2019 Devotional Articles by Rev. Mike Jones
March 27, 2019 RECIPROCAL RESPONSE
May 1, 2019 WHAT JESUS LEFT WHEN HE LEFT
May 8, 2019 LOVE WORKS AT LOVE
June 5, 2019 RECEPTION DESK PRAYERS
June 26, 2019 BUMPY ROAD BUMPS
July 3, 2019 CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS
March 27, 2019 RECIPROCAL RESPONSE
What will you do today that will impact what is done to you? Reciprocal response (Actions produce reactions) is a standard Bible Principle concerning our attitude toward others [I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: (Genesis 12:3). Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Sam 2:30)]. The way you respect and respond to other people will have a big impact on the way other people respect and respond to you.
Your Actions toward other people have consequences also. You reap what you sow (As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head Obadiah 1:15) so what kind of harvest is headed your way? If other people do unto you as you have done unto them will you be happy with what is going to be done unto you?
We now live in a world where “news”, talk shows, and even “comedy” shows have become pulpits for venomous anger and constant criticism. It is easy to let this anger and animosity bleed over into the way you think about and act toward other people. Instead, why not become the one who changes this negative conversation into positive conduct by Sowing in righteousness so you will reap in mercy (Hosea 10:12).
April 3, 2019 YOU DO YOU
You can accomplish any task God has given you to accomplish! When God assigns you a job He assigns it according to your personal Ability (And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability- Matthew 25:15). God only expects you to do what He has given you the ability to do (If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: 1 Peter 4:11).
You fail, or become frustrated, when you try to be something God did not call you to be or accomplish something God did not expect you to accomplish! If God would have wanted one person to accomplish everything then He would have created only one person. Instead, He created Adam and Eve and told them to “be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth”- Many hands to accomplish many tasks!
The ticket seller at the theater is not as famous (or as rich!) as the star of the movie but the star would not be rich or famous if ticket sellers did not do their jobs. God made you the unique person you are so you could accomplish HIS special purpose for your life. You do you, with the abilities God gave you, and then be happy with what you do!
April 10, 2019 AVOID SIN
Many people have spent the last few weeks avoiding certain things in order to increase their awareness of the “sins which do so easily beset us”. As they transition back into a “normal” life it is good to consider four “hedges” which may prevent them from wandering off the path of life and, once again, getting dirty in the ditch!
- Reflect on God’s Holiness: Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still (Psalms 4:4). God commands us to be holy because He is holy. Avoid sin because it hinders your relationship with God.
- Watch your mouth: I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: (Psalms 39:1). A thought which is thought before a spoken word can be a sin saver.
- Practice living Godly principles: Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame (1 Corinthians 15:34). Examine your daily activities and replace bad habits with positive principles.
- Regulate fleshly impulses– Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: (Ephesians 4:26). Do not allow a momentary impulse to produce permanent problems. You may not be able to keep the bird from flying over your head but you can prevent it from making a nest in your hair!
April 17, 2019 ONE TREE
Iceland identifies as containing only 3 species of trees. In the temperate forest of North America there are about 400 species of trees. On the island of Madagascar there are more than 2000 species of trees! The TALLEST living tree is Hyperion (380 feet 1 inch), a redwood tree in the Redwood National Park. The LARGEST (Volume) known living tree is the General Sherman Redwood tree (275 feet high, 25 feet wide with an estimated age of 2,300–2,700 years).
But the ONE Tree that changed the world is the one upon which Jesus was “cursed” in order to bring “whosoever will” into the pardon and peace of God’s family-Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (Galatians 3:13). His tree of death gave us access to the tree of life!
This ONE Tree also CHANGED godly living from laboring to live within the law into a Spirit empowered Abundant Life: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: (1 Peter 2:24).
There are multitudes of beautiful trees to see this time of year but the ONE Tree that changes Easter into an Exclamation is the Cross upon which Jesus died. Do not be bunny blinded into missing this ONE Tree.
April 24, 2019 JOINING GOD
One of the great secrets of Christian living is “find out where God is at work and then join Him in His work”. It is life changing when you stop trying to “be God” with your life and just join God as He uses HIS Power to accomplish HIS Plan. This changes your “burden” into simply “being”!
Here is how that worked in the life of Noah: “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith” (Hebrews 11:7).
- Noah’s motivation: Fear of God’s coming judgment (Not personal opinion or desire).
- Noah’s work: Prepared an ark (His work was in agreement with God’s plan).
- Noah’s goal: the saving of his house (He warned the world but he built a refuge for his family!).
- Noah’s witness: by the which he condemned the world (He joined God in voicing Judgment).
- Noah’s reward: Became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith (Joining God by faith on earth meant he got to join God for eternity in heaven!).
You can exhaust yourself struggling to do your best or you can enjoy an abundant life by joining God at His work and coming in out of the rain!
