March 2023

Daily Devotion March 2023

3/31/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/r7IPCVDimRM

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of the sermon “The Cliffhanger” based on Mark 16:1-8.

Mark is ending his gospel at this moment with a cliffhanger even though it looks like we haven’t reached the end yet. Before Verse 9 begins, there’s a note in my NIV Bible that says: The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.

The ending that appears after Verse 8 is most likely not original to Mark. Probably what happened was a scribe added a good commentary or a devotional conclusion. We know the story doesn’t end where Mark ends it, because we find more in the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John. We find people did go and tell people about Jesus, and the Church grew. So verses 9-20 are probably a commentary conclusion or a preaching conclusion that was added by a scribe.

If you read the Daily Devotional on our church’s website, you’ve no doubt read the recaps of Pastor Michael’s sermons. At some point, you may have said to yourself, “Wait a minute! I heard Pastor Michael give that sermon, and he didn’t say that.” What’s happening is the “scribe” who is writing down what Pastor Michael said is adding his own commentary and doing a little preaching of his own. NCCU’s scribe, who will remain unnamed, is adding his two cents worth to what was being said.

Mark deliberately ends his gospel on this unexpected note found in Verse 8 because it’s a cliffhanger. Mark is bringing everything to a point that asks, “What will you do?” This is the finale of the whole gospel.

Mark started out his gospel with these words in 1:1: The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. Right away we see that the gospel is going to be about the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. In Chapter 8 we find Peter’s confession of Christ in verses 27-29:

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Jesus is identified as the Son of God.

In verses 34-38 Jesus calls us to follow him:

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

We see again in Chapter 15 that Jesus is identified as the Son of God (verses 37-39):

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

Mark clearly identifies Jesus as the Son of God. We are told to pick up our cross, follow Jesus, and tell others about Jesus. But notice how Mark closes the book:Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Mark is having you ask the question, “What about me? What am I going to do? Am I going to say nothing because I’m afraid, or am I going to go and tell?” How will you respond?

We will conclude this message recap tomorrow.

Verse Completion: . . . say flows from what is in your heart.” Luke 6:45 (NLT)

3/30/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/R84PqRdZ7_Y

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of the sermon “The Cliffhanger” based on Mark 16:1-8.

When you become a follower of Christ, you find your life matters. You find significance. Your life now has purpose; it’s not futile. You now have a mission—go—and a message—tell. Christianity is not some kind of manipulation where people are exploited, and it’s not an attempt to force someone to believe something. It’s not some strange sales technique either.

Christianity brings a person to the realization that his/her life matters. This gives a person something important to say that has eternal significance. When the Apostle Paul encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, he walked away from the experience with a mission and a purpose. Paul put it this way in 1 Corinthians 15:58:

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

A follower of Christ no longer has a life that is pointless, meaningless, and full of vanity. When a person comes to know Christ, his or her life gains purpose. There’s now a point to life. There’s something worth living for. You have a mission and a message if you are a follower of Christ.

You don’t have to be a missionary or a preacher in order to have a mission. Perhaps you’re a mother. It’s 3:00 a.m. and your baby simply will not go to sleep. You’ve been up with your child all night long. You start to see the sunrise, and you realize it’s time to get ready for work. You probably aren’t thinking about your mission in life at that point, but you do have a mission with your kids. Your life is not meaningless. Your child’s life is not meaningless.

If you are a Christian, you have a mission to proclaim and promote the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation and sanctification of all people. As Christians, we have something worth living for and something worth dying for.

Have you ever seen a really great movie? What did you do afterwards? You went and told others about it. This is what happened to Laurie and me after we saw the movie “Jesus Revolution”. We wanted to tell all our friends about it so they could go and enjoy the movie, too. The last thing we wanted to do was keep the movie to ourselves.

When you experience Jesus, you want to go and tell. You have a mission, and you have a message. You want others to hear the Good News of the gospel and have their lives transformed just like your own life was transformed.

There’s a third question that emerges from Mark’s cliffhanger. It’s found in Verse 8: Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

We can see what they did—fled from the tomb and said nothing because they were afraid. The question for us is: What will we do?

What they did was so human. They’ve been told by an angel to go and tell, but what do they do? They run away and are silent! Isn’t that just like us? We’re told not to be afraid, but we turn around and are afraid. We’re told to speak, but we are silent. We’re told to go, but we flee. We can be just like these women, and we can be just like Jonah, can’t we?

We will continue tomorrow with a recap of this message.

Verse Completion: . . . be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

3/29/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/VcqMR16OG40

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of the sermon “The Cliffhanger” based on Mark 16:1-8.

Perhaps we think about the resurrection in terms of comparative religions:

· Muhammad is dead. His tomb is not empty.

· Buddha’s tomb is not empty. Buddha is dead.

· Atheists don’t claim their heroes’ tombs are empty.

If you travel to Moscow and visit Lenin’s Mausoleum at Red Square, you can see the embalmed body of Lenin when he is brought out on a daily basis for viewing. He is definitely dead.

Perhaps you think about the resurrection of our Lord in terms of comparative ideologies or religions, but do you think about it as a fact? The empty tomb is not a matter of opinion; it’s a fact. That fact should cause you to think about your own life. You aren’t going to live forever in this life. Our days are numbered. Then what?

The Christian faith is not based upon a subjective, emotional experience. This is one of the things that distinguishes the Christian faith from the cults. When Mormons are pushed about their claims that Jesus came to America and so forth, they can’t produce any evidence that supports their belief. There is no evidence because it didn’t happen.

Some people think their beliefs aren’t what’s important; their experience is what really matters. Their subjective, emotional experience is what made them “see the light”.

The Christian faith is different; it’s based upon fact—objective fact. It’s an objective fact that the tomb was empty. Why was it empty? The angel said it was because Jesus had risen. There was a physical resurrection from the dead that took place.

The cliffhanger left us asking, “Why was the tomb empty?” We received our answer: Jesus had risen from the dead. There is a factual basis to our faith, and, therefore, if you are a Christian, this fact should give you confidence and courage.

The cliffhanger also leaves us asking a second question: What on earth does this resurrection mean? Facts alone need interpretation. We receive our answer in the words spoken by the angel. The young man dressed in a white robe was an angel. God spoke to the ladies through the angel. What did the angel say in Verse 7? Go tell. What does the resurrection of Jesus mean? It means go tell.

Yes, it also means that we who believe will also rise from the dead, but it doesn’t merely mean that. What it means is the whole of reality now, because of the resurrection, has shifted. We now live on the other side of the empty tomb. Therefore, as Christians, we now have a global mission—go and tell.

Currently, revivals are happening around the world. Revivals give people a fresh confidence in the truth of the Gospel, so they speak about it. The resurrection means go, tell. Jesus has risen from the dead. Therefore, go, tell.

We will continue tomorrow with a recap of this message.

Verse Completion: . . . obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” Joshua 1:8 (NLT)

3/28/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/depXVe6MFk8

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of the sermon “The Cliffhanger” based on Mark 16:1-8.

