1. Notable Sayings From The Scriptures
Sometimes people will send me questions about Bible verses. Several times I was asked about the Bible verse, "Birds of a feather, flock together." This is actually not found in the Bible. We can find a verse similar in meaning in Proverbs 13:20, "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." There are other sayings that are not found in the Bible. "God helps those who help themselves." "This too, shall pass." And one of my favorites is, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." You won't find any of these in the King James Bible. But, there are many notable sayings that can be found in the scriptures. A few weeks ago Brother Mike Shoe opened up our Sunday School time with old sayings that come from the Bible. I thought it was interesting and want to share a few of these with you. Join us as we look at some "Faithful And True Sayings". "And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." (Revelation 22:6-7)
2. Rise And Shine
When I was young sometimes my Dad would wake me up saying, "Rise and shine!" What a wonderful way to start the day! And what a perfect way to begin our new devotional theme, "Faithful And True Sayings." The scripture that inspires this saying is Isaiah 60:1, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee." Today is the Lord's day, but like many across the nation, our church doors are closed to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. But, we can still let our light shine! It is my constant prayer that these devotionals will be used for the glory of God. Look at the next verse, "For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee." The darkness does seem to cover the earth, but the Lord is still on His throne, and we can still let His Light shine through us. Find a way to let God's Light shine through you in these dark hours.
3. Signs Of The Times
When I was growing up and I heard the old folks say, "It's a sign of the times", I knew they were discussing something bad. I never heard anyone use that saying to describe something good. This phrase has been around for more than 2,000 years. Jesus said it to the Pharisees and Sadducees.
"1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?" (Matthew 16:1-3)
The Bible gives us more Signs Of The Times in describing the last days. Jesus also said, "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." (Matthew 24:7) With the coronavirus pandemic, the recent earthquakes, and the swarms of locusts in East Africa, many Christians believe that these are signs that we are in the last days. Paul's description of the actions of mankind also seems to place us in the last days. We need to pray. Call on God to help us through these difficult times, and keep trusting in Him. He is still God, and He is still on His throne!
"1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (II Timothy 3:1-5)
4. Nothing New Under The Sun
As we look around at all the confusion in the world today, it can make us stressed and depressed. We will do better to look in God's Word. He can give us peace and comfort. Our verse today is Ecclesiastes 1:9. "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun." The problems that we are facing may seem like some new thing, but the world has been through storms like this before. We read of many plagues in the Bible. When I was in school, we studied the Black Death. During the 1300's 50 million people died from this bubonic plague. King Solomon, in all his wisdom, said, "There is no new thing under the sun." Troubles and trials don't take God by surprise. He knows all about it. Pray. Do what you can to keep from getting this virus. Wash your hands. Try to keep your distance from others, especially if you are sick. And I want to repeat, pray. Pray for our leaders. Pray for the sick. Pray for those who are working to get us through this time of trouble. And put your trust in God, because there is nothing new to Him!
5. To Everything There Is A Season
We are in the book of Ecclesiastes again today. "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Spring is here! And with spring, comes Easter! We have reason to celebrate! Jesus died on a cruel cross, but He rose again on Easter Sunday. There were three consecutive years when my children were small that we were not able to go to church on Easter. One year it was chicken pox, another it was pink eye, and another childhood disease the third year. But, as a family we still celebrated the birth of our risen Lord and Savior. And if we are not able to attend church on April 12th, it will still be Easter! "To everything there is a season." Right now we are in a season of troubles and trials, and we don't know what the immediate future will hold. But, remember that we are also going into the Easter season, and our Lord is still on His throne!
6. We Reap What We Sow
I was talking on the phone with Elsa and she asked me what I was going to plant in my garden. I told her I had seeds to plant okra, which is Paw Paw's favorite, squash, beans, beets, and cucumbers. And she said, "I don't like any of those" and laughed. So, I told her that I would plant some watermelons and cantaloupes for her. And I would let her make some baby pickles out of the cucumbers like we did before. This is the same little girl that told me last summer, "Don't get mad at the bunnies for eating your garden, cause they get hungry, too." Beets need to be planted early, but with the wet spring we couldn't get them in the ground until last weekend. I looked for my pack of seeds and it was marked, "turnips". I opened the pack and they didn't look like I thought beet seeds looked, so we took them back to the store and asked. I was assured that they were beets, and not turnip seeds. Putting the wrong label on a pack of seeds does not change what kind of seeds they are. Some people today want to put a label on sin, and call it by other, less offensive names. But if God's Word says it is sin, then it is sin, and we will reap what we sow.
