Good morning,

Over the years of reading the Bible, the phrase “but God” has intrigued me. It seems when things are the darkest, “but God”.

This lesson is on the phrase “but God”.

BUT GOD

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (Ephesians 2:4)

Introduction

But God helped in time of need:

And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. (Genesis 31:7)

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis 50:20)

And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. (1 Samuel 23:14)

My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. (Psalm 73:26)

The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness. (Proverbs 21:12)

And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him,¹⁰ And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. (Acts 7:9-10)

For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. (Philippians 2:27)

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,⁵ Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:3-5)

But God will:

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. (Psalm 49:15)

But God is:

But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. (Psalm 75:7)

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.²¹ Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. (Galatians 3:20-21)

But God acts:

And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead:³¹ And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. (Acts 13:29-31)

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:27)

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)

 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.⁷ So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

CONCLUSION

God acts on the behalf of men

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning,

God gives Joshua detailed instructions on how to take the city of Jericho. Joshua communicates this to the Priests and the people.

Joshua gave the people a warning.

 ^“And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.¹⁹ But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.” (Joshua 6:18-19)

God gave the city of Jericho into the hands of Israel and they completely destroyed it.

“And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword.” (Joshua 6:21)

“And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.” (Joshua 6:24)

God’s anger is kindled.

“But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.” (Joshua 7:1)

Achan’s confession.

“And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.²⁰ And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:²¹ When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.” (Joshua 7:19-21)

God takes Achan and his families, property, and the accursed things and stones them and then burns them.

“And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.²⁵ And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.” (Joshua 7:24-25)

The lesson here is that SIN requires a sentence of death. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Achan saw, coveted, and took, the accursed thing.

Our we not the same way? We see something and must have it at any cost. If God says “NO”, then the answer is NO. The Bible is very clear that we are not to covet.

The wages for sin have not changed since Adam rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden. The wages are death physically and spiritually.

The “GOOD NEWS” is that Jesus paid for our sin debt on the cross. If we repent of our sin, believe on Jesus as our Savior and Lord, and follow Him, our sin debt will be paid.

Has your sin debt been paid? If not, contact me and let’s talk about it.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Moses is dead. The mantle of leadership has been passed to Joshua. God places His seal of approval on Joshua in Joshua 1:5-9. God makes sure Joshua knows he will not be going alone into this battle. God will be with him all the way.

“There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (1:5)

God command’s Joshua to be strong and courageous. Then to divide the land.

“Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.” (1:6)

God command’s Joshua to follow the book of the law. Observe, obey, meditate, so that they might be prosperous and have great success.

^“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (1:7-8)

God command’s Joshua not to be afraid or dismayed. Why? God will be with him where ever he goes.

^“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (1:9)

Did it ever occur to you that we serve the same God as Joshua? The challenge to be “strong and courageous”, is God’s challenge to believer’s today. God’s presence, protection, are available to all believers in Christ.

It is still God’s desire for every believer to read, obey, meditate, and do what the Bible says. We are commanded to tell others about our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. This is where our battle begins. We must go in the power of the Holy Spirit, with strength and courage.

May we be found faithful to God. Joshua was.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Ponder these quotes by William Law. Then if God’s Spirit convicts, act upon that conviction.

Short pithy quotes from William Law

If our life is not a course of humility, self-denial, renunciation of the world, poverty of spirit, and heavenly affection–we do not live the lives of Christians.

~  ~  ~  ~

He who has learned to pray–has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life.

~  ~  ~  ~

We may justly condemn ourselves as the greatest sinners we know–because we know more of the folly of our own heart than we do of other people’s.

~  ~  ~  ~

Humility is nothing else but a right judgment of ourselves.

~  ~  ~  ~

He who complains of the weather—complains of the God who ordains the weather!

~  ~  ~  ~

SELF is the root, the tree, and the branches–of all the evils of our fallen state.

~  ~  ~  ~

Prayer is the nearest approach to God and the highest enjoyment of Him, that we are capable of in this life.

~  ~  ~  ~

Feasts and business and pleasure and enjoyments seem great things to us, while we think of nothing else; but as soon as we add death to them–they all sink into an equal littleness.

~  ~  ~  ~

Saving grace draws us out of the vanity of time–into the riches of eternity!

~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Challenging quotes from A. W. Tozer.

Short pithy quotes from A.W. Tozer

Among the plastic saints of our times–Jesus has to do all the dying.
All we want, is to hear another sermon about His dying!
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
It is no longer either dangerous or costly to be a Christian!
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
Some Christians have taken all the justice, judgment and hatred of sin out of the nature of God–and have nothing left but a soft god.
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
Let us start reading our Bibles with the thought that God means exactly what He says!
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
The most godly Christian is the one who knows himself best.
No one who knows himself, will believe that he deserves anything better than Hell.
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
God’s gifts often take the place of God Himself–and the whole course of the man’s life is upset by the monstrous substitution!
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God–and the Church is famishing for lack of His presence!
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
Anyone who wishes to check on his true spiritual condition may do so–by noting what his voluntary thoughts have been over the last hours or days.
~  ~  ~  ~  ~
We have learned to live with unholiness in our churches–and have come to look upon it as the natural and expected thing.
~  ~  ~  ~
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

We conclude our study of Ephesians today.

