Coming to the Still Waters

Today's verse is Malachi 1:11 which reads, "For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations," says the LORD of hosts. Three times God mentions His name in this verse.  The reason is because His name has been abused by the spiritual leadership and therefore also the people of Israel.  What has resulted is an open disobedience of God's instruction and He is looking for at least one person who will stand up to say this is wrong. Verse 10 says, "Oh that there were one among you who would..."  It is hard to be that one.  Maybe it is not as big of an issue as the priests offering polluted sacrifices on God's altar but you know what the Scripture says about an issue in your world and a choice has been made by many in society and sadly some in the church that it...

Today's verses are Proverbs 20:5-7 which read, 5 - A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.   6 - Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?   7 - A righteous man who walks in his integrity--how blessed are his sons after him.     These verse draw out the difference between "just a man" and "an understanding, trustworthy, righteous man." v.5 - We all have plans and dreams that are in the recesses of our minds.  "In the back of my mind" is the phrase or maybe "It is on the back burner" to describe those things that are just concepts at this point.  Many of them just stay there but there are those that you can't get away from.  It takes "a man of understanding" to put legs to the idea or fins to allow it to swim to the surface to become a reality. v.6 - We all can talk and some of us can "talk big" but the focus is our actio...

Today's verses are Colossians 3:12-17 which read, 12 - So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;   13 - bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.   14 - Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 - Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful.   16 - Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.   17 - Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. In my Bible the title of this passage is called "Character of the New Man."   There is so much packed into ...

Good Morning All, Here is the little story I shared last night about Matthew Henry before the message. Pastor Adam There is always something for which you can be thankful! As most of you know, here in the United States we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week. I realize that this Tip goes to many other countries where Thanksgiving is celebrated at different times. However, regardless of where you live and when you celebrate it, Thanksgiving is a good time to remember to be thankful and grateful for everything that you have. I have often been reminded that success in life has everything to do with an attitude of gratitude. When a person has a good attitude and a grateful heart, it seems to open doors of opportunity for them that would never be opened otherwise. Not many people who are bitter and ungrateful have prospered very much in their life. Years ago, I heard the story o...

Today's verses are Job 38:1-7 which read, 1 - Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,   2 - "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?   3 - Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me!   4 - Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding,   5 - who set its measurements?  Since you know.  Or who stretched the line on it?   6 - On what were it bases sunk?  Or who laid its cornerstone,   7 - when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job has suffered great losses and has not been helped by his wife who told him to blame God and friends who told him that he (Job) must have done something wrong to be experiencing all of this.  Job stands up to them all but finally gets to the point of asking "Why?" and also "Why me?" God answers but not with answers to his questions.  God a...

Today's verses are 1 Kings 2:1-4 which read, 1 - As David's time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying,   2 - "I am going the way of all the earth.  Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.   3 - Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn,   4 - so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying 'If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in the truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'" This is a death bed instruction from King David to his son King Solomon.  The word "charged" means "to give a command to."   This was a common practice to give some last words in the form of a command or a blessing to ...

Today's verses are Acts 6:8-10 which read, 8 - And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.   9 - But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen.   10 - But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Stephen went from being a food distribution chairman, making sure the Hellenistic Jewish widows were getting their daily serving of food, to standing in full defense of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  God calls us from all walks of life to speak and stand for Him and the wild ride with God is that you have no idea where He might plant you or who He might put in your path to let the light of Jesus shine through you. Stephen is in the audience of people who represented most of the known world at the time.  God placed him before men who would hear ...

Today's verses are Psalm 100:1-5 which reads... 1 - Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.   2 - Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.   3 - Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.   4 - Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.  Give thanks to Him, bless His name.   5 - For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. This is a very well known Psalm.  It has been used many times for "calls to worship" in many sanctuaries over the years.  It is one of thousands of times in the Bible that we are instructed and commanded to worship the Lord.  It is instructed and commanded but it is to come out of us as a natural out flow of what has happened within us. Let us look at the verbs this morning.   "Shout" - to raise a sound, cry out   "S...

Today's verses are Psalm 73:21-24 which read, 21 - When my heart was embittered and I was pierced within,   22 - then I was senseless and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.   23 - Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand.   24 - With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.     Have you ever had a bitter heart?  Something has happened that starts to pierce you to the core.  "Senseless and ignorant" means to burn within and to be stupid.  So now it burns within you and you start saying and doing things that would be stupid in the sight of God.  When you compare yourself and your actions to God, you look like an animal before Him.  You have turned into someone you are not because of what happened.  "This is not me," is your cry. You will stay there until you allow God to take you by the hand.  God didn't leave the situation but you decided to s...

