tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-101333092024-03-28T23:29:45.962-04:00My Unhurried Time NotesStan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comBlogger6982125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-16480713335401662322024-03-28T07:07:00.000-04:002024-03-28T07:07:50.013-04:00Making Amends<p> When we have a broken relationship with another person, it is always right for us to forgive the other person and to seek reconciliation. Of course, if we were the one who caused the break, we should ask for the other person to forgive us, but in some situations we need to do more than to just ask for them to forgive us. We need to make amends for what we have done.</p><p>David's reign as king over the people of God was being hindered by Saul's sin of trying to kill the Gibeonites. There had not been a resolution of the problem before Saul died, so they were still upset by Saul's sin. (II Samuel 21:3) David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make amends, so that you will bless the inheritance of the Lord?" This is something for all of us to do when needed.</p><p>God wants us to be at peace with everyone. He knows that sometimes no matter what we do, the other person or the other group, will not accept our attempts to make peace, but we must do whatever we can do on our part to bring peace. (Romans 12:18) Therefore, when we see there are still hard feelings, and they are still feeling like we owe them something, we need to make amends.</p><p>Making amends is a process where we humble ourselves, and we go out of our way to do what is needed to help the other person or group to know we are serious about seeking reconciliation with them. It will cost us, time, energy, and maybe money, but it is worth it, if they will speak well of us, and we can be on good terms after that. God sees our efforts, and He blesses us because we cared enough to make amends.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 22-24 and I Kings 1.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-77407076506922148962024-03-27T07:21:00.000-04:002024-03-27T07:21:07.563-04:00Delivering and Receiving Good News<p> This is Holy Week. It is the week of the year that was the last week of Jesus' life before He died on the cross for the sins of the world. It is the week when we remember the greatest event in the history of the world. Jesus died and rose again to save us from our sins, from eternal death, and from Satan's power. That is really Good News, but very few people have heard and received this Good News.</p><p>David's army faced off against all of the army of Israel that was gathered by his son, Absalom, as he tried to take the throne from his father. David was waiting to hear the outcome of the battle. (II Samuel 18:31) Then, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive the good news, for the Lord has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you." Think about this with me for a minute. </p><p>There can be really good news, but until it is delivered to the people who need to hear it, that good news does them no good. The Good News of the gospel is for all people. We who know Christ are the ones who are directed to deliver this news to all of the people in the world. How are we doing on this? It would be terrible for us to know the Good News and not deliver it.</p><p>There is another side of this equation though. Once the good news is delivered, as it was by the Cushite to David, it must be received. The Good News doesn't automatically provide salvation from sins. That salvation comes when the Good News is received, and we repent of our sins and trust Jesus as Lord of our life. Only then can people be set free from sin, from eternal death, and from Satan's power. I pray that many will receive this Good News as it is delivered to them this week.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 19-21.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-45817954563633984492024-03-26T07:25:00.000-04:002024-03-26T07:25:58.543-04:00Finding Favor<p> When we meet another person, we really never know how they are going to receive us. If we know them well, we might assume they will treat us well, but they might be having a bad day, or they may be ill or angry about something. That could cause them to react to us in a negative way. Instead, we would always love to find favor in their eyes.</p><p>David found Himself in a terrible situation when Absalom rebelled against his father and declared himself to be the king instead of David. David fled from Jerusalem and any attack from Absalom. Zadok, the priest, wanted to bring the ark of God for David. (II Samuel 15:25) David told Zadok to return the ark of God to the city, and if he found favor in the eyes of the Lord, God would return him to see the ark and the tabernacle. We all ought to want to find favor with God in difficult circumstance of life.</p><p>None of us are perfect. We all sin in various ways. We need to be diligent to confess our sins, so God will cleanse us from them and our relationship with Him will be what it ought to be. (I John 1:9) However, I am sure that at any particular time any one of us could have unconfessed sin our life. Then, what will God do to us?</p><p>His actions will depend on whether we have found favor in His sight. If He sees our heart, and He knows that we are fully committed to Him. He is very likely to treat us well and restore us to good standing before Him, even if we have missed His will in a certain situation. That is what David was counting on, and it is what we all should desire all the time.