Month: August 2023

Our verse for today is Matthew 7:1-2.

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 

The one Bible verse that every old heathen knows is that first verse, “Judge not that you be not judged.” Well, they usually just know the first two words, “Judge not.” If you do not approve of their being drunk or stealing and they know you are a Christian, the scripture they say is, “Judge not.” 

But does the Bible really teach us not to judge? Of course not, but a person with only a shallow understanding of the Bible does what everyone is prone to do: latch on to a little learning and make something out of it that was never intended. 

Of course, we should not judge, but you must understand the teaching. If you see a person drunk, it is not judgmental to call them drunk. If you see them drunk every day for a month, you are not judging them by saying they have a drinking problem. 

The same Jesus who said, “Judge not,” said, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16). It is not judging to inspect the fruit and determine that it is rotten. It is judging to see how the leaves are blowing and say the fruit is rotten.  It is not judging to see all the fruit ruined and say that the fruit is bad. It is judging to see one rotten apple and say that all the fruit is bad.

So, “Judge not!” But do inspect the fruit and make a good decision. If you don’t, then life will be filled with very hard spots.

Lonnie Davis.

Our Scripture for today is Hebrews 13:16

“Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

In my life there is one story that teaches me about this verse. It was not about me, it was about my wife, Liz.

Liz was a teacher and at Christmas each year children would often bring a gift to their teacher. The week before Christmas, one of her students, (We’ll call her Becky) brought a four-inch, stuffed moose to school. Every day for a week, she would put the little moose on her desk. She told Liz that it was her favorite toy. On the last day before Christmas break, the class had a gift exchange. Liz gave all the children a gift. In turn, many of them came to Liz’s desk and brought her a little something. Becky was from a poor family and didn’t have anything to give. At last, she picked up her little moose and brought it to Liz. Liz thanked her and said, “I’ll keep it for you today.” Becky smiled and said, “No, I want you to have it.” Liz told her how sweet she was, but insisted that Becky keep her favorite toy. Little Becky would hear none of it.” Liz could see how important this was to the sweet little girl, so she reluctantly took the gift. It touched Liz’s heart.

Most of the kid’s gifts that came home were lost over the years. The one gift that outlasted all the others with us was the little Christmas moose. We even kept the little brown sack Becky put it in. That little moose served to remind Liz and me that we too need to be generous. God doesn’t ask us to give up necessary food or medicine. He only asks that we give as He has given to us.

We all need a little of Becky’s spirit. When we love God as she loved her teacher, we will have her spirit of sharing. Truly, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35).

Lonnie Davis

I love reading great quotes from famous people. For example, the quote about failure from Thomas Edison, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  I have one that I attribute to myself, “No failure is wasted as long as we learn from it.”

There have been many times in my life when I have fallen flat on my face, taken a breath, and then asked myself what lessons I might learn. I’ve tried to pass this thinking on to my kids. It is the best way to turn failure into a victory.

There were many Bible heroes who turned failure into victory.

Joseph was sold as a slave and then cast into prison, but ultimately turned it all into a victory for his family and all of God’s people. He explained it in Genesis 50:20,  “God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

Moses lived in the luxury of a palace but messed up and found himself running from Egypt. He spent 40 years working as a shepherd on the backside of nowhere. It turns out that Moses did not fail. He merely stumbled. We know him today as the prophet who led Israel out of slavery.

Then of course there are men like, the Apostle Peter, King David, Gideon, and many more who fell down in a mess but got up to success. Why did these great people turn failure into victory? Proverbs 24:16 explains it, “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” The response of righteous people is to get up from failure and try again. Wicked people just wallow in the failure.

     When Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,” he was just paraphrasing the Bible teaching on the subject. Most of the time when people have a great quote, it is just something God already said in his book.

Lonnie Davis

Mary awoke at 7. She lay in bed considering her day. In the 10 minutes it took her to get going a man put a gun to his head and took his life. Mary went to the kitchen to get coffee. In that 10 minutes, a woman living alone took all the pills she had and ended her life. During that hour six people took their own life. Every day, all day, every 10 minutes, someone in America ends their life by their own hand.

Why? The answer is that they feel hopeless, unloved, and alone. With no reason to live, they decide to end their own life. This is not fiction. It is the story of 132 people in America who end their struggle every day.

Jesus once met a woman who struggled with life. She got married. It didn’t last. She married again and again the marriage ended. Five times she tried to find the man of her dreams, the one who would be her partner for life. Five times she failed. Finally, she just gave up and moved in with a man she didn’t even marry. 

