"The Second Miler" a daily devotion

There’s lots of reading today, but do it anyway.  It will serve you marvelously well for living.

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Hebrews 1:3 - Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

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NOTHING can replace integrity and good character.  Honesty and openness are traits to be admired in any person.  Good moral character, obedience to parents and elders, loyalty, and respect shown to elders help to single out honorable people.  All of these are excellent elements in the human character.  It is said that George Washington confessed to cutting down the cherry tree when asked by his father.  Abraham Lincoln walked for miles to bring mere pennies in correct change to a lady customer he had accidentally short-changed in a transaction.  Tennis professional, Andy Roddick, once countered an officials ruling, though it cost him the match and the championship.  There are actions of men greatly admired for their historical importance of their fame as an athlete.  But none of these admirable actions moved God in any way to be on the sides of those who carried them out.  God is not impressed by man’s righteousness.  There is, however, one element that God holds in the highest regard, and it is upon this element that all those good things I have mentioned must be established if they are to honor the Lord, and that element is the Word of God.

It is faith that pleases God, and faith only comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  We know that faith works by love, and the love of God is to keep His Commandments (obey His Word).  All of the armor of God is a direct product of the Word, especially the Sword of the Spirit and the shield of faith.  The working of Holy Ghost within our lives is directly related to our keeping His Commandments.  Each element in our Manna for Today points directly to what I am writing and makes it very clear.  Take time to read them, and as you do, realize that it is the Word of God, and ONLY the Word of God upon which you can stand as a child of God with unfailing success.  Honor God, honor His Word.  Honor God’s Word, honor God.  It’s that simple.

Manna for Today – Isaiah 55:6-13; Joshua 1:6-9; Matthew 5:18; Luke 1:3; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; Psalm 107:20; Psalm 119:89; Proverbs 4:20-23; Romans 12:1-3; 3 John 2; Psalm 138:2; Romans 1:16; Romans 10:17; Galatians 5:6; 1 John 5-3; John 14:12-17

God knows your schedule before you plan it.  Following Him means you’ll always be on time.

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Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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Life in this present world is all about TIME.  Most people must awake at a certain time, be on their way to work at a certain time, be in school at a certain time, be on the job at a certain time, take breaks at a certain time, make appointments at a certain time; almost everything we do, we must do at a certain time. While we may not think of all these things as appointments, that is what they are, and that is the way most of us must conduct our lives.  We have appointments for the doctor, the dentist, for haircuts, for special meetings.  We have dining appointments.  We have appointments for counseling, legal issues, and professional matters.  Our lives are literally a series of appointments connected by travel, work, or rest times.

While we may not have considered this matter, God fully understands it.  In His great foreknowledge, knowing the end from the beginning, He has already brought our dealing with time into His Masterful consideration of time and eternity.  Read our Text for Today once again.  It is powerful.  You and I are “His workmanship.”  We are designed and handcrafted by the Lord God of the ages.  But He did not design and form us as we are simply to make us look different from anything else.  He designed and formed us in His image; in the image of the Good Shepherd; in the image of a Creator God; in the image of Him Who only gives “good and perfect gifts.”  We were designed and formed for a divine purpose, and that purpose is to walk in the “good works” He has ordained for us.  In that is a double ordination.  He has ordained us to produce good fruit, and He has ordained good works for us in which that fruit can be produced and bring the greatest possible honor to Him.  God already knew when you began today where you would be throughout the day and when you would be there.  Learn to follow the Lord, and the good works will follow you.  All they need is your presence, for it is God in you that works the works.  He is in work in you to “will and to do His good pleasure.  Just follow Jesus to your next appointment.

Manna for Today – Psalm 37:23; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 5:15-16; Isaiah 46:9-10; Psalm 90:12; Philippians 2:13; Isaiah 45:11; John 15:16

Your importance to your fellow members of the body of Christ is far greater than most have imagined.

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Genesis 4:9 - . . . Am I my brother’s keeper?

