John 8:1-11 – “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 3 And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 And they were saying this, testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  8 And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9 And when they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst. 10 And straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”  11 And she said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go your way. From now on sin no more.”]”  NASB

What an amazing event that illustrates God’s Incredible Mercy!  Here we see the Love of God manifested in a most beautiful and powerful manner. This story has a message of Hope for all who will hear and heed.  Bible scholars are uncertain about where this story belongs.  Some do not feel it belongs at all, because in some of the ancient manuscripts it is omitted.

I classify myself as a student and reader of the Word of God not necessarily a Bible scholar and believe that it belongs in the Gospels as it is presented.  I believe this story is true, factual, and it is a record of an actual event in the life of Jesus and His encounters with the Scribes and Pharisees.  It is Powerful.

This story is consistent with what we know about the Scribes and Pharisees.  It is even more consistent with what we know about Jesus.  It is a sordid story, at least in its beginning.  It shows something of the ugliness of human nature.  However, along with the sordidness, it presents rare beauty. Even though some of the characters are cruel and harsh, there is one who is strong, loving, and tender.  Here the soiled rag of womanhood has come to what appears to be the end of her life but found that it was actually entering into the Land of Beginning Again!

I ask that you join me as we walk through some highlights of this story and consider its implications and ramifications.  Hopefully, we will discover some important realities that will help us deal with difficulties and sin in life, ours and others.

FIRST – Let’s Take A Look at the Woman Who is an Unwilling Actress in this Drama.

Of course, she was a willing participant in the adultery but not the drama that unfolded upon her discovery.  I find it interesting that the Bible makes no attempt to identify her.  She is left nameless but labeled an adulteress.  I find it incredibly interesting and even repulsive that her partner is not even mentioned nor is he accused of breaking the Law and worthy of death.  That leads me to believe that this was not about her or him but an attempt to entrap Jesus and get Him to violate the clear directive of the Bible and the Law.

In that day there was, and often still is, an incredible double-standard regarding morals.  A man had rights that a woman did not have.  That has somewhat changed but the sad reality is that too frequently women have dropped nearer the level of men than men climbing to a higher level once occupied by women.  You may not agree, but that is my perception.

She was Guilty!  That was not debatable for she had been caught in the act.  That smacks with being a setup but that’s not the issue.  She was guilty!  Her attitude is important.  She was possibly young and perhaps had loved but not wisely.  She may have been more sinned against than sinning, but still, she was guilty.  She could have been cynical and hard, having lived a life of immorality for along time.  We do not know, but none of that is particularly germane – She Was Guilty and now Exposed!

There were Eye Witnesses.  That was required under the Law.  Those witnesses told her story for her.  Hers was a case of hopelessness under the Law.  She was condemned already and now she could only await the final sentence and her impending stoning and death. 

Imagine being caught in a sin that carried the death penalty under the Law.  Imagine being paraded before the crowd and Jesus and your sin detailed so there is nowhere to hide.  Imagine the shame and fear that she must have been experiencing. 

I apologize for pausing at this point but time and space demands that I wait until the next meeting to address this more fully.  I want you to think about the story and place yourself in her shoes or that crowd.  I hope God will bring us to a place of tremendous spiritual victory as we proceed.

God bless you and have a great day in Jesus!

John 4:34-38 – “Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. 35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 “Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 “For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38 “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”  NASB

Many years ago, in the City of Los Angeles, California the Chamber of Commerce offered a $500 prize for the best slogan submitted in the city’s campaign to promote LA.  A mother of three children won the prize with this slogan: “Vision to See, Faith to Believe, Courage to Do.”  That is a powerful slogan and one worthy of becoming the objective of each of our lives.  When you examine the slogan, you find some powerful truths.  There is a great need, in this hour, for God’s people and His church to embrace that slogan as our life objective. 

WE NEED – Vision to See.

One of the most perplexing problems the church can have, has had, or will have, is the lack of vision.  I am convinced that had the Early Church been limited in their vision, like many today, they would never have turned their world upside down for God.  Christianity would have died in the 1^st century due to lack of vision.