"7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:7-9)
7. My Brother's Keeper
The Lord put it in my mind and heart to make a few phone calls. We are not able to visit with friends and family, but we need to pray for one another and keep a watch for each other. During these stressful times people are hurting. Even those who are not sick, are worried about getting sick, or paying their bills, or being hungry, or just feeling alone. We are looking way, way back in our scripture today. "And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) This was the attitude of someone who had harmed his brother. In these gloomy days we need to be our "brother's keeper". Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34) If God puts certain ones on your mind or heart, you might not be able to go see them, but call and check on them. The New Testament tells us to "comfort one another" and "edity one another" (I Thessalonians 4:18 and 5:11) Also in Hebrews 3:13, we read, "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day;..." It makes me smile to read posts about how people are helping truckers at restuarants, and how they are praying for those in the medical fields who are needed more than ever. With all the bad in the world today, it is really nice to read of these "good works". "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:" (Hebrews 10:24) You may be closed in, but God can still use you, if you will show love to others in being your brother's keeper. When Jesus came to earth the shepherds were "in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night." (Luke 2:8) I believe that God wants us to keep watch over each other during this time of darkness, until He comes again, when there will be no more night.
8. A Little Bird Told Me
I went out to put water in the bird bath today and I heard the birds chirping around me. I talked to them, just like people who talk to their pets. It reminded me of a sermon Pastor Jack Tripp preached from Ecclesiastes 10:20 one time titled, "A Little Bird Told Me". He included several stories in the Bible about birds and what we can learn from them. I enjoyed the sermon and used it for a week of devotionals. "Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter." (Ecclesiastes 10:20) Communication has come so far since King Solomon wrote this so long ago. And so have the attitudes of how people express their thoughts. People don't mind walking with signs stating their dislike for how things are done. I hear people out in public not only cursing strangers, but also their family members. I think it is even worse on social media. I find myself blocking posts from friends who are sharing things that I would never dream would come out of their mouths. Be careful what you share on facebook. Read the posts and make sure the words are pure and clean. Looking at this another way, we should not be like the little bird, and carry words that are spoken to us in private, as gossip to others. In his letter to Timothy, Paul tried to stop this behavior. "And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not." (I Timothy 5:13) I remember singing a little song when I was small that was in part, "Oh, be careful little mouth what you say... There's a Father up above, And He's looking down in love, Oh, be careful little mouth what you say."
9. The Handwriting On The Wall
As I was growing up I heard many of these sayings, but I don't hear them much anymore. I can imagine my older relatives that have passed on saying, "We can see the handwriting on the wall." During these times, we can, indeed, see the handwriting on the wall. We can see the judgment coming, even as we look around us day by day. Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, had a great feast and he had the golden and silver vessels brought in that his father, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem. As they drank their wine from them and praised their false gods, there appeared fingers of a man's hand and it wrote on the wall. "In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another." (Daniel 5:5-6) The king's wise men could not interpret the writing, but the queen told him to call for Daniel, and he would tell him the meaning.
"And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.
This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.
TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.
PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians." (Daniel 5:25-28)
That night King Belshazzar was killed and Darius the Median took over the kingdom. I believe that we need to look for the handwriting on the wall. God has weighed us in the balances, and He is judging the nations. I don't know when Jesus will come again and call His children home, but it could be very soon. If you never had a change in your life by asking Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, I pray that you will call on Him before it is too late. God's Word tells us that we are all sinners. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23) But God gives us hope. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) You can be saved now, by trusting in Jesus. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10)
10. A Broken Heart
I have been reading in the books of Chronicles and noticed that some of the kings were commended as having "a perfect heart." We read of King David, "the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart." (I Samuel 13:14) But, today I want to look at "A Broken Heart". My sister told me Sunday morning of a friend whose husband had a heart attack, and she had to leave him at the hospital alone, and her heart was broken. For those who are suffering with the coronavirus, our hearts are broken. Due to the wickedness and evil in this world, our hearts are broken. Job was so distressed he said, "My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart." (Job 17:11) It sounds like he was giving up on life. We know in reading the story of Job, that he recovered of all his sickness and God gave him twice what he had lost. If you are suffering from a broken heart, I want to encourage you today. Don't give up hope. We have the promise that the Lord is always near. "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." (Psalm 34:18) We also read in Psalm 147:3, "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." If your heart is broken, try to look to the Lord. He can help you through these bitter times. Having a broken heart can bring your body down, but a merry heart can help you heal. "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 15:13 and 17:22) What can we do when we have a broken heart? "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." (Psalm 27:14)
11. A House Divided Shall Not Stand