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God loves you despite any issues in your life; He really does.  Read John 3:16; that is the conclusion of that statement.  Unlike many men who love things more than people, God loves you more than any THING.  He created all that exists for His man whom He made to be the crowning glory of the creation.  All that exists was ultimately made for His man.  And at Calvary, God made it possible for His man to return to that right relationship we call righteousness, and gave man dominion over all things once again in the Name of Jesus.  As much as man prizes things, God prizes you and me even more.  He made us, redeemed us, and meets our every need because He wants to keep us for Himself.  Since He loves us that much, don’t you think it is our personal responsibility to love one another and be the keepers of one another?  I am not talking about “keeping” as it regards “possessing,” but as it would relate to “treasuring” and “protecting.”  God does not keep us just to say He possesses us, but rather because He wants us to be His “peculiar people,” and that means we are of extreme value and worth to Him as completely unique treasures. So extreme is our value to Him that He sent Jesus to pay the ultimate price for our redemption.

Considering this great love wherewith He has loved us, let us add to that His command that we should “follow” or “imitate” Him as a dear child would its father.  Oh what a beautiful picture!  And consider further that if HE expects us to imitate Him, particularly in this arena of being “keepers” of that which is so precious to Him, then surely He has empowered us for that work.  Just as deliverance, healing, salvation, and supernatural provision works in Him, so it does in us.  Through our faith, the confession of our faith, our prayers of faith, and our life of faith we tap into His power.  Consider the teaching of Jesus on prayer.  His discourse does not begin with “My Father,“ but with “Our Father.”  Have you ever considered the depth of that simple description pronoun?  We are to pray for one another. We are, in truth, one another’s keeper.  It is part of the work He has empowered us to do; not selfish, self-centered, or self indulgent.  When I pray for ME, I should be praying for US.  Our lives are so intertwined; we are kept to be keepers.

Manna for Today – Ephesians 5:1; 2 Timothy 1:12; Ephesians 4:28; Jude 24; Matthew 14:16; Luke 9:13; Mark 12:29-31; Matthew 6:9; Romans 14:7

More and more the world is encountering things it CANNOT do.

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Ephesians 6:13 – Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

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 More and more frequently, the times are arising in our lives when what man can do comes to an end.  Incurable diseases, financial crisis, political intrigues, corporate failures, and legal disasters.  There are emotional struggles from which no medicine or therapy can offer relief, and too often those suffering from these issues see no way to freedom but suicide.  But my friend, I have wonderful news for you.  When there is no help in or from man, there IS help in God.  When the world can’t, GOD CAN!  My only question for people who SHOULD know this is a simple one.  Why don’t we go to the ULTIMATE SOURCE at the beginning of trouble instead of waiting for the trouble to become too much to bear?

Allow me a moment of testimony.  The ULTIMATE SOURCE, Whop by Name is Jehovah God, and the Mediator between Him and me, Jesus Christ, have served faithfully in perfect unity with the great Comforter Who is Holy Ghost, to deliver me from the “snare of the fowler” more times that I can count.  I can recall how the Lord healed me from severe ear aches and nose bleeds as a child when men of God prayed for me.  What men could not do, God did.  I have watched the Lord surround me with favor in such a manner as to put me “first in line,” though many had arrived before me.  What men could not do, God did.  He has healed me from broken bones, herniated discs, and diabetic neuropathy.  What men could not do, God did.  He has miraculously kept me from potentially fatal auto accidents, enabling me to escape unscathed.  What men could not do, God did.  Supernaturally He has provided for me financially when there appeared to be no other means of provision.  What men could not do, God did.  He has delivered me from the hands of men who would take my life.  What men could not do, God did.  And God loves you as much as He loves me.  Take hold of this wonderful and encouraging truth today.  Regardless of what you face, there is a divine truth you MUST NEVER FORGET!  When the world cannot, when men cannot, when technology and science cannot, GOD CAN, and GOD WILL!