Mark is ending on a cliffhanger because he wants us to ask questions about what he has just told us. The first question we might ask is: Why was the tomb empty? Notice, the question is not: Was the tomb empty? That question has already been answered. In Mark 15:40-47 we read:

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome had seen Jesus die on the cross on Friday. They saw where he was laid to rest so they had the right tomb. On Sunday, when they went to the tomb, they found the large stone had been rolled away. They entered the tomb, and were told that Jesus wasn’t there because he had risen from the dead. They saw for themselves Jesus wasn’t there. That wasn’t what they were expecting.

Besides the grave being empty, we are given more reasons to confirm the tomb was empty in other places in the Bible:

· First, Jesus appeared to more than 500 people after he died on the cross. 1 Corinthians 15:6 says: After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

· Second, the Church grew after the resurrection, and it continues to grow. Today there are more than 2.4 billion people in the world who identify themselves as Christians.

· Third, if the tomb hadn’t been empty, someone would have produced the body of Jesus to prove he was dead. There were a lot of people who wanted the church to stop growing, but they couldn’t come up with the dead body of Jesus.

The tomb was definitely empty, but why the tomb was empty? It was empty because Jesus had risen from the dead. The angel told them, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him” (verse 6). How often do we think of Jesus actually coming to life, and walking out of the tomb? We need to let the truth of this event sink in?

We will continue tomorrow with a recap of this message.

Verse Completion: . . . you will be successful in everything you do.” Joshua 1:7 (NLT)

3/27/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/oRNFLM4VX3Q

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you, across the skies in majestic splendor. The eternal God is your . . . (completion at the end)

Yesterday, Ray Copelin gave a message titled “The Cliffhanger” that was based on a sermon given by Dr. Josh Moody of College Church on Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. The text used in the sermon was Mark 16:1-8:

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

When you read a novel or watch a television series, there are various rhetorical techniques that are used to keep our interest and attention. One common technique is a cliffhanger. The origin of the word cliffhanger may go back to when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was writing about Sherlock Holmes. After some time, the author became so fed up with writing about Sherlock Holmes that he decided to kill off the hero by having him fall off a cliff. This was not received well by the public. There was such an outcry from the readers to bring back Sherlock Holmes that the author decided to extend the story with the idea that Sherlock Holmes hung onto the edge of the cliff he fell off of and survived—a real cliffhanger. It makes you wonder what will happen next.

Have you noticed how this technique is used in the news? A meteorologist will say snow is on the way, but that’s about all that is said at that point. You have to stay tuned to the news to find out more at a later time. You’re left with a cliffhanger. You’re left asking questions: When will the snow start falling? How much snow is expected? How long will the snow stick around? What will the temperatures be?

Verse eight ends on a cliffhanger. The women went out from the tomb but didn’t say anything. It makes you wonder: What’s going to happen next?

Mark is telling his story in such a way that he leaves his readers with a cliffhanger. As we’re reading a story or listening to an audible version of a story or watching a story develop on television, when there’s a cliffhanger, it causes our brain to ask questions such as: Why did that happen? What’s really going on? What will they do next? The technique is used so the reader or listener or watcher will get involved in the story and do some thinking. As we think and ask questions, we make predictions as to what we think will happen next. We wonder if our predictions will be right or wrong.

We will continue tomorrow with a recap of this message.

Verse Completion: . . . refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.” Deuteronomy 33:26-27a (NLT)

3/25/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/cgsbaBIaoVc

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will conclude a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of the Authority of Scripture” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Every letter of every page was counted and compared to the original. The number of times a letter of the alphabet was used was counted and compared against the original. For example, if there were seventeen Bs on an original page, the number of Bs on the copied page had to be seventeen as well. If they didn’t match, the copy had to be destroyed.

The middle letter of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) as well as the middle letter of the Hebrew Bible was computed and indicated in the text. If either of the calculations was wrong, the entire manuscript was discarded. Any copy with an error was flawed and had to be done away with. Copies had to match the original, so they painstakingly worked to insure this was accomplished. One mistake was not acceptable. Perfection was the standard when copying the word of God.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls proved that the Old Testament that we have today is the same as the Old Testament that was used before the time of Jesus. When there is a conflict in manuscripts where one manuscript used one word and a different manuscript used a different word, there is a footnote for us today saying, “Some ancient manuscripts say . . .” Nothing is being hidden from the reader. No doctrine of Scripture has changed since the original document was given. Nothing has been added or taken away because of translations or copies.

In Deuteronomy 4:2 we read: Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you. Revelation 22:18-19 tells us: I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Our Bible is fully reliable and trustworthy in all of its words. We can be assured we are reading the words of God when we read the Bible. Since they are the words of God, His words are to be obeyed as the final authority of faith and practice. It is the most accurately preserved and widely attested document in the ancient world. There is no other book like it. It is unique. It was written by over forty authors from many walks of life—farmer, fisherman, tax collector, statesmen, king, and so on. The Bible was written over a span of 1600 years. It was written on three continents and in three languages—Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. It’s written about hundreds of controversial issues, yet it doesn’t contradict itself. The Bible is one united message about the lostness of mankind and the salvation of mankind through the love and sacrifice of the one, true God. This unified message starts in Genesis and ends in Revelation.

The Bible contains the words of God recorded by people who were inspired by God. The prophets who wrote were moved along by God; they were filled by the Holy Spirit with God-breathed words. The Bible we have today contains God’s words. The Bible is accurate and true. The words have not been altered to fit culture. They are timeless. They are eternal words of truth and salvation. They are living, active words of God designed to change the heart and life of every person on earth.

Hebrews 4:12 says: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. It’s a book that changes lives. It takes people from darkness to light, from sin to salvation. Leaders have tried to destroy the Bible, yet it thrives. The Bible is inspired by God, kept by God, protected by God, revealed by God, and shows us the path to a relationship with God. The Bible is the authority for faith and practice for every disciple of Christ. It can be trusted. Therefore, we change our life to conform with what God says in his word. We don’t change his words to conform with our views or our lifestyle. We change because God’s word has authority over us. They are words of life.

Verse Completion: . . . abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation.” Deuteronomy 32:15 (NLT)

3/24/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/uZefyU7QUE4

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: I will proclaim the name of the LORD; how glorious is our God! He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue the recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of the Authority of Scripture” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

In spite of all the evidence, there are still objections to the trustworthiness of the Bible. Some say the words of the Bible have changed over the years. The critics say only the original words of the original document are without error. They say our versions of today are faulty and have changed through time. When they don’t like something that’s written in the Bible, they say, “I don’t have to believe that because you can’t prove to me that it was there in the original document.”

The versions of the Bible we have today are trustworthy and reliable. Doctrine in the Bible has not changed with the times. There can be punctuation errors and minor word errors, but the Bible we have today is the Bible that was originally given. We know this because of the reliability of the Bible. Reliability is measured by the number of manuscripts that exist, and the time between when it was first written and the oldest existing copy (closeness to the original in date). The shorter the distance in time from the original to the first copy increases the reliability of the copy. The more copies we have the better it is so they can be compared and contrasted with each other.