Thomas was not present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples after His resurrection and he made a statement that earned him the moniker, Doubting Thomas.  He said, “expect I see, I will not believe.”  Much of today’s church seems to be saying, “except I see, I will not do.”

We are informed in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”  Other versions translate it “cast off restraint or are unrestrained.”  One says, “the people run wild.”  For vision to become the driving force and the rallying point for people, someone must show them the way.  Someone must write and expound the vision with clarity of understanding.  A candle has no value if it is hidden under a basket.  An eye that cannot see provides no ability to navigate the pathway.

I ask that we reconsider and re-read John 4:35, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”  We need, no we must have Vision to See.

We Need Vision to See What Needs to be Done!  Many are busy with busyness but never truly see what really needs to be done. They are doers without vision. They are flags in the wind, blowing but not achieving anything.  We know that the commission and directive of our Lord were to take the Gospel to the whole world.  If we do not take the Word and the Vision of God to the world, how will they hear?  We need to catch the vision of God’s Church as His Body and that we are all individual members of that body.  No sect, group, or denomination is the whole.  It is The Body of Christ!

It is imperative that each of us sees that the spirituality and success of our local church depend on us.  A local church will never be on fire for God until its members have been set aflame by the Spirit of God.  It is imperative that we see that the effectiveness of our local church depends on us.  Our dedication, commitment, involvement and pursuit of the Call and Commission of God will inspire and motivate others.  I pray that God will open our eyes so that we have “Vision to See.”

We not only need to see what needs to be done but what is being done.  If we see what needs to be done and what is being done, we can discern the best use of our time, talents, and treasures.  God is calling and our response needs to be as Isaiah, “Here am I Lord, send me.”

  I want to address the other two parts of the slogan but will pause until next time and ask that you open your hearts so that the LORD can open your eyes to SEE!

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

John 3:30 – “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  NASB

I suggest that you read verses 25-30 for the full context and then couple that with Acts 3:1-16 for the extension of this attitude and empowerment by God.  In my view, this is an incredibly powerful verse and expresses a foundational principle in our relationship with God.  “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  He cannot be more than He is, but He can be elevated in importance in my life. 

John had a successful ministry.  He is highly regarded by virtually everyone and even kings had a healthy respect and even fear of him.  He had developed a significant following and countless lives were being impacted positively by his ministry.  In today’s view, the message to John would be, “Expand your ministry, John.  More campaigns, more outreach, and thereby more followers.”

John said, “It’s not about me.  He must increase!  I realize that for Him to increase in the view of others, I must decrease and point to Him.  He is the anointed one.  He is the Messiah.  He holds the keys to life.  HE MUST INCREASE!”

Jesus said in John 12:32, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.”  There is a natural law that reveals that for one vessel to be filled with one thing it must be emptied of another.  For example, if a room is to be filled with light it must be emptied of darkness.  If a container is to be filled with water, it must be emptied of air.  An increase in one area demands a decrease in another.  For a room to be filled with heat it must be emptied of cold or vice versa. 

The increase of Christ in our lives brings about a decrease of self.  John understood with whom the Hope of Life lay.  He knew that he (John) was only a voice, he was only the introduction, the prelude.  He knew he was temporary, the forerunner, the messenger, not the message.  He realized what each of us needs to acknowledge and embrace – God is to be First in All Things and at All Times in our Lives!

He Must Increase – He is the one upon whom we depend.  He is all-powerful.  He alone has the power to save.  We Must Decrease – We are the ones in need.  We are weak and frail.  We need salvation.  Jesus is the Hope of Humanity.  He is the solution to every problem.  He is the remedy.  Yet, for Him to increase (and He must if we are to enter into the abundant life He came to bring), we must decrease!  Jesus is building a church, a body, an army that the gates of hell cannot prevail against.  He has called us to be a Marching Army filled with His Spirit and Power! 

There are numerous areas and aspects of our lives that He Must Increase, and I ask you to consider those with me as we proceed.  Let me address the first thought I have in this devotional.

HE MUST INCREASE IN OUR LIVING.

