Opening the Word Archives - Page 17 of 36

Our Wise God

Read Isaiah 40:12-18
"Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor hath taught him?" (v. 13).
The idea of wisdom preoccupied the ancients, especially the Greeks, whose interest gave us the word philosophy, the “love of wisdom.” Socrates, reputed the wisest man, claimed he was wise because he realized he knew so little, advocating self-knowledge as wisdom’s starting point. Proverbs tells us Socrates was wrong: proper fear of the Lord, not self-knowledge, is the beginning of wisdom.
Wisdom is not something we create or find. James 1 teaches us that God gives wisdom to those who ask for it in faith. Wisdom comes from God because it is one of His attributes. As had the Book of Proverbs (chs. 3 and 8 especially) before him, Isaiah highlights the display of God’s wisdom in His creative work.
For the millennia from Adam’s naming of the animals in Eden onward, humans have sought to understand the mysteries and wonders of the natural world — a world God spoke into existence in six days. Outer space’s vastness boggles our minds, and a single cell’s DNA information density overwhelms us — and all of this is the product of the divine mind. Out of nothing, He brought this rich complexity. Our God is incomparable! (Aaron Profitt)

How most exact is Nature’s Frame!
How wise th’ Eternal Mind!
His Counsels never change the Scheme
That his first Thoughts design’d. - Isaac Watts

God’s creation shows His all-surpassing wisdom just as clearly as it shows His immense power.

This devotional is the Monday, January 15, 2018 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2018-01-19T14:11:43+00:00January 19th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Wisdom|0 Comments

The Deliverance of Paul and Silas

Read Acts 16:25-34
“And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed” (v. 26).
In the 1950s, Chinese Pastor Li was arrested and sentenced to hard labor in an iron mine. During that winter in Northeast China, the temperature dropped to minus twenty degrees. The work was backbreaking. The rations were meager. Three months after arriving at the camp Pastor Li died.
When Mrs. Li and the children heard the news, they lost hope. Mrs. Li could not get a job because she had to care for the small children. Finally, the oldest child, a twelve-year-old girl, went to the prison to ask the director for a job. She told him of her father’s innocence and the present situation her family faced. The director realized the truth and had a moment of compassion.
He took her to the area were 3,000 prisoners were mining below the surface. “Do you see this red button? A siren will sound if it is pushed. Never push it unless you are told to do so. This is your job.”
One afternoon she heard a voice. “Push the button!” She was confused. The command was repeated. Again she saw no one. A third time she heard the urgent voice, “Push the button NOW!”
She realized it must be the Lord, so she pushed the button. The siren sounded deep in the mine. Men poured out of the mine. The prison director came running from his office angrily demanding why she had pushed the button without his order. Just as the last of the 3,000 men emerged from the mine, a strong earthquake shook the ground. The mine collapsed.
When it was finally quiet, every eye turned toward the little girl. Climbing on a fruit box, she said, “The Lord Jesus told me three times to push the emergency button, and finally I did. Jesus loves you and saved your life today. Now, you need to repent of your sins and give your lives to him!”
Upon hearing this, the prison director and all three thousand men fell to their knees asking God to forgive them of their sins. (L Gayle Woods)

*God has many ways to deliver His people.*

This devotional is the Saturday, January 13, 2018 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2018-01-12T08:46:00+00:00January 12th, 2018|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: deliverance|Comments Off

The Inspiration of Hope

Monday, December 18
Read 1 John 3:1-6
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he [Christ] is pure” (v. 3).
It is easy to become discouraged when it can seem so long since Christ ascended leaving us with the promise that He would come again. Many times Christians are taunted by the world for believing in such an old promise. The fact is that we, much like Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-40), aren’t believing in an old promise but in an ever-present Promise Giver. This is the reason for the discipline and effort that the Christian must make to be made pure “even as he is pure.” We must live our lives every day with the awareness that His coming is imminent and we must be ready.
I had a close family member that suffered a major heart attack and needed a heart transplant. While waiting for that to happen, he would have some very rough days. He was unable to participate in some activities, eat some foods, and visit some places. His life style had to be altered to be a candidate for that procedure. He often commented that he could tolerate these trials because he would get a new heart someday and be able to get back to a full life.
We must be willing to change our lives now because of the hope of what is yet to come. (Tim Brubeck)
“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” (Edward Mote).

