No Exceptions

"And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him." - Exodus 4:24



In Exodus chapter 4 we find Moses is preparing to return to Egypt to lead God's people from that land into the land that the Lord had promised to Abraham.  Then when you come to verse 24, you find that God met Moses prior to his departure and sought to kill him.  Now that might seem a little strange when you first read over it, but there was serious issue that Moses had ignored.  Moses had not yet obeyed all of the commands of God.  He had failed to have his son circumcised as required by the Lord.  If Moses had not responded quickly in obedience, he surely would have been put to death.

Just like Moses, we too must learn that God makes no exceptions for holiness and righteousness.  If you and I desire to be used mightily in God's work we cannot blatantly ignore God's commands or His standards that He has set.  The Lord had to make some changes in the life of Moses before he was ready to lead God's people out of Egypt.  We are no different.  The Lord will have to make some serious and significant changes in our lives if we are to be used By Him in His work.  Jesus Christ wants you and I to walk in His holiness and His righteousness so that we might be vessels that He can use.

We must remember that Jesus Christ makes no exceptions when it comes to His standards of holiness, righteousness, and obedience.  So many people today are trying to serve Christ even though they have ignored one or more of His commandments.  Are you trying to serve the Lord and yet you have ignored something that He has told you to do?

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me to examine my heart and my life to see if there is any area that I have been disobedient to You.  Please forgive and cleanse me from my disobedience.  Lord, help me to absolutely and completely surrender my heart and life to You in obedience that I might be a vessel fit for Your service.  In Jesus name, Amen!

A New Opportunity

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life." - Romans 6:4



How did you do in your walk with Christ yesterday, the day before, or even last week?  Were you faithful and obedient to Him or did you fail big time?  If we are honest, we have to admit that there are days when we fail Christ so miserably.  However, we must not let our past failures keep us from being faithful and obedient to Christ today!

Today offers you a fresh opportunity to serve Christ.  It also offers you a fresh opportunity to allow Christ to have the rule and reign of your heart.  Each day you and I must surrender our hearts afresh and anew to Christ as we crucify our flesh.  We must daily take up our cross and follow Him in obedience.

Will you allow Jesus Christ to rule and reign in your heart today?  Will you crucify your flesh and surrender in obedience to Him today?  Will you take up your cross and follow Christ today?

Maybe you have failed Christ miserably yesterday or even today; don't dwell on it, don't fret about it.  Look at today or even tomorrow as a fresh and new opportunity to surrender to Christ and to let Him rule and reign in your heart!

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me not to dwell on past failures in my walk with You. Help me to focus on today, that I might surrender to You in obedience afresh and anew.  Help me to this day to take up my cross and to follow You.  Thank You for new opportunities.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Godly Character

"In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." - Titus 2:7-8


Your character is what you are when no one else is watching.  Your character is also what you do when no one else is watching.  It is amazing how much different people can be when they think they are alone and no one is watching.  However, Christ is ALWAYS watching!

It would probably blow our minds if we knew some of the things that our fellow church members did in private.  We have professing Christians who watch pornography in their homes when they are alone, thinking no one knows.  We have professing Christians committing adultery, thinking that it is okay as long as no one finds out.  Literally, we have so many people in our churches today leading double lives.

What is God trying to say to us in these verses?  He is saying that He wants us to have a Godly character so that people will not be able to so anything evil against us, and if they try to that they will be ashamed because they won't have a leg to stand on.  If you and I have a Godly character, it will be difficult for us to be condemned by those that would wish to speak evil of us.

If you sincerely desire to have a Godly character and to walk with God, you must, the best of your ability, be obedient to His Word and His will.  Now let me say, there are going to times when you are going to fail miserably because of our flesh and sin nature.  As Paul said in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  The only way you are going to have Godly character is to allow Christ to do it.  The only way you can live the Christian life is to allow Christ to live it through you.

"If God can fashion the mountains, if God can keep the sun its orbit, if God can split a sea and dry the ground beneath it so an entire nation can cross, do you doubt that He can transform your character?" - Bill Hybels

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me to be a person of integrity, let my words and deeds be a testimony to You.  Help me to have a Godly character today, and always.  In Jesus name, Amen!

Rejoice And Be Glad!

"This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24


Do you realize that today is a cause for celebration?  Why?  Is today a holiday or something?  No, today is a cause for celebration because the Lord has made and given us this day!  Our response should be to rejoice and be glad.

As you and I wake up each morning, we must realize that God has made and given us a day full of possibilities. We are to use this day for His purposes and for His glory.  Each day is a brand new day to start over and serve the Lord with rejoicing and gladness.  However, we must beware, today is a non-renewable resource; once it's gone, it's gone forever.  It is your responsibility and mine to use this day in service to our Lord by being obedient to Him and His Word.

Today is a gift from God and we must not waste it.  Rejoice and be glad in this day that the Lord has given you.  Use it joyfully and encourage those around you to do the same.

Here is the challenge for today: treasure the time that Jesus Christ has given to you by giving Him the glory, praise, and obedience that He is worthy of.

Prayer For Today:

Heavenly Father, help me today to rejoice and be glad in this day that You have given me.  May I not waste this day You have given me to serve and glorify You.  Help me to share the love and joy of Christ with my family, friends, neighbors, and those You put in my path today.  In Jesus name, Amen!

The Sin Of One Person

"Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against the morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you." - Joshua 7:13


Have we ever taken the time to think about the impact our sin can have on other people?  Most of us think that our sin will not affect anyone but ourselves.  However, the Bible makes it clear that the sin of just one person can paralyze an entire nation.  That is a very sobering thought!

In Joshua chapter 7 we read of a man named Achan, who took of the spoils from the Jericho, even though God had forbidden the children of Israel to do so.  I am sure that Achan did not believe that anyone would get hurt as a result of his actions.  However, the sin of Achan cost him and his family their lives.  It also caused Israel to lose a battle they should have easily won and innocent soldiers were killed as a result of his sin.  Israel was denied the victory, power, and the blessing of the Lord!

We must realize that our sin DOES have an impact on others!  Choosing to disobey Christ might cost us His blessing upon our family, or the power of God may be absent from our church because we are disobedient.  It is possible that those around us will have to suffer because of our sin and iniquity.  The Bible says that the obedience of one Christian can bring blessing to others, but it also makes it clear that the unconfessed sin of one Christian will have an impact on those around him.  Remember, one person does make a difference!