May 1, 2019 WHAT JESUS LEFT WHEN HE LEFT
Jesus has victoriously returned to Heaven but it is important to remember four things He left when He left:
- His personal Possessions: Jesus died on a borrowed cross (Barabbas), borrowed someone to care for His mother (John 19:26-27), and was buried in a borrowed tomb (Joseph of Arimathaea). He lived with nowhere to lay His head (Matt 8:20) and died without even a shirt on His back! [His Robe was gambled for at the cross]. Even His burial clothes were left in the tomb! Shouldn’t that make you reassess your priorities?
- A Plan to change the world by changing people: Jesus left us with a Plan to reach the world with Good News, the promise of coming Power (Holy Spirt), and a Place of service in His Body. Now we are somebody with the power to do something!
- A Promise of a prepared Place: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Peter 1:3 4). He left us hope for a home in Heaven.
- A perfect Pardon: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14). It is finished! Jesus left us with the knowledge that it is not God’s fault if you face God with your faults.
May 8, 2019 LOVE WORKS AT LOVE
Love is the heart throb of any real relationship. Without Love, people exist in the same house as a corporation instead of for companionship (Corporations seek to profit from others. Companionship seeks a heart sharing partnership). Without real love family members end up in the same room staring at a TV, or a phone, or an IPad building walls of isolation instead of bridges of intimacy.
It does not have to be this way. Solomon said (Song of Solomon 8:7) that “if a man would give all the substance of his house for love” the price would be worth the result! Love will work if we work at love.
Find time to spend time with those you love. I understand that to many people a long leisurely talk on the porch sounds good but they are so busy they cannot even remember if they have a porch! Just remember that ten minutes of heart to heart with loved ones will have a much greater impact than six hours of “reality” shows, Snapchat, or killing a thousand aliens in a game.
We can keep the Light of Love burning brightly in our lives when we take time to “stroke the fires of love”. No matter how big your home, or how fancy your possessions, they are simply “things” without love and companionship. Make time for those you love (especially on Mother’s Day!) and joyfully see love making a difference in your life.
May 15, 2019 WONDER
All around us are wonderful wonders which can elevate and inspire us. Simply lift up your eyes “unto the hills of goodness” surrounding you instead of focusing on the mud and muck of media driven “drama” depressing and disheartening you.
The springing forth of nature from its winter drab into blooming flowers and trees is certainly a wonder and awe inspiring but I want to look at wonders that are a little deeper than that. I want to look beyond “eye candy” and wonder at the wonders of life.
The Timelessness of Time is a wonder. People are born and die. Nations rise and fall. But day after day there is day after day. There is coming a day when “there shall be Time no longer” (Re 10:6) but until that glorious day we should wonder at Time and use it wisely.
The fact that God put the earth into exactly the right orbit, in exactly the right universe, so it could support and sustain life, is a wonder. The marvel of Adam “knowing” Eve producing a world changing world of people on this earth, each with a unique personality and potential, is a wonder.
But the most wonderful wonder is that God would love a sinner like me, allow me to be born again into His family, empower me to live victoriously here, and then tell me I get to spend eternity in a wonderful place He has prepared me. No wonder I wonder at the wonders supplied by a wonderful God!
May 22, 2019 MEMORIALS
The Bible is full of Memorials. Some memorialize important events (The rock memorial at the Jordan River to remind Israel of their marvelous entrance into the Promised Land). Some memorialize the actions of people (The good action of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet {Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her Mark 14:9} or the wrong action of Lot’s wife {Pillar of salt}).
Godly memorials can be erected by our devotion to God (When Cornelius looked on the angel, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And the angel said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. Acts 10:4) or by our celebration of the “Lord’s Supper” (As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come 1 Corinthians 11:26).
Memorials remind us of our past and encourage us to a better future. Which is why it would be a marvelous Memorial Day if people would take time to remember who the Memorial in Memorial Day is for; the sons and daughters, husbands and fathers, who fought and died to give us the great freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States. May the memory of their sacrifice and service unite and inspire us to be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”.
May 29, 2019 SINS THAT WE SIN
There is something wrong with what is wrong. Society almost daily moves wrong things into the “it is now right column” and the sins that we sin are now brushed aside as normal human failings or wrongly conceived ideas from an uneducated past. Few acknowledge sin as serious or a “God problem” anymore. But Sin still breaks God’s heart and there are some truths you need to know about it.
Sin is common (All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God-Romans 3:23), costly (The wages of sin is death- Romans 6:23) and very complex. Sin can be something INSIDE our heart or mind (lust, covetous) or OUTSIDE our body (murder, robbery). Sin can be the WRONG we do (think Ten Commandments) or the RIGHT we fail to do (“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin”-James 4:17). Sin can be disrespecting others (“If ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin”-James 2:9) or disregarding personal faith (“whatsoever you do that violates your faith is sin”-Romans 14:23). And Sin will find you out; some sooner, some later (“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after” 1 Tim 5:24).
