For His Honor

“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.” Proverbs 20:19 NIV

This is a straightforward verse. It is not a verse that many people want to think about because no one truly likes to be called out on a negative behavior. Gossip is a very hard behavior to deal with. This is a behavior that our enemy, the devil, has figured out how to manipulate so that we may not even realize we are behaving in that manner until we are in the middle of it.

When we are told something in confidence that we feel led to pray about, our inclination can be to ask other Christians to help by praying as well. This is a wonderful idea, however, this is when we have to be extra careful in what we say. If we ask others to pray for another person and do not give their name or situation, I believe that is fine as God knows the person and circumstances.

When we decide we are going to give a small amount of information about the person or circumstance, we should know the personality of the one we are asking to pray. Some people are fine at being asked to pray and not having any information about the request. Some people are better at praying for others when they know the name of who they are praying for and unfortunately there are the people who have a challenge focusing on the prayer because they want to know the rest of the information.

Our enemy is sneaky and will take this good hearted desire to help others, praying for them and having a group of people pray for another individual, and he places the thought that maybe telling just the person what is going on will help them to really pray specifically for the need. The challenge is that often times that little amount of information can be turned into incorrect information that is spread around or the person who came to you in confidence doesn’t really want anyone else to know any of what is going on. Truly keeping the information to ourselves is important. We can ask others to pray for someone without giving any information beyond, the person needs prayer.

As much as we are to not be a person who gossips, we are also to keep in mind what we know about how well another person can keep a confidence when we decide to talk about issues others are having that we have been asked to pray for. So, as the new year begins, if you have a resolution about controlling your tongue, this verse may prove to be helpful when you are searching for biblical backing.

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

In 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Paul has a lot to say. He is encouraging the believers in Corinth on several fronts and that areas he is encouraging them about rely on each other. First he is telling them to be on guard, to be watching around them, knowing what is going on in their community, church and family. Sometimes people like to overlook things so that they don’t have to admit them or address them. Paul is telling the church in Corinth and I believe us as well since we are followers of Christ too, to be alert to our surroundings. The believers in Corinth were going against their culture and customs in some areas and knowing what was happening around them enabled them to not return to those ways using the reasoning of ‘not knowing what was going on’.

The second thing is to stand firm in our faith. This means to not give up. The believers in Corinth were very new to the faith and this way of living. Paul was encouraging them to not lose heart but to remember that Christ was there for them, that their faith was worth dealing with hard times. There are going to be times when things get hard for us as well, and we should expect that because being a follower of Jesus does not give us a guarantee of a life without problems. Actually, it sometimes initiates some problems because not everyone else is a follower of Jesus. No matter what, we are to stand firm in our faith, don’t let life’s problems or hard times, shake our faith that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. He didn’t let hard times stop Him from standing in His faith that His father in heaven was with Him.

The third thing is to be courageous. As I said, these areas go together, and being courageous is made stronger by remaining firm in our faith, knowing Who we have on our side. In addition to making hard choices in life, being courageous or brave can also mean keeping our word or promises. When we follow through with what we have said we would do or not do in the face of adversary, we are being brave and courageous. This is especially challenging for new believers, which is what the believers in Corinth were dealing with. It is hard because not everyone around them believed what they did and challenged them, probably daily. We go through this same challenge as we begin to develop our walk with God and become courageous.

The fourth is to be strong. Strong, as Paul is talking about here, is not just physical strength, it is also emotional strength. The male population of Paul’s time were not very good at acknowledging emotional needs or strengths. They were better at exercising self-control than admitting that they couldn’t do something. So for us, when we recognize that we can admit when we are wrong, that we can exercise self-control, we are showing that we are being emotionally strong. Again, this can be built on knowing what is happening around us, being willing to remain in our faith and being courageous. By building those areas up in our lives, we are able to admit a weakness and it not destroy us as a person.

The fifth is to do everything in love. Paul writes in a later chapter of this book, that love is the greatest of 3 things, hope, faith and love. Love truly ties everything together. He was letting them know and letting us know that without love that our awareness of what is happening around us is dulled, our ability to stand firm in our faith is weakened, our willingness to be courageous is challenged and our committed to Christ, overall, is not strong.