Let’s see how the Bible stacks up with some other writings regarding reliability:

Plato was written 427-347 BC. The earliest copy was made in AD 900. The time span from the original to the first copy was 1200 years. There were 7 copies that were found within 1200 years of the original.

Sophocles was written 496-406 BC. The earliest copy was made in AD 1000. The time span from the original to the first copy was 1400 years. There were 100 copies that were found within 1400 years of the original.

Aristotle was written 384-322 BC. The earliest copy was made in AD 1100. The time span from the original to the first copy was 1400 years. There were 5 copies that were found within 1400 years of the original.

Homer was written 762-810 BC. The earliest copy was made in 300 BC. The time span from the original to the first copy was 500 years. There were 643 copies that were found within 500 years of the original.

The New Testament was written AD 40-100. The earliest copy was made in AD 125. The time span from the original to the first copy was 25 years. There were over 24,000 copies that were found within 25 years of the original.

The Bible is by far the most reliable document we have of ancient writings, yet its reliability is questioned and Plato’s is not. Why is the Bible constantly being challenged? It’s because people don’t want God to be the authority for their lives. They don’t want to be held accountable to God so they dismiss his words as being unreliable. People don’t want to change their lives to adjust to God; they want God to change to adjust to them.

How reliable is the Old Testament? It was already accepted as being reliable by the time of Jesus. The Old Testament we have in our Bibles today is the same Old Testament Jesus used.

Each copy of the Old Testament had to be made on a brand new writing surface prepared specifically for it. Not just anyone was allowed to copy the words of God. The person had to be a copyist who had been trained for the job. The religious leaders knew that changing the words of God would bring curses on the people, so they were diligent in making sure the words of God were copied accurately. To aid in this job, there were columns of thirty letters in width. If a column had more than thirty letters or less than thirty letters, the copyist knew he had made an error, and he would have to start over.

All copying of the words of God had to be done in a certain color and using a given quality of ink. Every copy had to be made from an authenticated original. Copying from a copy was forbidden. Nothing could be written from memory. The copyist had to look at each letter in the original before copying them one at a time. Using English as an example, if a copyist was writing the word “to”, he would have to look at the t on the original and then write the t on the copy; he would have to look at the o in the original and then copy the o onto the copy. It was tedious work! The copyists had to be meticulous in their work.

Words or phrases could not be copied; it was all done one letter at a time. No letter could connect or overlap with another letter. Spaces between letters were measured using a thread. The religious leaders wanted to insure the words of God remained the words of God. Accuracy was everything to them. There were no loosey-goosey copyists. Errors were not tolerated.

We will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s message tomorrow.

Verse Completion: . . . just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! Deuteronomy 32:3-4 (NLT)

3/23/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/qQD6L5icgyU

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue the recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of the Authority of Scripture” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

We have evidence from what the Bible says about itself, evidence from Jesus, and evidence from fulfilled prophecy. Forty-eight of the major prophecies about the Messiah are all fulfilled by Jesus. The odds of that happening are one in ten to the power of 157.

The odds of one in 100 would be one in ten to the power of two—there are two zeros after the one in 100.

The odds of all 48 major prophecies about the Messiah being fulfilled by Jesus is one in one with 157 zeros after it. The 48 major prophecies include facts like: the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, born of a virgin, be from the tribe of Judah, son of Jesse, be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, no bones would be broken, his side would be pierced, his clothing would be gambled for, he would be buried with the rich, he'd be raised from the dead, and so on.

God’s word is truth. Every word comes to pass. All the prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled in Jesus.

1 Peter 1:20-21 says: He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

When dealing with the issue of the authority of Scripture, we also have evidence from archaeology. Biblical criticism has said the Bible can’t be trusted because some of the claims made by the writers of the Bible are wrong based on historical facts. Their conclusion is: If you can’t trust the historical facts in the Bible, you can’t trust anything else in it. However, as archaeologists have been unfolding their discoveries, new pieces of evidence have been found. Every new piece of evidence points to the Bible being historically true. When archaeology tries to disprove the Bible with their findings, they end up proving the Bible is historically accurate.

Let’s look at three examples. In Luke 3:1 we read: In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene—

Critics of the Bible said there was nothing in history that was written about Lysanias, tetrarch of Abilene. Therefore, because Mark got it wrong, nothing Mark wrote can be trusted. However, during an archaeological dig, they found an inscription that referred to Lysanias the tetrarch that was dated approximately 27 AD. Luke did have it right!

For our next example, let’s look at Romans 16:23: Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.

Critics said there’s no record of an Erastus who was the city’s director of public works during this period of history. Therefore, Paul got this wrong. Since he got this information wrong, he likely got other things wrong, too. His words are not trustworthy. However, in 1929, an archaeological dig found a record of Erastus who was the director of public works. Paul did get it right!

For our third example, let’s look at Daniel 5:30-31: That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

Critics said the last king of Babylon was Nabonidus who reigned from 556-539 BC. It was not Belshazzar. Daniel got it wrong. What Daniel writes cannot be trusted. However, a clay tablet was found in an archaeological dig that named Belshazzar as the co-regent with his father, Nabonidus. Archaeology proves that Scripture is true. The Bible is inerrant and infallible; the Bible is without error and is incapable of being wrong. The Bible speaks truth. It is faultless, flawless, perfect, and true.

There are no errors in the Bible because the Bible contains the words of God, and God is flawless. The words in the Bible are forever. Isaiah 40:8 tells us: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” The Bible is true. Jesus trusted it. Paul trusted it. Peter trusted it. Archaeology proves it’s trustworthy. Prophecy proves it’s trustworthy. We can trust the words of God. They are all true.

We will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s message tomorrow.

Verse Completion: . . . they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise me and break my covenant. Deuteronomy 31:20 (NLT)

3/22/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/bVgfTcb_YWE

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: ”So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue the recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of the Authority of Scripture” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

There are many places in the New Testament that quote the Old Testament. When New Testament writers quote from the Old Testament, they often write, “As it is written . . . “ All Scripture is absolute truth.

In addition to what the Bible says about itself, we have evidence from what Jesus said. In Matthew 5:17-19 we read, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Clearly, the Old Testament contains the words of God. By the time Jesus appeared on the earth, the Old Testament was already regarded as truth from God. It was regarded as the authority for their lives.

Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Old Testament; he came to fulfill it. We may never set the words of God aside because we don’t like what they say or because God’s word doesn’t line up with our worldview. We may never change God’s word to keep up with modern day moral standards. Truth doesn’t change. It’s the same yesterday and today and forever. Walking away from truth is walking away from God. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6a).

