He has shown you, Oh man, what is good;  And what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”  (Micah 6:8)

Many people ask the question:  What does God expect from me?  Consider some simple answers.
 
1) He expects us to keep all of his commandments!  (Matthew 28:20)  

2) He expects us to do what he wants at all times. (John 8:28,29)  Are you trying to follow the Lord’s example?  

3) He expects us to please Him instead to pleasing ourselves.  Paul said, “…Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me…?  Are you unselfishly yielding to the will of God?  

4) He expects us to please Him instead of men.  Again Paul says,  “Do I seek to please men?  For if I seek to please men, In should not be the servant of Christ.”  (Galatians 1:10)

God has the right to tell us what to do because 1) he is God , and we are human, 2) he is the Creator, and we are the created, 3) He is Lord of All! 

Devote this day and this week to pleasing God!

By George Slover

“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall.  But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;  they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:30,31)

Prior to chapter 40 Isaiah has spoken primarily of judgment.  He has mixed words of doom (Isa.10:1-3) with words of promise (Isa. 10:20,21).  He has spoken of better days ahead- the time of the Messiah and his kingdom. (Isa. 2:1-4)  Now Isaiah speaks primarily to the remnant with words of comfort. (Isa.40:1)  The conclusion of chapter 40 is some of the most encouraging language in the Old Testament.  Consider some important points from these verses.
 
First, he humbles us and reminds us of our need for him.  The young soldier may be able to use his physical strength to win in times of physical war, but such will not be so in this battle.  He will meet with disappointment and heartache.  He will face times of faint heartedness, fear, and temptation.  Questions will arise to challenge his faith.  It will seem as if God has abandoned him.  We will need the armor God provides to win this battle (Eph. 6:10-17)

Second, we must know of the power that God gives to the weak.  (Isa.40:29)  God is there to help!  He can provide resistance in the hour of temptation, endurance for the trials, steadfastness for the faint hearted.  God’s help is constantly available for he “neither faints nor is weary.” (Isa.40:28)   There is no God like Him! 

Third, such power is available only to those who “wait on the Lord”.  It is available to all, but can only be accessed by those who desire such.  To “wait upon the Lord” appears eight times in Isaiah.  We must wait upon him in prayer and in meditation of his word.

Fourth, a triple experience is promised to those who pursue Jehovah.  First, we will mount up “with wings like eagles”.  (Isa. 40:31)  As we soar higher and higher, we will be surprised at how the worries of this world harassed us. Second, we “shall run and not be weary”.  We will feel “young” again.  Third, we “shall walk and not faint”.    We will have hills to climb, rivers to ford, and daily chores to attend to.  But, God is there to help us!  The end result is awesome! 

So, “saints lift you voices, tho dark your days!  Lift up your spirits, sing out his praise!  Upward the calling, brighter the light!  Soaring like eagles on wings of flight!”

By George Slover  

“I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.  Now fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth…”  (Josh. 24:13,14)

Prior to verse 13 Joshua reviews the history of Israel.  God is reminding them of all he has done – “I gave, I brought, I delivered” you.  Such a reminder is given to prepare them for the challenges of vs. 14,15.  Israel must make a choice, either to serve Jehovah (the giver of all these things) or to serve false gods.  The one choice is to show gratitude to God who gave them the land; the other choice is to squander the wealth! 

How does Israel avoid this tragedy? First, they must put away the false gods.  God is a jealous god.  They must be devoted to him alone.  Second, they must avoid the haughty spirit.  Israel must not pride themselves in their wealth and forget from whence the riches came.  They must remember Jehovah and be grateful.  Thus, Joshua reminds them of how God drove out the enemy (vs.10) and gave them this rich land!  Would they forget, and thus squander the wealth?

God has also richly blessed us.  He has given us a Savior and a means of redemption.  He has given us a reason to live and a victorious way to die.  He has blessed us with God’s family, the greatest family on earth.  We must not squander the wealth. 

What will you do, my brother with these great blessings?  First, you must put away the false gods.  (I Jn. 5:21)  God wants single minded devotion.  Second, you must humble yourself before God and remember from whence the blessings come.  (Jam. 4:10)

God has given us great opportunities.  If they are wasted we will regret it eternally.

 By George Slover

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. “ (Hebrew 11:7)

Noah had the right kind of faith, the kind that got results.  He had the kind of faith that pleased God.  When most of the world did not believe, Noah did! 

His faith resulted in the saving of his house.  He would not have been considered the greatest personal worker, but his strong faith led his family to also believe.  This was remarkable in an extremely wicked world.  Thus eight precious souls were spared from the terrible flood. By his faith he also condemned the world.  His righteous conduct and love for God judged all of those who rejected the Lord.  By faith he became an heir of righteousness meaning that through faith he was forgiven of sin and gained fellowship with God.  Thus, Noah saved himself and his family.  What were some features of such a faith?

First, Noah’s faith was intellectual.  It was not a blind leap in the dark, as som would have us to believe.  God warned him o f the flood and Noah intellectually consider the evidence and though he has never seen a flood still Noah believes! 

Second, Noah’s faith was emotional.  He “moved with godly fear”.  An acceptance of God’s justice will lead to such fear and an acceptance of his mercy will result in praise!  “And when I think that God his Son not sparing sent to die, I scarce can take it in; that on the cross my burdens gladly bearing, he bled and died to take away my sin, then sings my soul, my savior God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art!”

Third, his faith was active. He prepared an ark to the saving of his household.  “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did”.  (Genesis 6:22)  Such a faith is the kind that God accepts (James 2:14-26) and will result in God’s forgiveness.   
What kind of faith do you have?  Is it dead?  Or, is it alive and actively trusting God and obeying him to the redemption of your soul?

By George Slover

If you do well, will you not be accepted?  And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”  (Genesis 4:7) 

These words God spoke to Cain as he contemplated killing his brother Abel.  Jealousy was about to consume him.  His sacrifice had been rejected and his brother’s accepted.  However, Cain can avoid another sin if he will choose to “do well”.  

C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before.  And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing with into a heavenly or hellish creature; either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself.  To be the one kind of creature is in heaven:  that is, it is joy and peace and knowledge and power.  To be the other means madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.  Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.”     Mere Christianity (New York, NY; Macmillan Publishing Co. 1952)pp 86, 87

Most know the unfortunate end of Cain.  First he chooses an unacceptable sacrifice.  Instead of correcting his mistake he allows his relationship with God to lead to jealousy and finally murder.  Thus, Cain became that lonely, hellish creature of which CS Lewis spoke.   

Each day we must make important decisions that point us in one direction or the other.  What will it be for us – heaven or hell?

By George Slover