Refreshing

Daily
in God’s Word
Emphasis on
 How God Delivered Israel
January 1

 Bible Reading: Exodus 19:1-9

 Key Verse: Verse 4 - "Ye have seen what I did unto the
Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and
brought you unto myself."
Key Words: How I bare you on eagles' wings

Not only did God deliver Israel from Egypt, he brought

them out soaring to new heights; seeing things that only God
could do—the parting of the Red Sea; the crossing the Red Sea
on “dry ground” and providing for them at Elim.
There are those events in life where we stand amazed and
wonder, “How did that happen?” And the only answer can be
God.
Daniel Champlin was a missionary along the African
Congo. Needless to say, the villages he ministered to upset
their village witch doctor who once challenged Missionary
Champlin to a fire walk. They would make a 25-30 foot path
covered with burning embers. The one who could walk the
path with no burns on his feet would be deduced the winner,
and his God would be supreme -- much like the challenge
between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. On the evening of
the fire walk, the witch doctor declared that he would go first
which he did; and he had no burns at all on his feet.
Missionary Champlin knew he was not going to walk on those
hot coals, so he declared he could do even better, and pray
rain down to put out the hot coals. On a starlit night,
Missionary Champlin looked up to heaven, and prayed that
the supreme God of all gods send water from heaven to
destroy these hot embers. It was one of those deliverance
moments – it began to rain as a single cloud lined up over the
village and poured rain down for several minutes. God had
delivered. The next morning when Missionary Champlin
came out of his hut, there sat the entire village – Chief, witch
doctor, and ALL – wanting to learn more about the God that
delivers.
I hope during this new year of 2018 we will see God
deliver many from their sins, and come to know Jesus as
personal Savior.
To each of you, Happy New Year!

What to do:
✞Remember, God can and does deliver us from the
things that bind us.

********************

How Long?
January 2

 Bible Reading: Numbers 14:1-11

 Key Verse: Verse 11- "And the LORD said unto Moses,
How long will this people provoke me? and how long
will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I
have shewed among them?"
Key Words: How long will this people provoke me

We know the people had heard the negative news from ten
of the twelve spies that had spied out the promised land. They
had told the people there were giants in the land, and that
they were nothing but mere grasshoppers to the Amalekites.
The people had provoked God because of their lack of
faith, “How long will it be ere they believe me?” Rather than
operating out of faith, they operated out of fear.
Seeking to know God better, John Chrysostom became a
hermit in the mountains near Antioch in A.D. 373. Although
his time of isolation was cut short by illness, he learned that
with God at his side, he could stand alone against anyone or
anything. That lesson served Chrysostom well. In A.D. 398,
he was appointed patriarch of Constantinople, where his zeal
for reform antagonized the Empress Eudoxia, who had him
exiled. Allowed to return after a short time, Chrysostom again
infuriated Eudoxia, who sent him away again. How did
Chrysostom respond to such persecution? With these words:
“What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ
is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But
the earth and all its fullness are the Lord’s. Poverty I do not
fear; riches I do not sigh for; and from death, I do not shrink.”
He who fears man will seldom obey God!

What to do:
✞Remember, sometimes the Lord calms the storm;
sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.

********************

How Can I Do This?

January 3

 Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 1:1-14

 Key Verse: Verse 12– "How can I myself alone bear
your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?"
Key Words: How can I myself alone bear your
cumbrance

Moses is addressing the people of Israel, and he asks

the question of how; how can I bear all of your burdens? His
answer was simple; he couldn’t, so he asked them to take wise
men that had understanding and let them help him bear the
burdens of the people.
Let’s face reality, we all have our human limitations.
We can’t do everything. We all need help.
The soldier’s first article of faith is summed up
nowhere more eloquently than in an 1865 letter from William
Tecumseh Sherman to U.S. Grant: “I knew wherever I was
that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place, you would
come – if alive.”
William Schultz in “Bits and Pieces” wrote, “People
need people. Laurie was about three when one night she
requested my aid in getting undressed. I was downstairs and
she was upstairs, and…well. ‘You know how to undress
yourself,’ I reminded. ‘Yes,’ she explained, ‘but sometimes
people need people anyway, even if they do know how to do
things by themselves.’”
Yes, we all need those people that help us carry the
burden.
All of us fit into one of three categories. Either we are
responsible for carrying the burden, or we are helping those
responsible carry the burden, and of course, the third group
are those who watch us carry the burden – which one are you?

What to do:
✞Don’t be a watcher; if so, you may be the burden.

********************

How Will It End?

January 4

 Bible Reading: Ruth 3:8-18

 Key Verse: Verse 18 – "Then said she, Sit still, my
daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall:
for the man will not be in rest, until he have finished
the thing this day."
Key Words: how the matter will fall

Ruth was wondering how the situation with Boaz was

going to end. What’s going to happen? Naomi gave her the
Biblical admonition to “sit still.” In other words, wait! Be
patient.
 I am reminded of the fact that patience -- waiting on
God to act, or move others to act – is indeed a virtue.
Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not
going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of
effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command;
second, readiness for any new command that may come;
third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.
I am afraid though that most of us are like Abraham as
told in an old Hebrew tale…
According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was
sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man,
weary from age and journey, coming toward him. Abraham
rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent.
There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and
drink.
The old man immediately began eating without saying
any prayer or blessing. So Abraham asked him, “Don’t you
worship God?”
The old traveler replied, “I worship fire only and
reverence no other god.”
When he heard this, Abraham became incensed,
grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his
tent into the cold night air.
When the old man had departed, God called to his
friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was. Abraham
replied, “I forced him out because he did not worship you.”
God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years
although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one
night?”
Ruth did wait -- and the rest of the story is that now
Ruth and Boaz are in the lineage that brings forth the
Messiah—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What to do:
✞It really does pay to wait – sit still.
 The How of Assuming
January 5