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 16-18.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-61694147100701607392024-03-25T07:09:00.000-04:002024-03-25T07:09:59.812-04:00God's Graciousness <p> God doesn't give us what we deserve. He is merciful to us. In fact, God gives us more than we deserve. That is His grace. We all need to have a firm belief in the fact that God is a gracious God. We can count on Him giving us His love in abundance. This is true even when we have serious problems.</p><p>David sinned with Bathsheba, and she had a son. God was upset by David's sin, so he told David the baby would die. Then, the baby became very sick. (II Samuel 12:22) David told his servants, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept;" for I said, "Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live." David's outlook should speak to us.</p><p>Even when God pronounces judgment in a certain situation, there is always the chance that He might have mercy on us and be gracious to us. Then, He could change what He said He would do. Just think of Jonah going to Nineveh. His message was that in 40 days God would destroy the city and the people. However, the people turned to the Lord, and God did not destroy them after all. </p><p>Never give up on God. Always be ready to fast and to weep to show God your heart and to cry out to Him. We never know when God will be gracious and give us a second chance. It might not happen, just as David's son still died, but it could happen. That is how we should look at every situation in our lives.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 13-15.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-66549233263898800122024-03-24T06:05:00.000-04:002024-03-24T06:05:28.988-04:00God's Kind of Leader<p> We know that David was a man after God's own heart. That is why David was God's choice as the king over His people. It shouldn't be a surprise to us that David became God's kind of leader. We need to have leaders like David today. However, I am afraid they seem to be few and far between.</p><p>David became king over all of the tribes of Israel. (II Samuel 8:15) David administered justice and righteousness for all his people. That is what it takes to be God's kind of leader. We need to be looking for these two things as we select our leaders today, if we want our country to do well.</p><p>The reason for the Constitution of the United States of America is to ensure freedom and justice for all. That is what we say when we recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. However, I believe there is a lack of justice today. Justice is seeing that what is honest and fair is done. It is what courts are supposed to administer. The problem is that we have leaders and judges who do not know what is honest and fair, so they can't administer justice, as they should.</p><p>We need leaders who administer righteousness, too. That means that we need people of integrity with good character, who know what God says and what the Bible teaches. Then, we need to base our laws and our actions on those principles. That is not imposing religion on people. It is helping everyone to be right with other people and with the Lord. Our country would be much better off with God's kind of leaders. </p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 10-12.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-25802973743065570982024-03-23T06:38:00.000-04:002024-03-23T06:38:14.960-04:00Others Looking Down on Us<p> I am afraid all of us are sensitive to what others think about us. We have a certain amount of self-esteem, and we feel hurt when someone doesn't think we are a good person or that we are unable to do things well. This is especially true when we are doing something that is important to us, like worshiping the Lord, and someone looks down on us or makes fun of us.</p><p>That happened to King David, as the men were carrying the ark of the Lord up to the city of David, and David was worshiping the Lord in front of the ark. (II Samuel 6:16) As the ark of the Lord was coming into the city of David, Michal, David's wife and Saul's daughter, looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord. Because of what she saw, she was contemptuous of David in her heart. We can all learn from this.</p><p>We must be willing and able to express ourselves freely to other people. We should never stop from doing what God wants us to do, or from saying what God wants us to say, because someone might look down on us. That is a trap of the devil to keep us from really being honest and transparent with other people. It is also how he keeps us from really worshiping the Lord with all of our heart.</p><p>Some of us only sing softly in worship, because we are afraid others will think we can't sing well. Others would never raise their hands or say, "Amen," for fear of what people might say or think. When we do that, we show the Lord that people mean more to us than He does. David let Michal know that her contempt would not stop him, and he might even be more expressive in the future. That should be our attitude in worship and all areas of our lives.