John 10:10 brings us the words of Jesus, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  That is incredible!  What a Promise and what a Potential for us.  If we are to enjoy and possess the fullness of that life – He Must Increase.  He must fill my life in an ever-increasing capacity.  He must increase in our lives to the greatest capacity possible.

He Must Increase His position in my priorities.  He Must Increase His Position in my desires.  He Must Increase His Position in my Commitment.  He Must Increase His Position in my Pursuits.  He Must Increase and His will must supersede mine in all things!  I must “Seek Him First…”

I will pause here and allow you time to digest what I have suggested based on His Word and John’s revelation.  We will address this more in the next devotional and I pray that God will help you have an increased desire to decrease so He can increase in your life.

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

Luke 17:32 – “Remember Lot’s wife.”  NASB

Let’s rehearse some things about Lot’s wife before we proceed.  She Perished Although She was the Wife of a Righteous Man.  She Perished Although she was warned of the impending danger. 

SHE PERISHED – Although She Made an Effort to Be Saved.

She heard the warning and partly believed it.  She ran well for a short time but stopped short of full deliverance and salvation.  She looked back and perished.  She could not ‘forget the things that were behind and press on to the future.’  Like Simon the sorcerer her heart was not fully right with God. (Acts 8:21) Doing the best we can apart from steadfast faith and surrender to Jesus will result in coming short of God’s Glory and perishing by the way.

SHE PERISHED – Although She Was Physically Separated from the Sodomites.

Her body was outside the city, but her heart and affections were where they had always been.  The commandment of God was, “Escape for your life and do not look back.”  She was not as tainted as the citizens of that city, but she was fatally in love with the world.  She could give lip service to God and even offer praise to God that she was not like the citizens of that city, but her heart was held by what she had.

SHE PERISHED – She Disobeyed and in her Disobedience Rebelled.

Her sin was unbelief and that unbelief manifested itself in a disobedient look back.  The command was run for your life and do not look back.  People perish because of the sin of disobedience which is rebellion against the commandments of God.  She failed to keep her eye on the prize and her heart longed to go back to what she had and what she knew and that in which she felt secure.

Do you recall in Luke 9, when our LORD called to men to follow him?  One asked to go bury his dead and the other asked to go back and say farewell to the family.  Jesus responded in Luke 9:62 – “…No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”  In Hebrews 10:38 we read, “But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” 

God’s offer is full deliverance and full salvation.  His offer is confirmed by the Blood of Jesus on the Cross.  If we try to hold on to God and the world at the same time, we will find the impossibility of that situation and the great danger is we will go back.  Jesus said that we cannot serve two masters at the same time.  Matthew 6:21 reveals, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” 

God will not accept our being partially in and partially out.  Some are saying, in essence, “LORD, I will follow you, but…”  God says, “Remember Lot’s Wife!”  Her love for the world and her disobedience cost her eternally.  Jesus says, COME!

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

Luke 17:32 – “Remember Lot’s wife.”  NASB

That short statement is inserted in the discourse of Jesus’ teaching regarding the coming Kingdom of God.  It is incredibly impactful and instructive.  There are some very solemn reasons for remembering Lot’s wife.  That is especially true as we come nearer and nearer to the time when Jesus will return.

It is frightful thought to be found unfit at His return.  That would be most tragic!  The account of Lot’s family holds many significant and interesting truths for us today.  In considering this verse we must go back to the record of God’s deliverance of Lot and his family from the incredible wickedness of Sodom.  I suggest that Lot’s family and the families of today are similar in many ways.

Lot’s family had a religious orientation.  They knew about and believed in God. There were interested in their own self-betterment.  If you question that, think of the division between Abraham and Lot and Lot’s choosing the better land for himself.  They had settled down and were planting their roots.  They were establishing themselves in the community.  His daughters were marrying men from that town.

The City of Sodom had become their home and to live there required them to turn a blind eye to some of the activities of the inhabitants.  Not unlike today, the world insists that we accept in order to be accepted.  They lived near the corruption living in such a manner as not to become offensive to the inhabitants of that city.  Can you see a parallel and comparison to many in today’s world?

