Opening the Word

Christ’s Death Foretold
Christ’s Death Foretold

Christ’s Death Foretold

Read Isaiah 53:1-6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; And the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (v.6).
Isaiah portrays for us one of the most graphic, and yet most beautiful, scenes in holy writ. Where would we be had Christ not suffered humiliation and death for our sins? He became the spotless and perfect Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).
When Christ was here on earth, He also likened the multitudes to scattered sheep having no shepherd. Revealing His compassion through His sacrificial death, He became our Good Shepherd – thus providing meaning and direction to our lives.
Because sheep naturally tend to stray, they become lost and defenseless. This makes them vulnerable prey. Just so, humanity is without Christ. God, the Father, willed that His Son become our substitute – to be sin for us, who knew no sin (II Cor. 5:21). Certainly, we can join with John the Beloved, BEHOLD, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us… (I Jn 3:1a). (Shirley Gordon)

Man of sorrows, what a name
For the Son of God, who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Saviour! - Philip P. Bliss

How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

This devotional is the Monday, March 7, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-03-08T09:00:00+00:00March 8th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: cross, death|0 Comments

Forgiveness for All Sin
Forgiveness for All Sin

Forgiveness for All Sin

Read Isaiah 43:22-28
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins” (v. 25).
My desk in grade school had an ink well that held a bottle of black ink. I learned to write with a quill pen. After dipping the tip of it in the ink, I then had to move it lightly across the paper to form neat letters. Lingering or pressing too hard caused the ink to flow and spread, blotting out any letters it contacted. The blot could not be removed, and anything covered by it could not be read. That blotting out was far more thorough and permanent than attempting to erase, for it covered and totally concealed what had been there.
The sins and iniquities of Israel were a record against them, as are ours! Neither they nor we can blot out or conceal our own record, as much as we might wish to do so. We don’t have the power to undo what we have done! However, the LORD says He can, and He will blot out our transgressions, and by choice not remember our sins! The blot on our record indicates past transgressions that no longer bear record against us because He blotted them out! (Rodney Stearns)
They are covered by the Blood; they are covered by the Blood.
My sins are all covered by the Blood.
Mine iniquities so vast have been blotted out at last.
My sins are all covered by the Blood.
— Nellie Edwards
While God never discounts our transgressions, He is willing to blot them out.
This devotional is the Monday, February 29, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-03-01T08:00:00+00:00March 1st, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Forgiveness, sin|0 Comments

Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom
Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom

Blessings of Christ’s Kingdom

Read Isaiah 35:1-10
“No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there” (v. 9).
While John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, he may have had this passage in mind. As Christian approached the Palace Beautiful, he spotted a lion on either side of the narrowing path. Believing death was at hand, he considered retreating. But Watchful, the porter of the palace, called, “Fear not the lions, for they are chained and are placed there for trial of faith. . . . Keep in the midst of the path, and no hurt shall come unto thee.”
Citizens of God’s spiritual kingdom often encounter lions. Satan himself is described as a roaring lion. Daniel confronted literal lions in the den, but God tamed them. Many early Christians faced raging beasts and were torn into pieces by them. Their martyr spirits were, however, safely transported to the presence of God.
Whatever lions lurk near your pathway today, remember, the God of Daniel still lives. He will bring His children safely home — as long as they tread the midst of the path, the highway of holiness. (Joyce Cooper)
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
The prince of darkness grim — We tremble not for him.
His rage we can endure, For, lo, his doom is sure.
— Martin Luther
What a blessing to know the lions are chained and can come no closer to you than our Lord allows!
This devotional is the Tuesday, February 23, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-02-26T09:00:00+00:00February 26th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: Blessings, trouble|0 Comments

