Month: January 2023

What would you do if you were sick and God sent word to you that it was over for you? You would never get well. Today’s story is about just such a time.

King Hezekiah was on his death bed when God sent word to him that he would die. Hezekiah wept before God and asked for more time. The prophet of God came back and gave him good news. 2 Kings 20:5-6

“Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life.’ “

When you are  teenager or even in your early adult years, this verse seems like just another Bible verse. We expect at least 15 more years. When you get past middle age, this verse is thought provoking, especially the words, “I will add 15 years to your life “

Suppose God came to you and said you have 15 more years to live, what would you do?

Seriously, what would this provoke you to do?  Here is my response.

First, Be grateful. None of us is guaranteed another day. To be assured of 15 more years ought to provoke us to dream dreams and set goals.

Second, Resolve to enjoy the days God has given you. Every day of your life draws you closer to eternity, but while you are here, enjoy this day. It is God’s gift to you.

God has another life planned for you, but use the next 15 years wisely.

Lonnie Davis

Of all the things that Jesus demonstrated before his disciples, preaching, teaching, baptizing, giving, etc. Prayer is the only thing they ever ask Jesus to teach them how to do.

Let’s read: Luke 11:1

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.'”

Why we need this verse

This verse shows you  things:

1) John took the time and care to teach is disciples how to pray.

2) The disciples felt the need for prayer improvement an so asked Jesus to teach them.

To help us all seek prayer better and seek to pray better,

Here are five benefits of prayer:

1. It can bring us to a Closer relationship with God:

Through prayer, we develop a closer relationship with God. It allows us to communicate with God, express our thoughts and feelings, and listen to God’s guidance. To understand the power of this, imagine if we would spend time with our parents and expressed our thoughts and feelings and gave them thanks. This would this bring us into a closer relationship with them. It does the same with God.

1. It can give us Peace and calm:

Prayer can help individuals find peace and calm in times of stress and uncertainty. It allows individuals to release their worries and concerns to God and trust that He will take care of them.

1. It plays a role in Forgiveness:

Prayer can help us forgive others and ourselves. It allows us to let go of bitterness and resentment and find peace in our hearts.

1. It is Intercession:

Prayer can be powerful tool of intercession, where we can pray for others, asking God to intervene in their lives, heal them, guide them, and protect them.

1. It help us in Fulfillment of needs: Prayer can also be used as a means to ask God to fulfill our needs and desires. It allows individuals to express their needs to God and trust that He will provide for them.

In conclusion,

We all need to say, “Lord, teach us how to pray.” Maybe start with reading this article again and asking why we pray.

I’m Lonnie Davis – These are words worth thinking.

People often wish they knew more about the story of Jesus when he was a child. Today’s verse gives us some of the story. We read it in Luke 2:52:

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” 

Notice these things about Jesus as he grew into a man:

1. Jesus grew up. He didn’t start life on earth as a wise old teacher. He was a baby and then a boy and then a man. He “increased” Luke wrote.
2. He wasn’t born with all the wisdom he would ever have. He increased in wisdom. It is hard for Christians to think about Jesus  without thinking that when he was a 10-year-old he was as wise as when he gave the Sermon on the Mount or when he preached the parables. Not true. He got wiser as he got older. He “increased.”
3. Jesus increased in favor with God. As God saw him making freewill decisions to honor his father and do the right thing, God was even more pleased with Jesus. We know God loved Jesus when he was a babe in a manger, but as the days went by, God’s favor for him increased.
4. Jesus increased in favor with man. He knew how to build relationship with his friends and neighbors. According to Proverbs 18:24, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Jesus must have been friendly as youth in order to increase in “favor with man.”

There is that story of Jesus going to the temple when he was only 12. There he astonished the priests with his knowledge of God’s word. He was a dedicated student of the word, even as a child. I’m glad God told us that story, but there is also a lot to learn about Jesus in today’s Bible verse.

I’m Lonnie Davis

and this is a thought worth thinking.

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.   – Proverbs 29:11

Jesus got angry! Did he really? Well, that is what every angry person would have you believe. Usually folks who make this statement are trying to justify their own anger. After all if Jesus got angry, then no one can blame me for being angry. The problem is that this statement is grossly overstated.

