Jesus, The Enduring Word

Bible Reading:  I Peter 1

Key Verse: Verse 25 “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Key Words: the word of the Lord endureth for ever 

There are certain abiding elements in the Christian life which are always constant, unchanging – circumstances change, moods change, the economy changes – but the truth of God’s Word will endure forever.  As we build upon the solid unchanging Word of God, we are able to face the challenges and changes in this life; for the present is bearable because the future is secure!

An ancient king once charged his wise men to create a sentence which could forever be viewed and be appropriate at all times and in all situations.  They finally presented to him engraved on a stone these words, “And this too shall pass away.”  How true for those who place all their happiness, joy and peace in this world.

Some years ago a trolley car in Atlanta, Georgia, bumped into a lamp post called the Eternal Flame of the Confederacy.  The bump caused the flame to go out.  In New York they lit the eternal flame of the United Nations.  It stayed lit about ten minutes before going out.  Hitler said his Third Reich would last one thousand years; it lasted less than one thousand days.

Yes, the world will pass away with all of its lusts and pleasures; but the Word of God and those who are born again will abide forever.  Life comes to pass, but the Word will endure forever!

                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse                                           

What to do:

      ✞   Stay close to the Book that endures forever.

      ✞   As you read the Word, remember that Jesus is the Word of God.  As you learn the Word, you learn more about Jesus.

Jesus, Us, and Others

Bible Reading:  James 2:14-26

Key Verse: Verse 16 - “And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;   notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”

Key Words: ye give them not 

The key verse is verse 16, “And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”  Genuine sympathy, out of a heart of love and compassion, is certainly hard to come by these days.  We seem to be living in a day of “religion,” not Christianity.  In the story told by Christ of the good Samaritan, the priest and Levite were religious, but the Samaritan was “Christian” in his act of sympathy.  The following illustration proves my point:

“Madam,” he apologized in a broken voice, “I wish to draw your attention to the terrible plight of a poor family in your neighborhood.  The father is dead, the mother is too ill to work, and the nine children are hungry.  Moreover, they are about to be turned out into the cold streets unless the neighbors pay their rent.”  At this point the neighbor asked, “And who are you, Sir?”  Bowing his head in embarrassment, he sheepishly said, “I am the landlord.”

The moral of this story is this:  Are we truly interested in others, or are we interested in others because it affects us?If we knew what hearts are aching for, the comforts we might bring, if we knew what souls were yearning for, the sunshine we could fling. If we knew what feet are weary, walking pathways roughly laid, we would quickly hasten forward, stretching forth our hands to aid.If we knew what friends around us feel, a want they never tell, that some word which we have spoken, pained or wounded where it fell, we would speak in accents tender, to each friend we chanced to meet, we would give to each one freely, smiles of sympathy so sweet.                                                                      

 -                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

   ✞Very easy: 

§   Do unto others,

§   Say unto others,

§   Act toward others,

§   Treat others, as you would have them do to you.

 

Jesus and Faith

Bible Reading: Hebrews 11:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 1 - “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Key Words: faith                 

Through the book of Hebrews, we see faith in Jesus through our actions.

I read the following in the booklet, Bits and Pieces.  It is an interesting story about Florence Chadwick, the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions.  On the fourth of July in 1952, she attempted to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.  The challenge was not so much the distance, but the bone-chilling waters of the Pacific.  To complicate matters, a dense fog lay over the entire area, making it impossible for her to see land.  After about fifteen hours in the water, and within half a mile of her goal, Chadwick gave up.  Later she told a reporter, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I could have SEEN land, I might have made it.”

Not long afterward she attempted the feat again.  Once more a misty veil obscured the coastline and she couldn’t see the shore.  But this time she made it because she kept reminding herself that land was there.  With that confidence, she bravely swam on and achieved her goal.  In fact, she broke the men’s record by two hours!

If you are a Christian, you should live with this kind of vision – with the eye of faith.  The circumstances of life may dim your outlook.  The way may grow dark before you.  But as you go forward believing the promises of God’s Word, He Himself will strengthen you, guide you, and carry you through.

Beyond the misty darkness of trials lies a better land and God’s own rewards for those who persevere.  Never forget that glorious fact.  Seeing through the fog by faith, keep pressing on!