Manna for Today – Philippians 4:13-19; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12-14; Matthew 18:19-20; Luke 1:37; Romans 14:7; Psalm 23; Psalm 91

Proof-read your life.  Make sure it is worth reading; properly written and accurately punctuated.

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Galatians 3:13-14 - Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

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Focus for a moment on two words; sentence and period.  The sentence is the pronouncement of a statement, a process; and the period is simply a point, a conclusion followed by two spaces, the end, or a momentary even.  Now with that in mind, allow me to briefly describe the life of most Christians.  It is a sentence of struggle ended by a period of deliverance, possibly followed by a brief space of rest, and immediately followed by another sentence of struggle . . . and so it goes.  We live for days, or even years, battling sickness, financial distress, or depression, only to experience a momentary relief before re-entering the same struggle, or another similar to it.  My friend, that ought not be the way for Christians.

The believer needs to be keenly aware that he has been sentenced to something better than that.  When a criminal is convicted of a crime, he is sentenced.  His sentence is not a moment in time, even if it is   the death penalty.  The sentence includes prison time appeals time, and even waiting on death row.  At the point of execution, the sentence is ended. As believers, you and I have been sentenced to life everlasting, in health, and with supernaturally abundant prosperity.  Yet how many of us are living that sentence?  On the contrary, many Christians are living sentences of struggle and constant battle, punctuated occasionally by a period of relief.  I do pray you are seeing the picture I am attempting to paint for you.

I see a church living in want when, “The Lord is our Shepherd.”  I see believers suffering with sickness, much of it incurable when, “by His stripes we were healed.”  I see Christians struggling to pay their bills when God’s highest desire and greatest joy is that they “prosper and be in health, even as their soul prospers.”  Too many of us are living under the wrong sentence relieved only by an occasional period.  It’s time for a change.  Go to the trial record (God’s Word) and discover your sentence.  Turn your battles into those brief periods between long term victory and overcoming faith.  Make your life a great story!

Manna for Today – Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Joshua 1:6-9; Isaiah 53:4-5; John 3:16; Isaiah 55:6-13;     Romans 8; 3 John 2; 1 Peter 2:24

Oh that God could say over us, His children, as He did Jesus; “Hear ye them!”

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Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

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Please take a moment and read our Text for Today once more. Note closely what it says in the parenthetical phrase; “He is faithful that promised.” I want that to sink deeply into your consciousness today, and to take root there. May you never lose sight of, or confidence in, that wonderfully powerful and comforting promise from the Lord. Sadly, I believe there are some believers (and one is too many) who have more confidence in the struggles they will face than they do in the victories they will win. Yes, struggles do and will come into our life, but the Scriptures do not tell us to “hold fast our profession of fear without wavering, for Satan will surely come to tempt, test, and try us, because he is truly persistent.” Once again, it would seem that some people have more confidence in Satan’s ability to make their life miserable than they have confidence in God’s ability and desire to make their life productive, blessed, rich, and joyous. Always remember that true confidence in God is called FAITH, while confidence in Satan (and his devices) is called FEAR.

Just as God has given us the measure of faith, Satan would desire to force on us boundless fear. Ah, but thanks be to God, “greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.” My heart is crying for the people of God to have great confidence in the will, plan, power, and ability of God, and exercise NO confidence in the devices of Satan. I am not denying the existence of Satan or his devices (sin, sickness, poverty, torment, etc.), but I am denying their right to exist in the temple of Holy Ghost. All those devices can and should be overcome by faith which is the victory that overcomes the world. Oh that today’s “priests of the Lord” (and that’s all believers) would cry the prayer of Joel 2 as they “weep between the porch and the altar . . . Spare Your people, O Lord, and do not give Your heritage to reproach.” Oh that the world would be shamed to stop asking, “Where is your God?” May we expect ALL God wants to do; truly, fully, faithfully expect it. May we truly expect to be the generation that becomes the glorious church.