John 10:34-35 contains the following words of Jesus: “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’ ? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—”

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and quoting from Psalm 82:6. God had endowed the rulers with dignity and authority. The word for “gods” used here is elohim which is a plural noun ordinarily translated gods. It is also used for supernatural beings such as angels, and for men of high rank and supreme authority. There were kings who called themselves “gods”, and standing before the Pharisees was the one true God, Jesus. They didn’t recognize the Son of God for who he was when they saw him. They didn’t recognize his authority.

Scripture cannot be broken; it can’t be set aside. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that the Old Testament Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament that we use today) contains the authoritative words of God that cannot be set aside or ignored.

Jesus said in Luke 24:44, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Jesus is saying that everything that you read in the Old Testament about him will be fulfilled. Since it’s truth, it will come to pass. None of it is a lie. None of it is wrong.

Luke 11:50-51 has the following words of Jesus: “Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.”

It’s clear Jesus believed Abel and Zechariah were real people. The story of Cain and Abel is a true story; it’s not fiction. Abel was at the beginning of the Old Testament, and Zechariah was at the end of the Old Testament. The people you read about in the Old Testament are real people. What the Bible said happened did really happen.

We will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s message tomorrow.

Verse Completion: . . . personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

3/21/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/8589eZtnrKs

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: ”And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? He requires only that you . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue with a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of the Authority of Scripture” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Psalm 119:1-3, and 9-11 tells us: Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart—they do no wrong but follow his ways.

We get to know God through his word—his ways, his will. We find out how to live in a right relationship with God and receive the blessings of God by reading his words.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

God’s word tells us how we can avoid sinning. God’s words show us the path he wants us to follow. We learn how to live rightly and purely before God when we read his word. It behooves us to read Scripture, meditate on Scripture, and memorize Scripture.

Psalm 19:7-11 says: The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

God’s word is to be followed and obeyed because they are the words of authority; they are God’s words.

Amos 7:7-8 tells us: This is what he showed me: The Lord was standing by a wall that had been built true to plumb, with a plumb line in his hand. And the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look, I am setting a plumb line among my people Israel; I will spare them no longer.

God is telling Amos that His words are a plumb line. Plumb lines in construction show a worker if a wall is straight up and down. Plumb lines are always true. Walls might not be true; they might not be 90 degrees to the floor of a building, but a plumb line is always true.

God’s word is always true. We read God’s word to see if we are in line with God’s word. When we are not in line with it, we change. The plumb line does not change; God does not change. Hebrews 13:8 tells us: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. God’s word is the same, yesterday and today and forever. The authority of God’s word never changes. It’s always the plumb line we use to see if our lives are in line with God’s will.

When I was helping my dad with some construction work, I made the mistake of saying, “Hey, the plumb line is off on this opening for the door.” My dad corrected me. People make the same mistake I made when they say, “Oh, the Bible is wrong on this one.” The Bible is never wrong. The Bible is our plumb line for life. It’s our authority, and it always will be.

2 Peter 3:15-16 says: Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

We see very clearly that Peter, who is doing the writing here, calls Paul’s writing Scripture. Paul wrote as the Holy Spirit spoke to him.

We will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s message tomorrow.

Verse Completion: . . . fear the LORD your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. Deuteronomy 10:12 (NLT)

3/20/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/aYTKYpnRnAQ

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: ”He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the LORD your God. He is . . . (completion at the end)

Yesterday, Pastor Michael continued his series of sermons on the issues of life with his fourth sermon titled “The Issue of the Authority of Scripture” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

As disciples of Christ, do we believe Scripture is the absolute truth of God? Do we believe it’s truth we need to adjust our lives to? Do we receive the Bible as authority in our lives and over our lives? Or do we look at Scripture as suggestions? Do we look at Scripture as we would look at a smorgasbord where we pick and choose what we like, and don’t get involved with what we don’t like?

The issue we are dealing with is the issue of the authority of Scripture. Is all of it God’s words to us? How are we to respond to Scripture? Are we going to follow the teaching found in Scripture, or are we going to follow whatever we want to follow? As disciples of Christ, what are we to believe about the authority of Scripture?

Let’s begin by defining biblical authority. The words of the Bible tell me how to live my life. When my life doesn’t align with the teaching in the Bible, it’s up to me to change. Scripture doesn’t change. Some people want to change Scripture so it aligns with their lifestyle, rather than change their lifestyle to align with Scripture. They want their own words to have the final say rather than have God’s word have the final say. When we recognize biblical authority in our lives, we are in submission to the words of the Bible; the words of the Bible are not in submission to us.

If I am going to submit my life to the words of the Bible, I need to know the Bible is trustworthy. Let’s look at evidence from the Bible itself. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Every word of Scripture comes from the breath of God. It’s the voice of God speaking to us as we read Scripture.

2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us: Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

What we read in Scripture is not something drummed up my people. There’s plenty out there that does originate from people. You can read the thoughts of people like Socrates, Confucius, Plato, Shakespeare, and hundreds/thousands of others. Their writings are their own works, not the works of God. When you are looking for God-breathed words that are inspired by the Holy Spirit, go to the Bible.

In Psalm 119:105 we read: Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. The reason God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path is it’s truth. It shows us the path to follow that leads to everlasting life with God. It also shows us the paths that lead to destruction and eternal damnation with Satan so we can avoid those paths.

We will continue this recap of Pastor Michael’s message tomorrow.

Verse Completion: . . . the one who gives you power to be successful.” Deuteronomy 8:17-18a (NLT)

3/18/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/wo4ijOIs6as

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will conclude a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of Gambling”.

Gambling is largely a game of luck. When you depend on luck or believe in luck as if it had power over circumstances and people, then luck becomes a god that you serve; it becomes an idol. Is Lady Luck sovereign over what happens in your life? Don’t let luck become an idol. God is the only one who is sovereign, and he is sovereign over all! He is the only one who has the power to change the outcome of something.

Luck is a concept that is not bad in and of itself. You can get lucky at a card game or a golf shot or finding a parking spot. Referring to luck does not mean you are sinning. However, if you are going to the casino to gamble with the idea that your lucky charm, lucky number, lucky clothing, or luck ritual will make a difference in the outcome of the game you play, then you are likely serving an idol, not God.

Isaiah 65:11-12 tells us: “But as for you who forsake the LORD and forget my holy mountain, who spread a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall in the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”

Fortune is the Syrian god of good luck—“Gad” or “Haggad”. This passage is saying, “If you are inviting luck into your life to fellowship with you in life, then God is saying you are going to be destined for slaughter; you are going to be opened up for destruction in your life. Destiny is the god of fate/destiny/luck—“Meni”. This is often bad luck.

God is saying, “If you are counting on the god of Haggad or the god of Fortune or Lady Luck, and you’re counting on some destiny, some fate, some force that’s going to bring you good fortune and luck, then you are walking away from God, and you are walking away from Jesus. You are offending God by your sin and doing evil. You are choosing what displeases God, and you are opening your life up for destruction and ruin.

Be very aware of what god you are serving if you are gambling. There is no such thing as a lucky shirt, lucky charm, lucky coin, or anything else. God is sovereign over time and chance, and he is the only God we serve. Luck and chance don’t happen without God knowing and allowing. There’s no such thing as Lady Luck or the Goddess of Luck. Only God is sovereign; he’s the only God we serve.