                                                                         Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞Remember faith is taking God at His Word, in spite of my feelings, circumstances, or consequences.

       ✞Live by faith.

      ✞Always remember, your faith can be no greater than the object your faith is in – keep your                  faith in Jesus.

Jesus, Our Friend

Bible Reading:  Philemon 1-25

Key Verse: Verse 16 & 17 “Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.”

Key Words: If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. 

In the book of Philemon, we see Jesus as a Friend Who intercedes and releases us from bondage (verse 10). 

It is because of what Jesus has done for us in releasing us from the bondage of sin that we can certainly say, “To God be the glory.”

It’s through Jesus that Godly friendships are bound together.

John Fawcett was converted as a teenager listening to George Whitefield.  He joined the Baptists and was ordained on July 31, 1765.  He began pastoring a poor church in Wainsgate, finding time here and there for writing.  His writings spread abroad, and the little church feared they would lose their pastor to a larger place.  Fawcett wondered the same thing, lamenting in his diary that his family was growing faster than his income.

The call came from London’s famous Carter’s Lane Church.  “Think of it!” Fawcett told his wife.  “They want us in London to take the place of the late Dr. Gill at that great church!  It’s almost unbelievable!”  The following Sunday he broke the news to his church, then began packing.  Books, dishes, pictures, and furniture were crated for the overland journey to the world’s largest city.  When the day of departure came, church members assembled and bravely tried to hold their tears.  Finally everything was loaded but one box, and Fawcett entered the house to retrieve it.  There he found his wife deep in thought. 

“John,” she said, voice breaking, “do you think we’re doing the right thing?  Will we ever find a congregation to love us and help us with the Lord’s work like this group here?”

“Do you think we’re too hasty in this?” John asked.

“Yes.  I think we should stay right here and serve these people.”

John was silent a moment, for his heart, too, had been breaking.  He nodded, “I was so overjoyed when the call came that I never really prayed about it like a minister should.”

They walked onto the porch, called the people together, revealed their change of heart, and amid joyous tears unloaded their wagons.  Fawcett stayed at Wainsgate the rest of his life, but not in obscurity.  Out of this experience, he wrote the world-famous hymn:

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love.

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

                                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

            ✞ Evaluate your friendship with Jesus.  Is it real?

            ✞ Evaluate your friendship with others.  Are they Godly friends?

 

Jesus, Our Hope

Bible Reading:  Titus 1:1-15

Key Verse: Verse 2 - “In hope of eternal life, which   God, that cannot lie, promised before the world   began;”

Key Words: In hope of eternal life 

The book of Titus shows us Jesus as our Blessed Hope.  In chapter one and verse two, Jesus is our Hope of Eternal Life.  In chapter two and verse thirteen, Jesus is our Coming Hope, and in chapter three and verse seven, again Jesus is our Hope of Eternal Life.

Have you ever studied that word hope?  Best-selling author Barbara Johnson says that she lives by the motto, “Life is about 10% how you make it and about 90% how you take it.”  Barbara writes about her personal sorrow.  Her husband was in a near-fatal accident and slowly recovered from severe and debilitating injuries.  She had one son die in the Viet Nam war, and another son was killed by a drunk driver.  Her third son became a homosexual.  With such a personal resume you can deeply appreciate her perspective on hope: “The cutest illustration of hope I’ve found,” she says, “is about a little boy standing at the foot of the escalator in a large department store.  The young lad was intently watching the handrail.  He never took his eyes off that handrail as the escalator kept going around and around.  A salesperson saw him and finally asked him if he was lost.  The little fellow replied, ‘Nope.  I’m just waiting for my chewing gum to come back.’”  Now, that’s hope.

Jesus is our Hope, and I’m just waiting for Jesus to come back.  Amen!

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞Never give up.

      ✞Never get down.

      ✞Always look up.  Jesus could come back today.

Witnessing for Jesus

Bible Reading:  II Timothy 2:1-15

Key Verse: Verse 13 - “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.”

Key Words: he abideth faithful 

As you read the book of II Timothy, you begin to see that Jesus was a faithful witness.  It matters not if we believe, Jesus will still be a faithful witness; He cannot deny Himself.

