A Kingly Figure

So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!” 1 Samuel 16:6

Eliab, firstborn of Jesse, must have been built with a kingly figure. Samuel certainly thought so when he came to him first among Jesse's sons. Samuel was familiar with Saul, the Lord's choice for first king of Israel. Samuel had a good look at Eliab, and could see the man as the next king of Israel. The Lord shut Samuel's wrong-way train down though, telling His prophet to quit looking at appearance and stature. So glad we have taken that lesson to heart in our time and no longer judge on appearance and stature...right? Dream on, sonny!

May God strengthen us to look past appearance and stature,

Bucky

For That Reason

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
  -- Psalm 16:9

As a child, asking why may be our most common question. Therefore, the Bible uses 'therefore' a lot for the children we must become in God's Word. Therefore means, for that reason or consequently. You may have seen the word a lot in your Bible study, and your imagination is not playing tricks on you. The New King James Version of the Word holds a mere 1,356 usages of, therefore in 1,340 verses. Therefore, there is a good chance that if a 'why?' occurs to us in the Word, then a reason may follow a therefore for us quickly thereafter.

For this provision of reasons to our questions, we rejoice in our Father God.

Bucky

We Need One

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

When John wrote this letter, he probably knew quite well that the 'if' conditional here would likely be met many times as we strive to live a sinless life. We need one advocate, and we need Him a lot... no, we need Him constantly. When all it takes is the mere thought of a sin, then we are in it more than we think. Repentance may have begun at the altar back in the day, but it is something we must practice and pray for as we walk with the Savior. It seems this is one Advocate we need to keep on a prayer retainer.

In Christ alone!

Bucky

If You Love One Another

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34

A friend, even a brother or sister in Christ, has lost a beloved one from mental illness. You hear their story and later find out they may have said the wrong thing at a critical moment. The source of your knowledge has expertise in the subject, a doctor or anesthesiologist perhaps. (I just wanted to see if I could spell that second word there - blew it, forgot the 'h' the first time through.) Now, as the beloved of your friend has already passed, what good would it do for you to blurt out your new knowledge? Will your words be received with appreciation? I think we can see that a good dose of the ol' silence may be the more loving thing to do in a case like that.

This thought came to me while doing the dishes one night. The Lord sometimes gives me a devotion to write at the oddest of times. The key to those odd times is of course to dry the hands and go write it down before a distraction comes along and, poof, it's gone.

Give thanks to God this great Monday morning!

Bucky

What Is In The Middle?

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits.
  -- Psalm 103:1,2

While the word of God is centered on His Son, Jesus, I wondered what verse was in the middle of the text. The answer according to the Google is the two verses we read for today. What an appropriate passage too! The middle of the word of God calls upon what is within us to bless the Lord. And as an answer to the anxiety so present in our world of this day, we are called to not forget the benefits of the Lord. 

From experience, I can tell you that anxiety and forgetting the Lord are quite the same activity. When I have anxious thoughts, they are not centered in the Lord. A session of anxious rumination is so unlike prayer that they must be polar opposites. So, when anxious fears come, bless the Lord O my soul!

Love to you in Christ our Lord, 

Bucky

By Twos

So they came to Noah into the ark, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. Genesis 7:15

While it may have appeared in the previous writing that nothing could be worse than two consenting adults, we have a great deal of evidence in the Bible that a pair can also be a great blessing. After the four pairs of humans entered the ark, then came the beasts and birds by twos in our verse for today. We also saw in the gospels how Jesus sent His disciples out in pairs. Two can encourage one another in the Way, or help to keep each other accountable in moral bearing. And of course we have the word from Jesus on marriage where a man and a woman join and become one flesh. (see Matthew 19:4-6). So, over the past couple of days, we have seen how a pair can go toward the light or down into darkness. What can we learn from this? Let Jesus be your Savior first, and from there walk with Him in the light. Then let the Lord help you with those other pairings, such as friends and spouses.

May the Lord Jesus guide us in all things,

Bucky

Decided By Two Consenting Adults

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.  Genesis 3:6

While blame has been laid upon Eve, it is clearly seen in this verse for today that her husband was there with her. And therefore, we can see that the first sin against our Lord God was decided by two consenting adults. Many Bible stories tell us of two consenting adults deciding to commit a sin, sometimes more than one. It would seem that two can get into sin trouble at least as fast as one. So perhaps the best indicator of whether something is a sin or not would not be the decision of two consenting adults?  

Of course we cannot leave it there. Tomorrow, if the Lord is willing, we will see what a partnership can do when it is centered in Christ Jesus. 

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus!

Bucky