GEMS from Daily Devotions August 

Jeremiah 47:4 " The Lord is about to destroy the Philistines, the remnants from the coast of Caphthor." The Philistines were Israel's biggest rivals, up till the time of King David. Goliath was a Philistine. They probably came from Crete, were metalworkers and thus superior in sword making, and were dominant in the area now known as Gaza. The Romans renamed Israel as Palestine, to remove the identity of the Jewish land. The present day Palestinians had some origin from these people but had also been mixed with the influx of Arabs later. There is no Palestinian language but there is the Hebrew language. 

Numbers 14:18 "The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." Sounds harsh, but God is just and the sin must be so great that the consequences of generational sin can result. However the LORD is so abounding in love, he sent Christ to atone for us if we believe. 

From Numbers 11, we read that in spite of the LORD providing manna (tasted like honey) food daily for the Israelites, they were grumbling to go back to Egypt for meat, onions, garlic etc which . So God gave them meat daily for whole month till they loathe it! So if your children refuse your meals and want burger, let them eat everyday for one month till they hate it!! 

Job 5:17-18 "blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty for he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal. 

Phi 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraves generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life." What a good advice! 

Hebrews12:4 "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as a discipline; God is treating you as sons.... God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest or righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." 

Some gems from book of Job: 25:7 "God spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing" (bible knew this before even scientists) 28:28 "the fear of the Lord -that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding"; 32:23 "Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator..to tell a man what is right for him and say, spare him from going down the pit. I have found a ransom for him, then his flesh is renewed like a child's, it is restored as the days of his youth."

 Devotion today: "Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm." Ephesians 6:11-12 

This morning, came across two verses suitable for our epitaph: Paul in 2Tim3:7 "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord will award to me on that day. Job 1:21 "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." 

1Cor15:20,-22,32,56: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive... If the dead are not raised, 'Let us all eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character.' 'Where O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory though our Lord Jesus Christ. 

One of my favourite passage: 1Cor13: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record the wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Lover never fails"

 1Cor: "I appeal you, brothers in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." Praise God, almost all the churches in Malaysia are united under CFM consisting of Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists, etc, traditional, orthodox, charismatic, evangelical, even independent churches from all ethnic groups and languages. We may disagree on structure and styles but we agree on the Apostles Creed.

Corin 1:" For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God... For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe... For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom. ..Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God called you.." The gospel of Jesus Christ was preached by lowly men, but of great faith. We can all do the same, irrespective of our status or ability. We have the wisdom of God, not the wisdom of men.