Some cite the story of Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple (Mark 11, Matthew 21, Luke 19, John 2). Before anyone accuses Jesus of anger in that story, read the story again. Nowhere do the Scriptures say that Jesus was angry. Jesus was bothered. Jesus was troubled. Jesus was determined to stop unrighteousness. But, Jesus was not angry.

Anger puts a person into an impaired mental state and reduces one’s ability to grasp ambiguity or see any nuance in a situation. Anger gives us an adrenalin rush which clouds our ability to make judgments.  This is not the emotion that Jesus was experiencing when he drove the crooked merchants out of the temple. Jesus did not “lose it.” With a clear mind, Jesus removed scam artists from the temple area.

There is one time in the Bible that says Jesus experienced anger. In Mark 3, the Bible says that Jesus “look around…in anger.” Read the text and you will find that the only way you know Jesus was angry is that the Scriptures tells us so. He did not hit anyone. He did not call anyone a name. He did not shout at anyone. He did not get red-faced. He was angry, but he dealt with it quietly and then he helped a man.

Lonnie Davis

Many Bible students when asked to memorize a verse in the Bible choose John 11:35, “Jesus Wept.” They choose it because this is the shortest verse in the Bible.  It would be too bad if all we knew about this verse is that Jesus wept!

So we ask, why did He weep?

Jesus did not weep for Lazarus. Lazarus was in God’s hands. His race was over and he had won. This is a cause for joy and not tears.

Jesus did not weep because He missed Lazarus. He knew that He would be with Lazarus in a few short days. 

Then why did He weep?

Jesus wept  because those whom He loved were hurting and He cared for them. Jesus had compassion on others. He often showed his care for others.

·         When Jesus saw people hungry, his heart went out to them. (Matt 15:32).

·         When Jesus saw the sick, he had compassion on them. (Matt 14:14).

·         When Jesus saw the blind, he cared and healed them. (Matt 20:34).

·         When he saw a leper, he felt pity and healed him. (Mark 1:41).

Jesus loved Lazarus. When the disciples made reference to Lazarus, they did not address him as Lazarus, but rather “the one whom you love.” (John 11:3) Jesus could have prevented his death, but Jesus did not come to stop the death of one man, but the death of all mankind.

As we look back on that day it reminds us that even as Lazarus got up from the grave so too will we. We are not made for here and we are not made for the grave.

Lonnie Davis reminding you to put God’s Word in your heart.

Have you ever heard the story of the cannibal cows? The story is found in Genesis 41. The ruler of Egypt had one of those puzzling, troubling dream. It was the story of the cannibal cows. The Pharoah tells us the story,

Gen 41:17-21

“In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and … After them, seven other cows came up — scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so.” (Genesis 41:17-21).

After the dream, the king turned to his wise men but they could not tell him the meaning of the dream. Only a man of God named Joseph could tell them the meaning of the dream. The seven fat cows were seven good years. The seven scrawny cows were seven years of famine. The famine followed the good times. The lesson for the king was that he needed to use the good times to prepare for the hard times.

Because he got the point, Egypt was spared from ruin. Because he used the good times to prepare for the hard times, they made it through the famine.

As you read this story, learn the lesson of the cannibal cows, the seven fat cows and the seven scrawny cows. Their story is one for all times and all of us. It is one for your family. As night follows day, life is a series of cycles. Good days follow bad days and bad days follow good days. If you will observe the lesson of the seven fat cows and seven scrawny cows, you will be prepared for when seven scrawny cows come to your life. This is a hard lesson to learn, but ignoring it will lead to hard years.

As you read the story in Genesis 41, remember that the lesson of the cannibal cows came from God. It is still true!

Lonnie Davis

Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, became a wealthy man by living a special principle. He was a high school dropout whose formal education included a G.E.D. He explained his life this way, “”I got my M.B.A. long before my G.E.D. At Wendy’s M.B.A. does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude.” To the world, Dave was the leader of Wendy’s. To Dave, Dave was the head of the Mop Bucket Brigade.

This was the way Jesus did leadership. On the last night he would spend with his disciples, he sat around the table with them. As they sat there, Jesus did a most surprising thing. “He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” (John 13:4-5).

Jesus washed the feet of Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the others at the table – including Judas. They were shocked, but Jesus knew the secret. If you want to be great, you have to serve.

The church, your family, your workplace all need more people with an MBA – Mop Bucket Attitude. Leaders with that kind of MBA are people who are not here to be served, but are here to serve others. These are the true leaders.