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 7-9. </p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-82854757245893279452024-03-22T06:59:00.000-04:002024-03-22T06:59:36.869-04:00Blow the Trumpet<p> It is very sad how family members fight each other. The very people who should love each other the most try to hurt each other. They can't cooperate. They can't agree on things. They just fight. It doesn't make sense, except that Satan is trying to destroy as many families as possible, since the family is the foundation of society.</p><p>When David was made the king over the tribe of Judah after Saul's death, a civil war broke out between Judah and the other tribes of Israel. It was a war within God's family. Finally, Joab, the commander of David's army brought it to a close. (II Samuel 2:28) Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people halted and no longer pursued Israel, nor did they continue to fight anymore. I pray this will happen in many families today.</p><p>God established the family as the basic building block for life here on earth. It was established before the government or any other institution. If the family is destroyed the culture crumbles. That is why we must not fight in our families. We must overcome obstacles and love each other as the Lord would have us to love. Then, our lives will be so much better.</p><p>Therefore, someone in every family that is in conflict needs to "blow the trumpet." They need to call a halt to all of the fighting between brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, and parents and children. Once the fighting is stopped, it must never start again. So everyone needs to forgive each other and move forward in harmony. God would be so pleased to see this happen.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 3-6.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-18456515563756837992024-03-21T05:45:00.000-04:002024-03-21T05:45:23.043-04:00Having God as an Enemy<p>There are a lot of things that cause people a great amount of fear. One thing that causes fear is when they have a powerful enemy who is out to get them. It could be a neighbor who is upset or a family member who has a grudge against them. However, the most powerful enemy of all is when the Lord becomes an enemy. There is nothing anyone can do when that happens.</p><p>King Saul found himself in that place after he was unfaithful to the Lord, so that he did not obey the full command of God. He went to a medium since God would not answer his prayers, and he talked with Samuel who came back from the place of the dead. (I Samuel 28:16) Samuel said to Saul, "Why ask me, since the Lord has abandoned you and has become your enemy?" There was nothing Samuel or anyone could do to prevent God's will from being done.</p><p>Why would God become an enemy? That is an unusual situation, but at times, God has to fight against us, because we are determined to do things our way and not listen to Him. If He did not come against us, we would lead others astray and His will would not be done. Therefore, He comes against us as an enemy.</p><p>I pray that none of us will ever get into that situation with the Lord. Of course, it is up to us to keep our hearts right with God and obey His will. It is our choice to trust Him and not try to get our way. If we sin, we are to confess it quickly and restore our relationship with Him. Otherwise, we could have the most powerful enemy in the world, like Saul did.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 30-31 and II Samuel 1-2.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-46711643133048079242024-03-20T07:50:00.000-04:002024-03-20T07:50:55.287-04:00Highly Valuing the Lives of Others<p> We live in a time when people do not value life very highly at all. We hear about all kinds of senseless murders all of the time. People are proud to be in favor of abortion on demand because preborn life is not valued by most people. Even in everyday life people do not treat others well. It is very sad, and it is the opposite of what God commands. </p><p>David was a warrior, but he knew the value of life. He especially valued the life of King Saul, since Saul was God's anointed king. So David did not take his opportunity to kill Saul, even though Saul was seeking to kill him. (I Samuel 26:24) David told Saul that just as he had highly valued Saul's life that day, he was asking God to highly value his life and to rescue him from all distress. This is a basic spiritual principle.</p><p>We all need to remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount. We are to do unto others, as we would have them do unto us. We call that the Golden Rule, because it is such a basic truth. God wants us to treat everyone else well all of the time. Therefore, we should never consider attacking someone in any way. We must decide to treat every life with the utmost respect.</p><p>Then, when we do God's will in this way, we can expect that God will see our obedience, and He will highly value our life. That is how God blesses us when we are a blessing to others. Also, He will rescue us from all of our distresses because He values our life. This doesn't mean we won't have distress in our life. It means that God will be with us and cause things to work out for our good, as we trust Him. That is what He did for David, and He will do the same for us today.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 27-29.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-91654869686013332252024-03-19T07:37:00.000-04:002024-03-19T07:37:00.403-04:00Encouraging Others in God<p>We all need encouragement, and we need it on a regular basis. This encouragement comes in many forms. We can be lifted up by reading a book or hearing a song. We can even be strengthened by simply taking a walk on a nice day. However, it is very helpful to have someone come to us for the purpose of encouraging us.