Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Proverbs 25-26; Hebrews 3
Devotional Thought:
Over and over again in the Bible we find evidence of unbelief leading to destruction. We know that the ultimate unbelief is to reject the gift of salvation and spend an eternity in the lake of fire. However, God is always grieved over unbelief. Unbelief was the root sin in the garden…”Yea, hath God said?” The Devil is always at work striving to make us doubt what God hath said. I think the most vulnerable times for the Christian is when he is going through tough times. I have heard it said this way, “Don’t doubt in the night, what God has clearly taught in the light.” In this third chapter of Hebrews the Holy Spirit calls on Jewish readers, especially, to look at Jesus. Moses was indeed great; but Jesus is far greater. He writes, “For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honor than the house.” (vs. 3) Some Jews believed that Moses was greater than angels. God spoke to the prophets in visions, but to Moses He spoke face to face. He spoke to him in a burning bush. He spoke to him out of heaven. He spoke to him on Sinai and wrote the commandments with His finger. He was, above all others, God’s chosen man to lead Israel into the promise land. How sad that the very thing that kept Moses out of the promise land was unbelief. Some have mistakenly thought that it was anger (temper) or disobedience to God’s command that kept Moses from entering the promise land; however, the Bible is clear that it was for unbelief that He was not permitted to enter. (Num 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.) Jim Berg in his series, “Quieting the noise in your soul,” gives the pattern to despair. It starts out with disbelief. Whenever the Devil can get me to doubt what God has said, he can get me discontent in my present situation or circumstance. Eve was in a perfect body, a perfect marriage, a perfect environment, when the Devil made her doubt what God had said. Once she doubted what God had said, she was discontent with what she had and wanted more. This pattern is repeated throughout the Bible and in your life and my life. Disbelief always leads to discontentment. Discontentment leads to either being angry over my present situation or anxious in my present situation. Anger and anxiousness always lead to despair and unfulfillment. The word of God is full of promises of what God has said. Do you believe Him? Will you trust that He loves you, deeply cares for you, and is working all things together for your good and His glory? Verse 15 states, “While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” There is a great song that reminds us, “…when you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.” Sometimes we do not understand life. Sometimes it is hard to see what God is up to, and why He allows certain things to happen. However, we do have the revelation of who He is and the promises He gives, so we can believe Him each and every day.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to never doubt your word. Please give me great discernment during trials to filter out my own desires and make me very pliable to accept that which is your desires.
• Lord, please help me never doubt your glory and majesty. Help me to see that your way is always best. You see what I cannot see and you know what I cannot know. Please increase my faith.
• Lord, I never want to elevate a man over my Savior. I never want to place more trust in a person than what I place in you.
• Lord, please allow me to experience the contentment that comes from completely trusting what you are up to in my life, and by believing what you have said. I love you Lord!