Miserable Success 4/26-30

26-30 April 2016 - Miserable Success – Devotion by Dorothy Callies

Luke 9:23 NKJV, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

*In whatever a man does without God, he must fail miserably—or succeed more miserably,” wrote George MacDonald (1824-1905), A Scottish novelist, poet, and Christian minister. This intriguing (arouse the interest of) statement is often cited by modern speakers and writers and appears in MacDonald’s book, Unspoken Sermons.

           

*MacDonald was dealing with the difficult subject of a Christian’s denial and how we are to apply this teaching of Jesus: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:23-24).

           

Dorothy: This devotion really impress me so in order to understand this devotion that comes from Our Daily Bread written by *David McCasland, I will use NLT. “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow Me.  If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.”

The Holman Bible Dictionary defines the word, DENY: To deny oneself is a special case in which a person disassociates (let it go) oneself from self-interest to serve a higher cause.  Here is the idea of denial is paralleled by the picture of taking up Jesus’ cross and following Him (Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23).  

The word, disassociates mean not connect to; not relate to; not to join with other part that keeps you from being associates (connect) with Christ.  In another word, “let it go” something that keeps you from being like Him.

*Getting only what we want is succeeding miserably.  True success is found in “losing” our lives for Jesus’ sake and finding them again full and free in His will [David McCasland].  

Dorothy:  This is really a big subject and I could only give it a short devotion to the point where we understand enough to know what it is to take up his cross daily, and follow Jesus. The key is: Do you love Jesus? I do. I “take up my cross” by getting up so early in the morning to study His Word.  I am “losing” my sleep for Jesus’ sake and I am finding that studying His Word has enriched me greatly. His Word is actually His Presence.

Song: I have Decided to Follow Jesus

         By Norman Johnson

1. I have decided to follow Jesus—(3 times)

    No turning back, no turning back!

2. Tho’ no one join me, still I will follow—(3 times)

    No turning back, no turning back!

3. The world behind me, the cross before me,

    The world behind me, the cross before me,

    The world behind me, the cross before me—

    No turning back, no turning back! 

God is Able to Deliver 4/21-25

21-25 April 2016 – God is Able to Deliver - Manna by Dorothy Callies

I kept the copy of Eph. 6:10-18 in Type 16 behind the laptop to remind myself daily. As I read them each morning, somehow I wrote the notes to interpret the verses on the right side of blank area. I thought to share this because the notes inspires me when I sign the words from the notes. May the Lord bless you as you read them.  Dorothy

Ephesians 6:10-18 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  Note: Be strong … Be powerful … God is with you … Stand up …

12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Note: We fight against the darkness …

13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  

Note: Take God with you … Stand against evil … Take your stand …

14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.  Note: Stand up … Be honest … Do the right things …

15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Note: Prepare peace … Bring Gospel to others …  

16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  Note: Stay in faith … Faith stops the evil influences …

 17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Note: Watch your thinking … Take God’s word to pierce through darkness.

18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

Note: Pray in Spirit … Watch … Keep at it … Prayer needs for others …

Song: He Is Able to Deliver Thee

     By W. A. Ogden, Evangelistic Melodies

‘Tis the grandest theme, let the tidings roll,

          (ASL: good news spread)

To the guilty heart, to the sinful soul;

Look to God in faith, He will make thee whole,

“Our God is able to deliver thee.”

Chorus:

He is a -  -  - ble to deliver thee,

He is a -  -  - ble to deliver thee;

Tho’ by sin opprest, Go to Him for rest;

“Our God is able to deliver thee.”

Losing Strength 4/16-20

16-20 April 2016 - Losing Strength – News from Dorothy Callies

Dear friends, I am at the point of losing my strength because a few things has happened to us recently. I just want you to know so you would be praying for us.  I turn to devotion seeking God’s strength and to seek His face.  Dorothy

The Holy Spirit led me to read the book, Jesus Freaks, the stories of martyrs, who gave their lives for Jesus. I wrote down one note that inspires me. His name is Walter Milne. He is 82. It was in 1551. He lived in Scotland. Walter, once a parish priest, heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, invited him into his heart, it changed his life, and he came to love Christ deeply.

The Archbishop’s priest asked Walter to recant, to confess that he was wrong in his new belief in Christ. Walter refused to deny his faith in Christ. They tortured him to the point where he was losing his strength and Walter became so weak. He’s 82. Walter did not have the strength to walk up the stairs to the stake. So Archbishop’s priest helped him up. Walter was put to the stake. The Spirit of God worked a miracle in Walter, increase his boldness and gave him strength more and more until all who heard him prayed.