</p><p>That is what Jonathan did for David when David was hiding from King Saul, who wanted to kill him. (I Samuel 23:16) Jonathan, Saul's son, set out and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God. Of all of the kinds of encouragement, being encouraged in God is the best. I pray all of us will give and receive this type of help as we and others need it.</p><p>Our well-being and our state of mind are always based on our faith. If we have faith in ourselves, that can serve to lift us up, at times. However, we all fail, and we are all sinful, so when we have faith in ourselves, it won't last very long before things go wrong. Faith in the Lord Jesus always helps the most, and He never fails us.</p><p>We can encourage other in God by sharing a Bible verse with them. There are so many verses in God's Word that apply to just what we need when we are downcast. Also, we can pray with others in their need. That brings great comfort and strength for them to know we are calling out to God with them. Also, we can simply share the truths that God has taught us in our lives, so they will not feel alone. See what I mean? Let's be the ones to encourage others in God on a regular basis.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 24-26.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-5893065508390718242024-03-18T07:21:00.000-04:002024-03-18T07:21:17.265-04:00Real Friendship<p> Friends come in all shapes and sizes. Some friends are the folks we like to hang around with and enjoy doing things together. Other friends are people we see on different occasions, but they are really just acquaintances we call friends. Then, there are the real friends. Those are the kind of friends all of us really need to have. We can count on those friends when we have a need.</p><p>Jonathan was that kind of friend to David, when king Saul was trying to kill David. (I Samuel 20:4) Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." Now, when a person says that, and he will actually do it, he is a real friend.</p><p>Since Chris has been ill, we have heard from so many of our friends. They have been so good to express their love, and to promise to pray for her and for us. Those prayers are the main thing, because we need the Lord to heal Chris. Doctors can only do so much. God is the Healer.</p><p>However, at the same time that people are praying, I have had so many people tell me what Jonathan told David. They do not know how they can help, but they are willing to do whatever we need. That means so much to us, too. A person is rich if he or she has 5 of that kind of friends. God has blessed us with dozens of people I could call any time for anything. That is a huge blessing to have such real friends.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 21-23. </p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-40864105854675412252024-03-17T06:08:00.000-04:002024-03-17T06:08:08.361-04:00The Lion and the Bear<p> Life is a growth process. Children grow as they eat, sleep, and play. The playing supplies the exercise for their bones and muscles to develop well. The more they grow, the more they are able to do, so the stronger they become. Also, they overcome small obstacles, which leads them to tackle larger obstacles with confidence. This same thing happens as we grow spiritually.</p><p>We know the account of David killing the giant Philistine warrior, Goliath. King Saul and the rest of the army did not have faith that the Lord would enable them to defeat him, so they cowered in fear. David was different. (I Samuel 17:37) David told the king that the Lord who saved him from the paw of the ion and the paw of the bear would save him from the hand of this Philistine. Saul was impressed, and told him to go ahead, and he prayed that the Lord would be with him.</p><p>We start out as baby Christians, when we trust Jesus as Lord and Savior, no matter how old we are at that time. God allows troubles to come, and He sends trials into our lives, so we will learn to trust Him to overcome them. When we trust Him, like David did with the lion and the bear, we grow in our faith, so we can win greater victories in the future. This is how we grow spiritually.</p><p>However, if we do not have faith to trust the Lord in the lesser challenges we won't grow in the Lord, as we should. Therefore, I ask each of us to look back and see if we can remember a lion we defeated by trusting in God's power. What was a bear we overcame as we trusted God? If you can't remember those experiences, chances are that you are not ready to face the giants now. Therefore, begin now to trust God in the little things to prepare you for future Goliaths.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 18-20. </p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-19814186089578506402024-03-16T06:38:00.000-04:002024-03-16T06:38:45.458-04:00The Best Way to Live<p> There are all kinds of people who go around telling people how to be successful and happy in life. These people go by many different philosophies of life, but each one claims to have the real secret to living a great life. Please, don't fall prey to any of these types of people. The best way to live is by living God's way.