 Bible Reading: I Samuel 1:9-18

 Key Verse: Verse 14 – "And Eli said unto her, How
long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from
thee."
Key Words: How long wilt thou be drunken

Now, we know that Hannah wasn’t drunk. But Eli sure

thought she was. Sometimes we think we see something that
we really don’t see. We just assume it to be so. Eli was quick
to judge Hannah. He mistook a brokenhearted woman for a
drunk.
What a lesson this should be for us not to jump to
hasty conclusions without knowing all the facts. There may be
some facts that, if we knew them, would change our attitude
from censure to sympathy, from enemy to friend, from
criticism to compliment. We may be blind to the motive.
Balaam beat his donkey because he misunderstood the
donkey’s reason for balking; and when Balaam saw the angel
blocking the way, he must have been somewhat embarrassed
by his actions.
Sometime back I heard the cry of despair from some
birds coming from our backyard. I looked out to see that a
baby bluejay had fallen out of the nest lodged up the fork of a
tree. Deciding I would rescue the baby bluejay, I ran into the
backyard, picked up the bluejay, only to be attacked by the
baby’s mother. To say the least, she was not happy with me
and she let me know it. While the mother bluejay had the best
of intentions, she attacked because she misunderstood.
Before we attack and criticize others, it would be wise
that we get all the facts. We may be attacking someone trying
to save our child. Don’t jump to conclusions..
You can’t always assume that everything is as it
appears to be.
What to do:
✞Before you open your mouth, make sure you know
of what you speak.

********************

How, How, and How

January 6

 Bible Reading: II Samuel 11:1-13

 Key Verse: Verse 7 "And when Uriah was come unto
him, David demanded of him how Joab did, and how
the people did, and how the war prospered."
Key Words: how Joab did, and how the people
did, and how the war prospered

All of these "how’s” are nothing but a cover-up of

David’s pretending to get some consolation from Uriah, when
in fact, he is attempting to cover up his adultery with Uriah’s
wife.
I’m reminded of the little saying we had to learn in
elementary school, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when we
practice to deceive.”
For six years starting in 1877, Black Bart committed 28
robberies wearing a flour sack over his head, brandishing a
shotgun, demanding, “Will you please throw down your
treasure box, sir?” He was wounded in his last robbery,
dropping a handkerchief with the laundry marking FXO7,
which was traced to San Francisco where the police made one
of the most surprising arrests in city history. Black Bart, the
stagecoach robber, turned out to be Charles Bolton, one of
San Francisco’s leading citizens with close ties to the police
department. He had a reputation as a non-smoking, non-
drinking, God-fearing man with big business interests in the
gold mines. The citizens of San Francisco were duped into
deception, deceived by someone who had the appearance of
one life, but was living an entirely different one.
David had to learn the hard way, as do most of us, that
deception only lasts for awhile; then the covers are pulled
back, and the whole world then knows the truth.

What to do:
✞Remember, Oh what a tangled web we weave when
we practice to deceive.

********************

How of a Double-Minded Man

January 7

 Bible Reading: I Kings 18:21-40

 Key Verse: Verse 21 – "And Elijah came unto all the
people, and said, How long halt ye between two
opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal,
then follow him. And the people answered him not a
word."
Key Words: How long halt ye between two
opinions

James reminds us that a double-minded man is

unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). A double-minded person
can be seen through their life. They are hot and cold
spiritually. They are in church, and then out of church. They
are faithful for awhile, then unfaithful for awhile. They will
witness for God for awhile, and then do no witnessing for
awhile. They are double-minded.
The people of Israel were that way. They couldn’t
make up their minds as to who they wanted to serve – God or
Baal. Oh the misery of being double-minded!
The planet Mercury is hot. Pluto is cold. Why is Pluto
cold and Mercury hot? Mercury is really close to the sun, and
Pluto is a long way off. The farther you get away, the colder
things become; but the closer you get, the hotter things are.
You may say that you are not a Pluto Christian or a Mercury
Christian. Maybe you are an Earth Christian where things get
hot and cold. You may be a seasonal Christian who has
changes depending on whether it is wintertime, summertime,
springtime, or fall.
God is looking for some Mercury Christians. He is
looking for some folks who want to get close and stay hot all
the time because they stay close to the S-o-n, and stop all of
the double-mindedness.

What to do:
✞Are you a stable Christian or unstable? Strive for
stability.

********************

How Can We Do This?

January 8

 Bible Reading: II Kings 6:8-18

 Key Verse: Verse 15 – "And when the servant of the
man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold,
an host compassed the city both with horses and
chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my
master! how shall we do?"
Key Words: how shall we do

Elisha’s servant was asking a question out of genuine

concern and fear. The essence of the question is, “How can we
get out of this?” You have to love Elisha’s answer. “We don’t
need to get out of it.” They need to be the ones concerned, not
us. They need to be in fear, not us.
This reminds me of the story of Missionary John
Paton, who was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands.
One night, hostile natives surrounded the mission station,
intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and
his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would
deliver them. When daylight came, they were amazed to see
their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was
converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton
asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the
house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who
were all those men with you there?” Paton knew no men were
present – but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he
had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with
drawn swords circling the mission station.
How shall we do? We’ll do fine, thank you!

