The Grace Files

Devotional #9

To God Be The Glory! #9

By: Charlie Armacost

Caleb (The other faithful spy)

Biblical/Historical Context:

God has brought Moses and His people Israel to the very border of the promised land.  God then commands Moses to send spies (1 man from each of the 12 tribes) into the promised land to check things out and to bring back a report of what they had found.  All reported that the land was indeed very good and plentiful.  However, 10 of them also reported the negative, the obstacles in the way.  The people were many, they were strong and the cities large and fortified.  Simply put, they brought back a bad report.  Only Joshua and Caleb disagreed.

Caleb (whose name means: faithful, whole-hearted, bold) was from the tribe of Judah.  Interesting, isn't it?  Let's take a look at what he has to say.

Numbers 13:30 (NASB)

Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it."  

Caleb didn't look at the "natural", he focused on God's promises!  We see this in the following scripture.

Numbers 14:7-9

and they (Joshua & Caleb) spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying,  "The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land which flows with milk and honey, Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey.  Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them."

Caleb (and Joshua) keep arguing for the people to focus on the Lord and His promises, and sadly, they didn't.  They paid a dear price for this... to die in the wilderness.  It's a different story for Caleb (and Joshua) as we see in the following scripture(s).

Numbers 14:30

"But my servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered and his descendants shall take possession of it."

See also: Numbers 14:30 & 38, Numbers 26:65, Numbers 32:11-12

Caleb indeed had a different spirit.  He lived up to the meaning of his name!  The Lord also fulfilled His promise to Caleb in giving him his portion of the promised land as we see in the following scripture(s) where Caleb speaks to Joshua.

Joshua 14:7-13

"I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought work back to him as it was in my heart.  Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully.  So Moses swore on that day saying, "Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance to you and to your children for forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully,'  "And now behold the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today.  I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me, as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.  Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anikim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out as the Lord has spoken."  So Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance.  

Caleb continued to live up to his name!  At 85 he still is feeling as "froggy" as he did at 40.  And yes, he did have to go to war to claim the Land which the Lord had given him and the Lord was with him to do just that!

Exhortation:

In looking at Caleb, his character and story, there are some biblical truths for God's children to be learned.

First, as His children, all of us are here for a reason.  God has a "calling" on each one of our lives to be fulfilled and He will reveal that in His timing.  When that occurs, don't be like the 10 spies who focused on the obstacles in the way.  Focus on the power of God!  Be His faithful servant, do the work whole-heartedly and do so boldly.  After all, if God be for you, who or what can stand against you?  Nothing or nobody!

Next, as His children, God has indeed placed a different spirit within us than that which is in the children of wrath.  He gives us His Holy Spirit, that "still, small voice" which guides and directs.  Pay attention, listen and obey!  Realize that should fear and doubt arise, it is a tactic employed by our adversary.  Ignore such things and again, focus on the power of God!

Finally, as His children, in doing God's work faithfully, whole-heartedly and boldly, He will strengthen us... no matter our age!  Best of all, He assures us that we will indeed receive an inheritance in His kingdom!  So much better than a piece of land and we don't have to go to war to claim it...  We do serve a Mighty God!

Devotional #8

To God Be The Glory! #8

By: Charlie Armacost

Author's Note:

The following scripture is referred to by many commentators as, "Agur's Prayer."  This is the 4th and final part of a series.

Proverbs 30: 7-9 (NASB)

Two things I asked of Thee, Do not refuse me before I die:

Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, 

Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?"

Or lest I be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

Exhortation:

Before looking at the scripture underlined above, a brief recap from part 3 of this series is needed.  Agur stated, "give me neither poverty nor riches" before asking for the second request of being fed his portion and how this was a "wide open" window for God's reply/answer.  Now, let's look at the underlined scripture above and examine his reasoning for this window.

It is interesting that Agur addresses riches first in contrast to poverty as it is the reverse of his prayer.  Yet, it can be seen that Agur is showing Godly wisdom in tackling the more dangerous condition of riches.  "Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?"  The issue and danger can be summed up in one word.  Pride.  A person who looks at his stuff and accomplishments and says, "look at what I have done" instead of giving God the credit and glory.  Actually, it is an act of stealing as well.  Spiritual stealing of God's glory!  God does not take kindly to that and His Word has provided many examples of His dealing with folks who have succumbed to that sin.  It's not a pretty picture to say the least!!   Satan was the first to fall victim and suffer God's wrath.  It must have really "stung" and made quite the impression.  Because now, it is his primary tool to bring about our downfall.  Hey, it worked in the garden of Eden after all...  and it's at work to this day.  As Christians, we must be vigilant against this temptation and we can only do so through God's holy spirit in us and reading of His Word to be victorious in spiritual warfare.  Victim or "Victory In Jesus"?  Choose the latter, which by the way is a great "golden oldie" hymn!

