Archives for June 2015

Good morning,

Arthur Walkington Pink (1 April 1886 – 15 July 1952) was an English Christian evangelist and biblical scholar. He wrote many articles and books on the Christian faith.

The Christian life

(Arthur Pink)

“If anyone would come after Me, he must:
deny himself and
take up his cross daily and
follow Me.” Luke 9:23

The Christian life is a life that consists of following Jesus.

The first step toward a daily following of Christ, is the denying of self.

Many suppose they are followers of Christ, and yet ignore the path which He traveled. They imagine that may decline the unpleasant tasks of denying self and cross bearing–and yet enter Heaven when they die. What a delusion!

The one who disregards God’s commandments is not walking as Christ walked; instead, he is walking as the world walks.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand!” John 10:27-28

Today’s devotional challenges us to deny ourselves and follow Jesus. This is accomplished by obeying and following the commands of Jesus.

Meditate on these verses.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Each new week brings new opportunities to trust God. Today’s devotional will help you do that.

Carry all your concerns to Him–in the arms of faith!

(James Smith, “The Pastor’s Morning Visit”)

“Casting all your care upon Him–for He careth for you!” 1 Peter 5:7

The Lord knows all His people–all their needs, and all their trials.

He thinks upon them–to bless, deliver and supply them.

He keeps His eye upon them–in all places, at all times, and under all circumstances.

He has them in His hand–and will not loosen His hold.

He looks upon them always as His own ‘treasured possession’ . . .
the objects of His eternal love,
the purchase of His Son’s blood,
the temples of His Holy Spirit.

They are precious in His sight! 

He knows they are weak and fearful–and that they have many enemies. He teaches them to cast themselves and all their cares into His hands! And He has given them His promise–that He will care for them.

It is a Father’s care which He exercises. It is a wise, holy, tender, and constant care. Therefore all will be well with you–only trust Him.

Believe that He cares for you this day. Carry all your concerns to Him–in the arms of faith! Leave all with Him, persuaded that He will manage all by His infinite wisdom, and bring all to a good outcome by His omnipotent power.

Do not worry about anything. Cast all your cares upon Him–as fast as they come in.

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Psalm 33 gives us a look at who God is. We see that God is good, creative, counselor, watchful, deliverer, and our hope. Today we will look at God as our deliverer and hope.

God delivers our souls from death (V 16-19)

There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

When we think of war we think of mighty men. We believe that their might, strength, and numbers will give deliverance. But we would be wrong. It is those who fear the Lord and hope in his mercy.  Those are the ones who God will deliver from death and keep alive in famine. Never forget who is in charge. God is.

God is our help, shield, trust, mercy, and hope (V 20-22)

Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Have you trusted in Christ? If so, He has made a promise to help and shield you. I don’t know about you, but it seems wonderful that the God of all creation, who knows me, sees everything I do, promises to always be with me, would help and shield me. I need God’s protection from myself, Satan, his demons, the flesh, and the temptations of this world. He is a merciful God because He loves us.

The conclusion is arranged by what God has done and how we are to react.

CONCLUSION:

1) God created all things

2) God’s mercy gives us hope today and in the future

3) God is always watching over us

4) God is our counselor

5) God is our deliverer

6) THEREFORE, we should rejoice, sing, and praise the od of our salvation

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Psalm 33 gives us a look at who God is. We see that God is good, creative, counselor, watchful, deliverer, and our hope. Today we will look at God’s counsel and watch care over his children.

God’s counsel stands forever (V 10-12)

 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. ¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Today we have exposure to an extensive amount of knowledge. This knowledge should give us great wisdom on which to counsel people. However, God says He brings that counsel to nought or nothing. God says his counsel stands forever. This counsel is found in God’s word, the Bible. It gives us the answers we need from cradle to grave.

Then God states that He will bless the nation that has God as their Lord. Think about that statement. What countries do you know who has God as their Lord?

God is looking at the inhabitants of earth (V 13-15, Proverbs 15:3)

The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. ¹⁴ From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. ¹⁵ He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

These verses are a two sided coin. On the one side we know that God sees everything we do. When we are in need, God knows. When Satan is attacking us, God knows. When we are ready to quit, God knows. Since He does, we can have the assurance that He sees and is willing to help, if we seek Him.

However, on the other side of the coin, God sees everything we do. That means all the things we do in secret, that no one else knows about, God does. When we choose to willfully disobey God, that breaks our fellowship with Him. God then allows the Holy Spirit, which resides within us, to convict us of our sin and bring us back into fellowship with God.

I am very thankful that God has not left us alone, in this life, to fin for ourselves. He stated in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” What a great promise.