What to do:
✞When you don’t know what to do, look to Jesus. He
never fails.

********************

How Can I Do This?

January 9
 Bible Reading: I Chronicles 13
 Key Verse: Verse 12 – "And David was afraid of God
that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God
home to me?"
Key Words: How shall I bring the ark of God
home to me

There is a commercial where a man is saying over and

over again, “I can do this,” and then finally says, “How can I
do this?”
That’s how David must have felt. In order to
understand the context let’s review a little of Israel’s history.
During the period of the judges, you may recall, the
ark had been captured in war by the Philistines. Because it
had caused them no end of trouble, they placed it on a new
cart and sent it back to Israel (I Sam. 6). From that time to
this, the ark had remained in the house of Abinadab at
Kirjath-jearim. Now David makes an attempt to bring the ark
to his capital, which is Jerusalem. God took note of this
because it pleased Him that David was putting an emphasis
on spiritual matters.
But things go awry when Uzza touched the ark and
God smote him. As a result of this, David became full of fear
and “brought not the ark home.” Fear can work in two ways.
It can motivate you to act or it can cause you to freeze and do
nothing. So it was with David.
Five-year-old Johnny was in the kitchen as his mother
made supper. She asked him to go into the pantry and get her
a can of tomato soup, but he didn’t want to go in alone. “It’s
dark in there and I’m scared.” She asked again, and he
persisted. Finally she said, “It’s OK—Jesus will be in there
with you.” Johnny walked hesitantly to the door and slowly
opened it. He peeked inside, saw it was dark, and started to
leave when all at once an idea came, and he said, “Jesus, if
you’re in there, would you hand me that can of tomato soup?”
Yes, fear can cause us to do some strange things. With
David, it caused him to “freeze in his tracks.”

What to do:
✞Do right, and you have nothing to fear.

********************

How and the Truth

January 10

 Bible Reading: II Chronicles 18:1-17

 Key Verse: Verse 15 – "And the king said to him, How
many times shall I adjure thee that thou say nothing
 but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?"
Key Words: How many times shall I adjure thee

What an odd couple Jehoshaphat and Ahab made

teaming up to fight against the Syrians. So they inquired of
the prophets, four hundred of them, who told them to go up
and fight. But one, Micaiah, prophesied for them not to go,
and that if they did, then Ahab would die. Ahab’s response
was that Micaiah never prophesied any good thing for him.
However, in verse 14, Micaiah joins the other four hundred
and says to go ahead and fight. Ahab’s response is found in
verse 15. “And the king said to him, How many times shall I
adjure thee that thou say nothing but the truth to me in the
name of the Lord?”
In essence, Ahab is saying to Micaiah to stop kidding
me and tell me the truth. The problem is Ahab didn’t want to
hear the truth. You know there are a lot of people like that
today who, in reality, don’t want to hear the truth and have a
difficult time accepting it.
A woman’s red station wagon was crushed by an
elephant at a circus. The owners of the animal apologized,
explaining that the animal, for some reason, simply liked to sit
on red cars. In spite of the damage, the woman’s car was still
drivable. On the way to the garage she was stopped short by
an accident involving two other cars just ahead of her. When
the ambulance arrived a few minutes later, the attendants
took one look at her car, then ran over to assist her.
“Oh, I wasn’t involved in this accident,” she explained.
“An elephant sat on my car.” The ambulance attendants
quickly bundled her off to the hospital for possible shock and
head injuries despite the lady’s vehement protests.

What to do:
✞Remember, it’s the truth that makes you free.
John 8:32
 Oh How Great
January 11

 Bible Reading: Psalm 31:15-24

 Key Verse: Verse 19 - "Oh how great is thy goodness,
which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which
thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before
the sons of men!"
Key Words: Oh how great is thy goodness

The psalmist David is believed to have written this

psalm when being pursued by Saul. It was during this time of
adversity he sings about the goodness of God.
Corrie Ten Boom writes in her book The Hiding Place:
"Often I have heard people say, 'How good God is! We prayed
that it would not rain for our church picnic, and look at the
lovely weather!' Yes, God is good when He sends good
weather; but God was also good when He allowed my sister,
Betsie, to starve to death before my eyes in a German
concentration camp. I remember one occasion when I was
very discouraged there. Everything around us was dark, and
there was darkness in my heart. I remember telling Betsie
that I thought God had forgotten us. 'No, Corrie,' said Betsie,
'He has not forgotten us. Remember His Word: ‘For as the
heavens are high above the earth, so great is His steadfast love
toward those who fear Him.’" Corrie concludes, “There is an
ocean of God’s love available—there is plenty for everyone.
May God grant you never to doubt that victorious love—
whatever the circumstances.”
We must all come to the place in our life that we
realize that God is good ALL THE TIME!
.

What to do:
✞Grow and mature to the place where you realize God
hasn’t done something TO you, but FOR you.
 How About That Kindness
January 12

 Bible Reading: Psalm 36

 Key Verse: Verse 7 – "How excellent is thy
lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men
put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."
Key Words: How excellent is thy lovingkindness

Lovingkindness is a kindness which flows from love.