Facing Reality
Facing Reality

Facing Reality

Read John 11:11-15
“Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. (v. 14)
Recently, this fifty-two-year-old played football with teens. Early into the game, I caught a pass and ran toward the goal. A teen cut me off, so I tried what would have worked years ago, which is stopping abruptly, cutting to the side and running around everyone. The stopping abruptly part worked, but cutting to the side and running around everyone failed miserably. My brain had been living in a fantasy world of how things used to be.
We drift between two worlds. The first is imaginary — how things “should” be. The second is reality. Some spend so much time in the first that they never realize their potential for the second. In verse 12, the disciples are living in a world of optimism, believing Lazarus is sleeping. In verse 14, Jesus brings them back to reality. Lazarus is dead. It was difficult for the disciples to accept this news, but it set the stage for a great miracle. (DWM)
This devotional is the Tuesday, February 16, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-02-17T09:00:00+00:00February 17th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: death, Sorrow|0 Comments

Faith Defined
Faith Defined

Faith Defined

Read Hebrews 11:1-10
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (v. 1).
In The Edge of Adventure, Keith Miller and Bruce Larson tell of a letter that was discovered in a baking powder can. The can was wired to the handle of an old water pump on the seldom-used trail across Nevada’s Amargosa Desert. The letter read, “This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out, and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock, I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You’ll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. [signed] Desert Pete. P.S. Don’t go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you’ll git all you can hold.”
Just as the thirsty traveler had to trust in something he could not see to receive water he desired, so the Hebrew writer tells us we must trust God for that which we desire. (Gayle Woods)
Faith in God is based on the substance of hope and the evidence of a yet to be realized reality.This devotional is the Monday, February 8, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-02-09T09:00:00+00:00February 9th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: faith, Trust|0 Comments

Christ, Master of Fear
Christ, Master of Fear

Christ, Master of Fear

Read Matthew 8:23-27
“But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (v. 27).

What does faith have to do with fear? When someone says to you, “Trust me,” what is your reaction? It totally depends on the person and their track record, right?
One day I was sitting in the grass pulling weeds from around my mom’s beautiful roses. My little nephew, Westley, toddled over, plopped himself in my lap, and said, “Sit on lap, see what happen!” At that time, I merely smiled at the sweet cuteness of his remark. But many times since that “child moment” has come back to me. I can crawl up into God’s lap and just watch as He teaches me to have faith and not fear.
The goal is to learn to back off and observe Him work in what, to our eyes, are impossible situations. As we do we can begin to surrender to His control, sit on His lap, relax in His embrace, and “see what happen!” I can have perfect confidence that His love for me will keep me from sinking beneath any scary wave this life may bring. And learning this lesson can help us to truly enjoy our many blessings. (Wanda Skeen)

Have you learned to lean on Jesus?

This devotional is the Saturday, February 6, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-02-02T08:00:50+00:00February 2nd, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: faith, fear|0 Comments

Delivering the Demoniac
Delivering the Demoniac

Delivering the Demoniac

Read Mark 1:23-26
“And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him” (v. 25).
You never know what or who you may see at church! I remember D. P. Denton telling of the time he stood up to preach at Mascot, Tennessee and saw the barrel of a shotgun poking through the double doors of the church. Although Denton was a brave man, he determined to keep moving while he preached. When he finished the gun was gone.
In our text, Jesus went to church only to be met by the devil! It seems strange that the demons would have permitted this man to go to church, knowing that Jesus was going to preach. Capernaum was not a large town, and Jesus’ arrival in town the night before seems to have been a clear signal that He would be preaching in the synagogue the next day. Still, the man and the demons that possessed him were there. But when they saw Jesus, they were terrified! Jesus, on the other hand, was quite calm. He knew the power that was in Him.
No one knows what a day will bring. We may come face to face with the devil — even at church. But we can know that the power of the resurrection works within us. And with that confidence we need not fear any obstacle. (Gordon Snider)

I shall not fear the battle if Thou art by side,
Nor wander from the pathway if Thou wilt be my guide. — John Ernest Bode

Oh God, whatever comes my way today, may I know you are with me!

