a difference in their day. And we have the assurance of God that our prayers make a difference. We can have compassion for others. So, keep smiling. Keep telling others about Jesus. Keep trusting in the Lord no matter how rough times may be in this world. And never stop praying! These things can make a difference!
“20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 20-25)
22. Good Or Evil
We are living in the last days, and we see prophesies and signs of the times fulfilled. Isaiah 5:20-21 is an example of how the world has changed in my few years. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” For the last three weeks we have seen thoughts in the scriptures that give us contrasting views. The biggest contrasts that we see are between those who are saved by God’s amazing grace, and those who are lost, without Christ. Here are a few more verses which exemplify the difference.
Wise And Foolish - “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” (Proverbs 12:15)
“A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” (Proverbs 14:16)
“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (I Corinthians 1:27)
Pit And A Rock - “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” (Psalm 40:2)
Wickedness And Righteousness - “The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.” (Proverbs 11:5)
“Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.” (Proverbs 10:2)
Wide And Narrow - “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)
Above And Beneath - “The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.” (Proverbs 15:24)
Outward And Inward - “And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD'S anointed is before him. But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:6-7)
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)
Rich Or Poor - “Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.” (Proverbs 28:6)
“For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (II Corinthians 8:9)
“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5)
