Showing posts with label Commitment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commitment. Show all posts

Serve God at your OWN risk!



Today’s Reading: Psalm 68-69, Romans 8:1-21

Today’s Reflection:  Psalm 69:6   Let not them that wait on the, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

It would appear that David suffered reproach because of his zeal for The Lord, so much so that he would not wish it upon others who might follow The Lord at his lead.  Perhaps he is hoping that the reproach he suffers for Christ will shield those who follow his leadership in spiritual matters.  Perhaps he hopes that his suffering will be enough for him and them both.  

If so, this would not be surprising, coming from a leader.  In fact, all great leaders seek to pay great prices to pioneer a better way for generations to come.  They are called pioneers for a reason; for no one else before them stepped up and dared accomplish what they accomplished, nor were they willing to take the same risks, and pay the same costs in order to achieve what it is that they are trying to achieve.  

It is in this spirit, I believe, that David hopes that he is paving the way for his followers, and not simply introducing them to a way of life that leads them to bearing his burden of reproach with him.  Now, how great a reproach is this?  Among other things, we are sure that it alienated him from his own family according to verse eight.  

Because he was willing to go places with God no one else in his family was willing to go, he found himself somewhat isolated relationally.  As a king, he may have been surrounded by many people, but in this respect, he was alone as it related to the fellowship of his blood kin.  

Don’t get me wrong; David was as tough as they come, and he was not afraid of blood.  However, the silent pain of rejection among those of your own household are often the deepest wounds a man can endure.  He simply would not wish this price upon anyone else who might dare to be as zealous for The Lord as he himself.  

And yet, too numerous to count are those who, after the example of David, decided also to follow hard after God.  Too numerous to count are those who, like David, COMPLETELY understand what his is talking about in his prayer.  Having said that, the bottom line is, if one is to pay the price, it needs to be his or her choice for themselves, with full disclosure going in, and not just as a result of someone else’s decisions.  In short, we need to count the cost first, THEN go if we dare!

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Will you make exceptions, or be exceptional?



Today’s Reading: 2 Kings 15-16, John 3:1-18

Today’s Reflection: 2 Kings 15:3-5a And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done; Save that the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places. And the LORD smote the king, so that he was a leper unto the day of his death…

Today we learn about when making exceptions can keep us from becoming exceptional. 


Verse three starts out really well for King Azariah. He was off to a great start in life. In fact, he was only sixteen years old when he began to reign. And for a sixteen year old king to be paid a compliment by The Lord Himself that “he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD” is an awesome position to be in to say the least. 

However, just read on, because that’s not the end of the story. Just as we begin to understand that this young king had his whole life ahead of him, and that he had a chance to really procure the favor of God on his life and reign as king over Israel, we learn of his besetting sin. He just wouldn’t remove the “high places” of idol worship from the land. 

No doubt being young, ambitious, and perhaps a bit naïve, he must have assumed that one exception to his living right would do little to no harm. After all, maybe he even wondered if, since he himself wasn’t an idol worshipper, that this “small” exception of leaving the high places alone would be no big deal. But, as we see when we read on, this was THE sin that took away his strength, his dignity, his health, his testimony, and ultimately his life. 

What was his crime? He made an exception that God did not allow for. He turned a blind eye (though he could see it clearly) to the high places which were strictly forbidden of The Lord. He had influence to change what he was not willing to, and for that he lost all of his influence unwillingly. 

Now, he could have been an exceptional king. He could have reigned a long and prosperous season. He could have ushered revival back into the nation of Israel by tearing down the high places and calling the people back to The Lord. He could have literally changed the course of history for his nation, and completely changed the narrative of this sad but true historical scene. 

But, he chose exceptions over exceptionalism. He underestimated the power of sin. And now, I ask you, will you make exceptions, or become exceptional for Christ?

Stay tuned for our next devotional to help you in your journey with becoming exceptional for Christ!

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Floodgates of Heaven
Volume 2
Entry 132 of 365
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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill

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Let the Redeemed of The Lord say so!!!



Today’s Reading: 2 Sam. 19-20, Luke 18:1-23

Today’s Reflection: 2 Samuel 19:24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king, and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came again in peace.