The psalmist, no doubt, is filled with joy because of
God’s protection from the wicked (verses 1-4). He speaks of
God’s mercy, faithfulness, and righteousness which leads to
his joyous statement, “How excellent is thy lovingkindness”, a
joyous love that flows out of kindness.
British statesman and financier Cecil Rhodes, whose
fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes
Scholarships, was a stickler for correct dress—but apparently
not at the expense of someone’s feelings. A young man
invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go
directly to Rhodes’ home in his travel-stained clothes. Once
there, he was appalled to find the other guests already
assembled, wearing full evening dress. After what seemed a
long time, Rhodes appeared in a shabby old blue suit. Later
the young man learned that his host had been dressed in
evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his
young guest’s dilemma. Now that is truly an act of kindness.
So it is with God, everything He does flows from a heart of
love.

What to do:
✞We all act, but does it flow from a heart of love?
 How About Some Instruction
January 13
 Bible Reading: Proverbs 5:1-13
 Key Verse: Verse 12 – "And say, How have I hated
instruction, and my heart despised reproof;"
Key Words: How have I hated instruction

Oh how I hate to see these two words on Christmas

gifts “Easy Assembly.” It’s probably not going to be easy. But
in spite of my disdain, I am glad I do have some instructions
to lead me through this “time of trials” in my life.
Robert Kupferschmid, an 81-year old man with no
flying experience was flying with a 52-year old pilot friend in a
Cessna 172 when the pilot suddenly slumped over and died at
the controls. The single-engine plane began to nose-dive and
Kupferschmid grabbed the controls. Somehow, he got on the
radio and pleaded for help. Nearby were two pilots who heard
the call, and gave Kupferschmid a steady stream of
instructions for climbing, steering, and the scariest part:
landing at a nearby airport. Emergency vehicles were called
out and ready for what seemed like an approaching disaster.
Witnesses said the plane’s nose nudged the center line and
bounced a few times before the tail hit the ground. The
Cessna ended up in a patch of soggy grass next to the runway.
Amazingly, Kupferschmid was not injured. He listened and
followed those instructions as if his life depended on it—and it
did. And so it does!!

What to do:
✞Remember, instructions are not always bad—most
are for our benefit.
 How About Those Words
January 14

 Bible Reading: Proverbs 15:23-32

 Key Verse: Verse 23 - "A man hath joy by the answer
of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how
good is it!"
Key Words: how good is it

Our words can help or hurt; they can bring joy or

sadness—hope or hopelessness. They can motivate or cause
one to quit. Words are powerful. A word that is given at just
the right time and right place, and said in the right way--
spoken in love to help someone—how good is it!!
Charles Swindoll writes about a woman who
committed suicide. She left an unfinished note that simply
read, “They said…” She never completed her final thought,
but whatever “they said” was painful enough for her to
extinguish her own life. We say that “words can be deadly”
and indeed, sometimes they are, literally. “A word fitly
spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs
25:11).
Our words do matter. Use them lovingly and with tact
—so people will say of your words—how good it is.

What to do:
✞Words matter. So make sure your brain is not in
“neutral” while your mouth is in “drive.”
 How About That Wisdom
January 15
 Bible Reading: Jeremiah 8
 Key Verse: Verse 8 - "How do ye say, We are wise,
and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in
vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain."
Key Words: How do you say, We are wise

There are several types of wisdom: earthly, Godly, and

divine. It just happens that the leader of Israel, whom
Jeremiah was addressing, had wisdom; but they had devilish
or earthly wisdom, not Godly wisdom.
Lou Nicholes writes, “While writing thoughts from
Job one morning, I answered the doorbell and saw two
Jehovah’s Witness ladies with two children. After they
identified themselves, I told them I admired their zeal, but I
wouldn’t trade the wisdom that I have in the Lord for what
they have to offer. One of the women said, ‘We believe in
Jesus.’ I told them that may be true, but he is not the same
Jesus that I know. My Jesus is not ‘a god’, but ‘the God’ of the
Trinity who lives and abides in my life. This is the fourth time
in the last few months that the JW’s have knocked on our
door. It would be so wonderful if they were sharing the truth
of God’s Word instead of their false doctrine. Satan is in the
counterfeit business.”
So everytime God gives us His wisdom, Satan throws
out at us his false wisdom. Be wise about which wisdom you
choose.

What to do:
✞Get God’s wisdom from His Word, not this world!
 How About Thy Heart
January 16

 Bible Reading: Ezekiel 16:15-34

 Key Verse: Verse 30 - "How weak is thine heart, saith
the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the
work of an imperious whorish woman;"
Key Words: How weak is thine heart

It is easy to tell that the Lord isn’t talking about a weak

physical heart, but rather the spiritual heart. Israel was
unfaithful to God; they were worshipping false images and the
Lord called that spiritual fornication (verse 25).
Israel was, at this point, deep into idolatry. Now, I’m
not sure how you define idolatry—my definition is anything
that comes before God. I know who or what my god is by who
or what is preeminent in my life.
India really does not have a hunger problem because
of a lack of food. The Hindu religion teaches reincarnation in
the form of animals. And so it is against religious laws to kill
rats, mice, cows, and other animals. Every cow eats enough
food to feed seven people, and there are 200 million “sacred
cows” in India. If the people of India would just stop feeding
these cows, they would have enough food to feed
1,400,000,000 people. That is more than one-fourth of the
entire world’s population.
Now while we look at other nations and say they
worship cows and animals, they look at us and say that we
worship money and recreation! Think about it.