Herald & Banner Press2017-12-23T09:00:37+00:00December 23rd, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: hope|0 Comments

Rebekah Seeks to Serve

Read Genesis 24:16-21
“And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking” (v. 19).
Has “servant practice” led you to a position that you didn’t expect, one for which you did not work, anticipate, or feel qualified?
Rebekah is pure, attractive, strong, articulate, efficient, gracious, and generous. Without being asked, she serves. She goes out of her way. For a stranger. For no “known” profit, thought, or reason. Without any selfish motivations. When she is finished with the initial request she does more, and more, and more. That’s what true servants do.
There is a big difference between serving and seeking to serve. The former is attached to the duties and assignments of life; often they are tasks expected of me. The latter is something I seek. How often do I rake the leaves for an elderly neighbor or take time to listen to a heartache? When did I last go out of my way for a stranger who needed a ride? When did I last give my meal away to someone who needed it more than I?
What Rebekah did had nothing to do with her responsibilities involving her service commitments to her family and their livestock. She stepped beyond that to authentic servanthood.
In chapel services at Mountain State Bible School, we often sang about serving Him because we love Him, allowing Him to take our ruined lives, and use them for His glory. (SEM)

To one who has been given life, serving is a joy!

This devotional is the Tuesday, November 14, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-11-15T08:21:45+00:00November 15th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Serving|0 Comments

The Walk of Faith

Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-11
“For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh” (v. 11).
The inseparable law of the Christian life is — “No Cross, No Crown.” Today‘s Scripture highlights the paradoxes we can expect when we walk by faith. We are:

Sore pressed at every point, but not hemmed in;
At our wit’s end, but never our hope’s end;
Persecuted by men, but never abandoned by God;
Knocked down, but not knocked out.

This walk of faith, despite life’s adversities, makes us more than conquerors through Christ. We are strengthened with divine courage, knowing that if we share the life of Christ, we must also share His suffering.
The location chosen for the great Hoover Dam comprised a vast area of desert. In its construction, inevitably there were those who lost their lives. At the completion of the project, a tablet was placed in the wall of the dam which bore the names of the ninety-six workers who had perished, with this inscription below it: “These died that the desert might rejoice and blossom as a rose.“ Today, the reservoir created by the 726 feet tall structure supplies water to farms, businesses, and millions of people in Nevada, Arizona, California, and Mexico.
How could Paul go through what he did? He knew his afflictions were not in vain; they were to bring others to God. Walking by faith, whatever the risks or cost, enables us to do and endure all things for Christ’s sake. Trials do not disappear, but God gives overcoming grace.

“Faith makes things possible, not easy” (Unknown).

This devotional is the Wednesday, November 8, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-11-08T08:09:25+00:00November 8th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: faith|0 Comments

Abraham Entertains Angels

Read Genesis 18:1-8
“And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat” (v. 8).
As a child, I often heard the advice not to make mountains out of molehills. There is definitely a danger in making things bigger than they are. But there is also an opposite danger — failing to recognize the largeness of the moment. Failing to recognize that opportunity is knocking, and may not knock again.
The writer to the Hebrews seems to have had this event from the life of Abraham in mind when he wrote in 13:2, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Abraham seems to have recognized that his guests were not normal travelers, and this was no ordinary moment. He seized the moment.
Our God is gracious and forgiving. And that is great because we all fail to recognize special moments at times. So don’t despair if you can look back on times when you failed to rise to the occasion. But live ready for the moment! Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the people and events He is bringing into your life today! (Gordon Snider)

Are you ready for the opportunities God may bring your way today?

