Category: Daily Bread

¹⁶ Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁷ Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the Lord. ¹⁸ And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” ¹⁹ Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “Why not, if there will be peace and security in my days?” ~ 2 Kings 20:16-19

Hezekiah was sick onto death, but prayed to God, and God had mercy on him and healed him and would add 15 more years to his life. So, the king of Babylon sent an envoy to Hezekiah, wishing him well because he had heard that he was seriously ill, but he had recovered. Hezekiah, filled with pride, took and showed the envoy all the treasures he possessed. All the treasure in his own palace and all the treasure in the Temple of his God.

God was not pleased with that, so God sent Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that the time was coming that all he had stored up from the time of his fathers until now would be taken away to Babylon, and even his own sons would be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon. Then Hezekiah said, “That’s cool, I can deal with that. The word the LORD has spoken is good and acceptable to me.”

He was thinking that because it would not happen in his lifetime but in his son’s lifetime, it was a good prophecy. Com’on, dad, that was a really selfish thing to do. You would think that Hezekiah would be like his father, David, and pray for his son with Bathsheba. Although God had pronounced the judgment, David still pleaded with God for mercy. Because he knew God is a merciful God. But Hezekiah was like, “Better them than me.” When it was his fault that all of that would happen to them in the first place.

Dads don’t accept anything but the best for your children, even if it is their fault. Even if they brought it on themselves, we must pray and intercede for our children every morning and every evening. When we wake up and before we go to sleep, we must petition God on their behalf. God must hear the names of our children called before His throne every single day. They are our offspring. So, dads, let us not be selfish like Hezekiah and be labeled a Com’on dad, but intercede for our children every day.

Heavenly Father, please bless my children, and if they have sinned against You, please forgive them and deal with them in mercy and in grace. Watch over them and keep them from harm and from bad influences. Lead them in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Cover my children in the blood of Jesus, and give Your angels charge over them. Thank You, Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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⁶⁰ Many of His disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” ⁶¹ Jesus was aware that His disciples were complaining, so He said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? ⁶³ The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ⁶⁴ But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and He knew who would betray Him.) ⁶⁵ Then He said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” ⁶⁶ At this point many of His disciples turned away and deserted Him. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” ⁶⁸ Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. ⁶⁹ We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” ~ John 6:60-69 NLT

Jesus made many disciples of those who would follow Him. Some of these were even chosen before the Twelve Apostles, yet they walked away because of a difficult teaching to grasp. Many of us in the Church today do the same thing. We want to follow Jesus. In fact, we’ve been following Him for many years. Some our whole lives, but then we come across something that we just can’t wrap our minds around, and it causes us to run from God instead of to Him. A very famous celebrity couldn’t come to grips with how God could be jealous, so she not only walked away from Him, but she created an entirely new religion. And in doing so, she has led so many others astray as well.

See, God’s thoughts are far above our thoughts. His ways are far above our ways. In other words, it’s difficult for us mere mortals to grasp all that Jesus said. So, instead of seeking God for understanding, we get upset and walk away. Many of us have down this. It could be a simple verse or an entire theology, but nevertheless, we walk away because of a lack of understanding. This is dangerous. Why? Because there’s no evidence that those disciples who did this repented and came back to follow Christ. The LORD warns that if we refuse to follow His ways, we’ll be given over to a reprobate mind. Therefore, love the LORD and all of His ways. Serve the LORD with gladness. He will never withhold good from you. His desire is for your good. Therefore, trust in Him, and He will guide you into paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Be Offended By The Word.

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¹⁷ But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name. ~ Acts 4:17

You’ve probably seen the text attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Now whether he actually said this or not, I don’t know. But it is widely believed that he did.

Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary, use words.

It sounds so religious, so pious, Christians often quote it. They often publish it and republish it on their social media, and it sounds good. We should preach the Gospel always. But let’s break it down and unpack it a bit.

There is no denying that we are to preach the Gospel always, but, when necessary, use words? Is that Biblical? I believe it’s designed to shut up the Christian and fool them into being quiet. Why? Because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.

How can they believe if they have never heard? To advocate us to be silent and not speak and teach in the name of Jesus is pure censorship. They intimidate us; they have hushed us up in the schools, they have hushed us up in the workplace, they have hushed us up in government, in our malls, in our stores; we can’t even say Merry Christmas because it’s politically incorrect to do so. It is silencing the Church, and the Church is called to be the voice of Jesus, the only way to God.

People often say that God doesn’t need us, but how can they hear if no one tells them? Sounds to me like God intended for us to be His mouthpiece. Jesus did His part. It is our turn now! How, then, can we be silent? God wants the whole world to know the way to salvation, and it’s through our preaching and our teaching. There is no other plan. None.

So, don’t let them silence you; you are called to preach the good news. How would you be saved right now if someone hadn’t taught you the way of holiness? It’s time for the Church to arise and stop being intimidated and shamed into being silent while our friends, our family, and our coworkers are going to an eternity of punishment. Stand strong in your faith. Spread the name of Jesus to anyone willing to listen. And never be ashamed of the Gospel.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Always Use Words.

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²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ~ Philippians 1:21

Live in the now, but live for the future. This is a difficult statement to understand. At first glance, it almost seems contradictory, but it’s no different than the statement, “Live in the world, but don’t be a part of the world.” We’ve been called out of the world, yet we’ve been called back into the world in order to witness to those still of the world. Therefore, as long as we live on this beautiful green earth the LORD has given to us, we must live in the present, for it is a gift from God. We have to enjoy the short time we have with our family and friends. We have to witness to as many people as possible. We have to constantly lift up the name of as many sinners and saints as possible through prayer in supplication. There is much to do in this short time on the earth, and the only way to do that is to live in the now.

But because this world will soon come to an end and with it, all of these temporary temptations will soon perish, we must live for the future. To live is Christ, and to die is gain. We’re living for a much greater and grander life. One that we cannot grasp or imagine. Therefore, while we should enjoy the blessings and gifts from God while on this earth, we must never get lost in the temptations and the pitfalls set before us. These temporary luxuries of this earth will not last. They’ll soon pass away, as will this earth. We live for a much greater reward than what the world can offer us, which is why we must store up treasure for ourselves in Heaven. A place where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live In The Now But Live For The Future.

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