Now this raises an interesting question: Are we being a faithful witness?

Muhammed Ali no longer “floats like a butterfly,” but let me assure you, he still “stings like a bee.”  The legendary boxer has turned his energies toward witnessing, but it is not for Christ.  One reporter said, “This is a man who is as sure about his purpose in life as he was about his talents in the ring.”  Ali once said, “I wasn’t just put here to box.  Boxing made me famous and gave people a reason to listen to me.  I was put here to teach the Islamic faith.” 

Recently two reporters jumped at Ali’s invitation to come up to his private suite after a banquet.  They went expecting to get an exclusive interview.  Instead, they got an hour of preaching.  The former three-time heavyweight boxing champion had a twenty-page document containing what he believed to be discrepancies in the Bible.  He then said, “People have argued for centuries about which religion is right and which religion is wrong.”  Then waving the Qu’ran in front of them, he said, “This is the truth.” 

Now, while Muhammed Ali was a great boxer, he is not a great theologian.  He is greatly deceived; but his enthusiasm, zeal, and purpose should certainly be an inspiration to those of us who have and know the truth about the Faithful One, Jesus Christ.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞Be faithful in your witness.

      ✞Be bold, but loving in your witness.

      ✞Pray for God to open doors of opportunity for you to witness.

  

Jesus, Our Mediator

Bible Reading:  I Timothy 2:1-7

Key Verse: Verse 5 - “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ   Jesus;”

Key Words: one mediator…the man Christ Jesus 

In the book of I Timothy, we see Jesus as our Mediator.

In Old Testament times, the people of Israel went to the temple where there were many priests.  These priests could go to God for the people and be a mediator on their behalf before God.  But in the New Testament dispensation, that all changed.  Paul is saying that there is only one mediator to Whom we are able to go, and that Mediator is Jesus Christ.  He is the Only Way to God.

J. Vernon McGee told the following story some years ago, but it has stayed with me all these years.

“One night while I was traveling in Canada and trying to get to Detroit, I was told that I needed to get onto a certain freeway, and that freeway would take me to my destination.  But I was told if you miss that freeway, you’re in trouble.  It took me some doing but once I managed to find the freeway, it took me straight to Detroit.  I am thankful for the man who said, ‘There is only one way.’”

You know, I am thankful that someone told me that there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ.  He is our Mediator, and He is the only Mediator Who can get through to God.  Thank the Lord for Jesus Christ, our Mediator!

                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse                                             What to do:

     ✞Make sure your Mediator is Jesus Christ.

     ✞We live in a world that uses mediums (demons).  Stay away from the false occults                and  religions, and  stay with Jesus Christ. 

Jesus, the Coming Messiah

Bible Reading:  II Thessalonians 2:1-12

Key Verse: Verse 12 - “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in        unrighteousness.”

Key Words:  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth 

Both of the books written to the church of Thessalonica deal with the second coming of Jesus.

I read the following by Harry Ironside and found it quite appropriate for this devotion.

“When I was a little boy, I sometimes went down to the beach, five miles from our home in California, and played on the sands of Monterey Bay.  Some little distance up the beach there is a great stretch of black sand; it is black because it contains a great deal of iron.  I can remember taking a box of sand and drawing a magnet through it.  Fine black grains clung to the magnet – particles of iron.  I put these grains in another box, and drew my magnet through the sand again.  Each time I got some more grains, I removed the particles of iron until nothing was left in the box but sand.  Though I could not tell the difference between the sand and the iron on the beach, the magnet could tell the difference immediately.  Had I been able to use a stronger magnet, I could have taken all of the iron out of a large box of sand in a moment.

The day is going to come when the Lord Jesus Christ will rise from the throne of God where He is now answering the attacks of Satan upon us, by telling the Father that we belong to Him because of His work on the cross.  When He rises from that throne, it is time for judgment to begin.  But God tells us that before judgment comes, He is going to do a wonderful thing – like the work of the magnet picking the grains of iron out of the grains of sand.  He is going to remove from the earth all who are trusting Christ, and take them to be with Himself.”

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

    ✞Make your calling and election sure

               ✞Live for Christ daily.

               ✞Witness for Christ daily.

