#667 Today’s World and Bible Times – Following God’s Will

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Haran, in the land of Mesopotamia, was where Abram and his family initially settled.  Following the death of his father, Terah, Abram’s continued faith in and devotion to God was again evident when he recognized and obeyed God’s will that he leave his kindred’s land and journey to an unknown land.  From the beginning Abram had followed God’s will, and after a time of transition in Haran Abram continued to follow God’s will.  Possibly the time in Haran was a time of renewing and refreshing for Abram, a time to prepare him for the continuation of his journey, but it may have also been that Abram’s obedience to God’s will allowed him to honor his father’s wishes by remaining with him in Haran for a season, then continuing into the land of God’s choosing.  When we stay close to and have faith in God, He will reveal His will to us, and when we obey His will, we will find that He provides all we need, from our physical needs to personal needs.

 

Remain close to God and He will reveal His will to you; then obey and follow His will, and He will truly give you a great blessing!

 

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from they father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee:’ So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him;” (Genesis 12:1, 4a)

#666 Today’s World and Bible Times – A Strong Faith

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Abram, later to be called Abraham, was a man who knew God, believed God, and exercised enough faith to follow God, even to the extent of leaving his home town of Ur of the Chaldeans not knowing where the Lord was leading. By faith, Abraham, his wife Sarai, his father Terah, and his deceased brother’s son Lot left their homeland and began their journey, following the Fertile Crescent north to Haran, located near the border of modern Turkey and Syria, where they initially settled. During those days, most people ignored God and continued to sin, yet Abram’s faith was such that he followed God without question. We really need to ask ourselves if our faith is strong enough to follow where God calls us without question. Though there were hardships during the journey, God blessed Abram beyond measure, and he will bless us when we demonstrate our faith in following Him.

Is your faith strong enough to step out and follow God without question?

“And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.” (Genesis 11:31)

#665 Today’s World and Bible Times – Revival Begins with Individuals

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Following the casting out of evil spirits from the man in Gergesa, today the town of Kursi, the people of the village begged Jesus to depart from the area.  As Jesus got into the boat, the man who had been cured, now in his right mind, begged Jesus to allow him to go with Him.  Jesus would not take him, but he gave him an assignment to tell his family, friends, the townspeople, and the people throughout the Decapolis area of what had happened to him, how the compassion and power of God had changed his life.  Obeying Jesus’ commission, Scripture tells us the people marveled, the beginning of revival.  God’s Word goes forth and hearts and lives are changed when we as individuals spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We need not wait for our church to do evangelizing; we individually need to heed God’s command to evangelize.  When we do so, God will bless as His mercy and compassion are available to all who will receive Him.

 

If you feel you cannot make a difference for the Lord, remember that He has commissioned each of us individually to tell others about salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

“And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him.  Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, ‘God home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.’  And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him:  and all men did marvel.” (Mark 5:18-20)

#664 Today’s World and Bible Times – Earthly or Heavenly Security?

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We are told in Scripture that after ministering in Capernaum Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee to the land of people known as the Gadarenes or Garasenes. The village, then known as Gergesa, is today the small town of Kursi, an archaeological sight with a steep cliff in the Golan Heights. During Bible times, this area was primarily a Gentile and pagan area, and is traditionally known as the place Jesus drove many evil spirits out of a man possessed, driving them into swine that ran off a “steep place” into the seas. Upsetting the pigs’ owners, the townspeople begged Jesus to leave. Were they afraid of His supernatural powers or just afraid of losing more swine, their source of income? There are people today who depend on their economic status and supposed security, rejecting the salvation Jesus provides. They need to realize that Jesus is the source of the true security they need, an eternity with Him in Heaven.

Where is your priority today? Is it in your earthly wealth or your spiritual wealth?

“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray Him to depart out of their coasts.” (Mark 5:15-17)

#663 Today’s World and Bible Times – Price of Disobedience

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

If the excavated site of Bethsaida on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee is the location of the ancient Bible city of Bethsaida, as many archaeologists believe, many scholars also believe it to be the capital of the Old Testament Aramean kingdom of Geshur, an independent kingdom that was “in the midst” of Israel. Not obeying the Lord, the half-tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the Geshurites, thus forcing King David to conduct numerous raids into the kingdom. It was also here that Absolam, David’s son, fled into exile under the protection of his grandfather, the king of Geshur. God expects us to obey His commands and commandments, and when we do not do so, we can expect to experience hardships. What God has commanded, we are expected to obey.