Lonnie Davis

Jesus was going to a dying 12-year-old girl. Actually, the girl was not dying, she was already dead. The musicians  and professional mourners were already on the scene and showing sorrow.

Matthew 9 records that event, “When Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, ‘Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.’ And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up” – (Matthew 9:23-25)

“They began to laugh.” How do you feel when you are trying to do good, and people laugh at you?

Even Jesus had negative people in life, but there is a difference between minor and major negative people. The people who laughed at Jesus were just minor. When you have a major threat by a major negative person you have to take it seriously. You cannot ignore it, but I hope you know which is major and which is minor and treat them accordingly. I confess that I sometimes struggle with telling the difference. From this event we should remember 3 important truths:

1.  There are negative people. Even Jesus had them in his life. They weren’t sneaky about it, but openly laughed at him. If you go through life hoping not to encounter people who will try to put you down, you are setting yourself up for pain.
   
2.  If you find yourself surrounded by the naysayers, do what Jesus did. Tell them to leave. Do not be rude. Jesus simply said, “Leave.” You cannot do your work surrounded by negative folks.
   
3.  Do not let anyone stop you from doing good. Once you figure out what God wants you to do, the rest is just details.

Lonnie Davis

I love mantras. That is word that means, “A commonly repeated word or phrase, especially in advocacy or for motivation.” That just means that you use that phrase to guide your life. Here is a great mantra, “If you do what is easy, your life will get harder. If you do what is hard, your life will get easier.”

Another writer said, “If you would be successful, do the things that are hard and lonely.”

For a Bible reference to this we are reminded of Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

We will reap when the time is right (in due season), if we do the right thing, even if it is hard. Everyone can do the fun things, the social things, or the easy things. Anyone can watch a football game with a friend or go to a movie with a special person. These things are fun and social for most of us. Doing them will bring us no lasting success in life. Few people are willing to do the hard things, the lonely things.

 Few people are willing to spend time alone memorizing math formulas so those who do are thought of as smart. Few people are willing to sit up at night with the television off and memorize passages from God’s word.

To get ahead in your job or any part of your life, be willing to do the hard and lonely things. The fact that they are hard will mean you will be lonely in doing them, but doing these things will set you apart from the crowd. Do not curse the hard circumstances, but rather relish them as opportunities for victory.

Abraham Lincoln was reared in deep poverty. It was hard, but he was willing to overcome it.

Franklin D. Roosevelt was a victim of polio.

Beethoven, one of the true musical geniuses of the world, was completely deaf.

Their problems, their almost impossible circumstances simply meant they had to do hard tings, work harder. Never give in just because something is hard. The fact that circumstances are hard is what allows your victory to be great.

AND again we say, “If you do the easy things, you life will get harder. If you do the hard things, your life will get easier.”

I’m Lonnie Davis and this is my word on this.

Did you hear the story of the mouse and elephant? It goes like this:

There once was a little mouse who had to take a long and difficult journey. As the day wore on the little mouse grew tired and began looking for some easier way to complete the trip. By and by an elephant came along and gave the little mouse a ride on his massive back. Hour after hour the mouse rode on the back of the elephant. The mouse was filled with joy to see how much distance he was able to cover while riding on the back of an elephant. Finally they came to a narrow bridge. The elephant paused and then passed over the bridge. With each step the elephant took the bridge shook. When safe on the other side, the little mouse told the elephant, “We really shook that bridge.”

This story reminds us that you and I face our own “bridges” or difficult spots. We go through minefields, we cross shaking bridges, and pass through the valley of the shadow of death. As Christians while going through all of these places, we too are traveling on the strength of someone else. Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13). Jesus promised, “I will be with you always.” (Matthew 28:20).

One Biblical example is the story of Gideon. He was called by God to deliver Israel from their enemies. Gideon protested, “How can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” God listens to his fears and then says, “But I will be with you.” (Judges 6:14-16). Gideon did not know it, but God did not need him to defeat the enemy. God only wanted him to go along for the ride. The victory was assured.

Always remember, when we face scary places in life, we are merely a mouse riding on the back of One who is able to shake the bridge. When we are eventually safe on the other side of the shaking bridges, we may be tempted to say, “We really shook that bridge,” but we must remember that it was not us, but God who shook the bridge.

Lonnie Davis