Jesus as the Coming King

Bible Reading:  I Thessalonians 4:1-18

Key Verse: Verse 18 - “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Key Words:  Wherefore comfort one another with these words 

In the book of I Thessalonians, we see Jesus as the Coming King.  Isn’t it great to know that when the lost world thinks we are losers, we can take comfort in knowing that we are on the winning team?

January 3, 1993, will certainly be remembered in both Houston and Buffalo.  Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills fans, along with NFL viewers from across the country, watched as the Bills engineered the greatest comeback in NFL history.  The Oilers led the football game at half-time 28 – 3.  Quarterback Warren Moon had just completed the best half of his career. 

The half-time show featured talk of whom Houston would play next week as their last stop before the Super Bowl.  Boomer Esiason warned his presumptuous co-commentators that Frank Reich was just the man to perform a miraculous comeback.  Even Warren Moon used half-time to warn his jubilant teammates that the game was far from over.  But when Bubba McDowell opened the second-half with a 58-yard touchdown interception that boosted the Oilers to a 35 – 3 lead, a comeback seemed virtually impossible. 

Everything changed in just twenty-one minutes.  The fans at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, saw a most unbelievable event unfold before their eyes.  The Bills overcame a 32-point deficit in the second half and won the ball game on an overtime field goal.  Football fans everywhere will never forget that game. 

In a world full of sin, suffering, and injustice, it seems as if God has been convincingly outscored by Satan.  Victory appears to be nothing more than a wistful dream.  When such thoughts invade your mind, turn your attention to that football game.  If such unlikely turnarounds can transpire in the world of sports, then you can rest assured that God is gearing up for the most incredible victory of all times.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

      ✞Keep looking up, Jesus is coming again.

      ✞Live as though Jesus could come back today.

      ✞Comfort others with the knowledge of the soon  return of Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus & Preeminence

Bible Reading:  Colossians 1:1-18

Key Verse: Verse 18 – “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Key Words:  that in all things he might have the preeminence 

The word preeminence is a military term meaning “top in rank.”  Jesus is to be top in rank – top in priorities of life – not just in a few areas of life, but as our text says “in all things.”

Years ago a pregnant woman stood in the yard of her Baltimore, Maryland, home and shook her fist at God.  In a torrential rainstorm, she shouted vulgarities at God and taunted Him to strike her dead if He did indeed exist.  She would later tell her son, Bill, that she didn’t care if he became a drug addict, bank robber, or even brought home a boyfriend instead of a girlfriend, all she wanted was for him never to become a Christian.

Bill Murray did become a Christian at the age of thirty-three, and his mother, Madelyn Murray O’Hare, disowned him.  He had done the one thing she had hoped he would never do.  His life had been transformed from addictions with pornography and alcohol.  He came to know the peace that had eluded him all his life.  Bitterness began to loosen its stronghold on his heart, and he started giving rather than taking for the first time in his life.

Bill Murray went on to say, “I found the key to salvation through Jesus Christ, but the key to peace is through Christ being preeminent” (top in rank, top in priority).

I am convinced that today we have a lot of people who have found the key to salvation, but the key to peace is still lost.

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

      ✞Put Jesus first, make Him Lord (preeminent) in   your life in all things.

Jesus, Our Strength

Bible Reading: Philippians 4:1-13

Key Verse: Verse 13 – “I can do all things through   Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Key Words: strengtheneth me 

As a believer, my strength comes from Jesus. But to be more specific: my strength comes from my joy of having a proper relationship with Jesus, for it is when I am weak that Jesus becomes strong.

Bob Wieland lost both of his legs in Viet Nam.  For an athlete with dreams of a pro sports career, the tragedy was especially difficult to bear.  Bob was spared the destruction of bitterness through his reliance upon Jesus and His Word.  “I do the best I can to apply the Word of God to my life, because I know that it works.” 

Bob did take God at His Word and cast all his cares upon Him (I Peter 5:7), and claimed “that he could really only be strong through Christ” (Philippians 4:13).  Maybe that explains why Bob, who walks on his hands, has completed a three-year walk across America, the race across America on a custom-built bicycle, the New York and Los Angeles marathons, the Hawaiian Ironman Triathalon – and on top of those feats he can bench press 507 pounds.  He does all of this and uses it as a witness for Christ.  Bob has found that indeed he, like the Apostle Paul, can do all things thru Christ which

strengthens him.

