Good morning,

This week’s lesson is on Haggai.

Haggai is a prophet of God. The time frame is after the 70 year Babylonian captivity.

Haggai 1

Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. (Haggai 1:5)

INTRODUCTION Ezra 1:1-6, 2:1-2

A WORD OF REBUKE (1:1-2)

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,² Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.

ISRAEL’S CHASTENING FROM GOD (1:3-15)

The Temple (1:3-5)

³ Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying,⁴ Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste?⁵ Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Withholding from God (sowing and reaping) (1:6-7) (Read Proverbs 3:9, Matthew 6:33, Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

⁶ Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.⁷ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

Consequences of not rebuilding the Temple (1:8-11)

⁸ Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.⁹ Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.¹⁰ Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.¹¹ And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands.

Israel obeys and God says, “I am with you” (1:12-15)

¹² Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord.¹³ Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.¹⁴ And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God,¹⁵ In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king.

CONCLUSION

Hearken to God’s rebuke

Never withhold from God

Obey God

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

Last week I walked the fine line between heaven and hell. While visiting a hospitalized senior, we spoke about the need to trust Jesus as Savior and Lord.

He had been taught well as a youth. He knew many Scripture verses by heart. He realized the consequences of not accepting Christ. After his youth, he traveled in company that pulled him away from God. When asked, he responded that he had never trusted Christ to be his Savior.

He was struggling with making the decision to follow Christ.

The Bible states, “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.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)

The forces of Satan and the forces of God were vying for this man’s life. The consequences would determine where he would spend eternity, heaven or hell.

Unfortunately, the resolution of this matter will only be known by God. This man passed into eternity yesterday.

This then is the essence of our existence, whether we will spend eternity in heaven or hell. We choose. All our good works are for the burning without Christ.

As the Scripture verses below indicate, we have a choice to choose life with God or death without God.

Deuteronomy 30:15-16 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: ²⁰ That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Proverbs 11:19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ gives life. When He died on the cross for our sins, resurrected from the dead, and ascended into heaven, He made a way for us to go from death to life.

Let us consider the pros and cons.

PROS: Good, walking with the Lord, knowing and obeying His commandments, may multiply, blessings, may dwell in the land, righteousness, fear of the Lord, everlasting life, reconciliation to God, and salvation.

CONS: Evil, cursing, snares, condemnation, and sin.

The preponderance of evidence is on the side of LIFE.

Your choice. CHOOSE LIFE!

If you are interested in being saved and going from death to life, please call or email me.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

 

 

Good morning,

Refuge. A place to go away from all the problems, stress, and noise of our day. A place where one will listen, help, and console. A solitary place.

Today’s devotion will tell us where this place is.

The bosom of Jesus

(Octavius Winslow, “The Loving, and the Loved” 1864)

“This was the one who had reclined on Jesus’ bosom at the supper . . . ” John 21:20

The bosom of Jesus still pillows the head of the weary, loving disciple of the Lord. There is no real rest for the soul, but in Jesus.

Where should the Christ-loved, the Christ-loving disciple lean, with his sins and sorrows, with his weariness and want–but upon the bosom of his Lord? It is the place of repose, of faith, and of love.

There is room for you there amid the countless ones who fly to it for consolation, safety, and repose. Go and lean with your burden, your grief, and your sin–where the beloved disciple reclined; and you shall realize the blessedness of the oneness, confidence, and affection which exist between Jesus and all the disciples whom He loves.

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Jesus is our refuge. Go to Him.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Reflect on what God has done this year and thank Him. This devotion is my lesson for today.

Thanksgiving 2017

Why are we thankful?

Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:3-5)

Introduction

Thanksgiving is the word that should characterize November. What makes us thankful?

Family, loved ones, jobs, recreational opportunities. We also should be thankful for the freedoms we have. We have the freedom to express ourselves, political freedom, ability to elect our representatives, and to attend and worship as we please.