</p><p>Samuel had lived a long life and seen all kinds of situations. The people had turned from having God as their leader, because they wanted a king. Samuel still prayed for them and told them what to do. (I Samuel 12:24) He said to the people, "Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you." Now, that is the best way for anyone to live.</p><p>The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When we fear the Lord, we respect Him, worship Him, and do what He commands us to do. Then, we won't sin and have the terrible consequences of sin in our lives. We will be blessed by God for doing well and pleasing Him. Then, we serve Him in truth with all of our heart. We will always produce good fruit in our life when we do that.</p><p>Why live like this? Consider what great things the Lord has done for us. He gave us life and breath. He has sustained us all of our days. He made a way of salvation from our sins through His Son, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us to have the abundant life. He is there to guide us every day, every step of the way. What a Great God, and what a great life He has for us, if we will do life His way.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 15-17. </p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-32700970216009230272024-03-15T07:07:00.000-04:002024-03-15T07:07:21.774-04:00God Changed His Heart<p> Something radical happens when we come to know the Lord Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. It is not just that we decide to repent of our sins and turn away from doing things our own way. Also, it is not simply that we decide to pray and commit our lives to Him in faith since He died for us and rose again for our sins and salvation. At that time, God changes our heart.</p><p>This is similar to what happened to Saul when God chose him to be king over Israel, and Samuel anointed him to be used by God in that way. (I Samuel 10:9) It happened when Saul turned his back to leave Samuel that God changed his heart, and all of the signs which Samuel told him would come true came about that day as confirmation of God's choice. There was a fundamental change in Saul's life.</p><p>When we speak of our heart, we are talking about who we are as a person. It is the core of our being. Salvation brings a changed heart. The Bible says we are a new creation in Christ. (II Corinthians 5:17) Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be "born again" by the Spirit of God. (John 3:3,6) We are changed by the power of God, so that we can become to be more like Jesus every day until He takes us home to heaven.</p><p>This change happens instantly upon salvation, but we are to cultivate that new heart and allow the Spirit to grow us into the image of Jesus. If we don't cooperate with the Lord, we will not make the progress that we should make, and the Spirit will have to convict us and draw us back in line with what God has for us. I pray all of us will have God change our hearts by trusting Jesus, so we can live the abundant life in Him.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 11-14.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-49981250496849273402024-03-14T07:07:00.000-04:002024-03-14T07:07:48.162-04:00Being Struck for Our Sins<p> One of the worst things that we can do is to take our sins lightly. I am afraid this is a very big problem for people today. Many people tend to rationalize that their sins are not really so bad. They think they are just doing what everyone else is doing, so it must not be very serious. This can be deadly thinking, as we see in the Bible, because God takes all sins seriously.</p><p>The men of Beth-shemesh found out this reality when the ark of the Lord was returned by the Philistines, and it ended up in their area. (I Samuel 6:19) The Lord fatally struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the Lord had struck them with a great slaughter. </p><p>Sometimes we sin by doing what we know is wrong. At other times we sin by missing God's will, even though we were not aware that what we were doing was wrong. However, in both cases we have sinned, and there are consequences for both kinds of sins. As Christians, all of our sins are forgiven by the blood of Christ, but that is why I John 1:9 calls us to confess our sins after salvation, so God can cleanse us and restore us to a right relationship and fellowship with Him.</p><p>Just remember, God killed Ananias and Saphira for lying about their offering. He killed believers in Corinth for taking the Lord's Supper in vain. The consequences of our sins can be very severe, so we must take them seriously and follow the Spirit, so we stay away from sin by keeping God's commands and doing what pleases Him. Remember, if sin wasn't so serious, Jesus would not have had to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 7-10.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-10231597863222449952024-03-13T07:26:00.000-04:002024-03-13T07:26:12.356-04:00The Holy Lord, Our Rock<p> We all need help. We have so many challenges in our lives. We can't make it on our own intellect and in our own strength. We look for other people to help us, and that is great. God wants us to help each other. However, God is the Only One who is always there to do the right thing and to be the foundation for our lives to be secure.