In conclusion we ask the question: Is gambling wrong or sinful? The answer could be yes or no. If you are seeking money above and before God, then, yes, gambling is sinful. If you are trusting in the “god” of luck, then gambling is sinful. If you feel you are contributing to the damage of others by gambling, then gambling is sinful. On the other hand, if you are just playing a game for entertainment and not putting a family member in danger, not seeking riches, not trusting in Lady Luck, not going into debt, not becoming greedy, and you are putting God first in your life, then gambling for you might be okay.

Let’s end with 1 Timothy 6:9-10:

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love ofmoney is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

In light of everything, pray about what God would have you do concerning gambling.

Verse Completion: . . . do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands. Deuteronomy 8:11 (NLT)

3/17/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/NwqTvmpnKeE

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: When you have eaten your fill, be sure to . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of Gambling”. We are looking at biblical impacts of gambling. Gambling can foster the development of an idol in your life.

Seek God first, and let him add the other things in your life. If he doesn’t add them, you don’t need them. If he does add them, great!

The definition of gambling is: playing games of chance for monetary stakes. Gambling is an appeal or a reliance on chance or luck. There are very few controls in gambling. Gambling always involves the gain or loss of money. It’s not gambling if no money is involved. Examples of gambling include the lotteries, slots, casino games, bingo, card games involving money, and betting on different sports. When gambling, there is little to no control over the results. In a card game, you have no control over what cards are dealt to you. In bingo you have no control over what number is called. In a horse race, there’s nothing you can do to speed a horse up or slow another horse down. The outcome of gambling is left to chance or luck. There is no way to mitigate the level of chance.

If you purchase fifty lottery tickets per week, the chances of you winning the jackpot are still one in every 5,000 years. Gambling is a game of chance or luck.

Having said that, luck is not always a bad thing. Let’s look at Ecclesiastes 9:11:

I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

Our lives are involved in time and chance. We are the recipients of a fallen world. Sometimes we might say, “That was a lucky putt” or “That was a lucky goal” or “That was a lucky guess.”

Luck becomes a bad thing when it becomes something we count on, call upon, or believe in. Luck is bad when you give it power over your actions. Luck is a bad thing when you believe it is an entity, and you believe you have control over it. For example, a person may say, “This is my lucky shirt. Whenever I wear it the Seahawks win their game.” The person needs to realize that their shirt has no powerover who wins the game! A shirt has no power over the numbers that are picked for the Powerball. If you believe your shirt holds power, you have an idol on your hands. Of course it doesn’t have to be a shirt that’s lucky, it can be most anything—a ritual, a charm, quartz, hat, rabbit’s foot, coin, certain numbers. As soon as you assign power to it, you have an idol.

When was the last time a sports team called you up before their game and said, “Are you wearing your lucky jersey today? We want to make sure we win the game.” It will never happen because they know your “lucky jersey” has absolutely nothing to do with them winning or losing their game.

Whenever you depend on luck or believe in luck as if it had power over circumstances and people, then luck becomes a god that you serve; it becomes an idol. You may have heard of Lady Luck. You may have heard someone say, “Lady Luck smiled down on me.” If you treat Lady Luck as a person or power that can change the outcome of things, you have a god in your life.

We will continue the recap of Dr. Wedman’s message all this week.

Verse Completion: . . . praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Deuteronomy 8:10 (NLT)

3/16/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/WT5rW6HF_K4

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of Gambling”. We are looking at the moral impacts of gambling.

1 Timothy 6:6-8 tells us: But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

People think it’s the Powerball that will give them great gain, but it’s godliness with contentment that will give us great gain!

Proverbs 15:27 tells us: The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.

Matthew 6:19-24 has the following words of Jesus:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

We can’t love God and money at the same time. We have to make a choice to either love God or love money. If gambling takes you away from your love of God and moves you toward the love of money, it’s time to give up gambling.

In addition to the social and moral impacts of gambling, there are biblical impacts of gambling. Gambling can foster the development of an idol. Matthew 6:25-34 has the following words of Jesus:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Love God more than anything else. Love God more than money. Love God more than clothes. Love God more than food. Love God more than the boat or car you see advertised on television. If gambling is drawing you away from God, and you are desiring things more than God, an idol may be developing in your life. If you see the Powerball as a way to provide for your needs over God providing for your needs, you may have an idol in your heart.

We will continue the recap of Dr. Wedman’s message all this week.

Verse Completion: . . . LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. Deuteronomy 8:5 (NLT)

3/15/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/KPH3AVFMfzg

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: “No, do not be afraid of those nations, for the LORD your God is among you, and . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of Gambling”.

Gambling is also associated with suicide. 31% of gamblers considered ending their life in the past year. Gambling increases the rate of suicide.

The social impacts of gambling on our society include addiction, the accumulation of debt, an increase in poverty, an increase in crime rates, the breakdown of the family, an increase in suicide, and the exploitation of the poor. People who live in poverty often have not learned to manage their finances responsibly. Gambling creates an illusion that a person can easily win large amounts of money and have all their financial problems disappear. In fact, 44% of Powerball lottery winners are bankrupt within five years. Why? They are poor money managers. We need to be helping people become good money managers rather than enticing them with big wins that almost never happen, and in the rare cases where they do happen, the winners often end up losing it all within a few years.

People earning less than the poverty level buy more lottery tickets than any other income group. People in the poverty level spend four times as much of their income on gambling compared to other income groups. Gambling encourages the “big win” mentality that says the solution to all their financial problems is to buy a lottery ticket. Of course, the big win “never” happens. All the money spent gambling should have been put towards buying essentials.

During the 2021 fiscal year, Washington’s gambling industry generated 3.962 billion dollars in net gambling receipts from lottery and tribal casinos. In the 2022 fiscal year, the lottery alone reported a revenue of 912 million dollars and paid 574 million dollars in winnings to players.

We’ve looked at the social impact gambling has on our society. Now let’s take a look at some of the moral impacts of gambling. First of all, gambling feeds greed and covetousness. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 tells us:

Hebrews 13:5 says: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be contentwith what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Be content with what God has given you. Work with what he has given you. Don’t covet what others have. Rejoice with them for what God has given them. Make choices that will keep you free from the love of money. If you find yourself gravitating towards wanting more and more, make the decision to walk away from the love of money. Follow God; don’t follow money.

We will continue the recap of Dr. Wedman’s message all this week.

Verse Completion: . . . he is a great and awesome God. Deuteronomy 7:21 (NLT)

3/14/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/b7JZlLzLI-A

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: If you obey all his decrees and commands, . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s sermon titled “The Issue of Gambling”. Yesterday gambling was defined as playing games of chance for monetary stakes. We are currently exploring the societal or social impacts of gambling.

In Washington State, 3.9% of adults (300,000 people) are at risk for or meet the criteria for problem or pathological gambling.