Their lives and roots were being established in a city of gross wickedness.  They found security in their surroundings and possessions. Their lives had been invested in their society and they did not appear willing to risk it.  Their philosophy appears to be that they could live amid gross wickedness and still maintain their faith. In today’s world, some believers are so tied to their possessions and positions, they are unable to see the wickedness and evil destruction until it is too late!

It is a clear message of the Bible that Lot’s wife had a love for what she had in Sodom.  It is also clear that her love for things, position, prominence, and acceptance was more powerful than her faith or desire for deliverance!  Thus, Jesus says, “Remember Lot’s Wife!”  She looked back and lost!

I want to walk through several things and hope that it helps us to realize the dangers of trying to cohabit with evil and why the Bible would tell us to “come out from among them and be separate.”  Also, why the Bible would tell us to ‘shun the very appearance of evil.’  Lot’s wife perished, that is a fact.  She perished despite some things, many believe qualify them for acceptance by God.

SHE PERISHED – Although She Was the Wife of a Righteous Man.

I am not suggesting that Lot was a saint, but he was righteous because 2 Peter 2:7-8 calls him, “just and righteous.”  She was also related to Abraham, the man of faith and the friend of God.

SHE PERISHED – Although She Was Warned of the Danger.

Consider her situation and that of her family.  A special message and messenger from God had come to the city to enable them to escape the destruction.  How is that applicable to us today?  Consider John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”    We too, have a special warning to flee the wrath to come and an invitation to enter the family and kingdom of God.

I want to continue this and will rehearse what we have covered and take it one step beyond in the next devotional. 

God bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Him!

Genesis 6:1-8 – “Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 And the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”  NASB

A key to understanding is the declaration in the last verse, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.”  That is powerful beyond words.  Almost everyone wants to be a success, or at least, they are interested in knowing how to get on the road to success.  The criteria for success differs with different people.  Success can be defined in a thousand different ways with a thousand different people.  For some it is money, for others it is power, there are those who see it as position or fame and the list goes on. 

The success story found in our text is an incredible success.  Noah was a righteous man living in the midst of a people so evil and corrupt that God said that He regretted making man.  That is descriptive of the depth of depravity man had descended.  In verse 8 we read that Noah found Grace of Favor in the eyes of the LORD.  That is contrasted to the disfavor of the rest of humanity.  One man stands alone in exhibiting righteousness when everything around him is plunging deeper into the darkness.

Mankind had become so corrupt that God could not stand his own creation.  God vowed to destroy man from the earth and yet amid that stench in the nostrils of God, there was a sweet aroma of righteousness in Noah.  My question immediately becomes, what was the Secret of Noah’s Success?  What was it about Noah that pleased God, and can we achieve and attain that status today?

NOAH OBTAINED GOD’S PLAN – – (Genesis 6:13-21)

In verse 13 God told Noah that the end of all flesh had come before Him and in verse 14 He gave Noah the plan for the preservation of humanity through one family.  He gave him the plans for the Ark of Safety and the Ark of Life.

There can be no success without a plan.  Success rarely happens by chance.  That is especially true in the things of God.  God has a plan and gives man that plan and it is incumbent upon man to follow that plan.  Psalms 127:1 gives a wonderful truth to be remembered in our walk.  “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it…”   I have often been reminded and reminded others that either way the house is built but one way is successful and the other is in vain.

Years ago, I read about the Great Clock at the Strasbourg Cathedral in France.  In addition to the regular features, it has a combination of moons and planets moving through the days and months with the accuracy of the heavenly bodies.  It was built in the 14^th Century but this clock could not exist without a plan.

The beauty of God’s Plan is that it is totally fool-proof.  Noah realized that God had all in His control and was faithful.  He maintained his relationship with God even in the face of difficult circumstances and his faithfulness resulted in God’s favor and the revelation of God’s Plan.  That plan led to his success and our survival as a race!

I have only begun to lay this simple foundation for the Secret of Success and will address a bit more in the next devotional.  Until then, may the LORD be with you and guide your footsteps and life.

Blessings abundant as you enjoy this day in Him!