Psalm 119:9, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.”

This is a great question listed in our Scripture for today.  It is my goal that every teenager that sits under my voice each week in Sunday School will come to the place where they ask themselves this question.  Ultimately, I want them to come to me, their parents or their Pastor and ask them this question.  This is a valid question that we all need to ask ourselves and then go to God and ask Him.

The answer to the question is this.  The only way to “cleanse his way” is to first of all realize he is a sinner and he needs a Saviour.  We all must come to the realization that we are sinners and we cannot do anything on our own to get us to heaven.  See Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

We need to repent of our sin.  This word repent means that we change our mind and direction.  We change our mind about our sin.  We realize we are sinning against God.  We change our direction by turning to God and placing our faith and trust in Him.  Look at the words of Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We need to recognize that Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt of our sin.  He died for me just like I was the only person ever born on the earth.  He did it for you and for me.  He also was buried in a tomb and three (3) days later He arose from the dead as He said He would.  This proves that everything He says is true.  Read the words of Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth” (demonstrated) “his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Then we need to reach out to Him in prayer and acknowledge to Him everything we just talked about.  The Word of God tells us in Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Call upon the Lord Jesus Christ today in prayer and say something like this, “Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I need a Saviour.  Right now, I turn from my sin and accept you as my Lord and Saviour believing that You died and arose again from the grave.  Thank You for saving me.  In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed a simple prayer like this one in your own words and you meant it with all of your heart then you are saved.  You are now a child of God.  If you have made this decision and prayed this pray please write to me at:  david.dale@juno.com and let me get you some more information on your new life in Christ.

Today’s reading:  Psalm 119; Proverbs 31

Jonah 4:3, “Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.”

I remember growing up and going to a Christian school through the sixth grade.  In the words of the song sang by Archie and Edith Bunker in the show “All in the Family”, “Those were the days.”  I can still hear them sing that song at the opening of the show.

I remember going into the seventh grade and moving from the protective environment of my Christian school to the public school environment.  What a shock!  There were many times during the first year of public school that I was humiliated and made fun of for everything from wearing glasses to being the fat kid.  I was even beat up by a girl once because I would not fight back.  I still remember her name and I hope and pray she has trusted Jesus Christ as her Saviour or she soon will before she stands before Him in judgment.

I remember many times during my public school tenure that I, like Jonah, just wanted to crawl up in a corner and die.  This, to my finite mind was a good solution.  Thankfully God in His abundant mercy always brought me out of such a frame of mind.  You see, we must be very careful because the devil who hates us and wants nothing more than for us to be destroyed or rendered useless to the cause of Christ would love for us to do just what Jonah is talking about.  That is to take our own life.  I know far too many people touched by such a deep tragedy.  Without the help of Jesus Christ these dear people would have no hope.  Yet He calls Himself the “God of all hope”.

In the event you are tempted to bring your own life to an end, remember God exhorts us to choose life!  He loves you supremely and died for you to prove it.  If you need someone to talk with please get in contact with me and I promise I will do everything in my power to help you through whatever you are going through.  God wants to help you even more than I.

How are you doing?

Jonah 4; Micah 1, 2; Psalm 30, 60, 90, 120, 150; Proverbs 30

Jonah 1:4, “But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”

When I was growing up and going to public school there was a popular rock and roll song titled, “Runnin’ With The Devil”.  I wish I did not know that; but, I do.  It was very popular too.  I guess it was in fashion so to speak back then to live in rebellion against God.  This is very sad.  Today it is more than in fashion.  It is expected.  It is the norm.  This should not be.

In the book of Jonah we see a prophet that runs from God.  Most people know the story.  God tells Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell them that He said to repent or the city would be destroyed.  Jonah knows these people are wicked and I believe he wanted to see God judge their wickedness and/or he was scared and did not want to go for fear of his own life.  Either way he was not trusting God like he should.  God told him to go and he should have went.

Remember sin will take you farther than you want to go.  It will keep you longer than you want to stay and it will cost you far more than you want to pay.  This is no laughing matter.  If you do not go where God tells you He will discipline you and you will wish you had gone.  Jonah is a perfect example of that.

Look where it landed Jonah in Jonah 2:1, “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,”  if you notice in Jonah 1:17 the Scripture says that Jonah was in the belly of the fish 3 days.  What a disgusting place to be.  He was in the stomach of the whale with all the food, acid and everything.  Imagine the stinch and burning in his nostrils.  This is pretty gross I know.  If we learn from Jonah to stop running with the devil and keep running with God then my goal here is met.