God’s Grace is Good News about our sins. This does not mean, however, that we should “continue in sin, that grace may abound” (Rom 6:1). God thought Sin was so serious until He allowed His Son to die to pay its penalty. That’s intense!
June 5, 2019 RECEPTION DESK PRAYERS
I was sixth in line waiting to check in for my Doctor’s appointment. Each person in front of me had a special need or request that had to be dealt with by the receptionist. When I told her I simply needed to check in you could see the relief on her face. I told her she was a wonderful person, doing a great job, to be able to handle the multitude of requests or satisfy the various needs of so many people each day.
Sitting, waiting to be called into my doctor’s office, I thought about what a tremendous job God has each day (and night!) as He sits at “Heaven’s Prayer Reception Desk” and listens to the multiplicity of prayer requests coming at Him from billions of people. Some come with hurt feelings or hurt bodies. Others come with family problems, financial needs, faith doubts, and on and on it goes. And, remember, God never gets a day off or a holiday weekend.
Listening to the problems, pains, and other prayers of over seven billion people is a task only a great God could accomplish. Having the wisdom and wealth to deal with all these problems testifies to the awesomeness of God.
But if you think this means God gets tired of hearing your prayers just remember this Bible verse: “the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints” (Revelation 5:8). God values and preserves your prayers and only regrets the prayers you did not pray.
June 12, 2019 A FEW GOOD MEN
God and your family are looking for a “few good men” who will show leadership, love, and loyalty. May God give you the courage and conviction to me such a man.
Enoch was a man who “walked with God.” Are you a man of consistent Christian character leading your family devotions and church attendance and who daily has time with, and for, God?
Abraham was a man known as the “friend of God.” Are you a man who stands out as a person of faith and confidence in God because you have a relationship with God built on trust and assurance in His promises and plans?
David was known as a “man after God’s own heart” because of his dedication to knowing the heart of God. David expressed this intertwined heart relationship with God in songs and poems which displayed his personal faults, failures, feelings, and faith. Are you a man who is able to express your “real” heart to God; and to your family?
Noah was a man who “found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” I call Noah the “common man” who lived his life, did the job God called him to do (build an ark), and ended up saving his family! What a joy to know you can do what God wants you to do by simply doing what God wants you to do!
God is looking for a “few Good Men.” Will you answer His call?
June 19, 2019 GOD’S RICHES
God is the creator of gold, silver, and precious stones yet look at what He considers His riches.
- God is rich in Glory: But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). The awesomeness of the Almighty is amazing!
- God is rich in Goodness: Or despisest thou the riches of God’s goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Romans 2:4). You can trust a good God to do the right thing no matter the circumstances.
- God is rich in Wisdom: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33). Our all-knowing God knows all!
- God is rich in Mercy: But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (Ephesians 2:4). Jesus on a cross dying for mankind’s sins- need I say more?
- God is rich in Grace: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:7). I could not earn it or deserve it but God’s Grace brought His love and eternal life to me!
So Rich, yet the “Jewels” in God’s treasure vault are redeemed people, Glory! (Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels Malachi 3:16-17).
June 26, 2019 BUMPY ROAD BUMPS
If you choose to ride a bumpy road you can expect some bumps in your life. For example, God told people not to choose a promiscuous life style because He knew it could lead to a lot of “bumps in the road” [disease, divorce, distrust {If they will cheat with you then in the back of our mind they will cheat with someone else}, or depression {Why do people want to use me instead of build a committed relationship with me?}]. Bumpy roads can be rough.
God desires a smooth road for your life instead of bumpy bruises. When John the Baptist proclaimed the coming Messiah he quoted this verse, “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough (Bumpy)ways shall be made smooth” (Luke 3:5). Jesus wants to bump the bumps from your life!
In “idle conversation” with several Christians this week I have heard about God moving in situations or circumstances to make their life “smooth” instead of bumpy- A medical appointment was unexpectedly moved to a better time by a Christian nurse, someone behind them in line asked if they could “pay forward a blessing” by paying for their groceries on a day money was really tight, etc. It is thrilling when you see God fill in valleys by moving mountains!
You can choose bumpy roads or blessed roads. But the road you chose will determine your ride; and your destination.
July 3, 2019 CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS
America is as good as the “god” it serves. Christian Patriots seek to represent God correctly in order to get our nation to follow and obey Him. There are a thousand “little ways” to do this but the “boss” (Jesus) summarized them into 2 principles: Love God above everything and Love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:29-31) “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
How does this work in real life? How do we demonstrate our love FOR GOD? Jesus made that simple- (John 14:15) “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” We show America we love God by living as God told us to live.
How do we show America our God is the Best God? We love people the same way we desire to be loved. Love is the “currency of Christianity” impacting those who give it and those who receive it. Love is like a mighty magnet drawing people together and to Christ.
Do you want to be a Christian Patriot? Simply look for opportunities to love God and love your neighbor and be amazed at the difference in your life and in our nation.