</p><p>Hannah, Samuel's mother, found out this truth by her experience with the Lord. She prayed for a son, and God granted her request. Then, she worshiped the Lord from her heart. (I Samuel 2:2) She declared that there is one one holy like the Lord, in fact, there is no one besides the Lord, nor is there any rock like our God. Hannah found out what we all need to learn.</p><p>God is holy. He always does the right thing, and He never does the wrong thing. That is why we must depend on Him for everything, instead of solely depending on people for help. People will lead us astray sometimes, but God shows us the right way every time. We must look to Him, knowing there is no one besides Him who is perfectly holy and all-powerful.</p><p>Also, He is the only Rock upon which we can build our lives and be secure. He is the Rock of Ages. He is the Eternal God, who never changes. He is steadfast, and when we know Him and build our lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ, nothing and no one can shake us. He is the One we need every hour of every day.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 4-6.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-69967979858167679852024-03-12T07:46:00.000-04:002024-03-12T07:46:01.318-04:00Not Left Without a Redeemer<p> It is terrible to be in a situation where we have no hope of things improving. Hopelessness causes people to become depressed and to give up. I believe this is why people like the stories of super heroes who come to the rescue of desperate people in dire circumstances. We all would look for someone to come to our aid in those times. The Lord knows all about this need.</p><p>Naomi lost her husband and her two sons. They died and left her in a very difficult situation since widows didn't have a way to make a living in those days. However, God had a solution to her hopeless state. (Ruth 4:14) The ladies of Bethlehem said to Naomi, "Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel." Boaz, the kinsman redeemer, came to the rescue of both Naomi and Ruth,</p><p>Boaz purchased the property of Naomi's husband, married Ruth, and they had a child. Naomi went from a hopeless widow to a secure grandmother all because of her kinsman redeemer. That was God's system in the Old Covenant, but He has not left us in the New Covenant without a Redeemer, either. God never wants anyone to be hopeless.</p><p>Jesus is our Hope; He is our Redeemer. He became a man, while remaining God, so He could shed His blood for our sins and save us from eternal death. His blood paid our sin debt, so we could be free and secure in Him by putting our trust in Him alone for our salvation. We all have sinned, but there is a Redeemer for all of us, too, if we will simply turn from our sin and trust Jesus as Lord.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 1-3.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-91618354532486017542024-03-11T07:20:00.000-04:002024-03-11T07:20:31.039-04:00Loyalty and Commitment<p> Loyalty is rare today. People tend to look out for themselves and not to care about others like they should. Also, we do not see people making commitments and keeping them the way they should. They seem to give up on things way to soon. Just think how our world would be if everyone was loyal and made strong commitments.</p><p>Ruth is a great example of both of these virtues. She was from Moab, but when her husband died, she stuck with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and went back to Bethlehem with her. (Ruth 1:16) Ruth told Naomi, "Do not plead with me to leave you or to turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you sleep, I will sleep. Your people will be my people, and your God, my God." We can all learn a lot from Ruth.</p><p>Ruth could have gone her own way, but she was loyal to Naomi. I wonder how loyal we are to our family and friends? Do we stick with them through thick and thin, or do we go our own way? God wants us to show genuine, unselfish love to others by being loyal and being there for those who need us. This should be true even if it causes us pain.</p><p>Also, Ruth made a huge commitment to change her belief in the gods of Moab and trust the Lord God of the Bible. She was willing to give up what she had been taught to make the commitment of her heart to the Lord. God honors that kind of commitment, and I want to encourage all of us to make sure we have made that commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Ruth 2-4.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-65194127049262178092024-03-10T06:06:00.000-04:002024-03-10T06:06:22.071-04:00Nothing like This has ever Happened Before<p>It seems like every day things are happening that are worse than anything that has happened before. I know that sin has always been in the world since Adam's fall, but sin gets worse and worse. It is not just that the things being done are new. It is that they are happening on a far greater scale and with more publicity. Something needs to happen to at least slow it down.</p><p>That was the situation near the end of the times of the judges in Israel. Even a wayward Levite with a concubine knew things were out of hand, so he let everyone know what had happened. (Judges 19:30) All who saw is said, "Nothing like this has ever happened or been seen from the day when the sons of Israel came up from the land of Egypt to this day. Consider it, make a plan, and speak up. Christians need to do the same thing today.