In her little village, the women would go to the well to get the day’s water for the home. There was a well in town, but she decided to take the longer trip to go outside of town and to go at noon. It was hot, but there would be fewer people there. 

There were fewer people there, but there was one man there who would change her life. No, he was not a potential husband. He was Jesus.

The story of her encounter with Jesus is told in John 4. Her encounter with Jesus changed her life. To those who look for answers, it always does. To those who don’t, he is just another man at the well. 

Each of us must decide whether Jesus is the answer to how we can change our lives or whether he is just a man at the well.

Destiny is counting on our choice.

Lonnie Davis

As Israel entered the Promised Land, the first city, Jericho fell in spectacular fashion. The cities of Ai, Jerusalem, and Hebron were soon to follow. It was not easy but with God on their side, the Israelites conquered the enemy. 

Joshua noted, “One of you routs a thousand because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised.” (Joshua 23:10)

With God’s miracles and the leadership of Joshua, nothing could go wrong. At least that is how Israel felt, but Judges 1:18-19 tells us,

 “The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron–each city with its territory. The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots.”

 Notice the end of that verse, “They were unable to drive the people from the plains because they had iron chariots.” 

Think of “Iron Chariots” as tanks of that time. They were indeed formidable weapons, but it was not really the iron chariots that stopped Israel. The iron chariots made the task harder, but iron chariots or tanks could not thwart God. 

Years earlier these same Israelite soldiers had seen the mighty Egyptian army, along with her “iron chariots” perish in the Red Sea. Now Israel found it easier to leave the plains people alone than to battle against iron chariots. Israel opted for ease rather than obedience.

 There is a story about an old man who at a county fair was offered a chance to take his first airplane ride. After some persuading he agreed. When the flight was over the pilot asked the old man how he liked his first flight. He answered, “It was pretty good, but to tell you the truth I never did put my full weight on it.” 

Israel saw the iron chariots and decided not to put their full weight on God. Iron chariots cannot stop God or God’s people. Nothing can stop God’s people as long as they are doing God’s will. Only the desire for ease can do that.

 What does God want you to do? Do it. With God as your partner, neither iron chariots nor tanks can stop you.

 ~Lonnie Davis

Our text is Matthew 6:34

 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 This exhortation is often hard for me. There are so many potential problems for tomorrow. However, Jesus emphasizes in this verse the value of being present and paying attention to each day rather than becoming paralyzed with worry and anxiety about what might or might not happen on another day. 

By telling us not to worry, God isn’t telling us to pretend that problems don’t exist or that we shouldn’t meet our daily obligations. Rather, God is encouraging us not to become so consumed with worry about tomorrow’s issues that we do not live fully today.

 Instead of wringing your hands over the issues tomorrow might bring, here are three reasons you shouldn’t worry about tomorrow.

1. God is in control.

Life situations can change in an instant, from your job status to your relationships to your health. However, God is unchangeable; He is the same today as He was yesterday and as He will be tomorrow (Malachi 3:6). God knew how to help Moses and Elijah. That same God is our helper today. God promises to bring good out of every situation for those who put their trust in Him (Romans 8:28). 

2. God wants you to look to Him.

Like any loving parent, God wants to be the voice that tells you which path to take when you’re at a crossroads (Isaiah 30:21). Also, like any loving parent, He can’t help you if you don’t allow Him into your life first. By fretting about tomorrow, you’re averting your eyes from the God of hope.

3. God equips you with everything you need to face each day.

God gives you the daily bread you need. We are told to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He is our helper, day by day.

By telling us not to worry about tomorrow, God is asking us to trust that He’ll give us enough strength to face each day as it comes and that He’ll do it all over again tomorrow!

Lonnie Davis

We live in a world that is filled with people who don’t believe in God. They don’t believe that Jesus ever got up out of the grave. The reason they can’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus is because they say they don’t believe in miracles.

Really? 

Even so, they have to explain where the whole universe came from. Here is how many atheists describe the BIG BANG. I looked up a description of the Big Bang. Here is how one story went.

It said, Before there was a Big Bang, the universe was infinitely small. According to the Big Bang theory, the universe began as a very hot and dense point about 13.8 billion years ago. This tiny, tiny point then expanded rapidly, causing the universe to cool. It resulted in the formation of matter and energy.