This devotional is the Monday, October 30, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-11-01T08:22:00+00:00November 1st, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Opportunity|0 Comments

Israel’s History Foretold

Read Genesis 15:8-16
“And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance” (v. 14).
With each move, from parsonage to parsonage, from one church and town to the next appointment, our possessions increased. I have a mental picture of that move from our first church to the second. All we owned fit in the back of a borrowed pick-up truck. We saw the baby dresser and rocker at the back of the truck as we followed in our car down Mississippi’s red-clay roads. My pastor/husband’s books could fit in one bookcase, assembled by his father, and now his study has floor to ceiling built-in shelves nearly full of books and resources.
God’s promise to Abram included “great substance” after 400 years of affliction in a strange land. God repeated that promise with specifics to Moses: “When ye go, ye shall not go empty” (Ex. 3:21). The Israelite men and women would “borrow” gold and silver jewelry from their Egyptian neighbors. Thus, Israel would “spoil the Egyptians” (Ex. 3:22). The gold and silver, along with fine linen, would be used to build the tabernacle. (Ann Coker)

The God of Abram praise, All praised be His name,
Who was, and is, and is to be, Always the same!
The one eternal God, Whose timelessness is clear;
The First, the Last: beyond all thought, Throughout the years!
— Daniel ben Judah

What God promises He fulfills in His good time.

This devotional is the Tuesday, October 24, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-10-25T08:55:29+00:00October 25th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Promise|0 Comments

The Key to Right Choices

Read Proverbs 3:5-10
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (vs. 5, 6).
I have been watching the construction of a section of interstate highway to the north of our hometown. We live in an area bounteous in limestone, so the earthmoving machinery has had to move tons of material to clear the way for the leveling of the ground.
The basic promise in our text for today is that God will "clear the way" for
you - if you trust Him, if you renounce your own wisdom, if you acknowledge Him in everything. But that’s a tough program unless you have come to a place of total surrender to Him.
When we allow God to cleanse the rebellion from our wills, then the most
natural thing is for us to trust Him for wisdom to make right choices. (Leonard Sankey)

Breathe on me, breath of God, Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will, to do and to endure. - Edwin Hatch

God has given to humans the awesome power of choice; it is our responsibility to use it wisely.

This devotional is the Sunday, October 22, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-10-21T08:58:00+00:00October 21st, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Choices|0 Comments

Living as a Foreigner

Read Genesis 12:9, 10; 14-20
"And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land" (v. 10).
When a severe famine struck the land of Canaan, Abram was forced to move his family to a foreign country, where they could survive. However, before long, Abram had gotten himself into a predicament with the Pharaoh, and soon Abram and company were sent packing out of Egypt, complete with an escort (v. 20).
It is not easy being a foreigner. It was my high privilege to dwell across the waters for a season of service in another country. I quickly discovered that in order to build relationships and establish a meaningful life as a foreigner, one must be willing to respect the culture, political system, cuisine, societal norms, language, and inhabitants of that land. Likewise, we should regard immigrants to our country with the respect with which we would wish to be treated, and dwell in harmony as much as is possible. After all, we, too, are really foreigners on this planet - passing through to our homeland, one that is fairer than day! (Faith Trussell)

O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land,
As on thy highest mount, I stand,
I look away across the sea,
Where mansions are prepared for me,
And view the shining glory shore,
My heaven, my home forever more!
- Edgar Page Stites

While we are living as foreigners, may all whose paths we cross see Jesus in us!
This devotional is the Monday, October 9, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2017-10-11T09:09:45+00:00October 11th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Foreigner|0 Comments

Pride Brings Peril

Read 2 Chronicles 26:14-16
“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense” (v. 16) 
Uzziah became king at the age of only sixteen and ruled for fifty-two years. He was a successful king, winning victories against Judah’s enemies and building a strong nation.
There is a sad irony in Uzziah’s story. The name Uzziah means “The Lord is my strength.” But when Uzziah “was strong,” pride filled his heart. He came to believe that he could manage on his own. One day, Uzziah entered the temple to perform duties that were reserved for the priests. Eighty priests went into the temple to argue with him, but Uzziah refused to listen. God judged him with leprosy.
Pride is a constant temptation in ministry. It is a sin that brings great peril to any church leader. When God blesses our ministry, Satan tempts us to pride and a belief that it is our talents and abilities that are bringing a response. If we are not careful to continue relying on God, our hearts will be lifted up in pride and we will try to do God’s work in our own strength. (Randall D. McElwain)

Cleanse me from every evil thought, From all the filth of self and pride. The hatred of the carnal mindOut of my flesh at once remove: Give me a tender heart, resigned,
And pure, and full of faith and love. — John Wesley

Pride will destroy our ministry. We must always remember that it is only God working through us that makes ministry effective. The

Herald & Banner Press2017-10-05T09:20:10+00:00October 5th, 2017|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Pride|0 Comments