As I read through the historical books of The Old Testament I see the devastation that took place between Israel and Judah after the nation was divided. Because King Solomon served other gods, God told him that He would take the kingdom and divide it. When Rehoboam, Solomon's son became king, he took a heavy hand against the people and the kingdom was divided as Rehoboam had two tribes (Judah) and Jeroboam ruled the other ten tribes (Israel). I read of one example this morning of how bad the situation was, when Pekah was king over Israel, and he had war against Judah. "For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day, which were all valiant men; because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers." (II Chronicles 28:6) A prophet of the Lord said, "ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven." (II Chronicles 28:9) Some may know that Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand", in 1858, two years before the civil war began, and before he became the President of the United States. Although this quote is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, he was actually quoting Jesus. "And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand." (Mark 3:24-25) It seems as though America is divided today as much as it was during the civil war. Talk of the coming election has taken a step back, with the trouble that has come about with the coronavirus. But, we still need to pray that God will help our nation, and we must do our part in voting for those who want to lead our country in the right path. Pray that people will come to the Lord and be saved, because that will help heal the division. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (II Corinthians 6:14)
12. Man Doth Not Live By Bread Alone
Michael went to the grocery store during the early morning hour Monday and replenished our supply. I am not going out, since I had such a bad case of pneumonia in December I don't want to take a chance with the coronavirus. I am thankful that he was able to get what we needed and I wiped down every package before putting it away. I enjoy cooking, so as long as we can get food in the house, we don't have to live on sandwiches. Our verses today come from The Old Testament and The New Testament. "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live." (Deuteronomy 8:3) "And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." (Luke 4:4) Just as we need bread to feed our bodies, we need God's Word to feed us spiritually. When churches started posting sermons online I thought it was good that maybe some people will listen to them that don't usually go to church. Many are seeking for answers, and God can fill that hunger and thirst for truth. They can be fed the Bread of Life in their homes. "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6;35) I am praying that lost souls will hear the Word and believe on Jesus to save them. I also want to encourage you to feed on the Word of God. You may have felt like you didn't have time to read your Bible before, but now is a great opportunity to spend time with the Lord in His Word. I try to spend time in my personal Bible study in the morning, and sometimes again in the evening. God can give you peace in these troubled times, and comfort from His Holy Word.
13. Be Still And Know That I Am God
When I was little and my Mom or Dad told me to "Be still" when we were in church, I knew that I had better be still. One of my favorite verses is Psalms 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God." Last night, in the quietness of the night, when all was still, this verse came to my mind. I really shouldn't look at the coronavirus news before bedtime because my mind races and the stress robs me of my sleep. I wanted to tell my mind to just be still. I thought about this verse and I realized how now, much of the world is still. Sports and entertainment are still. Public attractions are still. Malls and busy restuarants are still. I believe that God is telling us to "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth." When King Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple he said, "That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else." (I Kings 8:60) My prayer today is that while we are still, God will be exalted and "all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else." I believe this is a great opportunity for Christians to share the gospel message through the internet, or on the phone. There is a world of people out in the darkness and they don't have the stillness in their heart that we have through Jesus. I want to close with the words of Jesus when the disciples were out on a boat during a great storm. "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." (Mark 4:39) Jesus can calm this storm we are in. He also can calm us and give us peace and stillness in the midst of the storm.
14. The Lord Is My Shepherd
Years ago when I was sitting in a waiting room, waiting for surgery, the time seemed to go so slowly. As we are waiting out our time for this virus to be over, again it seems to be so long and far into the future. As I sat in that small room back then, I quoted the 23rd Psalm over and over in my head. It gave me peace. I mentioned before about taking some time to read the Bible. It is great to spend time going through all the scriptures, but sometimes it is good to remember those familiar scriptures that have been there, stored in our minds, all these years. You probably heard stories of David, how he was a shepherd who killed a lion and a bear, killed the giant, ran from King Saul and hid out for years in the wilderness. After the death of King Saul and David began to reign, he was only 30 years old. All of those trials and storms happened to him while he was so young, but he made it through. And he was able to find peace in his Good Shepherd. God won't leave us during these rough times. He is always with us. Keep trusting the Lord. Find comfort in His Word.
Psalm 23
"1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
15. Going The Extra Mile
Today I want to encourage all those who are "Going the Extra Mile". We get the phrase from what Jesus said in Matthew 5:41, "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." I am spending these days at home to keep safe, and comply with the regulations. There are many who are working in the midst of the storm, like the doctors and nurses, and all the other staff of our hospitals and first responders. Teachers and parents are going the extra mile to keep the children learning these last few weeks of the school year. Truck drivers are going beyond the extra mile to keep supplies in our grocery stores and elsewhere. Manufacturers are setting aside their usual products to make medical supplies needed by the crowded hospitals. Grocery store workers are working extra hours to clean and restock empty shelves. Pastors and preachers are preaching to empty congregations to be able to post messages online for the safety of their members. Small business owners, are closing down for the safety of their patrons. There are so many more in our towns who are going the extra mile for the sake of their community. I commend you today. Your humanitarian efforts do not go unnoticed. Thank you for your help and sacrifice to help us get through these hard times!
Faithful And True Sayings