What to do:
✞Remember, you know the strength and maturity of
your spiritual heart by your priorities in life.
 How About That Stubbornness
January 17

 Bible Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-11

 Key Verse: Verse 2 - " O LORD, how long shall I cry,
and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of
violence, and thou wilt not save!"
Key Words: how long shall I cry

God has opened the spiritual eyes of Habakkuk and

shown him the violence that lay ahead for Israel because of
their iniquity (verse 2). So Habakkuk cries out to Israel, but
they are not going to hear.
There is none so blind as those who will not see and
none so deaf as those who will not hear. That’s pretty much
the picture of Israel—they are not going to him, so their
violence will come upon them. Stubbornness and a refusal to
hear leads many to their downfall.
In 1937 architect Frank Lloyd Wright built a house for
industrialist Hibbard Johnson. One rainy evening Johnson
was entertaining guests for dinner when the roof began to
leak. The water seeped through directly above Johnson
himself, dripping steadily onto his bald head. Irate, he called
Wright in Phoenix, Arizona. “Frank,” he said, “you built this
beautiful house for me and we enjoy it very much. But I have
told you the roof leaks, and right now I am with some friends
and distinguished guests, and it is leaking right on top of my
head.” Wright’s reply was heard by all of the guests. “Well,
Hib, why don’t you move your chair?”

What to do:
✞Remember, stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry
(I Samuel 15:23).
 How Has She Become a
Desolation
January 18

 Bible Reading: Zephaniah 2:8-15

 Key Verse: Verse 15 - "This is the rejoicing city that
dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and
there is none beside me: how is she become a
desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every
one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his
hand."
Key Words: how is she become a desolation

The reference here is in regard to Assyria and the city

of Nineveh. The reason for her destruction is her filthiness
and pollution (Zephaniah 3:1). The word filthy carries the
idea of scum, dirt, pollution, rotten rebellion. Anytime a
person, city, state or nation rebels against God, or God’s
people, desolation is the result. You cannot rebel against God
and “make it.”
You don’t have to like the law of gravity, but it is in
your best interest to respect it. You don’t have to prefer it, but
it’s not going to change for you. It is a law of nature. It is a
divine law, not a negotiated law.
You may say, “Gravity, you are not going to tell me
what to do. It’s my thing, and I’m going to do what I want to
do. You are not my boss, Gravity! You are not my instructor!
I’m my own man and I’m going to do what I want to do!”
“In fact, Gravity, just to let you know how I feel about
you, I’m going to rebel. I’m going to get up on the top of this
church building and I’m going to despise you. I’m going to
jump. What do you think about that?”
The law of gravity won’t stop you. The law of gravity
won’t hold you back. You can jump and, for a moment –a
short moment- it may appear like you have outwitted and
outsmarted gravity. It may appear like you have had the last
word, but a few seconds later as we sweep you up off the
pavement, it will become abundantly clear that you have
adjusted to gravity; gravity did not adjust to you.
Sin has consequences, as it did for Assyria and
Nineveh. And so it shall be with anyone who rebels against
God.

What to do:
✞Fear rebellion against God.

********************

How of Judging Others

January 19

 Bible Reading: Matthew 7:1-12

 Key Verse: Verse 4 - "Or how wilt thou say to thy
brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye;
and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?"
Key Words: how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let
me pull out the mote out of thine eye

We have to judge. Paul said, "he that is spiritual

judgeth all things." However, we must be careful not to judge
by appearance only (John 7:24).
In 1884 a young man died, and after the funeral his
grieving parents decided to establish a memorial to him. With
that in mind they met with Charles Eliot, president of Harvard
University. Eliot received the unpretentious couple into his
office and asked what he could do. After they expressed their
desire to fund a memorial, Eliot impatiently said, “Perhaps
you have in mind a scholarship.” “We were thinking of
something more substantial than that…perhaps a building,”
the woman replied. In a patronizing tone, Eliot brushed aside
the idea as being too expensive and the couple departed. The
next year, Eliot learned that this plain pair had gone
elsewhere and established a $26 million memorial named
Leland Stanford Junior University, better known today as
Stanford!
It’s a bad mistake to judge by appearance only!

What to do:
✞Judge with a righteous judgment.

********************

How Many Loaves Have Ye?

January 20

 Bible Reading: Matthew 15:29-39

 Key Verse: Verse 34 - "And Jesus saith unto them,
How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and
a few little fishes."
Key Words: How many loaves have ye

Jesus has been teaching and healing others, and time

has passed, so now the people are hungry. Jesus asks this
obvious question, “How many loaves have ye?” Now we know
that Jesus fed four thousand men, plus women and children,
which leads me to this conclusion; it’s not how much we have,
it’s what we give to God and what He is able to accomplish
with it. Jesus can take our bread crumbs and feed many. He
can take our offering, and spread the gospel to thousands. It’s
just up to us to give and then Jesus does His part.
Hattie Wiatt, a little girl, came to a small Sunday
school and asked to be taken; but it was explained there was
not room for her. In less than two years she fell ill, and
slipped away on her last pilgrimage. No one guessed her
strange secret until, beneath her pillow, was found a torn
pocketbook with fifty-seven pennies in it. They were wrapped
in a scrap of paper on which was written, “To help build the
little Temple bigger, so that more children can go to Sunday
school.” For two years she had saved her pennies for the
cause which was nearest her heart. The pastor told the
incident to his congregation, and the people began making
donations for the enlargement. The papers told it far and
wide, and within five years those fifty-seven pennies had
grown to be $250,000. Today, in Philadelphia, can be seen a
great church, the Baptist Temple, seating 3,300, a Temple
College with accommodations for more than 1,400 students, a
Temple Hospital, and a Temple Sunday school so large that all
who wish may come and be comfortable.