</p><p>Many believers are too busy living their lives to see what is going on. They have turned off the news. They stay with their Christian friends, so they don't really know what is happening around them. However, we are to be salt and light to this world. Therefore, we need to take time to consider the situation, and make a plan about what God wants us to do.</p><p>Of course, we should vote for the people who will lead us in the right way. We need to be active in church and the ministries of the church to reach our community. We need to be ready to speak truth to whoever we can. Then, we need to speak the truth in love, but we need to do it with conviction. The darkness doesn't know any better until the light shines and shows the right way.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 20-21 and Ruth 1. </p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-39835589153586082472024-03-09T05:32:00.000-05:002024-03-09T05:32:55.972-05:00The Lord Departed<p> God is so good to be with His children. It gives us great peace and strength to have His presence with us. However, there are times when we find ourselves alone. Some people think when that happens to them that God is the one at fault. That is not the case at all. He desires to be with us, but His presence will not be with us in certain situations.</p><p>Samson found himself in one of those situations, after he told the secret of his great strength to Delilah, and she cut off his hair while he was sleeping. (Judges 17-19) She said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson." And he awoke from sleep and said, "I will go out as at other times and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. I pray we will never let this happen to us.</p><p>Some Christians think that God is following us around all of the time. They believe that is His responsibility since He loves us, and He wants what is best for us. However, if we sin by going to places and doing things that God doesn't want us to do, He is under no obligation to follow us. He lets us go off by ourselves and face the consequences of our actions. </p><p>Also, if we break His commands like Samson did, He could depart from us for a season because of our rebellion and unbelief. He can't bless us when we are doing those things. It is not that we are no longer saved. It is our loving Father teaching us why we need to be faithful to Him. Just like He blessed Samson with strength later, He can and will return to us, when we repent and confess our sins to Him.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 17-19.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-12927210606879448722024-03-08T07:03:00.000-05:002024-03-08T07:03:33.402-05:00Letting God be the Judge<p> We have all been in difficult situations with other people. Sometimes, they are giving us a hard time, but we have not done anything wrong. In the end, it just comes down to their word against our word. In those situations we have to do what we believe is right and ask God to judge between us and them. He always does the right thing.</p><p>Jephthah found himself in one of those situations with the Ammonites. They would not listen to his explanation. (Judges 11:27) He declared to them that he had not sinned against them, but they were doing him wrong by making war against him. So he appealed to the Lord, the Judge, to judge between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon. That was all he could do.</p><p>God always knows the facts of every conflict between us and others. He also knows the motives of our hearts. Some people just won't listen to reason. They are set on getting their own way. Therefore, we have to stand up for what we believe is right, even when others misunderstand.</p><p>Then, we turn the whole matter over to God. He can show others that we were right, and the other people were wrong. He does that because God is a God of justice. He is the Perfect Judge, and He will not only render the right verdict; He will make sure that the righteous ones are vindicated in the end.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 13-16.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-38824045780217419062024-03-07T05:31:00.000-05:002024-03-07T05:31:36.301-05:00The Least and the Youngest Used by God<p> God is not limited in any way by who He can use to do great things. In fact, I believe He prefers to use the least and most common people to do His work. Then, there is not doubt that He did it, and they did not do it themselves. God is not arrogant, but He deserves all of the glory, and that is often how He gets it.</p><p>Gideon is a prime example of this reality. God came to him and told him that He was going to use him to defeat the Midianites. (Judges 6:15,16) Gideon said to the Lord, "O Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my family is least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house." Yet the Lord said to him, "I will certainly be with you, and you will defeat Midian as one man." So God used the least to win a great victory.</p><p>Once we come to know Christ as Lord and Savior, we have the Holy Spirit in us. God lives in us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:19-20 that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead in us. God can use that great power to do whatever He desires for us to do. We do not have to be prefect. We just have to be one of His, like Gideon was.</p><p>In fact, Gideon had doubts like us. He made errors in judgment like us. He was just a common man whom God used to do uncommon things. All any of us need to do is to know Christ and to let Him has His way in our lives. Then, when He wants us to do something for Him, He is with us, and He will see that it gets done, as long as we trust Him.