In closing, Agur addresses the issue of poverty.  "Or lest I be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God."  This is stealing in the physical sense and of course we know that God gave us the commandment, "Thou shall not steal."  Pretty straightforward.  Yet, the "Pharisee" in all of us may ask, how poor is poor?  As in, if I'm this poor is it ok to steal?  As a means of justifying that action.  Simply put, God says, "Thou shalt not."  There is no wiggle room in that, is there?  No, none.  Stealing profanes God's name.  God does not want His name profaned, period.  

Finally, let's give thanks to God for giving His children a way to atone for the sin of pride, the sin of stealing, or any sin that we commit.  Confess it, ask for forgiveness, repent and go and sin no more.  We do indeed serve a loving God!

Devotional #7

To God Be The Glory! #7

By: Charlie Armacost

Author's Note:

The following scripture is referred to by many commentators as, "Agur's Prayer."  This is part 3 of a series.

Proverbs 30: 7-9 (NASB)

Two things I asked of Thee, Do not refuse me before I die:

Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, 

Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?"

Or lest I be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

Exhortation:

Let's take a closer look at the scripture underlined above.  Agur now addresses his second request and like the first, he provides God a "wide open window" for His answer.  Give me neither poverty or riches...

Feed me with the food that is my portion.  Agur understands that God is the one who provides for his physical needs and that it's not his works or doing.  In understanding that, he trusts God for the portion that he will be fed, asking for nothing more or nothing less.  He knows that God's portion to him is perfect and in that he can rest.  As we looked at in part 1 of the series, Agur was not poor and his father Jakeh was his teacher and instructor in spiritual matters.  So, in growing up, part of his daily portion was reading and learning God's word under the tutelage of Jakeh.  That being the case, his request for his portion was not only physical, but can be seen as spiritual as well. Once again, one could think that God will answer this second request sooner than later!  Just like his first request.

What's to be learned by this part of scripture?

First, know that God's provision for you in the physical realm is perfect.  Each and every day!  Be it increase or decrease.   As Job aptly stated, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!"  In understanding that, be at peace.  Be at rest.  Be grateful.  Be content.  Be ________ (Insert your own word/words)

As in regards to the spiritual realm?  Some valid points regarding prayer.  Don't "box God in."  Provide Him with that "wide open window" in which to answer.  Also, if one asks for that which God would love to give, it's apt to come sooner than later.  In fact in some cases, He will give you way more than what you would think!!  Soloman's prayer for wisdom to lead his/Gods people comes to mind!  And that is just one example... there are others.

Devotional #6

To God Be The Glory! #6

By: Charlie Armacost

Author's Note:

The following scripture is referred to by many commentators as, "Agur's Prayer."  This is part 2 of a series.

Proverbs 30: 7-9 (NASB)

Two things I asked of Thee, Do not refuse me before I die:

Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, 

Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?"

Or lest I be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

From Websters 1828 Dictionary:

Deception - An act of misleading.

Lie - A falsehood uttered for the purpose of deception.

Exhortation:

Let's examine the scripture underlined above more closely.  Upon first glance, it would appear that Agur is asking for two things right from the start.  Looking at the definitions of deception and lies above, it becomes clear that these two things are actually intertwined and can be considered one and the same!  What we would call a "bundle" now a days...  Again, we can see that Agur is indeed displaying Godly wisdom and doing so brilliantly!  After all, who is it, but our adversary Satan who employs deception and lies as one of his main tools.  So basically, Agur is praying to God to keep Satan far from him as his first request.  That's powerful to say the least!  

Referring back to Part 1,  Agur asks for this with that "wide open window" time frame of between now and before he dies.  Now this is speculative, but one could think that God would look favorably up this request and answer in the affirmative sooner than later!!  

As for us today, we know that God is our protector and defender... let's not forget to ask Him to do just that in our prayer life and to thank Him for that as well.  After all, Satan (and his minions) can do nothing without God's permission.  They are on God's leash attached to a choker collar!   

Devotional #5

To God Be The Glory! #5

by Charlie Armacost

Author's Note:

The following scripture is referred to by many commentators as, "Agur's Prayer."  This is part 1 of a series.

Proverbs 30: 7-9 (NASB)

Two things I asked of Thee, Do not refuse me before I die:

Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, 

Lest I be full and deny Thee and say, "Who is the Lord?"