Today I want us to consider the dedication & loyalty of the redeemed. When King David sent his best chariots after Mephibosheth, pulling him out of Lodebar (a place of begging), and giving him a permanent seat at the King’s table, needless to say, he grew an appreciation and a love for King David like no other.  

We can tell that by our selected verse for the day. Mephibosheth would not enjoy the pleasures and comforts normally afforded him at the palace, until at last he knew that his King had returned safe and sound. It was a matter of respect, but also a matter of great concern. 

No doubt he was fasting and praying for the King’s safe return. He wished King David well for all that David did for his household. And that’s not all he was doing. If you will remember, he had already sent out supplies to King David on the battlefield through his servants, to aid David and his soldiers by sustaining them with refreshments along the way! 

So goes the dedication and loyalty of one who has been redeemed from the dregs of sin and society. Is not this the kind of service we should offer our King Jesus for the redemption He has given us through His own shed blood? And no matter where Christ brought us from in a literal since, weren’t we ALL spiritual beggars until He came along? Weren’t we ALL in trespasses and sins? Weren’t we ALL in desperate need of redemption, lest we die in our sins and spent eternity in Hell without Christ, where the worm dies not, and the fire is never quenched? Indeed, we were! 

However, Jesus said in Luke 7, “but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little”. It would seem the way that some of us serve our Lord, we have been forgive of so little amount that it’s hardly worth mentioning! The truth is, the BEST worshippers, and the MOST LOYAL and DEDICATED of the redeemed, are those who have been forgiven of MANY sins. 

As for the others, they have been forgiven of just as dreadful a place, but simply lack the proper perspective of how dreadful a sinful state they were in without Christ. I would think that ANY and ALL who are redeemed, REGARDLESS of our sin count, should be equally thankful, equally loyal, and equally dedicated to the service of the King! If not, then all we need is a simple adjustment in our perspective, reminding ourselves of the Hell he saved us from!


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Volume 2
Entry 114 of 365
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What are YOU known for???


Today’s Reading: 2 Sam. 6-8, Luke 15:1-10

Today’s Reflection: 2 Sam. 8:13 And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.

Wait a minute; I thought David already had a name for himself! After all, he was the one who slew Goliath with a rag, a rock, and the guidance of The Holy Spirit. David was the one of whom they sang in the streets that Saul had slain his thousands, but David his ten thousands. David is now the one who resides as King over all of Israel, after having experienced many hardships and winning many battles and overcoming many enemies, including even King Saul. 

At this point, one would think that David had already “earned his keep” so to speak, but the Word simply states that “David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.” 

To be honest, I’m not really sure what was so special about this particular battle that “gat him a name”, if all preceding battles had not accomplished it already. However, one thing we can state for sure, without any doubt whatsoever; perseverance and consistency of excellence will at some point pay off and give you a name that is known by your accomplishments. 

Perhaps the unique aspect of this battle in particular was that its notoriety came as a surprise to David as well. Perhaps we can learn here that God reserves the right to exercise an element of surprise as to when He will promote you for your accomplishments. Maybe God is teaching us not to try to build a name for ourselves in a single moment, or a single battle, or a single season, or a single accomplishment, but rather a consistent, dependable history of overcoming obstacles. 

Maybe God wants us to learn how to approach each and every battle with a spirit of excellence and a determination to overcome, regardless of whether or not we get the earthly recognition our natural man so often desires. 

Maybe, just maybe, it’s not really even about us at all. King David was known as a man who fought the battles of The Lord. He started off with his first adversary Goliath, proclaiming in essence, “You come to me with a spear and a sword, but I come to you in the name of The Lord!” 

I honestly believe that David was not even trying to make a name for himself, but rather was out solely and entirely to defend the name and the honour of The Lord, and because he consistently did so in battle wherever The Lord sent him, eventually The Lord “gat him a name” for his accomplishments to The Lord’s service. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up!


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Volume 2
Entry 109 of 365
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From Disposable to Indispensable...


