David thought the only safe place                        verse 1 

And David said in his heart

I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul

      there is nothing better for me than

that I should speedily escape

                              into the land of the Philistines

And Saul shall despair of me

      to seek me any more in any coast of Israel

so shall I escape out of his hand 

David moves to Gath                                           verse 2- 4 

And David arose and he passed over

with the six hundred men that were with him

      to Achish – the son of Maoch – king of Gath

And David dwelt with Achish at Gath – he and his men

every man with his household

even David with his two wives

                  Ahinoam the Jezreelitess

                  Abigail the Carmelitess – Nabal’s wife

And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath

and he sought no more again for him 

David moves to Ziklag                                         verse 5- 7 

And Daivd

said to Achish

IF I have now found grace in your eyes

let them give me a place in some town in the country

      that I may dwell there

FOR why should your servant dwell

in the royal city with you?

Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day

wherefore Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah

to this day

And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines

was a full year and four months 

David raided nations near Egypt                         verse 8- 9 

And David and his men went up – and invaded the Geshurites

and the Gezrites – and the Amalekites

      for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land

                  as you go to Shur – even unto the land of Egypt

And David smote the land – and left neither man nor woman alive

and took away the sheep – oxen – asses – camels – apparel

      and returned and came to Achish 

David told king Achish he raided Judah             verse 10 

Achish said

Whither have you made a road today?

And David said

Against the south of Judah

and against the south of the Jerahmeelites

and against the south of the Kenites 

Achish believed David                                         verse 11- 12 

And David saved neither man nor woman alive

to bring tidings to Gath

saying

Lest they should tell on us

saying

So did David – and so will be his manner

all the while he dwells in the country of the Philistines

And Achish BELIEVED David

saying

He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him

            THEREFORE he shall be my servant for ever 

COMMENTARY:              

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 1        And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the                             hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should                           speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall                           despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so                             shall I escape out of his hand.  (4422 “escape” [malat]                                      means to flee to safety, to save oneself, get away, to slip                                away, or to be delivered)

DEVOTION:  David was tired of running from Saul. He just wanted to get away from having to avoid Saul and his soldiers. He came up with a solution. He was going to run to the land of the Philistines.

Was this God’s plan for his life? What would he do in this place? Would he be able to tell the king of Gath the truth regarding what he was doing and where he was going to gain wealth?

It seems that he just wanted to find a safe place to life without having to deal with Saul. There is no place where it says that the LORD sent him to Gath. There is no place where it says that David prayed for wisdom from the LORD regarding this move.

Remember that it is stated that David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet we find that the Word of God doesn’t hide the fact that David is a sinner and at times he doesn’t pray about a decision and just goes off on his own without the counsel of the LORD.

This is not what obedience is all about when we want to please the LORD. Obedience is when we ask the LORD for wisdom and wait for HIM to tell us where we are to go and what we are to do.

Too often we act like David did here and just get tired of all the fighting and want to run away and hide someplace. The problem with running into the enemy’s camp is that you usually have to lie to them about what is going on in your life. This is what happened at this time in the life of David.

CHALLENGE: When we run ahead of God without HIS counsel we are asking for trouble. Obedience is the key to having peace with God and with those around us.

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 3        And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the  Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. (996 “household” [beyith] means dwelling house, home, dwelling house, family, or place to stay)

DEVOTION: When the army moved with David their families came with them as well. In those days if you had a family you had to protect them by moving to wherever you were going to live. If you left your family behind the people who wanted to kill you would kill your family hoping to cause you to come back and fight with them.

So here we have all the families of David’s army moving into a land that worshiped other gods and where they had to lie about what they were doing in the land.

David had two of his three wives with him during this move. He had to leave Saul’s daughter behind because she was given to another man as her husband. This will be brought back into the account of David’s life later in the Biblical account.

So we have David and his army in a strange land trying to hide from Saul. Saul wasn’t going to come into the land of the Philistines to find him. He was happy that he had left the land of Israel because then the people would not have to choose between him and David.