Manna for Today – Hebrews 1:3; Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8; Isaiah 55:6-13; Isaiah 54:17; John 15:7; Mark 11:22-24; John 14:12-14; Romans 12:1-3; 1 John 5:4

Oh how magnificent the richness and presence of Jehovah God!
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John 3:2 – The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
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Recently I found myself stirred to a quick awakening in the early hours of the morning and the Lord was speaking to my heart. He said to me, “I will lead you to the starting point. Then I will go with you to the destination. And when you arrive, you’ll find I was waiting there all along.” Oh how my spirit rejoiced as I thought on the graciousness of those words. The point is, He NEVER leaves His people alone. He as there at the beginning and He’ll be there at the end, and the journey in the middle is filled with His presence, whether tangible or not, VERY real.

When He chose you and drew you to Him, He was leading you. As you grow in Him, all the while being prepared by Him for your role in the body of Christ, He is leading you. And He will continue leading you all the way to the point at which He can say to you, “Go.” And when He has said to you, “go,” there is something you can always count on; He will go with you all the way. He said He would, and He will. In the den of lions, in the fiery furnace, in times of trouble, God has said He would be “with” us. God didn’t tell Daniel to “go” to the den of lions, or the Hebrew children to “go” into the fiery furnace. He had prepared then to stand faithfully, and His “go” command to them was to stand. And stand they did, facing lions and fire, but He was with them. When David had become a good shepherd, already trained, his father sent him to his brothers. When the giant came out, David came out, too. He was not led there by God, but God was with him. Oh it is so real, my friend. God will lead to the starting line, and there He will say to you, “Go.” But you never go alone; He is always with you.

And when you have finished your task, or this life, you will find Him waiting as you cross the finish line, there to welcome you, to congratulate you, to reward you, and to cheer you on to your next post of duty. As the songwriter has penned, “No, never alone,” you can depend on the great truth of that old hymn of encouragement. He leads you to the start, goes with you in the journey, and awaits your finish with joy.

Manna for Today – Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-20; Acts 10:38; Psalm 91; Daniel 3 & 6; Isaiah 43:2

Do you really know who you are? Check your Christian ID for your way of escape.
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1 Corinthians 10:13 – There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
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Regardless of the test, trial, temptation, or obstacle in life, God has promised us a way of escape that we can win the victory. In fact, He has said that He would not allow us to face anything too great for us to overcome. Our primary means of overcoming is our authority and power we have received from the Lord through covenant, the Name of Jesus, and the armor of the Lord. But there is an element of that escape the Lord has provided to us that I think we overlook because in our modern age we simply don’t think about it. It’s in a name. Yes, the Name of the Lord is of pre-eminent importance, but there is another name that is keenly important for the believer. It’s YOUR name; what the Lord calls you. Let’s look closer.

As long as Abram kept the name “Abram,” he wandered from one problem to another, though he had covenant with the Lord. As long as Jacob kept the name “Jacob, he, too, went from one struggle to another, though he had covenant with the Lord. Jesus saw something in the life of pile of shifting sand named Simon and made a name change. Saul of Tarsus had become an apostle, but it took a name change to fully separate him from his past.

Abram became Abraham to escape a childless future. Jacob became Israel to leave the usurper behind and make his place in Israel’s future certain. Simon became Peter (a piece of the Rock) to become a lively building stone in the foundation of the Church. Saul became Paul to fully escape a past that tormented the Church and become the great writer of the Gospel of Grace. And YOU? You WERE sinner, but now are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. You WERE sick, but you have been made the healed. You WERE poor, but now a window of heaven through which kingdom riches flow. You WERE dead, but now you are alive in Him. A name change has made the difference; a way of escape.