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

      ✞Never give up, no matter how bad the situation may appear to be.

      ✞You can never declare Christ as your strength until you acknowledge your weakness.

      ✞Ask yourself, do others see your strength, or do they see God’s strength through                 you?

 

Jesus, Our Armor

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-19

Key Verse: Verse 13 -  “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Key Words: the whole armour of God 

As you read in Ephesians chapter six, you read about five defensive weapons.

1. Truth, which is Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
2. Righteousness, which is Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:4).
3. Peace, which is Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:14).
4. Faith, which is Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16).
5. Salvation, which is Jesus Christ (John 4:42).

Jesus is our Armor of Protection.

A lieutenant in the United States Army and his buddy were on a far-off battlefront and were sent out on an important mission.  When the enemy discovered them, the lieutenant faced them saying to himself, “Lord, I’m in Your hands.”  As he reached for his carbine, a shot from the enemy struck him in the breast, knocking him to the floor.  His partner, thinking he was dead, grabbed his carbine and began to blast away with both his gun and the gun of his friend.  He received three bullet wounds, but when the fighting was over, not one enemy soldier was left standing.  To his amazement, the lieutenant was not dead.  The force of the bullet had struck his breast and had stung him severely, but he was alive.  Wondering how he survived, the lieutenant reached into his pocket located over his heart and pulled out a Bible.  The bullet had gone through the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, and had stopped on Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.”

                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

      ✞Put on the armor of God daily.

      ✞Use your offensive weapons as well - God’s Word and prayer.

Jesus and Living by Faith

Bible Reading:  Galatians 2:16-21

Key Verse: Verse 20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Key Words: I live by the faith of the Son of God 

Galatians, like no other book in the Bible, shows the difference between the law and faith.  It is in this blessed book that we see Jesus as our Savior through our faith in Him, rather than being saved by the law.

There is a great illustration of salvation through faith in the life of John Wesley.

“Not long after the first Moravian missionaries had left for the West Indies, John Wesley, unconverted at the time, found himself aboard ship alongside another group of them.  It was January 25, 1736, and the weather was rough.  Three storms had already battered the boat, and a fourth was brewing.  Wesley scribbled in his journal, ‘Storm greater: afraid!’  But the Moravians were trusting God so simply and so completely that they evidenced no signs of fear, and they even persevered in their plans for a worship service.  In the middle of their singing, a gigantic wave rose over the side of the vessel, splitting the main-sail, covering the ship, pouring water like Niagara Falls between decks ‘as if the great deep had already swallowed us up.’

The English passengers screamed as the ship lurched and pitched between towering waves.  A terrified Wesley clung on for dear life.  But the German missionaries didn’t miss a note.  Wesley, awestruck by their composure, later went to the leader and asked, ‘Weren’t you afraid?’

‘I thank God, no.’

‘Were not your women and children afraid?’

‘No,’ replied the man.  ‘Our women and children are not afraid.’

Back in London, Wesley was so struck by their sturdy faith that he attended a Moravian meeting on Aldersgate Street on May 24, 1738.  He later said, ‘I felt my heart strangely warmed.  I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given to me that He had taken away my sins, even mine.’

Wesley became a famous evangelist and social reformer, with the world as his parish.  But he himself was won to Christ by the power of a small group whose faith in Christ was strong enough to keep them unflappable in a storm.”

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞Does your faith draw others to Jesus?

      ✞Faith comes through two primary channels.

1.  The Word (Romans 10:17).

2.  The Work [get involved in a ministry (Hebrews 6:10-12).

Jesus and Giving

Bible Reading:  II Corinthians 9:1-12

Key Verse: Verse 7 – “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Key Words: cheerful giver 

The church at Corinth had promised to help the church at Jerusalem financially, but they failed to carry out their commitment.

When we fail to carry out our financial commitments, many will never have the opportunity to come to Jesus.  Our giving does matter in heaven.

W. A. Criswell used to preach from II Corinthians 9:7, ending his sermon with these words: “John Rascus put $300 in the collection plate when it passed, and he said softly, ‘I’ll see you in heaven.’  Those around him said, ‘Old John is getting senile.  He says he is going to see that $300 in heaven.  He may meet his Maker over there, but he certainly won’t meet his money.’