If we take our families and move should we ask the LORD first about such a move? Should we wait for HIS answer? David didn’t seem to pray over this move which caused him problems in the present and in the future.

Moving ahead of the LORD’s leading can be something we can learn from this and ask ourselves if we should wait on the LORD for HIS leading. It will help us not to have more heartaches in the present and the future.

God allowed David to move to the land of the Philistines. God allows us to move where we want as long as we understand that if we are not moving with HIS blessing there is going to be problems that we could have avoided by waiting for HIM to tell us where to go and when to go.

CHALLENGE:  Wait on the LORD!!!!

___________________________________________________________ 

: 6        Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day. (1961 “pertains” [hayah] means to be possessed by, take place, to exist, to abide, remain, to be instituted, or become)

DEVOTION:  The king of Gath gave David this city for his army to live in while they were in the land of the Philistines. Once the land was given it was kept by David throughout his lifetime.

Remember all of the Promised Land was supposed to be conquered by Joshua and the Israelite army before this time. The Philistines were supposed to be dead and gone out of the land but the children of Israel settled for just conquering part of the land and lived with these heathen nations all around them which was not part of God’s plan for the land or the nation.

When the children of Israel had power they would conquer more land but they never had all of the Promised Land that the LORD wanted them to have because of their disobedience to HIM.

So David took his family and the families of his army into this city that was in the land of the Philistines. This is the first mention of this city that we need to remember because of where it was and what would happen to it in the future.

Achish thought David was loyal to him when he really wasn’t but David faked loyalty instead of being true to the king that gave him the land. The LORD wants us to be real with those we deal with on a regular basis.

It is hard to be honest with someone who you have lied to on a regular basis. David had to lie to him each time he was asked where he had been and what he was doing.

Honesty is one of the characteristics of those who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ. It is not always easy to be honest but if we get ourselves into a situation like David it is very hard to tell the one whose land you are living in that you are conquering people who are friendly to him. David couldn’t leave anyone alive in the places he conquered because if just one person escaped they would tell Achish the truth.

God doesn’t want us to have to worry about someone escaping and telling the truth about what is happening in our life. Ask the LORD for wisdom regarding any move you make. HE promises to give wisdom to those who ask HIM for it.

CHALLENGE:  Once we have HIS wisdom we need to act accordingly.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 11      And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, “Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwells in the country of the Philistines. (4941 “manner” [mishpat] means an accepted or habitual practice of long standing, decision, judgment, dispute, legal decision, or sentence of a judge)

DEVOTION: David didn’t what the people he was staying with to know that he was not fighting against the Israelites because they thought that was killing their enemies the Israelites.

So, he stayed there and went to war against the enemies of Israel. He had many victories and collected much spoil from his battles to help those who came with them to fight with him.

If the king of Gath found out who he was really fighting he would have either killed him or sent him away. It doesn’t justify lying, but that is what we were doing for this time period.

What would we have done in his circumstances?  Is lying every right? According to the Bible NO!! It is not something that we should be practicing if we want to honor the LORD.

Why does the Bible include this? It is because we need to know that even those who are following the LORD sometimes do things that are sin. They need to be confessed. HE is not pleased with these actions.

Too often we use excuses to sin. It is still sin. Lying is a sin. David didn’t have any problem telling the king that he was killing people in Israel because he was telling him what he wanted to hear.

Do we do this with people we know? If they ask a question regarding their actions do, we tell them that it is OK when we know it is sin? We have to answer to the LORD for all of our actions. David has to answer for his actions.

When we deal with people, we have to make sure that we give them an honest answer to a serious question. It might not be something they want to hear but it always good to tell them what the LORD thinks of their actions if they ask.

We need to do this in love. We are not their judges. The LORD is the judge. We can tell them what HE thinks of their actions if they ask. But make sure you have Scripture to back up your answer.

Those who are not believers like to point to the sins of believers and say that if they do it, it must be OK. That is not true. Christians have to answer for their sins and in the process, they might lose the blessings the LORD has for them because of their lie.