As the fire was lit, Walter cried, “Lord have mercy on me! Pray, people, while there is time!” The crowd was greatly stirred and moved by his words and prayers. Their hearts were so inflamed by his death that thousands joined him in his faith. So many declared themselves willing to die for their beliefs. [The Voice of Martyrs, Albury Publishing, Tulsa, Okla.]

1 Chron. 16:11-14 NCV, “Depend on the Lord and his strength; always go to him for help.  Remember the miracles he has done, his wonders, and his decisions. You are the descendants of his servant, Israel; you are the children of Jacob, his chosen people. He is the Lord our God. His laws are for all the world.”

      Song: Worship the King

      [Song collection out of memory]
Worship the King, praise Him and sing,
Jesus, the Lamb upon the Throne,
Glorious His name, Ever the same,
No one is God and King, but Jesus alone,
Bright morning star, Ancient of Days,
Worthy of glory, Worship and praise,
Worship the King…. [Repeat]

Standing on the Promises 4/11-15

11-15 April 2016 - Standing on the Promises – Manna by Dorothy Callies

What is a prophet? In the Old Testament, we know that a prophet speak to people for God, but there is a lot more to study on that subject, the prophet or even the false prophet. We know that Jesus Himself was the prophet and He spoke for God, His Father. He was the true prophet because He told of many things what would happen in the future [Matthew 24-25].

Jesus wants us to identify (recognize) the work of the false prophets or false teachers. Why? So we could be better prepared to protect ourselves from falling out from our relationship with Jesus Christ and His teachings. We want to study His Word of warnings and stay close to Jesus and His teachings.

I will begin with an introduction from 1 John 4:1-3 NCV: “My dear friends, many false prophets have gone out into the world. So do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God. v2. This is how you can know God’s Spirit:

“Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ came to earth as a human is from God. v3. And every spirit who refuses to say this about Jesus is not from God. It is the spirit of the enemy of Christ, which you have heard is coming, and now he is already in the world.”

Note: The reason for testing every spirit (a person moved or inspired by a spirit) is that “many false prophets or false teachers” will enter the church. So how do we really test the spirits?  John wants us to make sure that we know that Jesus came into the world. He was born in the flesh and He is the Son of God. There are people who will say, “Oh, Jesus came in the Spirit. He was never born in the flesh. He was just a Great Teacher.” John warned and said, “…this is that spirit of antichrist.”

The word, antichrist describes a particular individual or a group of people who oppose God and His purpose. The spirit of antichrists deny incarnation which means the union of divine and human natures in Jesus Christ (Holman Bible Dictionary).

Dorothy:  This devotion has made me appreciate the Word of God so much more.  Why? Because faith comes from reading, and reading by the word of God. Roman 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  Our faith grows when we study His Word and to stand on His promises.

Song: Standing on the Promises

      By Russell Kelso Carter, Sing His Praise

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

Chorus:

Stand – ing, stand – ing,

Standing on the promises of God my Savior;

Stand – ing, stand – ing,

I’m standing on the promises of God.

The Lord Upholds 4/6-10

06-10 April 2016 - The Lord Upholds - Manna by Dorothy Callies

Psalm 37:23, 24 KJV, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with His hand.”

Do you ever felt like you have fallen short of the glory of God? These verses are the word of encouragement that “though we fall down, but we would not stay fallen down because the Lord grasps our hands in support and hold us up.”

I ‘visualize’ God as a loving heart heavenly Father who would come down and pick us up. Why?  Because we are already covered with the blood of Jesus Christ by faith and He has already forgiven us by faith and renewing of our minds with His word.

If that isn’t enough to encourage you, here’s one more Scripture. Isaiah 61:3 NCV, "I will give them a crown to replace their ashes, and the oil of gladness to replace their sorrow, and clothes of praise to replace their spirit of sadness. Then they will be called Trees of Goodness, trees planted by the Lord to show his greatness.

KJV: "... to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor (to show His greatness in us).

What replace our ashes? A crown of beauty. What replace our sorrow or mourning? The oil of gladness. What replace our sadness or despair? A garment of praise. What will we be called? The oaks of righteousness or Trees of Goodness. Who planted us? The Lord planted us. Why? Because the Lord wants to show His greatness through us.