Or lest I be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.

Biblical/Historical Context:

Proverbs 30 is one of two chapters where it is clear that Soloman is not the author, it is Agur.  So, who is Agur?  Very little is known, but his name means "collector or gatherer."  In verse 1, we are told he is the son of Jakeh, the oracle (burden).  The name Jakeh means "pious."  Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines pious as: Godly; reverencing and honoring the Supreme Being in heart and in the practice of the duties he has enjoined.  Webster's also defines oracle as: Any person reputed uncommonly wise, whose determinations are not disputed, or whose opinions are of great authority.  From this we can infer that Agur is the son of a man who is highly regarded and respected in the community.  Also, the culture of the time was for fathers to be primary in the teaching and upbringing of sons.  Thus, Agur was well schooled.  After all, his words were included in the Word of God!

Exhortation:

Let's look at the scripture that is underlined above.  Agur has asked God for (prayed for) two things, just two.  Those two things will be examined in the next exhortation(s).  It is interesting that he doesn't ask for 3 things or have a list prepared.  Unlike the culture of today, where God is often looked at as a "genie" that should grant our wishes or desires.  Sadly, this thinking has crept in to church under the guise of the "Prosperity Message" or the "Name It and Claim It" crowd.  If that is the focus of the church you attend, you may want to consider running and not walking out the door!  For you are being misled by "False Shepherds."  And yes, they existed back then.  As stated in Ecclesiastes time and again, "there is nothing new under the sun."  Find a church that teaches and preaches the whole Word of God! 

Now let's look at the "time window" that Agur would like for God to answer.  Do not refuse me before I die.  That is a pretty wide-open window!  Basically, he would like God to answer his prayer sometime between when he asked and before he dies!!  That is so different from the culture of today, where we want things and we want them now!!  Be it a burger or a prayer answered.  Agur trusts that God will answer in His time and perhaps we should be doing the same.  Remember, God hears and answers our prayers, in His time and in His way.  Which more often than not, differs from what we think.  That's where faith, trust and believing come in to play on our part.  After all, He is God and we are not.  Let's not forget that Truth.  

Devotional #4

To God Be The Glory! #4

by Charlie Armacost

Psalm 118:24 & 29

This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

2 Corinthians 12:9a

And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you...

1 Timothy 1:14a

and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant...

Lamentations 3:22-23

The Lord's loving-kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions (ie: mercies) never fail.

They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness.

Exhortation:

Let us consider the following;

It is the faithfulness of God, that creates every new morning and He will do so until "That Day".  Every morning, the Lord has prepared a "meal" for His children.  Upon that plate,  He serves up a portion of grace that is not only sufficient, it's more than abundant!  Add to that, is a helping of compassions/mercies that will never fail to be served.  As if that isn't enough, He smothers both the portions of grace and mercy with the "gravy" of His loving-kindnesses that are unceasing and everlasting!! 

Considering this,  we should indeed rejoice and be glad for every new day!  For that is the "Truth" of the Word. 

Now, a word of warning.  Do not let yourself "skip this meal" by letting the things of world ruin your appetite!  Truth is Truth, regardless of feelings or circumstances.  Don't let those "guests" enter in and sit at your table!!  First and foremost, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  Keep your focus on Him and Him alone.  By doing so, all else becomes trivial... becomes strangely dim.  Kind of like the Hymn says...

Devotional #3

To God Be The Glory! #3

by Charlie Armacost 

Jeremiah17:9 (NASB)

The heart is more deceitful than all else 

And is desperately sick;  Who can understand it?

Psalm 19:14 (NASB)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 

Be acceptable in Thy sight,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 63:6 (NASB)

When I remember Thee on my bed,

I meditate on Thee in the night watches.

Psalm 119:97 (NASB)

O how I love Thy law!

It is my meditation all the day.

From Webster's 1828 Dictionary

Meditate/Meditation

1.  To contemplate or reflect.

2.  To focus one's thought on:  reflect on or to ponder over.

Exhortation:  

Jeremiah asks the question regarding the heart, "Who can understand it?"  The answer is in vs. 10, "I, the Lord...".  Proverbs 28:26 states, "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered."  The first step to walking wisely is found in Psalm 111:10a, "The fear (reverence for) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."  

Let's be clear,  God chooses us.  Gives us the faith to believe in Him.  He made our hearts tender enough to be saved.  That's only the start.  Now, that our heart is in God's hands, our heart is still deceitful and desperately sick as Jeremiah makes clear.  Other scriptures tell us that the heart is wicked, depraved and very hard.  Basically, it is one nasty and tough piece of meat!  