What to do:
✞Give to God; then be amazed what He can do with
you give!

********************

How Pathetic!
January 21

 Bible Reading: Mark 3:1-12

 Key Verse: Verse 6 – "And the Pharisees went forth,
and straightway took counsel with the Herodians
against him, how they might destroy him."
Key Words: how they might destroy him

When our life is filled, not with building others up and

helping them; but rather one lives to destroy another person,
that life is not only pathetic, but depraved. That's what the
Pharisees and Herodians were: depraved. Why would they
want to destroy Jesus? Examples sometimes fall short when
it comes to explaining the why of things, but let me give it a
shot.
I am sure that many of you had in your class growing
up, like I had in my class, a nerd. This particular nerd I’m
talking about always made A’s. He studied all the time—and
ALWAYS made A’s. Now, there’s nothing wrong with always
making A’s. There is nothing wrong with studying all the
time. But the problem with these nerds is that they always
break the curve. A regular student like me would bank on
everyone doing badly on the test so that the teacher would
have to grade everyone on the curve. Everyone in the class
would benefit from all of the students in the class doing
poorly. So it would be OK if I failed—I’d always get a little
help from the teacher.
But there was this one guy in class that had to go and
make an A. This, of course, messed up the curve. The teacher
could now argue that all of us students could have studied and
done well. So we would get mad at the one person who made
an A. Why? Because his success revealed our failure.
The problem with Jesus is that whenever He showed
up, He messed up the curve. As long as people could compare
themselves with other people, everybody passed. When Jesus
showed up, He shows up with all A’s. When He came and
revealed the standards of God, it made everybody else see how
far short they fell of the Divine Standard. The Pharisees and
Herodians, rather than accepting Jesus, which would change
their standard, decided that for selfish reasons they would
rather destroy Him. What a shame!

What to do:
✞You have one of three options. First, you can be a
Christian and resemble Jesus. Secondly, you can be
indifferent and ignore Jesus. Thirdly, you can be a
“Pharisee” and desire to destroy Jesus. Which will you
choose?
 The How of Money
January 22

 Bible Reading: Mark 12:38-44

 Key Verse: Verse 41 - "And Jesus sat over against the
treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into
the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much"
Key Words: how the people cast money into the
treasury

While Jesus watched what they gave, He also watched

how they gave. Jesus is interested not only in what we give,
but how we give it—what is our attitude or our spirit in giving?
There are three kinds of givers: the flint, the sponge,
and the honeycomb. To get anything out of the flint, you have
got to hammer it. Then you only get chips and sparks. To get
water out of the sponge, you have got to squeeze it. The more
you squeeze, the more you get. But the honeycomb simply
overflows with sweetness.
When a person understands what God has done for
them, you don’t have to prime them to give and you don’t
need ten collections. They understand that He is a great God.
In fact, at offering time, we ought to jump to our feet and
applaud that we are here to give, have something to give, and
have been blessed to have strength enough to work that we
might be able to give. We ought to just applaud the privilege
of giving.

What to do:
✞Give like the honeycomb, being thankful that you
have to give.
 How Can It Be?
January 23

 Bible Reading: John 3:1-8

 Key Verse: Verse 4 - "Nicodemus saith unto him, How
can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the
second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"
Key Words: How can a man be born when he is
old

Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was saying

about salvation. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 2:14 that the
natural man, or the person who isn’t born again cannot
understand the things of God. It’s all foreign to them.
Some years ago, our family went to Brazil on a
missions trip. When we arrived in the capital city of Brasilia,
we had to change planes. This is where our adventure began.
We were trying to catch our connecting flight to Manaus. The
problem was that all the signs were written in Portuguese—
and we couldn’t read Portuguese, of course. So we began to
ask airport workers and law enforcement officers where our
gate was for our flight to Manaus. No one—and I mean NO
ONE—spoke English, and we couldn’t understand a word they
were saying. This is the picture I have when we are telling
others about Jesus. We are speaking a spiritual language they
cannot comprehend. That’s where the Holy Spirit comes in,
and He makes sense of it all to the natural man. So now he
can know the truth and hopefully accept Jesus as his Savior.

