Pastor Gary's OYB Devotion Archive for July 18

GOD MAKES HIMSELF A DEBTOR TO THOSE WHO HELP THE POOR

From: July 18, 2023

“If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you!” (Proverbs 19:17 NLT).

This is an astounding proverb! God willingly makes Himself a debtor to the one who is kind and generous to the poor. Someone may hesitate to give to a poor person, but who would not lend to the Lord? Surely the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills is able to repay and that with interest!

Remember the words of Jesus? He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matt. 25:35-36).

And when the righteous asked when they had done these things for Him, He answered, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

Do you have a heart of kindness for those in need? And not only a heart, but hands that are ready to give? Are you kind and generous to the poor?

PRAYER: Dear Father, You are amazing to us. For we were impoverished under a debt of sin, but You sent Jesus to redeem us and pay our sin debt in full. He cried from the cross, “It is finished!” Which means paid in full! Thank you, Lord! Now enable us to show compassion and generosity to those that are still in poverty. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping” (Romans 4:18 NLT).

From: July 18, 2022

HOPING AGAINST HOPE

When there was no physical or circumstantial reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping in God’s promise. As the KJV has it: “Who against hope believed in hope.”

What is hope? It is the feeling of expectation that a desirable outcome will take place in the future. But Abraham had more than just a positive feeling. He had hope in God. Having his hope anchored in God’s promises and God’s goodness, Abraham never stopped believing, in fact his hope and faith increased as the years went by.

There is a hope that is merely a wish. Such as “I hope it doesn’t rain today.” But Abraham’s hope was more than a wish. His hope was in God. And with God all things are possible.

PRAYER: Dear Father, our hope is in You today. All our hopes and dreams are in You. For You have given us a hope and a future through faith in Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.

“Kindness to the poor is a loan to the Lord, and He will give a reward to the lender.” (Proverbs 19:17 HCSB).

From: July 18, 2021

ARE YOU KIND TO THE POOR?

This is an astounding proverb! God willingly makes Himself a debtor to the one who is kind and generous to the poor. Someone may hesitate to give to a poor person, but who would not lend to the Lord? Surely the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills is able to reward the lender.

Remember the words of Jesus? He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matt. 25:35-36).

And when the righteous asked when they had done these things for Him, He answered, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

Do you have a heart of kindness for those in need? And not only a heart, but hands that are ready to give? Are you kind to the poor?

PRAYER: Dear Father, You are amazing to us. For we were impoverished under a debt of sin, but You sent Jesus to redeem us and pay our sin debt in full. He cried from the cross, “It is finished!” Which means paid in full! Thank you, Lord! Now enable us to show compassion and generosity to those who are poor. In Jesus’ name, amen.

“He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given” (Proverbs 19:17 NKJV).

From: July 18, 2020

GOD IS DEBTOR TO THE ONE WHO GIVES TO THE POOR

This is an astounding proverb! God willingly makes Himself a debtor to the one who shows pity on the poor, giving to them. Someone may hesitate to give to a poor person, but who would not lend to the Lord? Surely the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hills is good for it.

Remember the words of Jesus? He said, “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matt. 25:35-36).

And when the righteous asked when they had done these things for Him, He answered, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40).

Do you have a heart of compassion for those in need? And not only a heart, but hands ready to give?

PRAYER: Dear Father, You are amazing to us that You would take on our debt. For we were impoverished under a debt of sin, but You sent Jesus to redeem us and pay our sin debt in full. He cried from the cross, “It is finished!” Which means paid in full! Thank you, Lord! Now help us to show compassion and generosity to others as Your adopted children. In Jesus’ name, amen.

‘For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”’ (Romans 4:16-17 NLT).

From: July 18, 2018

ABRAHAM’S SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD

The apostle Paul quoted Genesis 17:5 to make the argument that God’s promise to Abraham was not only for his natural descendants, but also for the great multitudes from every nation that would believe. Paul retained the past tense language of Genesis, which quoted God saying, “I have made you” as if it had already come to pass, even though Abraham had yet to see his son, Isaac, born. God spoke of it as a thing already done, and in a sense, it was. For God had so preordained and determined, since before the foundation of the earth, that He would send His Son to redeem all those who believe (1 Peter 1:20). This Son, is Jesus, who is the “Promised Seed” of Abraham (Gal. 3:16). So, Abraham is the father of all, whether Jew or Gentile that believe in Jesus, the promised Seed of Abraham.

“The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God” (Psalm 14:2 NKJV).

From: July 18, 2017

The Lord looks. The Lord sees. The psalmist uses anthropomorphic language to describe the Lord’s intense interest in humanity. Some men may doubt God’s existence, but the Lord knows all things about man. He looks at the heart. He searches for those that search for Him.

As God has said, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 ESV)

From: July 18, 2016

This is the doctrine of justification. One way to remember this doctrine is the saying, “Just-as-if-I-never-sinned.” This is about God’s justice and our judicial position before Him. In Christ, we are justified. By faith, the righteousness of Christ is accounted unto us, while our sin is accounted unto Him. This is more than just clearing our criminal record and getting us out of jail. It is accounting unto us the status of righteousness, reconciling us to God and making possible our adoption as sons. The Judge has not only released us from prison, but has taken us home with Him to live in His house as family.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1 NKJV)

From: July 18, 2015

This is the doctrine of justification. One way to remember this doctrine is the saying, “Just-as-if-I-never-sinned.” This is about God’s justice and our judicial position before Him. In Christ, we are justified. By faith, the righteousness of Christ is accounted unto us, while our sin is accounted unto Him. This is more than just clearing our criminal record and getting us out of jail free. It is accounting unto us the status of righteousness, reconciling us to God and making possible our adoption as sons. The Judge has not only released us from prison, but has taken us home with Him to live in His house as family.

“Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping” (Romans 4:18 NLT)

From: July 18, 2014

When there was no physical or circumstantial reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping in God’s promise. What is hope? It is the feeling of expectation that a desirable outcome will take place in the future. But Abraham had more than just a positive feeling. He had hope in God. Having his hope anchored in God’s promises and God’s goodness, Abraham never stopped believing, in fact his hope and faith increased as the years went by.

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises” (Romans 4:20-21)

From: July 18, 2012

Abraham’s faith was characterized by full conviction. He knew and believed what God had promised him. For us to have such faith, we must first know God’s promises and then, we can decide to be fully convinced that God will keep them. What promises of God are you believing today?