Are you faithful in obeying the commands of Scripture?

“Nevertheless the children of Israel expelled not the Geshurites, nor the Maachathites; but the Geshurites and Maachathites dwell among the Israelites until this day.” (Joshua 13:13)

#662 Today’s World and Bible Times – Gaining Spiritual Eyesight

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Near the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee near the entrance of the Jordan River into the sea is an ancient ruin known as “et-Tell”, a location Israeli excavators and maps place the ancient city of Bethsaida. This location for Bethsaida has been challenged by other archaeologists, and may or may not be the site of the New Testament Bethsaida. Scripture tells us that Jesus was in Bethsaida when a blind man was brought to Him to be healed, and Jesus placed his hands upon the man’s eyes, restoring his sight. Today there are a multitude of people who are spiritually blind, needing the hand of God upon them. It takes the miracle of salvation to open the spiritual eyes of unbelievers, and it takes the witness of Christians to tell them of this salvation that comes from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Make it a point today to tell someone of the saving grace of God, giving them the opportunity to gain spiritual eyesight!

“And He cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto Him, and besought Him to touch him. After than He put His hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. ” (Mark 9:22, 25)

#661 Today’s World and Bible Times – God’s Power Changes Hearts

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When Jesus cleansed the seven demons from Mary Magdalene, He not only proved His authority and power over evil He demonstrated the power to totally change lives. Mary of Magdala’s life totally changed in the right direction. She became one of Jesus’ most faithful followers, served and ministered to His needs, was prominent at His crucifixion, was a witness to where He was buried, and was the first person to discover the empty tomb. What a testimony to God’s power. Today, God is capable of changing lives just as He did Mary Magdalene’s. What is the answer to ridding our cities, states, countries, and the world of evil? A change in the “evil” hearts that can only come from the power of God in their lives.

Do not just ignore the evil that is prevalent in our world today; pray to God that He will touch and change the hearts of all who are practicing the evil!

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils.” (Mark 16:9)

#660 Today’s World and Bible Times – God’s Power over Evil

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A number of Jesus’ early miracles were demonstrations of His authority and power over evil. One such miracle was the casting out of seven demons from Mary Magdalene, a resident of the city of Magdala on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. Satan and demonic forces were active in Bible times just as they are active in the world today. Evil is evident throughout the world today with heavy amounts of drug and human trafficking, prostitution, child sex crimes, and mass killings by those attempting to control the evil practices. While some countries actually tolerate and participate in the practices, most countries have attempted to legislate against them, although without success in many cases. It was the power of God that overcame the demonic activity within Mary Magdalene, and it is the power of God that can overcome Satan, demonic forces, and the resulting evil in the world today.

Pray that God’s power against evil will be prevail in your city and area today!

“And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene.” (Luke 8:2)

#659 Today’s World and Bible Times – The Company We Keep

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

About three miles north of the city of Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee is the excavation site of the ancient city of Magdala, also known as Magadan or Dalmanutha. In Bible times it was a city famous for processing fish and boat building, making it a considerably wealthy city. We know the city from Scripture as the home of Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom Jesus cast the seven demons. It seems that Magdala was characterized by the Talmud as a city of depravity, a possible explanation as to why Mary Magdalene was demon possessed. Could it be possible that she got with the wrong crowd and the demons somehow got control of her life? It is a well-known fact that our lives can be influenced for either good or evil by the company we keep. Although having unbelieving friends does not mean we will become demon possessed, it is extremely important for us to have and enjoy the influence of good Christian friends and fellowship.

Do not fail to have among your friends strong Christians who can support you in your walk with the Lord!

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (I Corinthians 15:33 – ESV)

#658 Today’s World and Bible Times – Peace in the Storm

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is amazing the number of wonderful spiritual lessons we can learn from the sequence of events that took place those couple of days around and on the Sea of Galilee; from the multiplication of the five loaves and two fishes to the lapse in faith Simon Peter showed when taking his eyes off Jesus as he was walking on the water toward Him. But there is another spiritual lesson we can take with us from what happened after Jesus saved Peter from drowning. Scripture says that they, Jesus and Peter, got into the boat, and a miraculous thing occurred: the winds ceased. Jesus’ presence in the boat was enough to quiet the storm. God with us in the midst of the difficult storms of life should enable us to be free from any fear or worry we may have and cause us to experience the peace that only God can deliver.

As a Christian, let the peace of God’s presence overcome any fear or worry you may have in your daily Christian walk!

“And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” (Matthew 14:32)