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 9-12.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-4152854335168768622024-03-06T07:19:00.000-05:002024-03-06T07:19:09.613-05:00Being Tested by the Lord<p> Many Christians think that when they have hardships it is Satan giving them a hard time. Of course, that is the case some of the time. However, even when Satan comes to tempt us, He can only get to us if God allows him to tempt us. Then, at other times, God sends us times of testing Himself. Either way, the tests come to see what we will do.</p><p>God sent a test for the younger generation of Israel after they had taken the land of Canaan. (Judges 3:1,4) He left some of the Canaanite nations to test the Israelites who had not experienced the wars of Canaan. They were left to test Israel to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. They knew the commandments, but would they keep them? We have the same test today.</p><p>We live in a world with all kinds of temptations to do the wrong things. People all around us believe the wrong things, and they are doing things that are opposite of what God has commanded us. I am sure that many believers think they are the problem. They think that if they would get right, everything would go well.</p><p>That is not the reality, though. If we don't keep God's commands now, we wouldn't keep them if the unbelievers around us were gone. We obey God because we love Him. If we love Him, we will do His will, no matter what everyone else is doing. God allows us to be tested, so we will see if we really love God as we should. If we fail His tests, we need to get our heart right with he Lord and stop worrying about other people.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 6-8.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-32419183325676106352024-03-05T07:27:00.000-05:002024-03-05T07:27:48.621-05:00Generational Change<p> We can all see the differences in the generations of people in our society. My parents' generation lived through the Great depression. They were people of faith, and they were very frugal. They provided well for my generation, so we have all we need, but we have put too much emphasis on pleasure. Now, the younger generations are not believing in the Lord as much, because our generation did not show them our faith and teach them well. This is a great failure.</p><p>The same thing happened in Israel. (Joshua 2:10) All the generation of Joshua and his leaders was gathered to their fathers, and another generation rose up after them who did not know the Lord, nor even the work which the Lord had done for Israel. This failure caused the new generation to be led away from the Lord to worship the gods of the Canaanites and to be punished by God.</p><p>Every generation of believers has the responsibility to lead their children to the Lord. If that doesn't happen, then we are always one generation away from the extinction of Christianity. Our children do not trust the Lord just because we take them to church. They must see us live out our faith. If we failed to do that, we need to do all we can now to bring them to the Lord.</p><p>Each generation needs to be taught the Bible. Again, it is not just sending our kids to Sunday School. The teaching of our children is the responsibility of the parents, first and foremost. It takes our time and efforts to communicate what God has done for us and how He has worked in history. Then, they have a foundation of truth to give them a good worldview once they trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 3-5.</p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10133309.post-5732433589947422162024-03-04T07:14:00.000-05:002024-03-04T07:14:38.862-05:00Not One Word Has Failed<p>Today, it is hard to tell if what we read and hear is really true or not. This is the case for what we read in books or on the Internet. It is also the case for what we hear on the news. We never know what we can count on and what is false. That is why it is so comforting to have God's Word which never fails.</p><p>Joshua gave a final address to the people of Israel before he died. (Joshua 23:14) He told all of the people that he was about to go the way of all the earth, and that they knew in all their hearts and in all their souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord spoke concerning them had failed. They had all been fulfilled for them, not one of them had failed. This is still true for us today.</p><p>God's Word is inerrant. There are no errors in His Word when we understand it correctly and fully. All of the accounts of the events in the Bible are true. All the prophesies that were given about things in the past have come true 100%. We can know that the ones given about the future will come true as well.</p><p>God's Word will never fail in any way. When we read God's Word, the Holy Spirit will illuminate the meaning for us, and when we follow what God says, it will never fail to profit our life. There is no need for us to ever doubt the words of God, which He inspired to be written in the Bible for us. It is our rock foundation of truth for our lives.</p><p><b>#NHBaptistdotorg</b></p><p>Tomorrow, I intend to read Joshua 24 and Judges 1-2. </p>Stan Jordanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17680067776349949581noreply@blogger.com