This devotional is the Friday, January 29, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-01-28T08:00:49+00:00January 28th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: deliverance, Demon-possession|0 Comments

The Lord Gives Sight
The Lord Gives Sight

The Lord Gives Sight

Read John 9:1-7
“And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (v. 7).
“Some assembly is required; instructions included.” You can imagine with me a new swing set. There are no fewer than fifty bolts, fifty nuts, fifty lock washers, two-inch pipes, braces, chains, and many parts which seem quite strange, and there is a set of instructions. Imagine dumping the entire contents of the box on the back patio and tossing aside the instruction sheet. Unless one has already assembled a swing set or is mechanically inclined, the likelihood of a pleasant experience and a desired result is close to nil. Following instructions is an excellent idea.
The blind man obediently followed Jesus’ instructions. He went. He washed away the mud. He saw. That was a rather simplistic set of requirements, and the man obeyed and was healed. Did every blind man who applied mud and washed in the pool receive his sight? No. It was not the walking and washing that healed the man. Christ healed the man in response to obedient faith.
Let us remember that the path to spiritual sight begins and continues by submission to Christ. (Lonnie Witt)

Come to Christ. Obey. See clearly.

This devotional is the Wednesday, January 20, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-01-21T08:00:49+00:00January 21st, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: blindness, surrender|0 Comments

Provision in Famine
Provision in Famine

Provision in Famine

Read Genesis 41:53-42:7
“And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands“ (v. 57).

The greatest leader in the greatest country did not have the power to foresee or wisdom to respond to the challenges his dreams foretold. One greater than Pharaoh had foreseen the coming events and had the man of His choice in place.
Joseph had already endured an emotional famine. In prison, he had demonstrated the ability to interpret dreams accurately and give counsel based on the interpretation. He also possessed leadership and managerial skills developed in spite of his circumstances. Now God was going to use Joseph to guide Egypt and Joseph’s own family through the severe famine.
The dreams of Joseph’s youth were coming true! Others had mocked his dreams, yet those dreams had brought him to the place and time where God intended to use him. What if Joseph had become discouraged and quit believing in the dreams God had given him? What if Joseph had looked at the circumstances of his life and decided God did not care and was not able to fulfill the dreams He had given?
What famine or difficult circumstance have you experienced? Allow God to use that experience to bless someone in need today! (LAD)

Thro’ days of toil when heart doth fail . . .
When dangers fierce your path assail . . .
No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you.
— Civilla D. Martin

“God not only knows where He is taking you, but He also knows how to get you there!” (Roy Lessin).

This devotional is the Monday, January 11, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-01-12T08:00:21+00:00January 12th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: blessing, famine, provision, trouble|0 Comments

Devotional: Confession and Healing
Devotional: Confession and Healing

Devotional: Confession and Healing

Read James 5:15-20
“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (v. 16).
Throughout Scripture, men have turned to God in prayer when plagued with physical illness. The prayer for healing is both private and shared with the Church. But James suggests that sickness MAY be related to conduct — a discipline from God for disobedience. The translation “faults” is misleading as to seriousness, for the Greek word translated “fault” is the word for “sin” (see James 1:15). It will be necessary to confess to God (and man as it applies) the offending action. It is then that the prayer of faith imploring God’s will for healing may be presented.
Confession is not pleasant, but it is necessary. “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” (Prov. 28:13). Confession brings humility, and it is the humble man that finds help from God. The clear instruction of this passage is that sickness can be related to disobedience. Equally clear is that confession accompanied with prayer brings healing. Certainly confession brings healing to the soul. Practicing these divine directives can and will bring health and renewed usefulness to the kingdom of God. Perhaps the words of J. Edwin Orr would be appropriate for us to pray today. (William Snider)

Search me O God,
And know my heart today.
Try me, O Savior;
Know my thoughts, I pray
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

Turn to God for healing.

This devotional is the Sunday, January 10, 2016 entry of Opening the Word.

Herald & Banner Press2016-01-05T14:00:16+00:00January 5th, 2016|Categories: Opening the Word|Tags: confession, healing, sin|0 Comments