Ephesians 6 begins with instructions to children, parents, servants, masters, and then transitions to the armor of God. This chapter is loaded with practical teaching for living in today’s world.

EPHESIANS 6

 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. (6:12)

Introduction

Instruction to children, parents, servants, and masters (6:1-9)

Children (6:1-3)

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.² Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;³ That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

Fathers (6:4)

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Servants (6:5-8)

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;⁶ Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;⁷ With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:⁸ Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

Masters (6:9)

And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

The Armor of God (6:10-17)

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.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.¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.¹⁴ Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;¹⁵ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;¹⁶ Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Pray always (6:18-20)

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;¹⁹ And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,²⁰ For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Closing (6:21-24)

But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:²² Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.²³ Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴ Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

CONCLUSION

Obey those over us

Be strong in the Lord

Put on the whole armor of God

Pray always

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning,

Is Jesus precious to you? As you read this devotion, answer the questions honestly. Then begin to develop that closer, intimate relationship with Jesus.

Unto you who believe–He is precious!

(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)

“Unto you who believe–He is precious!” 1 Peter 2:7

It is to unbelievers only, that Christ is “as a root out of a dry ground“–having no form nor loveliness.

To those who know Him and put their trust in Him–He is the chief among ten thousand, and altogether lovely! To those who believe, He is precious . . .
in all the offices He sustains,
in all the relations He bears,
as their atoning Sacrifice,
as the Lord their righteousness,
as the source of their spiritual life,
as their Teacher,
as their Example,
and as their Guide.

O my soul, is Jesus precious to you?

Do you realize something of His worth?

Is He your Refuge, your Hiding-place?

Are you sheltered in Him?

Is He your Shepherd, your Guardian, your Friend?

Do you feel that, whatever you are called to part with–you cannot part with Christ?

Do you feel that that He is your Savior, your Life, your All?

Oh, then cleave to Him, serve Him earnestly, and live to His glory!

And know to your comfort, that as unworthy and sinful as you are–you are precious to Him. He bought you with His precious blood, He claims you as His own, and He will treasure you among His jewels when He comes to gather them up!

“Yes, Christ is precious to my soul,
My transport and my trust;
Jewels to Him are gaudy toys,
And gold is sordid dust!”
~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

The book of Deuteronomy is a recap of the previous books. It rehearses the law, the wilderness wanderings, and God’s direction for Israel as they enter into the promised land.

Chapter 10 summarizes what God requires of Israel. In fact, it is only verses 12-13.

“And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,¹³ To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”

Interestingly enough, that is what God requires of believers in Christ. It is important for us to remember that obedience to God’s commandments is an indication that we love Jesus, John 14:21. If we obey, we will love the Lord, which will cause us to walk in His ways, leading to service, and reverent fear.

Wow! Two Old Testament scripture verses, written to the nation of Israel, have the power to impact our personal lives, our church’s, our country, and the world for Christ. Obedience to God’s word has the potential to cause revival in our world.

But it all starts with obedience to God’s word.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Isaiah 41 makes it clear that God is not through with Israel. Enemies will come against her, but God will protect His chosen people.

Verse 10 tells us that God is with Israel.

God reminds them that He is the great I AM. The God of creation, love, mercy, and grace.

God takes action by stating “I will…”.

God gives Israel six reasons not to fear or be dismayed.

1) I am with thee

2) I am thy God

3) I will strengthen thee

4) I will help thee

5) I will uphold thee

6) With my righteousness

It is comforting to know that the same God that protected Israel is the same God that protects believers in Christ today. The Holy Spirit resides in each believer. He is our comforter.

Thank God today for His watch care over us.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

Good morning,

The Bible is God’s truth. It contains everything we need to know about how to be successful. It must be followed without wavering. Keeping its commandments, shows our love for Jesus.

The Bereans knew this and wanted to make sure Paul was preaching the truth. Do we subject our Pastor/teachers to the same scrutiny? We should.

When we eat an apple

(Letters of John Newton)

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11

Remember your exalted privilege–you have the Bible in your hands, and are not bound to follow books or preachers any farther than what they teach agrees with the Oracles of Truth. We have great reason to be thankful for the instructions and writings of spiritual men–but they are all fallible, even as ourselves.

One is our master, even Christ–what He says, we are to receive implicitly–but we do not owe implicit subjection to the best of our fellow-worms. The Bereans were commended because they would not implicitly believe even the Apostle Paul–but examined the Scriptures every day to see if what he said was true. May the Lord give us a spirit of humility and discernment in all things.

When we eat an apple–we first cut out the blemishes, then eat what is good, and lastly throw the core away. Such a rule I would observe in reading human authors–the best may be defective, and the wisest may be mistaken. We are not only permitted, but enjoined, to call no man master.

“Examine everything carefully–hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21
~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001