Free Will

God gave us a free will to choose to follow Him or Satan.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Bible

He laid out His standard in the Bible. He tells us how the world was created, why one man’s transgression has made us all sinners, the result of that sin, how the conflict in the Middle East started, the creation of the nation of Israel, the history of the nation of Israel, the need for a blood sacrifice, and the ultimate redeemer who came to die, being the one time blood sacrifice for all mankind, Jesus Christ. So, we should be thankful that God gave us the Bible.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

God made us

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Genesis 1:27)

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.¹⁵ My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. ¹⁶ Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:14-16)

Jesus, Savior, Redeemer

Jesus was the Holy Son of God. Never sinned, never did any wickedness, creator of all things. Then God did something special for each of us by sending Jesus to earth to pay our sin debt with His own blood.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17) We should be thankful that God gave us His Son as Savior for all mankind.

God made sure that salvation was of faith not works.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them..” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

God made accepting Jesus easy.

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”

We should be thankful for salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sheep of Jesus pasture

“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. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

Nothing can separate us from God’s love

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-9)

CONCLUSION

Be thankful

Why are you thankful today?

 

 

Good morning,

I have gathered a few passages of Scripture on who God is and what He has done. As we read these passages, thank God for His goodness.

Thanksgiving

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.(Psalm 100)

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Romans 8:38-9 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 11:25-6 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Romans 8:16-17 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

1 Peter 1:3-5 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, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

John 10:27-29 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. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Ephesians 2:4-10
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

 

Good morning,

In my 68 years of life I have seen a tremendous amount of technological advancement. If I need to know something, I whip out my smart phone and “google it”.

The question then arises, where does my satisfaction come from? Does it come in my technology or God.

Today’s devotion will challenge our thinking in this area.

The glittering toys of life!

(Harriet Newell)

“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

We are pilgrims–we are strangers in a barren land. This world is not our portion–it is incapable of satisfying our desires. The glittering toys of life are not calculated to afford real enjoyment.

There is nothing in Heaven or earth that can delight our hearts and ease us of the heavy load of sin, but God.

Let us not be satisfied with the groveling pursuits of time–but let us look to the unchangeable Jehovah for a supply of His soul-refreshing grace.

How much has God done for us individually! He has made us partakers of His grace and redeemed us from eternal destruction. What shall we render to Him for this abundant mercy? O let our future lives evince gratitude–and let our praises unceasingly flow to His throne.

“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul!” 1 Peter 2:11

~  ~  ~  ~

Thanksgiving is on Thursday. The Daily Devotions have attributes of God. This week see how many you can find and then thank God for His wonderful provision.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This devotional tells a story of why we should not complain. 

A certain woman once called upon her clergyman to tell him how distressed her mind was

(“Pleasant Readings for the Home” Author unknown)

A certain woman once called upon her clergyman to tell him how distressed her mind was. He received her with all tenderness, and inquired into the cause of her distress. She went on to say that her mind was very much troubled indeed, but she did know how to tell him. The clergyman judging that it must be something serious, urged her to be explicit upon the subject of her trouble.

At last she said, “It is the length of your neckties, sir–when in the pulpit.”

“Oh,” he said, “the length of my neckties is what distresses you? I will take care that this shall be a source of distress to you no more.”

So fetching his neckties, he said, “Here is a pair of scissors, cut them to your wish.”

After she had done this–she thanked him, and professed to feel her mind relieved.

“Well, my friend,” said he, “I may tell you that my mind has also been much troubled, perhaps even more than yours.”

“Oh, sir, I am sorry for that. What, sir, has distressed your mind so?”

He replied, “It is the length of your tongue! And now, as one good turn deserves another, you will allow as much to be cut off as will reduce it to its proper length!”

She was speechless and learned an important lesson.

“Do not grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged!” James 5:9

~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Discouragement, sin, disobedience, causes us to live a defeated Christian life. It is God’s desire for us to live an”…abundant life…” We need to repent and allow God to have His way in our lives.

Quicken our poor, cold, lifeless souls!

(James Smith, “The Evening Sacrifice; Or, A Help to Devotion” 1859)

“My soul cleaves unto the dust–quicken me according to Your Word!” Psalm 119:25

What powerful attractions the present world has! How prone we are . . .

 to sink down to its level,

 to become attached to its customs,

 and to cleave to its vanities!

Yet, at the best, it is but dust. There is nothing in the world to satisfy or suit an immortal mind.

Jesus died for us–to deliver us from this present evil world. The Holy Spirit urges us to rise above it, and offers us His divine and all-sufficient aid. He will not force, but only attract or draw. Alas! that we should . . .

 slight His intimations,

 disregard His exhortations,

 and grieve His loving heart!