32.7% of problem gamblers need treatment for substance abuse compared to 25.8% who do not gamble. In other words, those who are addicted to gambling are more inclined to become alcoholics than the overall population. 38% of problem gamblers smoke and 29% of problem gamblers use drugs.

The presence of a gambling facility within 50 miles roughly doubles the prevalence of problem or pathological gamblers.

From casino gambling to purchasing lottery tickets, gambling was more prevalent among adults above the 200% federal poverty level (57%) compared with lower income adults (43%). However, we find that this 43% spends a higher percentage of their money on gambling than does the 57%.

In addition to the problem of addiction, debt and poverty impact our society because of gambling. A study in the American Indian Law Journal examined casinos operated by over 20 Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest between 2000 and 2020. Originally touted as a solution to poverty, these casinos actually raised the mean poverty rate from 25% to 29%. Before casinos were built, the population was told casinos would lower the poverty level because part of the money generated from the casinos would be used to fight poverty. After casinos were built, we saw the number of people at poverty level increase rather than decrease. For example, in Washington State the poverty rate went from 21% to 48% (on average) when a local casino opened.

According to a Washington State Gambling Commission report which was published this past summer, of 800 Washington residents surveyed, 62% said gambling caused financial distress (foreclosure, eviction, bill collection, bankruptcy) in the past 12 months. Gambling debts represented 45% of their annual gross income. Gambling clearly increases poverty and increases a person’s debt.

In addition to addiction, debt, and poverty, gambling impacts crime rates. Crime rates increase with the presence of casinos. Cities that have casinos have an 84% higher crime rate than cities that do not have casinos. Las Vegas has one of the highest crime rates for robberies and muggings in the U.S. When gamblers run out of money, they become desperate to attain more money. 27% of gamblers considered violating the law in order to support their gambling habit/addiction.

Another social impact of gambling is the breakdown of the family. There’s a higher divorce rate for those who gamble compared to those that don’t. Children of gamblers are more likely to develop into pathological gamblers and become substance abusers than children whose parents do not gamble. 9% of gamblers said gambling caused harm to children in the family in the past 12 months. The parent may have returned home angry after gambling and taken it out on the kids. They may have stolen from the kids to support their habit. They may have lost money gambling that was going to be spent on food/clothing for the family.

All week long we will continue this recap of Dr. Wedman’s message.

Verse Completion: . . . you will enjoy a long life. Deuteronomy 6:2b (NLT)

3/13/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/uZ75yIP1t0w

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you . . . (completion at the end)

Yesterday, Pastor Michael continued his series of messages on the issues of life with his third sermon titled “The Issue of Gambling”. The intent of this sermon is not to judge you or say that anyone who gambles is a sinner and a terrible person. The intent is to see what God’s word has to say about it, explore some statistics, and allow people to draw their own conclusions about the subject. As disciples of Christ, how should we respond to the issue of gambling? Let’s do some exploring.

A simple definition of gambling is: playing games of chance for monetary stakes. Gambling is different from risk taking. There’s a risk in most of the things we do: crossing the street, climbing a ladder, riding different forms of transportation, eating different foods, playing sports, receiving surgery, and so on. We weigh the risk and decide if we will get in a car or not. If we decide to drive a car, we can mitigate risk by driving the speed limit, wearing a seatbelt, not driving while under the influence, not being distracted while we drive, and so forth. Gambling is something different; it’s playing games of chance for monetary stakes.

Why is gambling an issue? There are three reasons. First, there are societal or social reasons. Second, there are moral reasons. Third, there are biblical reasons.

As we explore the societal or social impacts of gambling, let’s begin with some statistics that show the magnitude of gambling in the U.S.:

· In 2021, the total sports betting revenue in the U.S. reached over 4.33 billion dollars--$4,330,000,000. This does not include lotteries.

· In 2021, casino gaming revenue in Nevada amounted to 8.45 billion dollars--$8,450,000,000. In 2020 that amount was 6.75 billion dollars.

· Out of all the visitors heading to Las Vegas in mid 2021, 73% were there only to gamble.

· The gross gaming revenue of the gambling industry in the U.S. exceeded 60 billion dollars in 2022. The segment that generated the highest revenue was casino slots and table games with a revenue of 47.83 billion dollars.

One of the strong societal or social impacts of gambling is addiction. Washington residents who participated in gambling in 2022 lost over $1,500,000,000. Ten percent of all money earned by the people in the U.S. is used for gambling. Isn’t it interesting that this is the same amount involved in a tithe?

Two thirds of teens gamble, and 8% are addicted to gambling. One percent of the entire population of the U.S. is addicted to gambling—that’s 3.3 million people. Seventy percent of those who are in recovery or have gone through recovery return to their gambling addiction.

All week long we will continue this recap of Dr. Wedman’s message.

Verse Completion: . . . will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT)

3/11/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/97w-I87urvo

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Do not become anxious about how or what you should speak in your defense, or what you should say; for . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue to look at a time when God’s people didn’t seem to stand a chance, but God showed up and completely turned things around.

Let’s take a look at Joshua 6:1-25:

Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.” And he ordered the army, “Advance! March around the city, with an armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD’s covenant followed them. The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!” So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the army returned to camp and spent the night there.

Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury.”

When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house. But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

What battle are you fighting today? Don't look at the circumstances; look to God. It's easy to be defeated before you even go to battle when you're looking at your own strength compared to what you're up against. However, when you put God into the equation, that changes everything. Exercise your faith today and see what happens. Remember, it doesn't matter what others say; it matters what God says. Get into his word so you know what God says.

Here are more examples for further reading and study:

· Joshua kills five southern kings and destroys the southern towns—Joshua 10

· God threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic when Barak attacked—Judges 4:14-24

· Moab conquered by Israel—Judges 3:29-30

· Samuel led Israel to victory—1 Samuel 7

· David kills Goliath—1 Samuel 17:32-51

Verse Completion: . . . the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Luke 12:11b-12 (NASB)

3/10/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/VG3NaUZSnFI

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and . . . (completions at the end)

Today we will continue to look at a time when God’s people didn’t seem to stand a chance, but God showed up and completely turned things around.

In Judges 7:1-22a we read:

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

“Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’ ”

Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.

When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.

Tomorrow we will look at other passages when God stepped into the lives of his people and brought victory.

Verse Completion: . . . his interests are divided. 1 Corinthians 7:33-34a (NASB)

3/9/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/OoEr8BSsrxg

Complete the Verses & Name the Book:

· For there is one God and one mediator between God . . .

· who gave himself as . . . (completions at the end)

Today we will continue to look at times when God’s people didn’t seem to stand a chance, but God showed up and completely turned things around.

In Exodus 17:8-16 we read:

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, “Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the LORD, the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.”

In Numbers 31:1-24 we read about the conquest of the Midianites:

The LORD said to Moses, “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

So Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the LORD’s vengeance on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.” So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

They fought against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every man. Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

Moses, Eleazar the priest and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

“Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them. “They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the LORD in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the LORD’s people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.