Today's verses are Jonah 2:7-10 which reads, 7 - "While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple.   8 - Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness,   9 - but I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving.  That which I have vowed I will pay.  Salvation is from the Lord."   10 - Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. The simple account here is that God gave Jonah something to do (go to Ninevah and speak for Him) and Jonah disobeyed and went in the opposite direction.  God did not give up on His plan and caused Jonah to go through a series of events to reconsider (storm at sea, being thrown overboard, swallowed by a great fish).  Jonah comes to his senses and prays this prayer and is expelled from the great fish and starts going in the direction that God first directed him to do (preaching "yet 40 days and Ninevah will be overthro...

Today's verses are Proverbs 20:11, 12 which reads, 11 - It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself if his conduct is pure and right.   12 - The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made both of them. A small couplet today that bring out a truth that we know but doesn't agree with our proper follow through. Verse 11 says that we have the ability to discern what is right and what is wrong.  The things that we do is a sign or a fruit that shows the intent of our hearts.  The lad not only has this discernment but also everyone else looking at his deeds.  It is not that the deeds save him but they give us a picture of what is going on at a deeper level than the act itself. Verse 12 says that the senses that we are using to make this discernment were created by God.  God created all the senses we have to be used in the world that we live in.  So our ability to discern right and wrong have come from God.  Also, if God created...

Here are some thoughts from a session by Mark Dever at the Magnify Conference in East Lansing, MI last weekend.  Adam's notes... Today's verses are from a conference I attended last weekend in East Lansing, MI.  They are Romans 10:16, 17 which reads, 16 - "However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?'   17 - So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." Here are some thoughts from one of the sessions. First is the point.   That is found in the last word of these two verses, "Christ."   This is the point of it all.  This is Who we point to.  Christ is the centrality of the message and we have no message without Him. Second is the proclamation.   How do we know of the point, "Christ?"   "...and hearing by the word of Christ." , is the answer.  The message of Jesus has to be proclaimed in some way or form.  This is why the preaching and teaching of ...

Today's verses are Psalm 122:1-4 which reads, 1 - I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."   2 - Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem, 3 - Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together;   4 - to which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord--an ordinance for Israel--to give thanks to the name of the Lord." What a great call to worship! Verse 1 has the preparation of joy and gladness about the opportunity (anticipation) to go to the house of the Lord.  This was required of them 3 times a year. Verse 2 gives the element of a place where they had gathered - the holy city of Jerusalem. Verse 3 tells us that the place that they gathered was large enough but it was tight (compact) so you could probably feel the presence of others. Verse 4 lists for us who was gathering - the tribes of the Lord and also that his was in obedience to the Lord to gather and give thanks. I am praying for myself and...

Today's verses are the six verses of Isaiah 12 which reads, 1 - Then you will say on that day, "I will give thanks to You, O Lord; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.   2 - Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation."   3 - Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.   4 - And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name.  Make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted."   5 - Praise the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things; let this be known throughout the earth.   6 - Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Thanksgiving is approaching and many times our focus is on food, family, friends, provisions and country and all those things and people are g...

Today's verses are Proverbs 4:20-27 which read, 20  "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21  Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. 22  For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body. 23  Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. 24  Put away from you a deceitful mouth And put devious speech far from you. 25  Let your eyes look directly ahead And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. 26  Watch the path of your feet And all your ways will be established. 27  Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil." Oh, the wisdom of the Proverbs.  There are so many good things here that are timeless to our lives. Verses 20 - 22 start with our focus on the Word of God.  We need to know it and understand it and obey it.  Our eyes and our ears and our heart are to be engaged in ...

Today's verses 2 Corinthians 1:12-14 which reads, 12  "For our proud confidence is this:  the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13  For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand until the end; 14  just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus." Paul is proud but of what?  Aren't we not suppose to be proud but to be humble?  What is Paul being so bold about? Paul is looking at how he conducted his life in the world and especially in relationship to his readers of this letter.  That conduct was based not on his fleshly wisdom but upon the grace of God.  That conduct is described as being consistent with what Paul said and what Paul did; he was not hold...

Today's verses are Acts 7:32-34 which read, 32  "I am the God for your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob."  Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look.   33  But the Lord said to Him, "Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.   34  I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now, and I will send you to Egypt." The context is that Stephen is speaking to the high priest and the Sanhedrin after he was brought in on the accusation of blasphemy (speaking words against God).  He was performing great wonders and signs among the people.  They brought false witnesses against him and he was allowed to speak to the charges. Stephen starts his defense by talking through the Old Testament.  First, the covenant to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.  Second, the events of the Exodus a...

