September 24
Whenever you fill out an application for a job it’s a good idea to have a resume with it. What about the job as Savior? What is on the resume of Jesus? Read 1:1-4:
“God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
He speaks to us, He is the heir of all things, created all things, is the brightness of God’s glory and the image of His person, upholds everything through the power of His word, purged our sins, sits at the right hand of the Father, better than angels. That’s a slam dunk resume. He has the job as my Savior.
Pastor Roger Dean
Hebrews 1-4
September 23
Jesus made several appearances to believers after His resurrection. One of those is recorded in John chapter 20. In verse 22 it says:
“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them “Receive the Holy Spirit.“
Most commentators say it is at this point that the disciples are born again. Yet, when we read Acts 1:5-8, Jesus is telling them not to leave Jerusalem because they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit and will receive power to be witnesses for Him. Are these scriptures contradictory? No. When we are saved, we are born again by the Spirit. But after that, we can receive the power of God, when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Two separate acts by the same Spirit. One gets us saved, the other helps us get others saved.
Pastor Roger Dean
The Gospel of John 19-21
September 22
In chapter 5 we see a lamentation being sang by God. A lamentation was basically a funeral dirge. “ The virgin of Israel has fallen; she will rise no more. She lies forsaken on her land, there is no one to raise her up” (5:2). This sounds like the end for Israel. But God’s grace is still being offered as we see in 5:5:
“Seek me and live but do not seek Bethel nor enter Gilgal nor pass over to Beersheba. For Gilgal shall surely go into captivity and Bethel shall come to nothing.”
The admonition is to seek God but not at the sanctuaries. To seek the Lord and live is repeated in verse 6. Israel’s worship had deteriorated but God was still open to them seeking Him or literally His face. We may find ourselves on the downhill slide but don’t give up. There is still time to seek the Lord. Our troubles are never bigger than our God.
Pastor Roger Dean
Amos 5-9
September 21
Having the right words to say isn’t always easy. But when you get it right it blesses not only you but also the hearer.
“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.” ( 25:11-12)
We are told by Jesus that the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say when we need them. When it comes to rebuking people you really need the Spirit’s leading. For this to be successful it takes two things. First, you have to use wisdom to say the correct thing. You can’t just pop off an opinion. Second, they have to have an obedient ear. If they refuse to listen or do what you’re saying, then it amounts to nothing. You have wasted your words. But when it goes right it is precious, like gold.
Pastor Roger Dean
Proverbs 25
September 20
Once in a very great while I’m out of sorts and do not enjoy worshiping God. I either have too much on my mind or on my heart and I just can’t get into it. I don’t love God any less, I just can’t express myself because I’m all caught up in myself. Instead of being caught up in myself, I should be caught up in God. This is a rare thing for me, and I’ve found if I press through, can get my praise on. I should remember this verse:
“From the rising of the sun to it’s going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.“ (113:3)
When is it time to praise the Lord? All the time. All day long. Good weather, bad weather, good mood, bad mood, good music, not my favorite music, it doesn’t matter, it is always time to sing praises to God. I make the decision to worship, and I do it. I don’t need to feel like it, I just need to start doing it and my mood changes. Truly the garment of praise lifts the spirit of heaviness.
Pastor Roger Dean
Psalms 111-113
September 19
Solomon is getting ready to build the temple in Jerusalem and sends a letter to Hiram, the king of Tyre, asking for timber. In the letter he says :
“But who is able to build Him a temple, since heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Him? Who am I then, that I should build Him a temple, except to burn sacrifice before Him?” (2:6)
Solomon makes a great point. God cannot be contained in a building. He can’t even be contained by all the heavens. The purpose of the temple was to worship God not keep Him in one place. Our churches are supposed to be places of worship. But they can’t be the only place His presence is. His presence should be with us too. He lives within each of us who know Christ as their Savior. And we shouldn’t try to contain Him either. We should be sharing Him with everyone.
Pastor Roger Dean
2 Chronicles 1-5
September 18
Every once in a while, I get into a conversation about the Bible and the subject of the Lost Books of the Bible comes up. I only capitalize lost books to put the emphasis that others place on them. Usually, the person who brings the matter up thinks there are more books that we should have. They think somebody kept us from having all the knowledge that God wanted us to have by censoring the scriptures. First off, there are no “lost books“ of the Bible. The Holy Bible is just that, holy. It is complete. The Bible does refer to books that we do not have like The Book of the Wars of the Lord (21:14). But if God wanted us to have them, we would have them. Do people really believe that the God who created everything couldn’t protect His written Word? Apparently, they do. If it wasn’t included in the canon of scripture, it is because God didn’t want it there. And if God didn’t include it, why should I?