So, who are you running with?  I hope it is God that you are running with and not running away from God.  Running with the devil is never worth it.  Just ask Jonah.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Jonah 1, 2, 3; Psalm 29, 59, 89, 149; Proverbs 29

Amos 8:11, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:”

My wife sings a song that is taken from this verse of Scripture.  I can hear her sing it in my mind even now, “There’s a famine in the land not of bread not of water…”.  I love the song.  I think she needs to sing it again soon.

As I look around at the world of today I see the truth of this verse.  Yesterday we talked about the “Plumbline” and how it pictures God’s Word.  Then Amos is telling us today that people have forsaken it to the point that a famine is taking place.  I know he is exhorting Israel; but, do you see that is happening right here in America today.  How sad it is to see the sad state of affairs we are in today.  We have legislated anything Christian or godly out of our lives, especially God’s Word.

If we are not careful there will come an even greater famine.  What if God gets to the point where He says, “Enough is enough!”  The day that God forsakes America because America has long ago forsaken God will be a sad day indeed.  I cannot imagine a world where God is not actively working.  If we are not careful we will offend God to the point where He will take His hands off this nation and we will be left to fend for ourselves.  This will be a sad day of such magnitude that we do not even know.

I beg of you today to turn back to God.  If you have never put your trust in Him for eternal salvation then please do so.  If you need help, feel free to contact me at:  david.dale@juno.com and I will do everything in my power to help you trust Christ as your Saviour.  If you know Him as your Saviour then I beg of you to turn back to Him in obedience.  We can turn this famine around if we will turn from our sinful ways and turn back to God.  The choice is ours to make for ourselves individually.  What will your answer be?  Remember the words of Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

So friend, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Amos 8, 9; Obadiah; Psalm 28, 58, 88, 118, 148; Proverbs 28

Amos 7:7-9, “Thus he shewed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand.  And the LORD said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more:  And the high places of Isaac shall be desolate, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword”

A number of years ago we attended a Church who brought in a special speaker.  His name is Brian McBride.  It was an awesome week.  I remember there was special music from the Evangelist’s family and so many good things happened that week.

One of his messages stuck with me for all of these years.  This must have been fifteen (15) or sixteen (16) years ago.  I remember Brother McBride was a wonderful preacher and held our attention very easily.

His message was titled, “The Plumbline” and his text was from Amos 7.  I remember him telling of a building project he and his father-in-law were involved in and how they used the plumbline to keep everything level.  You can tell that I am on the level because the bubble is in the middle.  (Bad joke, I know.)

I remember Brother McBride saying that if the wall did not match the plumbline that it did no good to move the plumbline.  I can still see him in my mind’s eye.  If the wall does not match the plumbline and you simply move the plumbline the other walls will not match up correctly as you continue to build.  This creates so many problems.

What you must do is make adjustments in the wall until it matches the plumbline.  Now we are on to something.  If we do this then all the walls will match up and then things will be square (or should be).

You and I have an authority in life much like the plumbline.  It is called the Scriptures, the Bible or the Word of God.  Over the centuries the Word of God has not lined up with the lives of people.  Some of these people did not want to make the necessary changes in their lives to align themselves with the Scriptures.  So, to make the two align they simply change the Scriptures.  Now we have so many “translations” that it is pathetic.  This results in the watering down of the Word of God.  People no longer see It as an authority in their lives.  They have altered the “Plumbline” instead of their lives and their lives are now a mess; but, nobody can seem to figure out why.  Simple, really.  Get back to the Word of God and obey it!

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Amos 5, 6, 7; Psalm 27, 57, 87, 117, 147; Proverbs 27

Amos 3:3, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”

We have before us a good question.  “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”  I would say no is the emphatic answer there.  Two people cannot walk side by side if one is going in one direction and the other person going in even in a slightly different direction.  Eventually, they will be too far apart and will no longer be walking together.

The Christian life is one important walk.  It is important for many reasons.  For one, if we are not yielded to Christ and walking a way that is pleasing to Him then we are not walking with Him.  This is vital for our Christian life.  If we are not walking with Jesus then we are not pleasing to Him.  We must always be ready to meet God.  Look at Amos 4:12, “Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.”  In order to be prepared we must live a life that keeps a short account when it comes to sin.  This means we are always asking for forgiveness for sinning against Him.  This keeps us in a right relationship to Him and keeps us walking together.  Walk on with Jesus!

So how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Amos 2, 3, 4; Psalm 26, 56, 86, 116, 146; Proverbs 26

Joel 2:1, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;”
Joel 2:11, “And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?”