We serve a great God. Meditate on these truths today.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Psalm 33 gives us a look at who God is. We see that God is good, creative, counselor, watchful, deliverer, and our hope. Today we will look at God’s creative acts.

God speaks the world into existence (V 6-9 Genesis 1)

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. ⁷ He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. ⁹ For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

The word of the Lord is powerful. He spoke and it was done. In Genesis 1 the phrase, “And God said…” is used 9 times. The phrase “And God called…” is used 3 times. Other action words such as moved, saw, made, set, created, blessed, are also used. It is recorded that it took only 6 days to complete the creation. God rested on the 7^th day.

Interestingly enough, God also made us, on day 6. That means we are also a part of God’s creation. We owe Him our very existence. Does that factor into your everyday thinking? It is important. If we understand who created us, then we will know to whom we must place our allegiance. You see God created us, then after sin entered into the world; He also provided for us the perfect sacrifice for our sin debt. Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, was our blood sacrifice.  All that is required of us is to repent of our sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you done that? If not, contact me and we can talk about it.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Psalm 33 gives us a look at who God is. We see that God is good, creative, counselor, watchful, deliverer, and our hope. Today we will look at God’s goodness.

Praise God for His goodness (V 1-5)

Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. ² Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. ³ Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise. ⁴ For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. ⁵ He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

We are told to do three things. Rejoice, praise, and sing. These are forms of worship to the Lord. Rejoice has the connotation to be glad or joyful. There are various ways to praise the Lord. Here it says with a harp. Then we told to sing a new song to the Lord. Why are we to do this? Because “…the word of the Lord is right;”, “…all his works are done in truth.”, “He loveth righteousness and judgment:”, and “…the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.”

So how do you worship God? I certainly rejoice that brought to belief in Jesus Christ. I praise Him in songs from hymnals, choruses, and Scripture songs. I enjoy thinking about who God is and what He has done for me.

Think about how you worship the Lord.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

This devotion may be helpful setting your priorities for the week!

Happiness lies in the heart, rather than in the purse!

(Charles Spurgeon, “A Good Start!”)

Contentment with your lot, and confidence in God–will make life peaceful and happy! A dinner of herbs with contentment, will yield a flavor of satisfaction unknown to those who eat the fattened ox.

It is better to be happy than to be rich–happiness lies in the heart, rather than in the purse!

It is not what a man has, but what a man is–which will decide his bliss or woe in both this life and the next.

“ Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. ¹² I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need!” Philippians 4:11-12

Be content.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

First John 5:11-21 is John’s encouragement to the believers. He encourages them about everlasting life, prayer, wickedness and understanding.  Today we will look at understanding.

Understanding (V 20-21)

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. ²¹ Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (1 John 4:2)

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, (Luke 24:45)

It was not by accident that God gave us his word, the Bible. He gave it to us to be our guide to salvation, growth, wisdom, rebuke, confession, history, and ultimately our final future. He allowed the Holy Spirit to illumine what the Scriptures say. God wanted us to understand the Bible. When we read it, obey it, the Bible will allow us to have victory over Satan and his demons.

Read your Bible, obey it, and see what God will do.

So now a conclusion to what we have studied this week. Remember John wrote this to believers. His intent was for the believers to share these truths with others. You are the others.

CONCLUSION:

We need to be able to articulate:

• Assurance of salvation
• How to pray
• The will of God
• How to pray for brothers in sin
• Sin unto death
• The wickedness of this world
• Understanding of the Scriptures

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

First John 5:11-21 is John’s encouragement to the believers. He encourages them about everlasting life, prayer, wickedness and understanding.  Today we will look at wickedness.

Wickedness (V 18-19)

We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. ¹⁹ And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

⁹ Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,²⁰ Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,²¹ Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1:28-32)

John is making the point that there is a difference between believers and the wicked.

Do our lives give evidence that we are believers in Christ? Are we walking in the Spirit of God? Do we do the things of the flesh or the things of the Spirit? Think right and act right.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

First John 5:11-21 is John’s encouragement to the believers. He encourages them about everlasting life, prayer, wickedness and understanding.  Today we will look at prayer.

Prayer (V 14-15)

 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: ¹⁵ And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

What is the will of God?

• Salvation
• Baptism
• Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4) For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
• Giving thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18) In every thing give thanks: for this is thewill of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
• Renew you mind (Romans 12:2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,will of God.

Praying for brother in sin (V 16-17)

If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. ¹⁷ All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

Sin unto death (Matthew 12:31-32)

Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. ³² And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Prayer is talking with God. He desires us to come to him with our burdens, concerns, desires, and confessions. He is there to love us, bless us, rebuke us, reprove us, and answer our prayers. His answers may not be our answers, but they will best for us.

Pray to God. Tell what is on your heart. Allow Him to direct you, as only He can do.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001