Today’s Reading: Judges 11-12, Luke 6:1-26

Today’s Reflection: Judges 11:7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

Jephthah, a man once disposable, has now become indispensable. He whose mother was a lady of ill repute, and whose half-brothers thereby rejected him, is now sought after as if he’s the only hope they have of winning a war into which they are planning to engage.  
Be careful how you treat your treasures, for you may need them again! Jesus even taught us not to cast our pearls before swine (see Matt. 7:6). If you do, you will only end up broke, busted, and disgusted. 

The problem with casting pearls before swine, or with rejecting brethren because they don’t share all the same origins as you, is that you fail to recognize their value until circumstances turn against you. There is an important lesson to be learned; never dispose of what is intrinsically valuable, for you may wish you hadn’t for need of it later! 

Jephthah, undoubtedly because of his background, having become a man of valor and strength, must have had to fight his way up through childhood into manhood just to survive. I imagine he was mocked, hated, ridiculed, bullied, terrorized, beat up, and made fun of until he was old enough to fight for himself. 

He was certainly at a social disadvantage, but that did not stop him! In fact, it proved to motivate him to never be subpar. He was motivated to rise above the reproach men placed upon him for something he personally could not change. 

What did he do? Well, we learn that not only did he become a mighty man of valor, but he was also well-educated with the history of Israel. His discussion with the king of Ammon proved that he was well-versed in history, and also had an in depth understanding of the geographical surroundings of the land. He was as sharp as a tack! 

Also, I will point out that he had a walk with The Lord, because of his apparent prayer life, and his principled and dedicated resolve to follow through on his promises to The Lord, even when it meant giving his daughter to The Lord to remain a virgin for the rest of her life. So, he had a lot going for him. 

Furthermore, his brethren knew that he would be advantageous on the battle field, so he must have also been skilled in war. All that noted, Jephthah rose above the rubble with determination and an unfeigned faith in God Almighty to help him. 

And did it pay off? Oh yes! In fact, those who treated him as disposable earlier finally had to admit his worth and ask for his help. Application? Rise above your rejection; your worth will be needed one day!

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They say every man has his price. What about you? Consider this...

Day 61 (Category: Commitment)

Today’s Reading: Num. 23-25 & Mark 7:14-37

Today’s Reflection: Numbers 24:11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.

We do not demand ANYTHING from The Lord! Unfortunately, king Balak just didn’t get that. He was attempting to convince the prophet Balaam to curse Israel for his sake, but Balaam could not and therefore would not. What is puzzling to me about this entire passage, however, is how Balaam attempted to go along with king Balak’s plan on three different occasions in three different locations to use enchantments to see if they might essentially persuade The Lord to change His mind. It is obvious that Balaam was interested in the financial gain he would achieve were he successful in getting God to cooperate with Balak’s plan. However, even though Balaam was not right in his motives or intentions, God’s blessing upon Israel was so powerful that Balaam could not curse them even if he tried. As a matter of fact, the third time he thought he’d ask God to revisit the subject and reconsider, he was overtaken by God’s Spirit and literally fell into a trance only to speak the blessing that God had for His people. In other words, God over-ruled Balaam’s desire and forced him to bless, even when he had hoped to curse them for financial gain. We know this was his intent because of his continual attempts at seeking The Lord on this matter even though God had already made it clear to him from day one. Now the lesson we can learn is this; we should seek only the approval, honor, and blessings of God and not the promotions of men. It was interesting to me that in the new testament Balaam is only mentioned for his greed, although in our text he did follow through, at least externally (if even by force), with precisely the will of God concerning the matter. So why was he still demoted, not only in the natural world, but in the spiritual ranks? It was not because of outward disobedience, but inward disobedience. God knew that Balaam had a price. He could be bought. Although God did not let him go there, the point is, had God not stopped him, he might very well have gone in the wrong direction. So in our selected verse, king Balak had it wrong…God did not withhold honor from Balaam…he did that to himself, because he was for sale. There’s no honor in putting yourself up for sale. Success in this world gives you no advancement towards the favor of God. BUT, the favor of God could give you advancement towards success in life as you serve Him in your purpose. Question: Do you have a price? Or, are you “not for sale”?

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copyright © by Gary D. Caudill


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