What to do:
✞Remember, it’s our responsibility to give out the
plan of salvation and let God work from there.
 How About That!
January 24

 Bible Reading: Acts 20:28-35

 Key Verse: Verse 35 - "I have shewed you all things,
how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak,
and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he
said, It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Key Words: how that so labouring ye ought to
support the weak

The word weak means unable to work. Physically

impotent is the clearest meaning. So the Lord tells us that we
should support or help those who are not able to work.
It’s typically difficult to find believers who will labor to
support those who can’t support themselves. I do believe that
for those who cannot support themselves, it is their family’s
responsibility first to take care of them; but when there is no
family, then the church steps in. I do believe that is one of the
reasons every believer should be a faithful member of a Bible-
believing and Bible-teaching local church. The church should
be willing to help those unable to supply for themselves. Let it
never be said of us that we neglected one of our own.
There’s a clever young guy named Somebody Else.
There’s nothing this guy can’t do. He’s busy from morning to
way late at night just substituting for you. You’re asked to do
this, or you’re asked to do that; and what is your ready reply?
Get Somebody Else to do that job; he’ll do it much better than
I. So much to do in this weary old world—so much work and
yet workers are so few. Somebody Else, all weary and worn, is
still substituting for you.
The next time you’re asked to do something
worthwhile, just give this ready reply: “If Somebody Else can
give time and support, my goodness, so can I.” Stop giving
Somebody Else your job. Become a servant and watch what
God will do for you, because He can also do it through you.
You will discover it really is more blessed to give than to
receive. What kind of servant are you?
What to do:
✞Do what you can, when you can, while you can.

********************

How About the Resurrection?

January 25

 Bible Reading: I Corinthians 15:1-15

 Key Verse: Verse 12 - "Now if Christ be preached that
he rose from the dead, how say some among you that
there is no resurrection of the dead?"
Key Words: how say some among you that there
is no resurrection

Some of these people with backgrounds of Stoicism,

Epicureanism, and Platonism were denying the resurrection.
It wasn’t that they were specifically denying the resurrection
of Jesus Christ, but they did not believe in any resurrection at
all.
Now Paul begins a series of “ifs”—“if Christ be not
risen.” Paul faced the fact. My Christian friend, don’t you
hide your head like an ostrich under the sand and say, “Well,
we can’t be sure about the Resurrection, so let’s not say too
much about it. Let’s walk as if we were walking on eggshells.”
My friend, I am on a foundation; that foundation is the Rock,
and the Rock is Christ. He came back from the dead. Paul is
not afraid that Christ might not have risen from the dead. He
puts down these “ifs” as a demonstration of the importance of
the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
As a young man, D. L. Moody was suddenly called
upon to preach a funeral sermon. He hunted all through the
Four Gospels trying to find one of Christ’s funeral sermons,
but searched in vain. He found that Christ broke up every
funeral He ever attended. Death could not exist where He
was. When the dead heard His voice, they sprang to life.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
What to do:
✞Read Romans 10:9-10 (Note He was raised in
verse 9)

********************

How About This?

January 26

 Bible Reading: II Corinthians 13

 Key Verse: Verse 5 - "Examine yourselves, whether ye
be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not
your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you,
except ye be reprobates?"
Key Words: how that Jesus Christ is in you

What a statement by Paul, Examine yourselves and

make sure you are born again. Paul is not saying you can lose
your salvation, but he is saying to make sure what you have is
a genuine (real) Biblical salvation.
J. Vernon McGee tells the following about his
daughter and her salvation.
“When my daughter was just a little thing, she made a
confession of her faith to her mother when they were back
visiting her grandmother in Texas. She came in one day and
said out of a clear sky that she wanted to accept Jesus as her
Savior. My wife took her into the bedroom, she got down on
her knees and accepted Christ. Regularly after that I would
ask her about her relation to Christ. When she got into her
teens, she asked, ‘Daddy, why do you keep asking me whether
I am a Christian or not, or whether I really trust in Jesus?’ I
told her, ‘I just want to make sure. After all, you are my
offspring and I want to be sure.’ Now not ony did I do that for
her, I did it for myself also. I think every believer ought to do
that.”
One of my own granddaughters asked me, “Why do we
have to have final exams? We already have gone over it and
we know it.” My response was that you have exams to make
sure you know what you say you know!
We examine our salvation to make sure we have what
we say we have. A checkup never hurts.

What to do:
✞Do you have (in salvation) what you say you have?
Just asking.

********************

How to Abase and Abound

January 27

 Bible Reading: Philippians 4:1-12

 Key Verse: Verse 12 -"I know both how to be abased,
and I know how to abound: every where and in all
things I am instructed both to be full and to be
hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."
Key Words: I know both how to be abased, and I
know how to abound

I can truly say I have experienced both being abased,

having little to no food or money; and I know how to abound.
God is good in both cases.
It was the custom of Dr. Harry Ironside to go every
year to Grand Rapids for a Bible Conference at Mel Trotter’s
mission. Mel Trotter had been an alcoholic, and after he had
come to Christ, he opened a mission to reach other men who
were in his former condition. The owner of a hotel which had
just been built in Grand Rapids had been an alcoholic, and
had been led to Christ by Mel Trotter. He told Mel, “When
you have a speaker or visitor come to your mission, you send
him over to the hotel. We will keep him here free of charge.”
When Dr. Ironside arrived at that hotel, the man ushered him
up to the presidential suite. He had the best apartment in the
hotel. Dr. Ironside had never been in a place like that before.
He called Mel on the phone and said, “Listen, Mel, you don’t
have to put me up like this. I don’t need all this luxury. All I
want is a room with a comfortable bed, and a desk and a lamp
where I can study.” Mel assured him that the room was not
costing him or the mission anything; it was being provided
free of charge. He said, “Harry, Paul said he knew how to
abound and he knew how to be abased. Now you learn how to
abound this week, will you?”

What to do:
✞It’s always wise to remember, whether you are
abounding or being abased, God is still in control.