We are not of the world–and yet how worldly we are! We are born from above–but yet how earthly we remain! Our souls go out after things that are carnal, drossy, dusty, contemptible–to the neglect of things that are spiritual, pure, holy, and invaluable.

Heavenly Father, we confess our folly, we deplore our ingratitude, we condemn our conduct. We feel weak and feeble when we attempt to burst our bonds, and mount upwards to Your throne. O quicken, quicken us! By the power of Your Holy Spirit, and by bringing home Your inspired Word–quicken our poor, cold, lifeless souls!

Have You not promised to be as the dew unto Your people, coming down graciously, gradually, and gently upon them–in order to revive their graces, quicken their devotions, and cause them to grow up into Christ? O come down upon our dry and thirsty souls as the dew–or fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants.

Quicken us–and so will we mount up to Your throne, and do Your righteous will. Quicken us–and so Jesus will be precious to us, and the work of the Lord will be pleasant to us.

  ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

Today’s sermon is Sinner to Saint, my testimony. I will not be printing the sermon notes due to the Personal Identifiable Information involved. Suffice it to say that on April 20, 1972 I received Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.

Here is the story.

I was attending Boise State University. I met a girl and we began dating. She was staying with her grandfather who required her to go to church. So, if I wanted to be with her, I also had to go church. Neither of us were believers in Jesus Christ.

Later that semester I proposed and she accepted. It was agreed that she would go home and work and I would complete school. Then we would get married.

The following spring, I went to visit her. We had a good time together. When I arrived home, there was a package waiting for me. It had her engagement ring and a note breaking off our engagement. I was heartbroken.

I went back to the church. Unfortunately, my motivation was all wrong. I went to meet and date more of the girls. The girls had been taught well. They refused my dates, but were willing to invite me to church activities. They and their parents were concerned about my soul.

They encouraged me to attend a Bible study at a local restaurant. The speaker was talking about how to have a personal relationship with Christ. It was after one of these studies that the Holy Spirit drew me to Christ. I went home, repented of my sins, and asked Jesus to come into my life to be my Lord and Savior.

I became involved in an on-campus organization, Campus Crusade for Christ, and one of their members discipled me. I grew in my relationship with God and felt called to ministry. After graduation, I joined the Military Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.

And as they say, “The rest is history.”

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

 

Good morning,

God is always with us. He leads, guides, protects, and comforts us.

You hold me by my right hand!

(James Smith, “The Evening Sacrifice; Or, A Help to Devotion” 1859)

“Nevertheless I am continually with You–You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel–and afterward receive me to glory!” Psalm 73:23-24

Continually with the Lord! O what a privilege!
Held fast by my right hand! O what a blessing!
Yet, this privilege and this blessing, have all the saints.

Tonight, while I sleep–tonight, while all is dark about me–tonight, while dangers may fly thick around me–my God will be with me, and I shall be with my God. Never did a tender mother watch beside the couch of her sick and dying child with such love, solicitude, and tenderness–as my God will watch by my bedside tonight. Never did a kind father hold the right hand of his timid or feeble son with such care and sympathy–as my God holds me by my right hand. Well, therefore, may I . . .
give myself up to His guidance,
feel safe in His keeping, and
anticipate my entrance into His glory.

Blessed Lord, I love you, I adore you tonight for Your constant presence with me, and Your watchful care over me. You hold my right hand at this moment–O help me to realize it! And teach me by Your persuasive influence, to yield myself constantly to you.

Here, Lord, I put myself into Your hand anew. I no longer wish to choose my own way, but with all my heart say, “You will guide me with Your counsel–and afterward receive me to glory!”

O my Father, guide me through all the trials and temptations that lie in my path. Guide me through all the snares and dangers found in my way. Guide me into truth and holiness, and fill me with Your joy and peace. Guide, O guide me every step of my journey–and safely across the Jordan of death. Then receive me into Your glorious presence, where I shall see Jesus, and enjoy Your love, and rejoice in Your favor forever!

“Nevertheless, I am continually with You–You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel–and afterward receive me to glory!” Psalm 73:23-24

~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001