Now, what would we do to make a tough piece of meat tender?  Well, we would marinate it.  Soak it in juices until it becomes tender and more flavorful.  Let's picture this cooking analogy;  our heart is in God's hands, that's the crockpot.  Now, He starts to pour in the "water of the Word" through our reading of the Word.  This "juice" comes to cover our heart over time.  Yes, the reading of the Word is crucial... yet, there is more.  The common word in the Psalms above is meditate. Read the definition above, again.  Now consider this equation;  meditate = marinate!  So, for the "juice" to sink in and marinate, we need to meditate upon it as well!!  So now, we may ask... Well, how long will take for our heart to become tender enough?  Well, that will occur on "our day" or "That Day", whichever comes first.  

Folks, we live in a "microwave" world.  It takes work to be a "crockpot" Christian.  Yet, consider this...  Which meal tastes better?  The one from the microwave or the one from the crockpot?  We know that answer!!  

Devotional #2

To God Be The Glory! #2 

by Charlie Armacost 

1 Timothy 6:8 (NASB)

And, if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Philippians 4:11 (NASB)

Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

*From Websters 1828 Dictionary:

CONTENT, adjective [Latin , to be held; to hold.] Literally, held, contained within limits; hence, quiet; not disturbed; having a mind at peace; easy; satisfied, so as not to repine, object, or oppose.

Biblical/Historical Context:

In the first scripture, Paul is writing to his spiritual son, Timothy.  His letter contains advice and exhortations to a young pastor regarding his personal conduct and ministerial work.  In this section of the letter (vs. 6-8), he addresses the blessings of contentment.

In the second scripture, Paul is writing to the church at Philippi.  This church was doing well in many respects.  In particular, it was very appreciative and generous.  In this section of the letter, he talks of God's provisions; the promise of divine supplies for every need.

Exhortation:

Once again, we need to "examine" ourselves and ask, "Am I content?"  "Is my mind at peace?, Am I satisfied?"  If not, why?  Perhaps, it would do us well to start here.  To gain understanding regarding the difference between needs and wants.  We ask ourselves, "what about shelter?"  Well... Jesus had no place to lay his head.  He had no place to call home.  Yet, God always provided what He needed.  We know from the word, that God takes care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.  AND, that he cares for us so much more!  His word assures us that He is well aware of our needs and to put our trust in Him.    

Notice that Paul states that he had to learn be content.  He needed to be taught; we need teaching as well.  Let us be willing students!  Realize that this world bombards us with advertising and the core message is that we "need" this product to be happy.  Plain and simple.  It is also a lie!!  Note also, the definition of content does not contain the word happy... food for thought.

Let us put aside the "what about this and the what about that", way of thinking.  Realize that God has provided our needs and that which we have beyond that is due to His lovingkindness and His desire to give His children good gifts.  That is certainly worthy of praise!  

Devotional #1

To God Be The Glory! 

by Charlie Armacost 

2 Corinthians 5:20  (NASB)

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

First things first.  Two definitions from Websters 1828 Dictionary.

Ambassador (Embassador):

A minister of the highest rank employed by one prince or state, at the court of another, to manage the public concerns of his own prince or state, and representing the power and dignity of his sovereign.

Christian:

A real disciple of Christ; one who believes in the truth of the Christian religion, and studies to follow the example and obey the precepts of Christ: a believer in Christ who is characterized by real piety. 

Biblical/Historical Context:

In this portion of the letter to the church at Corinth, Paul is writing of the Spiritual Ministery of Reconciliation.  Affirming his status (and that of other fellow workers) as qualified/empowered in sharing the gospel.  For Corinth was a center of philosophical discussion.  As such, the church there was subject to being led astray from the truth.  Paul was also being slandered by those opposed to his teaching/preaching of the word.

Exhortation:

When we become a Christian as defined above, one our assigned roles is to be an ambassador for Christ.  To truly represent His power and dignity to the world.  You may ask yourself; how do I do that?  The answer lies within the definition of Christian.  You must study to follow the example and obey the precepts of Christ!  Simply put, you must read and study the Word!  Jesus is our perfect role model and it's only through the Word that we can become more like Him, to truly represent Him!  It takes effort...

Then comes the daunting part.  Examine yourself and ask, am I representing Christ well?  Do my actions and words match up with those of Jesus?  Of course not!  We are human, He is God.  Yet, that is our calling, our goal to strive for... until our day or That Day comes.  Take heart and be of good courage, it is a worthy task!