Dorothy: Doesn’t this thrill you to know what kind of God we have? Our heavenly Father doesn’t want us to be completely cast down.  I pray that the Lord grasps your hands in support and hold you up in Jesus’ name. I pray that this song will bless your heart as I came to love this song and memorize it. (The word, beyond sign ‘overlook’)

Song: He Looked Beyond My Fault
             by Dottie Rambo [Londonderry Air]
Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise,
For it was grace that bought my liberty;
I do not know just why He came to love me so,
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.
I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary
To view the cross where Jesus died for me;
How marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul!
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

A Strong Hold 4/1-5

01-05 April 2016 - A Strong Hold – Card Verse by Dorothy Callies

Nahum 1:7 “The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.” NLT: “The Lord is good. When trouble comes, He is a strong refuge. And He knows everyone who trusts in Him.”

I like the Amplified Bible translate to this: “The Lord is good, a Strength and Stronghold in the day of trouble: He knows (recognizes, has knowledge of, and understands) those who take refuge and trust in Him.”

This verse inspired me and I decided to study about Nahum.  Nahum wrote a very short book yet important enough to be one of the 39 Old Testaments books.  Nahum received a message and a vision from the Lord concerning Nineveh. The point of this devotion is to get to know the very nature of God and His judgment against Nineveh. 

Nahum, like Jonah, was a prophet to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, and Nahum prophesied between 663 and 612 B.C.  A century (100 years) earlier (763 B.C), Jonah had been sent to preach to Assyria’s capital city of Nineveh.  For a short time, Assyrians repented of their sins, but sometimes later the city had fallen back into wickedness of idolatry, cruelty, and oppression.

So Nahum proclaimed God’s anger against Assyria’s evil. God explained in His Word why He was bringing judgment against them. God said, “I am against you” (Nahum 2:13). Assyrians were known in the ancient world for their extreme cruelty to people whom they conquered.  After attacking a city, they would ruthlessly slaughter hundreds of people and deport (force them to leave their country) the remaining population to other parts of their empire. Many more would die as a result of the brutal (cruel) marches into exile (3:3). Leaders of conquered cities and nations were tortured without mercy and finally executed.  

Not only were the Assyrians brutally cruel, but they were also extremely immoral. In the city of Nineveh appeared attractive, but inwardly the city was full of cult prostitution. The city was also given over to witchcraft, black magic, and spiritism; demons and evil spirits controlled the lives of the people.

Eventually, Nineveh would be destroyed and never again rebuilt. After the city fell in 612 B.C., it became a wilderness area for animals and birds. Nineveh was so completely wiped out that its ruin were not identified until 1845. How was the city wiped out? Nahum 2:6 explained about the flood gates or dams that controlled the Khoser River, and the attackers destroyed the dams and the river ran through the city and damaged the walls of the city.

Now let us focus on God’s nature concerning Nineveh. Nahum 3:1 tells us that God is slow to get angry, but when He is ready to punish, even the earth trembles. Often people avoid God because they see evildoers in the world and hypocrites in the church. They don’t realize that because God is slow to anger, He gives His true followers time to share His love and truth with evildoers. But judgment will come; God will not allow sin to go unchecked forever. 

When people wonder why God doesn’t punish evil immediately, help them remember that if He did, none of us would be here.  We can all be thankful that God gives people time to turn to Him. To people who refuse to believe, God’s punishment is like an angry fire.  To those who love Him, His mercy is a refuge, supplying all their needs without diminishing (reduce) His supply.  (Some notes came from commentaries).

Dorothy: You might wonder… why am I writing so much details about the city of Nineveh and the Assyrians? I watched TV and Rented tapes and I have seen such cruelty in wars in another country. I questioned “how long will God allowed this to go on?” So many things going on that doesn’t seem quite “fair” and nothing was done about it to resolve the problems all over USA and all of us.  I pondered …

Until I read about Nahum and studied the commentaries that I shared with you … I realized the nature of God is that He is slow to get angry … When God punish, His punishment is like an angry fire … even the earth trembles.  Then I realized … God knows what He is doing … I felt the change inside of me … the fear of God … meaning the Holy Spirit developed so much more greater respect for God.  I came to love God so much more.  I want to be close to Him because He has so much love to give. He gave us time to love Him back.

Inspiration singing

My heart is filled with singing Lord to Thee,

O mighty God! How great thou art!

My heart is filled with singing Lord to Thee,

O mighty God! Great is Thy love!

Prayer: O mighty God, our Father, Abba … forgive us for being so impatient. Thank You, Father for being such a wonderful God who is slow to get angry. You sent Jesus to earth to show Your love to us. Thank You for Jesus took our punishment on the cross and we are covered with the blood of Jesus. Thank You for the devotion that helped me to see who You really are. It makes me want to be close to You. In Jesus’ name, amen!