Pastor Roger Dean
Numbers 21-24
September 17
This epistle, written by Paul, was to a wealthy slave owner in Colosse. It was probably sent at the same time as the Epistle to the Colossians. The purpose was to ask Philemon to forgive a former slave, Onesimus, who had committed some bad act and then ran away to Rome. In Rome Onesimus reconnects with Paul, gets saved, and is helpful to Paul during his incarceration. Paul not only wants Philemon to forgive Onesimus but to send him back to Rome, so he can continue to aid him. What stands out for me in this letter is that Paul felt the liberty to even make such a request. It is obvious from what’s said that Paul and Philemon are friends. But beyond that, Paul as the apostle of the church at Colosse, had the spiritual authority he could’ve used but didn’t. As leaders, do we feel comfortable to make hard requests of our friends? Or do we use our position to require it done?
Pastor Roger Dean
Philemon
September 16
Chapter 17 is basically a long prayer that is broken down into three sections. The headers of the sections are entitled: Jesus Prays for Himself, Jesus Prays for His Disciples, and Jesus Prays for All Believers. Not a bad model for us to follow. The shortest section is Jesus praying for Himself. Unfortunately, for most believers, this is the place where most of our prayers happen. If it wasn’t for praying about their own needs, many people wouldn’t pray at all. There is nothing wrong with praying for yourself especially in times of great stress. Jesus was in a place of great stress but still found the time to pray for others. If we are focused on just ourselves, we will not be kingdom minded. The next time you spend time in prayer, try to pray for other people like Jesus did.
Pastor Roger Dean
The Gospel of John 16-18
September 15
When we think of prophets in the Bible, we probably think that being a prophet was their full-time job. For some of them this was true. But for others, like Amos, it wasn’t. According to verse one, he was a sheep-breeder from Tekoa. Tekoa was 10 miles south of Jerusalem. He is considered the first of the “writing prophets“ of the 8th century B. C. The others include Hosea, who wrote to Israel and Micah and Isaiah who wrote to Judah. Maybe Amos didn’t consider himself a prophet like the others, but God used him to proclaim messages to the northern kingdom of Israel. Our lesson from his life is that God will use anyone. They don’t have to have special training, a degree in theology or hold a full-time ministry position. All they have to do is to be willing. All YOU have to do is be willing.
Pastor Roger Dean
Amos 1-4
September 14
My wife overheard 2 guys talking at a truck stop and one of them said that money was the root of all evil. The other countered that it was the love of money that was the root of all evil. She wanted to add that it was the root of many evils, which is a better translation. Having money isn’t wrong. But for some their focus will be.
“Do not overwork to be rich, because of your own understanding, cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings, they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”
When we put our focus on intangibles, we miss the really important things. Put your focus on God and He will help you take care of the rest.
Pastor Roger Dean
Proverbs 23-24
September 13
Psalm 109 is entitled, “Plea for Judgment of False Accusers.” David obviously would like to see his false accusers dealt with harshly. The word accuser is used in verse 6:
“Set a wicked man over him and let an accuser stand at his right hand.”
The word accuser in the Hebrew is Satan. That’s right, Satan. The same as the enemy of mankind. It can also be translated as adversary as we see in 1 Peter 5:8:
“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Note he is YOUR adversary. Satan isn’t anyone’s fan. But he will use people to do his bidding, and this includes false accusers. We live in a day when we can’t believe anything anyone says against his opponents. Repeating what we hear may put us in league with the devil. And I don’t want to be accused of that.
Pastor Roger Dean
Psalms 108-110
September 12
Being spiritually focused can have unintended consequences. Like being focused only on yourself and your spiritual well-being. If you are going to live for Christ, you have to take stock of where you are. But sometimes we can be so self reflective that we forget to reflect Jesus to others. All of our actions can touch others. And it is a good idea to keep our families in mind when we are making big decisions. In 28:8 David tells the people:
“be careful to seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever.“
Let’s seek God for more than just our own well-being. Let’s seek Him for our children’s childrens future.
Pastor Roger Dean
I Chronicles 25-29
September 11
When God took the Levites, and separated them from the rest of the tribes, He made them His possession. And He was their inheritance.
“Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.“ (18:20)
They could not own land etc. They were to minister before Him, and their salary was the tithe of the rest of Israel (18:24). The act of ministers making their living from the tithe of others started long ago. But ministers must tithe also. The Levites were to take a tenth of their income and tithe to the Lord (18:26). He gives to us. We give back to Him. Our giving goes to ministers. Ministers give to Him. He is the Provider and we show our thanksgiving. At least, this is how it is supposed to be.
Pastor Roger Dean
Numbers 17-20
September 10
Sometimes I like to take a look at the person an epistle is written to or by. Today we will look at one of Paul’s disciples, Titus. We do not know very much about him. Unlike most of Paul’s companions he is not mentioned in the Book of Acts. He was evidently not raised Jewish because he was not circumcised (Galatians 2:3). Apparently, he was a Greek convert of Paul. As we read this Epistle, we find that he and Paul must’ve done some preaching in Crete that produced some believers. Enough were won that Paul left Titus there to raise up some leaders, elders, from this work. It wasn’t limited to just one city either (1:5). The take-away from this for me is that God will use anyone and not everyone gets his name in the big lights. Not being in the Book of Acts isn’t a big deal. Titus has his place in scripture. I don’t care if I’m in the Book of Acts II. I just want to be in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Pastor Roger Dean
Titus 1-3
September 9
Most of us who know Christ as our Savior realize that we have received the Holy Spirit as a constant companion. Better words than companion might be intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate or counselor. This is how parakletos, the word used for Helper in 15:26, could be translated.
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me.”
As comforting as His presence is, His purpose in our lives is to help us fulfill the same purpose as His. To testify about Jesus (Acts 1:8). He will help us, counsel us on strategies, and train us like lawyers for debates. Our part is to co-labor with Him. He is the One who comes along side us, which is the definition of parakletos. Holy Spirit, give me the words today that will glorify Jesus.
Pastor Roger Dean
The Gospel of John 13-15
September 8
There comes a time when everything winds down. Humanity has had its chance, nations are to be judged.
“Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down, for the wine press is full, the vats overflow. For their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.’“ (3:13-14)
When the nations, multitudes, reach the valley of decision it is actually too late for them to make a decision. This is the day the Lord makes the decision to deal with the wicked. Mankind better make its decision now. Either serve the Lord now or get the sickle later. Our decision makes His decision. Decide for Him, He’ll decide for you.
Pastor Roger Dean
The Book of Joel
September 7
When I was a kid there was a popular children’s doctor named Dr. Spock. He advocated a non-disciplinary approach to parenting. He centered on positive reinforcement. Years later some people blame our permissive society on this kind of teaching.
“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. The rod of correction will drive it far from him.” (22:15)
Discipline is not beating your kids. Some spanking may be necessary. But if started when they are young, letting them know that you are serious about what you’re saying is usually enough. Not following through on repeated threats only let’s kids know you’ll let them slide. Beating children is abuse. Not disciplining them is another way to injure them.
Pastor Roger Dean
Proverbs 22
September 1
People don’t just “fall into” sin. Somewhere along the line they have thought about it. Whether it was just a quick thought, or a long-lasting lust, they opened the door to it.
“Because Ephraim has made many altars for sin, they have become for him altars for sinning.“ (8:11)
We don’t build actual altars to make false sacrifices on. Instead, we build altars in our minds. We think about doing stuff until we do it. What is the outcome of building altars for sin? Sinning!!! If we could learn to cast the thought of sin down when it came, we wouldn’t be making ways to accomplish it. If you have been considering how great it would be to indulge yourself in a little old-fashioned sin, deal with it now. Tear down those altars. Sin is only pleasurable for a season but the consequences last forever because the wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23).
Pastor Roger Dean
Hosea 8-14
August 26
The story of the woman caught in adultery is told in 8:1-12. Jesus told the woman’s accusers:
“He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (8:7)
No one threw a stone and they all slowly left. They all knew they had sin in their lives. If this had happened in one of our churches today, would the outcome be the same? We who follow Jesus know our sins have been forgiven. But this doesn’t mean that we are always without sin. Yet I have met Christians that believed they were the judges of others. Their forgiveness from God became a weapon to use against sinners. Instead of offering the same forgiveness that they have received, they throw stones instead. I want to be as holy as I can be, not judging others in their sin but encouraging people to live free from sin. Jesus said it well:
“Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” (8:11)
Pastor Roger Dean
The Gospel of John 7-9