These verses of Scripture today brought back to my mind a song that is performed on the “Israel” DVD produced by Bill Gaither.  The song that I am thinking about takes the very words of the Scripture.  I like that.  The song brings home a truth that we need to get hold of in our own lives.  The Lord is coming back soon and we need to be telling others how to trust Christ as their Saviour so they do not miss heaven.

The day Jesus comes back for His children will be a bitter sweet day.  It will be a great day for those of us who are His children.  For those who have never trusted Him as their Saviour it will not be so pleasant.  They will be left here.  The life will change. I do not want anyone I know to be left here in this valley of tears and sorrow.

I hope you know Jesus Christ as your Saviour.  If you do not, then settle it very soon.  It is vitally important.

How are you dong?

Today’s reading:  Joel 2, 3; Amos 1; Psalm 25, 55, 85, 115, 145; Proverbs 25

Hosea 1:1, “The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.”

As I was reading our Scripture for today I was caught by the very first verse.  What caught my attention is the fact that Hosea ministered during the reign of four (4) of Judah’s kings.  Their reign may not have been very long; but, Hosea still ministered through each of them.

Today everything seems to be disposable.  You just use it until you feel you are finished with it and then you chuck it in the trash and off to the landfill.  This is sad because this mindset has permeated far too deeply into our society.  We are to the point that life seems to be disposable.  This should not be.

I have a favorite music video by the Collingsworth family.  On this video they sing a song that either the mother or father had written about leaving a legacy.  I think that is the title of the song; but, I cannot remember at this second.  In the video they show many generations of the family and it is very uplifting to see it.

As you go about your day maybe you should consider what kind of legacy you are leaving behind.  I think about this from time to time.  I am not very happy with the results either.  I wish they were more pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.  There is only one thing to do.  That is to begin right now to leave a godly legacy.  You cannot redo yesterday and tomorrow is not yet here.  All we can do is live for God right now and do our best to leave a godly legacy.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Hosea 1, 2, 3; Psalm 20, 50, 80, 110, 140; Proverbs 20

Daniel 10:13, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”

Here in our house we love the music of the Happy Goodman Family.  We were deeply saddened when Howard passed on to heaven.  He was an amazing piano player.  I had the opportunity to be in a studio in southern Indiana and see the very piano used by Howard Goodman.  Awesome!  We were saddened when Vestal Goodman stepped out into eternity to meet her Lord.  We would not ask them back for nothing though.  I remember going to Illinois to meet “The Queen of Southern Gospel Music”.  It was a wonderful experience.

The reason I travel down memory lane today?  Simple.  The Scripture for today speaks of an answer to Daniel’s prayer being delayed three (3) weeks.  The one delivering the answer fought with the demon spirit who was resisting him delivering the answer.  The Happy Goodman Family sang a tremendous song titled, “The Answer is on the Way”.  I can still hear Vestal Goodman singing, “The answer is on the way this I know…”  Precious memories.

As you pray and seek God’s face do not be discouraged by what seems to be a lack of answer to your prayers.  Keep trusting the Lord and keep praying.  The old timers used to call this praying through.  If you keep faithful to prayer then you will get the answer.  This answer might not be the answer you want to hear; but, it will be an answer.  Stay on your knees so you will not be easily knocked down.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Daniel 10, 11, 12; Psalm 19, 49, 79, 109, 139; Proverbs 19

Daniel 7:10, “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”

As I was reading our Scripture for today I was caught by the last half of this verse”… and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”  Our Pastor was preaching on the Bema Seat of Christ on Sunday evening and I am guessing this is why this passage stood out to me.  People today live like there are no consequences.  This is so sad.  People are murdered for practically no reason what so ever.  Our world is becoming more and more lawless; yet, there are more and more laws enacted each year.  It just goes to show you that you cannot legislate morality.  It comes from the inside out.

People need to realize and remember that just like the laws of nature say that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, we are accountable for our actions.  If we do wrong we can expect to be punished for it.  Oh, it might not come right away; but, rest assured that it will be payday some day for sure.

I am sure that at the Bema seat I will be embarrassed as will many others.  Why, you might ask.  I am sure we will stand before God and be ashamed that we did so little for Him and sacrificed so little for Him who gave His life for us.  One day, as our text tells us, the books will be opened and first of all there will be a checking to see if your and my name is written there.  If they are not then it is eternity in hell (Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”).  See also Revelation 20:12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”  If our names are written in the book then we will be judged on what we accomplished for God.

Most importantly today is your name written in the book of life?  If it is then are you serving God with your all?  I hope so; because, He alone is worthy.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Daniel 7, 8, 9; Psalm 18, 48, 78, 108, 148; Proverbs 18