Today's verses are 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 which read, 16  "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18  while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." The Apostle Paul is wearing out his physical body with the spread of the gospel.  He is enduring things that are probably speeding up that aging process.  But his inner man is being fueled by something and that is in the word "therefore."   In verse 15 it says, "...so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God."   What lifts Paul's inner man is seeing the transforming work of God, not only in his life but ...

Today's verses are Psalm 95:1-7a which reads, "O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God And a great King about all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it as He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand." Lets first look at all the actions that we are to do. The word for "come" includes the idea of physically moving. The word for "sing" includes the idea of being overcome by what you are rejoicing about. The word for "shout" includes the idea of giving a blast! The word for "come" in verse 6 is another word that emphas...

Today's verses are 2 Thessalonians 3:16-18 which read, "Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance.  The Lord be with you all! I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all." This is the closing words from Paul to the church in Thessalonica and there are some really neat things to observe here. 1.  Paul calls and prays for them to have peace and he names the author of peace, "the Lord of peace" and then adds the element of the Lord personally supplying that peace on a regular basis.  Also, Paul doesn't pray for the circumstances to go away but that peace of the Lord would be given to them in and through the circumstance. 2.  Paul lets them know that he, himself is writing this letter with his own hand.  Many times Paul communicated with another writing down his words but this tim...

Today verse is 2 Chronicles 9:8 which reads, "Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you, setting you on His throne as king for the LORD your God; because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness."   The back story to this verse is that the Queen of Sheba (Sheba which is located in southwestern Arabia about 1200 miles from Jerusalem) made a journey to see King Solomon and experience for herself what she had been hearing about his wisdom and devotion to the Lord. She asked him many difficult questions and his answers and actions left her with "no more spirit in her" (breathless, nothing to say).  The Queen of Sheba willingly gave the credit to Solomon's God with the wisdom he was displaying and giving. Solomon was the official representation of the religion of Israel.  When people thought of Judaism, they thought of King Solomon or anyone else who was king.  Tha...

Today's verses are John 14:6, 7 which read, Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.  If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him."   Jesus is speaking to all the disciples but specifically to Thomas who had just asked, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?"   And that question was in response to Jesus speaking of heaven and His near departure to there along with the news about His coming again. Have you been down the cereal aisle of the grocery store lately?  What do you see?  Choices.  So many choices that it is hard to make a choice.  Do you have cable or satellite television?  What do you see?  Choices.  So many choices that is is hard to make a choice.  God takes a totally different route when it comes to salvation and heaven. "the way" - take us back to G...

Today's verses are Psalm 8:3-8 which reads, "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas."   At first glance this looks like a lot of responsibility that is a reminder of Adam and Eve's instructions in the garden.  It attributes creation to God and then moves to us humbly looking at our part with what God has created.  Your grandparent passed away and at the reading of the will you find out that you have received an item that they created that has some historical importance to the community o...

Today's verses are Ezekiel 37:3-6 which reads, 3 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"  And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."     4 Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.'   5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life.   6 I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breathe in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'"     "These bones, these bones, these dry bones..."   I think that was a song from college choir, an old spiritual.  God is so great to bring up visual after visual to convey the message one more time to the people of Israel and to us. This passage is about the prophet Ezekiel having a vision about the spiritual dryness of the nation of Israel but I think it can apply to the church today a...

Today's verses are Matthew 15:12-14 which read, Then the disciples came and said to Him, "Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?"  But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted.  Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.  And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit." Jesus had been talking (I won't saying debating because I don't think it is ever a debate when Jesus is talking) with the Pharisees about tradition.  The Pharisees had made an exception to God's rule about honoring your father and mother, commandment number 5.  Jesus calls them out on this.  The Pharisees had created some ceremonial reason why they were not doing what the law said to do and then were using it as an excuse to make themselves look holy in the process.  I think this would be the definition of a hypocrite. The disciples are afraid for Jesus...

Today's verses are Psalm 30:4, 5 which read, "Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning." The question is "Why do we sing praise and why do we give thanks?" Literally, "the flaring of God's nostrils" is "a wink of the eye;" compared to God's favor lasting a lifetime (forever and ever and ever).  And then to say it another way, "the shedding of tears" may "lodge" for the night, but an "overcoming cry" comes "at the break of day."     A lot of imagery and words the invoke a picture to help us see why we set time aside individually and as a church to lift up the name of Jesus.  We praise Him now but look forward to the day that we will praise His name forever and in His presence. Pastor Adam