Paul is reminding all of us that love is the greatest weapon against evil, against our enemy. Without love we are not as powerful as believers in Christ as we can be. Let’s not let our enemy have any kind of upper hand in our lives. Let’s practice and build, each and every one of these areas, each and every day of our lives so that our enemy has no foothold on us.

Heavenly Father, thank You for being our Lord and Savior. Thank You for always giving us what we need to be able to do Your Will, and be the warriors of our faith that You know we are capable of being. Because of You, Lord, we are able stand strong in our faith and show our enemy everyday that we are Your children. Please be with us as we continue to walk out our faith, growing stronger each day. In Your Son’s most precious name, Amen.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” Psalms 46:1-3

As we begin this new year, I encourage you to keep this idea in the front of your mind……God is always with you, God is your refuge, God will give you the strength to go through anything that He is asking you to go through. As we look at these 3 verses, it is evident who the sons of Korah, who wrote this psalm, were focused on. God is who they were looking to in this time when their nation was facing mounting challenges. This wasn’t written when everything was going great and they were happy with what was happening in their lives, no, it was during struggles.

Just like the writers of this psalm, we can look to God to be with us not only during times of prosperity but also during times of struggle. God is always with us, His children, and we only have to reach out our hand to know that He is there. The challenge is that we move away from Him or don’t remember to reach for Him when we should. I encourage each one of us to be as close to God as we can get. No matter what you or I face this year, I pray that we keep God as close as possible. Remember, God loves each and every one of His children and wants to be there for us, if we let Him.

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalms 130:5 NIV

About 5 years ago, I heard about a practice of ‘having a word for the year’. I heard about it on “The Message” channel of Sirius XM. So, over the past several years, I have tried to think of a word to focus on each year. When I heard about this practice I decided to give it a chance, and 5 years later I believe it is still a good practice to have. Since 2020, I have focused on the words PEACE, GRACE, LOVE, FAITH and OBEDIENCE. So this year, I have been thinking a lot about the word HOPE.

I had a friend named Hope who went home to be with the Lord in 2023 and recently I have been thinking about her a lot. So I want to focus this year on the word HOPE. Hope is defined in the bible as “a confident expectation of what God has promised in the future”. There are so many verses in the Bible about this word, Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 5:5 to name a few. So I don’t think it will be hard to study this word through the year.

In the beginning of this psalm, David is looking for God. He is searching for forgiveness. So he is determined to wait for God. When David says that his whole being waits, he is telling us that he is all in. He is not giving up on his waiting for God, he is instead determined to remain in hope. The hope that God will answer his prayer and forgive him. David knows God has promised His children that He will answer their prayers.

God continues with that promise even today, when we go to Him in prayer. It may take a while and it may not be the answer you are looking for, but He will answer it. When we remain in that place of hope, we can commit to remaining there as well. Putting our whole being into something is total commitment, God is pleased when we totally commit ourselves to Him.

Some people are afraid to hope for things, but with God we never have to be afraid to hope. God is with us always. So as you begin this new year, I encourage you to think about picking a word that you can focus on for the year and then search for it in the Bible, study God’s Word in regards to it. I pray that you have begun your year in God’s Word and have plans to remain there, growing in your faith and walk with God as you study. Have a great day!!!!

As of today, January 1, 2025, I will be posting my blog “For His Honor” a few times a week instead of daily. I am not sure how long this will be for and there may come a time when the blog is posted daily again, but at this time I feel led to cut back on the rate at which I was posting my blog. I am struggling with not having enough time to properly study the verse or verses and then write the devotions.

So, here is the devotion for today…

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.” Colossians 3:8 NIV

I know that this is an odd verse to start a new year off with, but if you think about a new year as a time when you are able to make changes, begin with a clean slate, then I believe this verse applies. This verse covers many areas, our hearts, our tongues, our minds and our actions. These seem like extreme categories but if we let it sink in for a moment, I believe we can all say that we have some actions that, if not kept under control could begin to fit in these categories. I know we don’t walk around expressing rage or we don’t have malice in our hearts, but we are human and we are not perfect. We may not mean to be saying things about others or using profanity but we all slip at times.