Manna for Today – Proverbs 4:20-23; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Joshua 1:6-9; Isaiah 55:6-13; Isaiah 45:11; Psalm 138:2; Psalm 119:89

Jesus, Paul, and you all have something in common. Thorns. Paul and Jesus won. You can, too.
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Mark 4:18-19 – And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
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Let’s consider further the topic of thorns. Paul battled a “thorn in the flesh.” He said it was “a messenger of Satan sent to buffet” him. The reference to “thorn” in that context is only mentioned in Scripture four times in the Old and New Testaments. In every case it describes opposition to the covenant person that comes from an enemy over which the covenant person SHOULD have exercised dominion. PLEASE note that in each of these cases, God has given the covenant person (people) the authority and the ability, along with His Own Personal assistance to overcome the “thorn.” It should also be noted that in NONE of those instances did the Lord say the covenant party should ask Him to reckon with the “thorn.” That is the covenant party’s responsibility. Pay close attention to my next statement. DO NOT EXPECT GOD TO DEAL WITH THAT OVER WHICH HE HAS GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY AND DOMINION. TO RELINQUISH YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS ARENA WILL BRING YOU INOT THE BONDAGE OF THORNS. But didn’t Paul ask God to deal with the thorn in the flesh? Yes, he did, but look closely at the passage in question. Paul asked God three times, and each time God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” God had given Paul sufficient grace to handle this problem. Now read Paul’s epistles, and you will see that ultimately he did just that. But Paul had to change his thinking.

The “thorns” (“cares of this life, deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things”) of Mark 4 fall into this same category. They are all devices of Satan sent to buffet you to prevent your fruitfulness in God’s kingdom. AND, you deal with them in the same manner in which all spiritual thorns are handled. Exercise your covenant authority, your power of attorney to use the Name of Jesus, your God-given responsibility to “submit yourself to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from YOU.” Remember the crown of thorns Jesus wore? They were YOUR thorns. Now you don’t have to wear them any longer.

Manna for Today – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Jeremiah 1:17-19; Joshua 1:6-9; Matthew 16:18; Mark 11; Matthew 18:18; Mark 4, Judges 9:7-15

Thorns are a fact of life. Either destroy them or live with them; only life will be tougher and shorter.
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Mark 4:7 – And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
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In Mark 4, Jesus tells the parable of the sower sowing the Word. Our Text for Today comes from that parable, and I want to deal with one specific area; the issue of thorns. Thorns are referenced in the Scriptures in a number of ways. Jesus said that when thorns grow up among that which can be fruitful, it chokes the life from the plant and the fruit is never produced. Please be honest with yourself as you answer a personal question; are there areas in your life on which you have worked so hard to change and make fruitful, only to come to the point in time when fruitfulness should be evident, and find the very life choked out of all your work? Or have you invested again and again in the life of a person, and watched with joy as it appeared that they were really getting a grasp on how to walk with the Lord, only to see them fail miserably when it was time to be productive? This can be an overpowering frustration personally, as well as for all those longing to see that life be fruitful. So what is the problem? Somewhere in that life there are thorns that have not been removed. Jesus called thorns the “cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things.” These elements have choked the very life of great fruitfulness from the hearts of so many children of God, leaving them broken, sad, discouraged, and dismayed.

Let’s change that by dealing with thorns Biblically. You are not wrestling against flesh and blood. This is a spiritual battle, and it is waged over the mind. Many Christians have more faith in the certainty of an attack from Satan on their lives than they do in the Word of God in their lives overcoming and defeating those attacks. They expect a life full of problems instead of expecting a life filled with victory over those issues. Your expectancy should see redemption, blessing, healing, freedom, abundance, and fruitful production. Just as Jesus cursed the non-producing fig tree, believer must curse that which prevents fruitfulness in life. Clear the field, settle the issue of thorns, and then devote your time, treasure, talent, and testimony to seed sown. Be fruitful and multiply.

Manna for Today – 2 Corinthians 12:7-9; Jeremiah 1:17-19; Joshua 1:6-9; Matthew `6:18; Mark 11; Matthew 18:18; Ephesians 6:10-18;