“Anyone who has killed someone or touched someone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days you must purify yourselves and your captives. Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood.”

Then Eleazar the priest said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, “This is what is required by the law that the LORD gave Moses: Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. On the seventh day wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp.”

Tomorrow we will look at other passages when God stepped into the lives of his people and brought victory.

Verse Completions:

· . . . and men, the man Christ Jesus,

· . . . a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 (NIV)

3/8/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/YauT1Rpf7YI

Complete the Verses & Name the Book:

· This people honors Me with their lips, but . . .

· But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as their doctrines . . . (completions at the end)

As Christians we need to remember we don't operate under the constraints of the world. There's no limit to what we can accomplish, because it's not us that's accomplishing a great task; it's God working in and through us.

The world looks at odds and probability before taking a risk. Before a military commander sends his men into battle, he calculates the probability of a victory. With God, everything changes. That's where faith comes in and is tested.

1 Chronicles 11:4-5says,Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (or Jebus as it used to be called), where the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were living. The people of Jebus taunted David, saying, "You'll never get in here!" But David captured the fortress of Zion, which is now called the City of David. The Jebusites looked at their superior numbers, but numbers don't intimidate God!

Exodus 14:6-14tells how the well trained troops of Pharaoh fared against the unarmed Israelites:So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt's best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, so he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. The Egyptians chased after them with all the forces in Pharaoh's army—all his horses and chariots, his charioteers, and his troops. The Egyptians caught up with the people of Israel as they were camped beside the shore near Pi-hahiroth, across from Baal-zephon.

As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, 'Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!'"

But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."

Notice how faith in God is required in these situations. There are so many other examples in the Bible where it appeared God's people didn't stand a chance, but God came through in a big way.

We will take the remainder of the week to look at some of these times.

Verse Completions:

· . . . their heart is far away from Me.

· . . . the precepts of men. Matthew 15:8-9 (NASB) See also Isaiah 29:13.

3/7/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/FBIz8vDMG20

Complete the Verses & Name the Book:

· Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate . . .

· and with your feet fitted with . . . (completions at the end)

When I was a teenager, I wanted to constantly be doing exciting things like riding motorcycles. I had no interest in the mundane things of life. My dad did his best to try and convince me that life is not all excitement; most of life is very ordinary. Peaks are not where life is lived. When you hike a mountain, you reach the peak, the most exciting part of the hike, but that's not where you stay. You're actually at the peak just a very short time. Most of life is lived down in the valley. As a teenager, I didn't want to hear it. My attitude was, "Well, Dad, if you want to live a boring life, go right ahead; I'm going to live an exciting life!" Of course, Dad was right.

There's another person who liked excitement—Solomon. He wasn't into the mundane things of life. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 give some of Solomon's reflections on life: I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the 'good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?" After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!

So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

Solomon tried to live life in the profound; he was not content to live in the mundane. But he ended up saying, "it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind." The conclusion he drew from his life experiences can be found in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:That's the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.

Pastor Michael once wrote:The mundane is where our character is shaped, refined, tested, and tried. The qualities of integrity, perseverance, endurance, trustworthiness, love, patience, joy, self-control, and even faith grow as a result of living in the mundane. We get excited over the profound, but it is only momentary. The mundane is where we learn to live life and our character is developed.

Growth occurs while the mundane is happening around us. It can be a pretty slow process for some of us, but, nevertheless, it can occur through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 2:20a says, "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."

Romans 12:2 says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then, you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

2 Corinthians 3:18b says, "And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."

Ephesians 4:21-24 says, "Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy."

Let's not ask God to remove us from the mundane but use the mundane to shape us to become like Jesus.

Verse Completions:

· . . . of righteousness in place,

· . . . the gospel of peace as a firm fitting. Ephesians 6:14-15 (NIV)

3/6/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/l08KmNthjLQ

Complete the Verses & Name the Book:

· We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, . . .

· when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become . . . (completions at the end)

Today we will conclude a recap of Pastor Michael’s message titled “The Issue of Tithing/Giving”.

Dangerous givers look like sheep, but they act like wolves. Dangerous givers can disguise themselves well. It can be difficult to decipher whether the person is a sheep or a wolf. Sometimes dangerous givers will use their influence in a church and stir things up causing chaos and division. They use their influence to gather people to join their side. Dangerous givers give for the wrong reasons.

The third type of giver is the generous giver. They don’t threaten others; they help others thrive.

They give out of their character; they don’t give out of currency. They aren’t set on a certain amount to give; they give as they are prompted by the Holy Spirit. Generous givers give because the fruit of the Spirit is developed in their lives.

Generous givers measure giving in grace and not in goods. Luke 21:1-4 says:

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Proportionately, the poor widow gave more than those who were rich. Giving is not about the amount you give; giving is about how grateful you are for what God has done for you.

2 Corinthians 8:11-12 says: Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

Giving is not about the amount you give; it’s about how much you give in accordance with how much you have. Giving is not about goods; it’s about grace.

Generous givers give as a matter of gifting, not getting. A generous giver would never say, “I give to this church so I expect to receive something back.” Generous givers give expecting nothing in return. If all their giving went towards building God’s Kingdom in a foreign land, they would be filled with joy. 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 says:

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

Generous givers give because of the Holy Spirit in them; they don’t give so people will say, “Holy cow! Do you know how much she gave?” They give according to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. They don’t give so people will be impressed by their generous giving.

Paul puts faith and giving on equal terms. As you excel in your faith, excel in the grace of giving.

Jesus was generous, and we should be generous as well. 1 John 3:1 says: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

We love because God first loved us. We give because God first gave to us. We give in recognition to who God is in our lives. We give because of our relationship with God. We give because we want to see God’s Kingdom built. We give to provide for the needs of others. We can be generous because God’s Spirit that is in us is generous.

Proverbs 11:25 says: A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Verse Completions:

· . . . we endure it;

· . . . the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. 1 Corinthians 4:12 (NIV)

3/4/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/hCp4ej5StKQ

Complete the Verses & Name the Book:

· And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am . . .

· and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have . . . (completions at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s message titled “The Issue of Tithing/Giving”.

Grudging givers are cranky, rather than cheerful. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says: Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Grudging givers give because they feel like they have to; they don’t give because they want to. 2 Corinthians 9:8-10 says: And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

Grudging givers measure loss rather than love. They measure their loss to their bank account. They measure how much they could have had if they’d just not given to the church. They fail to measure how much love was shared with others.

We give because we love God. We give because Jesus first loved us. We give because we love building his kingdom. We give because we find joy in providing for the needs of others.

Grudging givers view giving as a liability rather than a lift. 2 Corinthians 9:12-15 says: This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Giving is a service that helps others. Giving lifts people up just as prayers lift people up.

The second type of giver is the dangerous giver. They give for what they can reap rather than for what they can sow. Galatians 6:7 tells us: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. A dangerous giver asks, “How will I benefit from my giving? What do I get in return for my giving?”