I am talking to myself as much as I am talking to anyone else. I get angry, and in moments of frustration I have said things that I don’t want to say and don’t mean to say, but I have said them. I have asked for forgiveness, and I know that God has forgiven me. However, I don’t want that way of thinking or that way of expressing myself to be how I interact with others. It is not who I am and I don’t want to become that person. I don’t believe I can direct others to Christ acting in that manner, and that is my chief goal, to direct others to Jesus. We can all do that through how we show the love to other people that He has shown us.

As this new year begins, I am going to focus my prayers on making sure I am listening to God’s voice and following His direction in regards to any changes He feels I need to make in my life. I encourage you that if you want to make changes as the new year begins, to take this time, pray and ask God to direct you in any changes He feels need to be made in your life. Then, relying on Him, join me in doing our best to make the changes as this new year begins.

Good morning, I will be taking the week off from posting my blog. I will post again on January 1, 2025. So I leave you with this passage for the last week of 2024.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12 NIV

As we close out the year, I encourage you to seek Jesus as the shepherds did that first Christmas after the angels told them about the wonderful gift the world had just been given. Please let the announcement of “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:12 NIV fill you with excitement and awe that Jesus was willing to come down from His heavenly throne and save us. We celebrate this marvelous, miraculous event each year as we wait for the second coming of our Lord and Savior, please don’t let it become comfortable and mundane. I pray that we each keep this celebration exciting and anticipatory as we wait anxiously for our Lord to return to us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I will post again on January 1, 2025.

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7 NIV

It is here!!!! The first Christmas. Jesus is born, He is wrapped in cloths and laid in a manger. Mary gives birth in a stable not a fancy hotel, with Joseph to help her, not handmaidens. A manger is a feeding trough, which fit since He was born in a stable surrounded by animals. A very humble beginning to a life that would be filled with serving others as He modeled what God’s Kingdom looks like.

Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was the Messiah and they knew from prophesy that He would have to suffer at some point in His life. They had no idea the extent that they would also suffer, as His parents, watch Him go through all that He was going to have to endure. I believe none of that mattered at that moment, because they were holding their baby boy. He was not only the Messiah, He was their son and they took raising Him very seriously.

Without the event that we celebrate today, there would be no Easter. There would be no crucifixion that took the sins of the world away for those who believe, and there would be no resurrection. I am so thankful that we are able to celebrate this event today.

Have a Merry Christmas and always keep your focus on Jesus.

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,” Luke 2:6 NIV

They finally make it to Bethlehem and as with most pregnant women, all that walking and possibly the bumpiness of the ride on the donkey, labor begins. Mary has told Joseph that the time is very close and he goes to find them accommodations so Mary can give birth in private. However, there are no rooms available anywhere because there are a large number of people in Bethlehem. Many families had ancestors from there and had traveled just as Mary and Joseph had, to be counted.

Joseph is checking everywhere and finally a man tells Joseph that he has some room but it is with his animals behind the house. At this point, it has to be better than Mary giving birth to the Messiah on the side of the room or outside the front door of someone’s home. Imagine the conditions of this area where the animals were. It was a stable or barn area, there was hay and dust, possibly mud from the animals. Joseph did his best to make a space for Mary that was clean and acceptable for her to give birth.

This is the Messiah, the Savior of the world, being born into our world and it is happening in a stable where the animals are watching. Jesus was born in a very humble environment, not in a palace surrounded by guards, linens and handmaidens but in a stable surrounded by animals, cloths Mary brought with her and Joseph. This would be the perfect way for our Lord and Savior to begin His life on earth, humbly. He came as a humble servant not a conquering king.

Jesus’ birth, the first Christmas is tomorrow. Let’s celebrate as Mary prepares to give birth in Bethlehem to our King, our Lord, our Savior, thereby fulfilling prophesy about where the Messiah was to be born.

If Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, I implore you to reconsider your decision and ask Jesus to come into your heart. He gave up being a King as He sat in Heaven with God the Father to come to our world as a helpless baby to save us. Who does that? JESUS does!!!!!!

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” Luke 2:4&5 NIV

This journey took between 4 and 7 days. According to maps from Mary’s era, there were some towns along the way to possibly find places to stay in but there were also long sections of the travel paths that were simple open and not settled. On those sections of the road, there were not many places to stay, so at night they had to either find shelter under a tree, in a cave or sleep out under the stars.

There are not many women who are 9 months pregnant who sleep well in the beds we have in our time, so can you imagine sleeping on the ground and then having to get back up the next morning, to begin walking again. Mary was carrying the Messiah, the Savior of the world, but she did not have it easy.

When the angel came to Mary, she gave up certain things about her future that she may have had planned such as the wedding to Joseph, the friends who would celebrate with her, the house they were going to have. Joseph gave up the plans of being the biological father of ALL of his children but took Jesus as his own and raised Him as if he was Jesus’s biological father. I wonder how much of this they both thought about and maybe even talked about on this long journey.

When we talk about this part of the account of Jesus’s birth, we should also remember that they were not the only ones going to the town their ancestors were from, everyone was, as the decree when out to the entire Roman world. This means that the roads would have been crowded with travelers going in all directions. Other people from Nazareth would have been making the same trip and some of them knew that the baby Mary was carrying was not Joseph’s. It is fair to believe that there were comments and looks from them as they passed Mary and Joseph on the journey.

There were also no restaurants to stop at when it was lunch time or supper time. All of that had to be packed in the items they brought along. For Mary, that meant having to figure out how to cook the meal and not take up so much time that the journey took longer. Traveling in our time takes some planning, but traveling in Mary and Joseph’s time took not only planning but preparation and organization to be successful and eat meals while traveling.

Christmas is 2 days away, have you thought about how much you are willing to give up to follow God’s will and plan for your life? As we think about everything that Mary and Joseph did to follow God’s plan for their lives and fill prophesy, may today would be a good day to take some time to think about what you are willing to do for God.

“So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.” Luke 2:4&5 NIV

Mary and Joseph, along with a lot of other people, begin their journeys to the towns they were originally from. Research shows that Bethlehem was a 4 to 7 day walk from Nazareth. For those who have been pregnant, please remember what it was like when you were 9 months pregnant. For those who have not been pregnant, please imagine, if you will, carrying around a 20 pound bowling ball around in front of you everywhere you go. Your back hurts, your feet swell, you become hot then cold then hot again. You are tired and just want to sit down.

Now I would like everyone to imagine being told that you have to go on a journey to a town around 90 miles away. Remember that there were no cars, buses, trains or airplanes to take you, you were going to have to walk or ride an animal if you were lucky. There were also no luggage racks to carry your belongings that you would need while you were gone, so most likely it was packed onto the animal you owned so you didn’t have to carry it. That is why I wrote that if you were lucky you could ride the animal you were taking since it was probably packed down with your belongings and not able to withstand any more weight.

So, let’s look at Mary and Joseph again. Mary is 9 months pregnant, which means it was probably a slow and long journey. She probably walked as much as she could and then Joseph most likely carried what needed to come off of the donkey so Mary could ride on the donkey for a while.

Throughout the years, between when Mary and Joseph made this long journey to Bethlehem and now, we have created this idea of a simple journey from one town to the next. This may have been because we were given very few details about that journey. However, I encourage everyone to think about what the landscape looked like in that time and how difficult a 90 mile journey was on a woman who was 9 months pregnant.

Nothing about the birth of our Savior was easy. He gave up a lot to come to earth, and His earthly parents gave up a lot to have Him and raise Him just as God the Father had planned. As we are now one day closer to Christmas, please keep in mind what Mary and Joseph went through in order to fulfill God’s will in their lives and bring the Savior in to the world.

My question is……Are you fulfilling God’s will in your life?