A Scripture for Today, February 1st, 2024

“And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people  . . . have heard their cry  . . . for I know their sorrows;” Exodus 3:7

“ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” Isaiah 63:9

“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5

A Scripture for Today, February 1st, 2023

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:5-8

A Scripture for Today, February 1st, 2022

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14

A Little Later…

” Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” Mark 13:33

God’s timing is perfect timing. If God asks us to do something now, then there is no better time.

Jesus asked Peter, James and John, to watch and pray with Him.

” Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

They fell asleep and never got another chance to pray with Jesus, and do something like that for Him.

The Bible teaches us that we do not have all the time in the world.

”Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:13-17

If we know to do something good, and don’t do it, it is a sin. We may never get another chance to do something like that for the Lord.
Destruction can come in one night.

”And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.” Exodus 12:29
”But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Luke 12:20

Jesus warns us in His Word, ”Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:” Ephesians 4:25

We may never get another day to see someone again, to tell them we love them, or to tell someone about Jesus.

Judgment may come even within an hour!

” Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.” Revelation 18:10

 

We may never have another time!

”And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:” Revelation 10:5-7

“(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” II Corinthians 6:2

Jesus even said not to take thought for tomorrow.

”Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34

 ^“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always…” Luke 21:34-36
Much can happen in one day.
”And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.” Luke 19:9

The Lord  if He chooses can  make a day last a long time .  He has done it in the past for those that fear and serve Him.  (Joshua 10:13) And the Proverbs says that keeping His commandments , gives one not  only long life, but also “length of days”. (Proverbs 3: 1-2; 16)

”But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” II Peter 3:8

Jesus doesn’t like waste…
“When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” John 6:12

If you give your time to Jesus, He can do a lot with it. Jesus used five barley loaves and two small fishes that were  given to Him  to feed over 5,000 men. He can use just one day, to get much done. Even if you’ve wasted a lot of time, He can use what you have left.

But, what you have: use it.

He tells us that He is coming quickly!

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12

Don’t put it off until later. Serve Jesus now!

 

Luke 21:1-4 Luke 12:48

 

Don’t get a Big Head!

God called David when David was little.

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart….
Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.

And he sent, and brought him in…. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward…” I Samuel 16:7-13

 

David remained little throughout his life, and the Lord used him.

“David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine…” I Samuel 17:37

“Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?

And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.” II Samuel 7:18-20

But the Lord called Saul when he was little too.

“And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?” I Samuel 15:17

”And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” I Samuel 9:21

But  Saul got a big head.

He got a big head, and rejected God’s word.

“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” I Samuel 15;22-23

We need to stay little.

“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew  19:14

We need to come to Jesus as a little child, and we need to stay that way. We should also never should let ourselves get a big head, and think we know more than the word of God.