Dangerous givers give for power; they don’t give out of praise to God for his grace and mercy. Matthew 23:1-7 says:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

Dangerous givers give to be noticed by others. They want the power that giving provides them. They give to manipulate others rather than minister to others.

Dangerous givers give in order to gain influence. They don’t give as an investment in God’s kingdom. There was a person in a church who wanted things done differently than they were being done. When what he wanted wasn’t done, he said, “I was going to give the church $100,000, but now I won’t.” He ended up leaving the church. He wanted to be known as a man of influence—in his eyes, the church couldn’t survive without his money. He didn’t see a donation to the church as an investment in growing and maturing God’s Kingdom. This person thought his money could manipulate the pastor, but he was mistaken.

We will conclude this recap of Dr. Wedman’s message on Monday.

Verse Completions:

· . . . the first and the last,

· . . . the keys of death and of Hades. Revelation 1:17-18 (NASB)

3/3/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/c59R-Ry8q50

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s message titled “The Issue of Tithing/Giving”.

Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us: Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Recognizing God’s provision in your life results in more blessings.

If you haven’t tithed before, and you don’t have enough faith in God to tithe ten percent, start out with a percent you can trust God with. See what God does with what you give him. As your faith increases, so should your tithe. Hopefully, you’ll be able to work up to giving ten percent.

Philippians 4:17 tells us: Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.

Paul is saying, “Your gifts are great. I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but what matters most to me is that your account in heaven receives a deposit.” Giving is about treasures in heaven, not physical money. God gives us spiritual blessings; he credits our account when we give to him. There are blessings in giving. There are blessings in tithing.

Tithing should result from a relationship with God. Tithing should result from a desire to honor God. Tithing should result from a desire to worship God. Tithing should result from a desire to build God’s kingdom. Being in a relationship with Jesus brings about a desire to give to God in order to honor and glorify him.

Tithing is easy to figure out mathematically. All one has to do to figure ten percent is move the decimal point one place to the left. If a person is tithing on $32.49, move the decimal point one place to the left and you have $3.24 (the 9 can be ignored or you can round up to $3.25). If you are tithing on $1,843.87, move the decimal point one place to the left and your tithe is $184.38. If you are tithing on $3,455.90, move the decimal point one place to the left and your tithe is $345.59. If you are tithing on $32,587,423.00, your tithe is $3,258,742.30. Aren’t you glad you’re not a millionaire? 

A mentor of Pastor Michael once asked him, “Why stop at ten percent? Why not give fifteen percent? Why not give twenty percent? There’s nothing that says ten percent is the limit of giving.” No matter what percent we give, we need to remember that giving is not about impressing God; it’s about glorifying God, worshiping God, and being in a right relationship with God.

There are three types of givers. First, there are grudging givers. They don’t enjoy giving. They’d rather keep their money to themselves. They hold a grudge when they give, rather than giving grace. Their heart really isn’t in their giving. 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 tells us: And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyondtheir ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

2 Corinthians 9:5 says: So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Grace is undeserved favor. We have received grace from God so that we are in a position where we have the privilege of giving. We don’t have to give but get to give. A way I can respond to God’s grace is by giving.

We will continue this week with a recap of Dr. Wedman’s message.

Verse Completion: . . . blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35 (NIV)

3/2/2023

Good morning!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/PZZQ3qTaivE

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue a recap of Pastor Michael’s message titled “The Issue of Tithing/Giving”.

Not only was the tithe used for the care of the Tabernacle, it was used to take care of the priests and Levites who worked there. The tithe was also used to take care of widows, the fatherless, and the poor. For those who lived too far away from the Tabernacle to make a voyage every year, they were to sell a tenth of their produce and save it. Every third year they would go to Jerusalem and give a tithe for three years.

Tithe through the years hasn’t changed. What is given to the church is used for taking care of the church building, providing for the needs of the spiritual leaders in the church, providing for the spiritual well-being of people, and taking care of the physical needs of widows, the fatherless, and the poor.

1 Corinthians 9:7-14 says: Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

Galatians 6:6 says: Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 says: The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

The principle of tithing hasn’t changed.

Malachi 3:8-10 says: “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

The Israelites stopped giving a tithe. They became greedy and wanted everything for themselves. Consequently, the priests and Levites had to find jobs elsewhere because their needs were not being met. God is telling Israel to return to tithing even though it’s a challenge.

Sometimes it seems impossible to tithe, but God is telling the doubters to trust him. If they will start tithing, they will be surprised to see how God stretches the money they have left. Those who tithe have their needs met by God. When people honor God from their heart, they find themselves being blessed by God.

By not giving a tithe, they are not honoring God. People can’t expect to be blessed by God when they don’t honor him. In fact, those who don’t give God a tithe are actually robbing God!

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?

We will continue this week with a recap of Dr. Wedman’s message.

Verse Completion: . . . should submit to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:24 (NIV)

3/1/23

Good morning! Welcome to March!

Biblical meekness is a self-control of strength that makes us lambs in our own causes and lions for the cause of Christ.

Song for the Day: https://youtu.be/oxpPIa-BskY

Complete the Verse & Name the Book: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that . . . (completion at the end)

Today we will continue with a recap of Pastor Michael’s message titled “The Issue of Tithing/Giving”.

At the time when Abraham and Jacob were alive, there was no law concerning giving a tithe. They both chose to honor God with ten percent. It came from their heart. It’s what they wanted to do.

We learn about how a tithe developed in Leviticus 27:30-33: “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the LORD. No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’ ”

Tithing started out as being voluntary, but when Israel became a nation, God instituted a tithe which became part of the Old Covenant Law. Giving back to God ten percent of what he provides was a way of thanking God for his provision, and it was a way of bringing honor to God.

We see the purpose of a tithe, or firstfruits, in Deuteronomy 26:1-15:

When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, LORD, have given me.” Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. Then you and the Levites and the foreigners residing among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.

When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Then say to the LORD your God: “I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them. I have not eaten any of the sacred portion while I was in mourning, nor have I removed any of it while I was unclean, nor have I offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God; I have done everything you commanded me. Look down from heaven, your holy dwelling place, and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us as you promised on oath to our ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Giving God the firstfruits of their labor was a way of acknowledging that it is God who makes it possible to grow anything: God made the soil; God made it possible for them to have the soil to use; God provided the health to work the soil; God made the seeds for planting. There was much to be thankful for. Out of a heart of gratitude flows a desire to give back to God; to honor God by recognizing it is he who makes it all possible.

The firstfruit, or tithe, was to be brought to the Tabernacle. It would be used to take care of the Tabernacle itself and also to take care of the priests and Levites who worked there. The Levites weren’t given any land by God, because their job wasn’t to work the land; their job was to take care of the Tabernacle. Since they didn’t have a way to earn money, they needed a way for their needs to be met. A tithe by those who worked the land would take care of that need.

We will continue all this week with a recap of Dr. Wedman’s message.

Verse Completion: . . . while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NASB)

951 E Dalby Rd,
Union WA 98592
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PO Box 232
Union WA 98592
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New Community Church of Union

Daily Devotion March 2023