Now, the church treasurer used some of that $300 to pay the electric bill.  He gave some of it to the preacher to buy gasoline.  Some went to ministerial students, and some went to the mission field.

Early one morning John Rascus died in his sleep.  On that first Lord’s Day in glory, he walked down the golden streets and a young fellow came up and said, ‘Thank you, Brother John.  I was cold and lonely and it was a dark night.  I saw the lights of the church.  Just to get out of the dark, I went in.  While there, the darkness left my soul and I found Jesus.’

Another came to him saying, ‘The preacher came to the filling station.  As I filled his tank, he told me about Jesus and I gave my heart to the Lord.’

Next, John met a throng of people who said, ‘I want to thank you for those students you helped.  They preached the gospel to my family, and we found the Lord.’

He next met those of strange tongues who said, ‘Thank you, brother, for sending us the gospel across the seas.’  Finally old John came to Hallelujah Square and, turning to an angel, he said, ‘I feel sorry for you angels.  You have never known what it is to be saved by the blood of Jesus, My Lord.’

John Rascus mused a moment, then added, ‘And you do not know what it is to transform the possessions of earth into the treasures of heaven.’  ‘Sir,’ replied the angel, ‘all we do is just watch it from the streets of glory.’”

                                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞Do not just be a receiver of God’s blessing, be a giver so others can be blessed.

      ✞Always remember, you cannot out-give God!

Jesus and Gifts

Bible Reading:  I Corinthians 12:1-12, 14:40

Key Verse: Verse 14:40 – “Let all things be done decently and in order.”

Key Words: decently and in order 

Jesus can be seen in any number of ways through the book of I Corinthians; but the reason the church at Corinth had so many problems was that they refused to see Jesus at work in their lives and the life of their church.

The work of Jesus is always done decently and in order, something which was missing from the church at Corinth.

Even when Jesus was a young lad, before He began His earthly ministry, He did things right.  J. Oswald Sanders says, “Our divine Lord spent six times as long working at a carpenter’s bench as He did in His world-shaking ministry.  He saw no incongruity in the Lord of glory standing in the saw pit laboriously cutting the thick logs into planks, or using plane and hammer.”

Justin Martyr, who lived shortly after the death of John the Apostle, wrote of Jesus, “When He was among men, He made ploughs and yokes and other farm implements.”

One writer suggests that Jesus was the first to make chairs and benches that stood on four legs, and He was the first to build cabinets where the doors opened and shut, “He was no second-rate carpenter.”

Near enough was not good enough for Jesus – everything had to be done decently and in order.

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

 What to do: 

✞Follow the example of Jesus and do all things decently and in order.

      ✞Prioritize your life, in this order:

1.  that which is necessary,

2.  that which is needy,

3.  that which is nice.

The Gospel of Salvation

Bible Reading:  Romans 1:1-16

Key Verse: Verse 16 – “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

 Key Words: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ 

The book of Romans speaks of the gospel more than any other book in the Word of God.

Paul tells us in verse one that he is “separated unto the gospel.”

In verse nine, Paul tells us that he serves in the gospel.  That is the reason for his service.

In verse fifteen, he says, “I am ready to preach the gospel,” which brings me to verse sixteen where Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.”

The gospel of salvation is what Paul lived for.  If we fail to give out the gospel, many will perish.

Asian missionary, M. V. Varghese, told of a commonplace tragedy in India.  An Indian woman, Alila, took her infant son to the river Ganges.  With tears pouring from her eyes, she stood there for a long time with the water lapping at the baby’s feet, then she threw her six month-old son into the river. 

Varghese found her weeping on the banks of the Ganges.  Through her sobs she said, “The problems in my home are too many and my sins are heavy on my heart, so I offered the best I had to the goddess Ganges.” 

The missionary gently told her of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. 

She tearfully responded, “I have never heard this before.  Why couldn’t you have come earlier?  My child would not have had to die.”

All over this world people are desperate for what only God can provide: salvation!!  That’s what the gospel is!!!

                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞Be a witness daily.

      ✞Ask God to open doors for you to witness.

      ✞Remember, people need the Lord.