********************

How to Answer
January 28

 Bible Reading: Colossians 4:1-9

 Key Verse: Verse 6 - "Let your speech be alway with
grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer every man."
Key Words: how ye ought to answer every man

I am seldom sorry for what I say, but I am sometimes

sorry for the way I say it. That’s really what Paul is telling us.
Be tactful and careful in how we answer others.
Sometime back in a meeting I was attending in
Washington, D.C., we had America’s Ambassador to Israel
address our group. It just happened to be on that day that we
were dressed in “dressy casual.” In other words, we had
everything but the suit coat and tie on. The Ambassador
showed up in a ‘nice’ suit and addressed our group in a very
profound manner. After he had finished with his address, our
moderator said, “I apologize for not letting you know about
our dress for today.” The Ambassador tactfully replied,
“Thank you, but I always dress my best when I speak
professionally because I represent the President of the United
States everywhere I go.”
Well, we are Ambassadors for Christ so we should
always look the part and speak lovingly and with grace
because we represent the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
everywhere we go!

What to do:
✞Always speak to others as you want them to speak to
you.

********************

How to Possess
January 29

 Bible Reading: I Thessalonians 4:1-12

 Key Verse: Verse 4 - "That every one of you should
know how to possess his vessel in sanctification
and honour;"
Key Words: how to possess his vessel in
sanctification and honour

The immorality that exists in our day is absolutely

astounding. A very fine Christian leader holds Bible classes
on the campus of a college in California where the boys’
dormitory is Sodom and the girls’ dormitory is Gomorrah.
These poor kids know all about sex, but they don’t know about
love. God says that the body should be saved for the marriage
relationship, and this applies to men and women. There are
all sorts of reasons given for the fact that there is so much
unhappiness in marriage. The problem is that the marriage
partners are not people who have been set apart for the use of
God and who are faithful to each other in a love relationship.
When a person saves his body for marriage and is faithful to
his partner, he is possessing his vessel “in sanctification and
honour.” Such should be the practice of every child of God.
Believe me, Paul puts it on the line.
Further, let me add that God is not satisfied that
you’ve taken one step, no more than you are satisfied that
your children take their first step. All they did was get started.
They still have to go to school. They still have to go through
the teenage years. They still have to grow up and get married
and have a family. The first step is great, but don’t stop with
excitement over the first step. All that’s occurred is the
introduction to spiritual life. There is an ongoing process of
developing in the body of Christ.

What to do:
✞Everyday ask God to help you have your “vessel”
(body) set apart for sanctification and honour.

********************

How to Stay Hellbound

January 30

 Bible Reading: Hebrews 2:1-9

 Key Verse: Verse 3 - "How shall we escape, if we
neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to
be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard him;"
Key Words: How shall we escape

A great Welsh preacher began his sermon by saying, “I

have a question to ask. I cannot answer it. You cannot
answer it. Even God cannot answer it.” Then he gave this as
his text: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great
salvation?” And I have a sermon entitled, “A Question that
God Cannot Answer.” I do not mean to be irreverent, but God
makes it clear that He cannot answer the question, “How shall
we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” Do you know a
way of escape? The only way is Christ. He said so in John
14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” In the
Scriptures we also read, “There is a way that seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”
(Proverbs 16:25). There are many ways that seem right to
men. In America, you can hear about as many ways as you
want to hear. If you are looking for a religion, you will find
one in America. If you don’t find one that you like, you can
start one, and I will guarantee that you will find some
followers who will go right along with you. There is a way that
seems right to a man, but the end are the ways of death. How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? What do
you do to be lost? Nothing. You can be lost by neglect.

What to do:
✞To go to hell, you don’t have to do anything but
neglect salvation.

********************

How About This Fire?

January 31

 Bible Reading: James 3:1-8

 Key Verse: Verse 5 - "Even so the tongue is a little
member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how
great a matter a little fire kindleth!"
Key Words: how great a matter a little fire
kindleth
 Be careful what you say. Your words can do several
things. They can bless, hurt, etc. They can also come back to
haunt you.
A man working in the produce department was asked
by a lady if she could buy half a head of lettuce. He replied,
“Half a head? Are you serious? God grows these in whole
heads and that’s how we sell them.”
“You mean,” she persisted, “that after all the years I’ve
shopped here, you won’t sell me half a head of lettuce?”
“Look,” he said, “if you like, I’ll ask the manager.”
She indicated that would be appreciated, so the young
man marched to the front of the store. “You won’t believe
this, but there’s a lame-brained idiot of a lady back there who
wants to know if she can buy half a head of lettuce.”
He noticed the manager gesturing, and turned around
to see the lady standing behind him, obviously having
followed him to the front of the store. “And this nice lady was
wondering if she could buy the other half,” he concluded.
Later in the day the manager cornered the young man
and said, “That was the finest example of thinking on your
feet I’ve ever seen! Where did you learn that?” “I grew up in
Grand Rapids, and if you know anything about Grand Rapids,
you know that it’s known for its great hockey teams and its
ugly women.”
The manager’s face flushed, and he interrupted, “My
wife is from Grand Rapids!” “And which hockey team did she
play for?”

What to do:
✞Your words reveal your heart (Matthew 12:34).
Think about.

Notes:
I deeply appreciate the
help of

Mary Parsons

Glenda Myrick

And my lovely wife, Linda

Without God using these

people to help, this
devotional would not
have been possible.
Dr. Mike Rouse
 is a ministry of

5568 Chalkville Mountain Road

Birmingham, AL. 35235
(205) 854-2741
www.mountainviewbaptist.org