The concept of a point with no size is difficult to comprehend, but it is necessary to understand the Big Bang theory. The universe was so small and dense that it was essentially a point. It had no length, width, or height. It was also infinitely hot and dense.

The writing continues, 

The exact nature of the universe before the Big Bang is a mystery that scientists are still trying to solve. However, the Big Bang theory is a well-supported and widely accepted model for the origin of the universe. It is based on a solid foundation of evidence and continues to be refined as new observations are made.

Now that, if true would be an amazing miracle! Think about it. 

It takes no faith to believe that, a tiny, tiny point was once was the whole universe, But that Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Is a step too far.

I believe in God and I believe God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

To me that miracle requires less faith than believing that all of the stars and planets were once smaller than the size of a pinhead that just suddenly blew up into the whole universe.

Lonnie Davis

Our Bible verse today is Mark 12:28–29.

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.’”

It is easy to see the power of one when it is the power of one God. But this principle must not be overlooked in life with people. On one occasion, I was about to counsel a woman whose husband was determined to leave her. She was at her wit’s end. Since my wife, Liz, knew all about her, I asked her what I should tell the woman. I figured it would be good to look at things from a woman’s point of view. Her quick answer was profound.

She said, “Tell her about the awesome power of one!” I made a note of that on the pages of my heart. It would be something I would always remember. This is important because sometimes one is all you have. One can be enough.

What would our world look like without one Thomas Edison? Let’s also add one Alexander Graham Bell, one Leonardo da Vinci, one Louis Pasteur, one Marie Curie, and one Albert Einstein.

You might be tempted to say, “But I’m not important like them.” Maybe not, but there was one person who gave her life to raise each of them. There was one person who kept a family together. There is one teacher who educated a child. There is one person who preached to an Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8). 

You have to believe in the awesome power of one. No problem will ever be solved until one person tries and tries again.

We should add that, as Christians, we have the power of One plus God. That is a lot more than one.

Lonnie Davis

Our text for today is Matthew 6:9

“This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”

These words from Jesus instruct us about how to pray. Before you ask for anything, before you praise God, before you do anything else, we first acknowledge that God is our Father. 

Since he is our father, he deserves the respect a father is due. From the Mountain of God, He told us that we must  “Honor your father and your mother.” – Exodus 20:12

Some years ago, an older woman impressed me with a profound statement about honor. 

Here is her story. As a child, she grew up with two sisters and her mother. Her mother openly showed favoritism toward her sisters and abused her. When her mother was old and needed one of her children to provide for her, you can guess which daughter took her in and cared for her. The answer is that it was the sweet daughter who had been herself neglected.  

A friend who was familiar with her story asked her why, after the way her mother treated her, she took her mother in. Her answer was profound. She answered, “Because it is not about her. It is about me.”

We do not honor our parents because they deserve it. We do not neglect a mother or father because we were neglected. We honor because it is about us.

We are blessed to have a Heavenly Father who is worthy of our praise. But if we do not show honor toward Him, it is not because of anything God did, It is about us. It is about the kind of person we are.

Choosing whether to honor our Father in heaven shows what we are. It is about us.

Lonnie Davis

Our text is Psalm 34:8

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

It has almost become a fad for people to say, “God is Good.” More than a few will follow this with “God is always Good.”  The words have a pleasant sound to our ears because we know them to be true. Of course there are skeptics who love to point out the pain in life and say God is not good!

God could get rid of all pain. He promises to do that in heaven. But what if you could get rid of all pain now, would you? The seemingly easy response is yes! Even an emphatic yes. Wiser people would say no. Pain is necessary for the good life here.

Look, I get that there is some pain that is hard and we would do all we could to stop it, but sometimes pain serves a purpose.

First, pain is a warning sign against danger. Do you know the story of the death of Robert Wadlow? In 1940, at 22, he was just a little over 8’11” tall. He died of a blister on his foot. He was so tall that he could not feel the blister or any pain in his feet. The blister became infected, and he died. Pain can warn us of danger.

Second, pain helps us grow. I love the statement, “The bumps are what we climb on.” A steep, iced-over driveway is smooth. Yes, it is smooth, but you can’t use such a driveway. In life, there are painful rough spots that give us traction and help us grow.

Finally, pain here makes us long for eternity. There are some who are so in love with life here that they do not ever want to go to heaven there. We love mountains, sunsets, and winding rivers, but as we get older, we grow more and more ready to live in heaven with God.

Yes, God is Good. God is Good Always. It is not just a meme. It is a fact.

Lonnie Davis