Be honest when asked about whether something is approved of the LORD. The Old Testament and New Testament saints were not perfect but they were forgiven because they asked the LORD. They also faced some judgment for their actions.

CHALLENGE: David was wrong for telling these lies. The LORD was going to deal with him for these actions. HE will deal with us for our actions as well.

___________________________________________________________________ 

: 12      And Achish believed David, saying, He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore, he shall be my servant forever. (887 “abhor” [ba’ash] means to smell bad, odious, or stink)

DEVOTION: Is lying ever right? Do circumstances decide when we think we should lie? There is a commercial on Television where supposedly Abe Lincoln’s wife asks him a question that he doesn’t want to answer truthfully but does and it gets him in trouble. If the truth gets us in trouble should we tell it? These are questions that show where we are in our trust in the LORD.

David was tired of running from Saul. He decided to move his men to Gath. He was welcomed this time to the city of Gath. The king of Gath allowed him to stay in the city and eat with him.

David asked Achish to let him have his own town to live in. He was given Ziglag. Now that he had a base of operation. He went around conquering cities that were owned by the Geshurite, Gezrites, and Amalekites. He told the king of Gath that he was invading people in the south of Judah, and the Kenites, and the Jerahmeelites. These are places in the opposite direction.  The king of Gath thought that David would be a bad smell to all the children of Israel for what he was reporting to him.

David was not telling the truth. He didn’t leave anyone alive in the cities that he invaded, so that, there was no one to tell Achish the truth of where he was invading. He was getting rich by killing those who were enemies of Israel.

We need to understand that God does not condone lying. We don’t find a reference to David consulting the LORD regarding where to live. David did it to protect himself and his men because he didn’t ask God what to do at that time.

We need to always ask God for instructions regarding what to do in any given situation. God doesn’t deal in lies. Remember who the “father of lies” is in the word of God. He is the devil. Our responsibility is to tell the truth. Our responsibility is to ask the LORD for direction in our lives. Are we committed to these two responsibilities?

One of the truths of Scripture is that it doesn’t hide the faults of those who are followers of the LORD. God realizes that everyone that HE calls to serve HIM is a sinner and will be until he dies. HIS goal in each of our lives is that we become more Christ like in our actions. HE wants us to sin less, even though HE knows we will never be sinless like HIS Son, Jesus.

CHALLENGE: Truthfulness is a trait that should characterize those who are following the LORD. We need to ask the LORD regarding what direction we should go in our life. HE will answer us. 

_______________________________________________________________

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY 

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone) 

SOUL 

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God) 

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

_________________________________________________________________

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)     

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Philistines                                                                             verse 1,                                                                                                           7, 11

King of Gath: Achish                                                          verse 2-                                                                                                             12

            Gave David Ziklag

            He believed David’s lies

Geshurites                                                                            verse 8

Gezrites                                                                                 verse 8

Amalekites                                                                            verse 8

Egypt                                                                                       verse 8 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

David lied to Achish                                                          verse 9,                                                                                                            10

            Told him he invaded

south of Judah

south of Jerahmeelites

south of kenites

                        Killed everyone so no one could come to Achish

Abhor                                                                                     verse 12 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Grace                                                                                      verse 5

Believed                                                                                  verse 12 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

David                                                                                    verse 1- 12

            600 men went with him to Gath

            Two wives:

                        Ahinoam the Jezreelitess

                        Abigail the Carmelitess

            Dwelt in Ziklag 1 year and 4 months

            Invaded Geshurites

            Invaded Gazrites

            Invaded Amaliekites  even to land of Egypt

                        David left no one alive

            Achish believed David’s lies

Saul                                                                                        verse 1, 4

            Told David was in Gath

Ziklag                                                                                    verse 6

Israel                                                                                     verse 12 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

___________________________________________________________________

DONATIONS:

Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org  Also if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method.  Thank you.

____________________________________________________________________

QUOTES regarding passage

27:8–12 At his isolated base of operations in Philistine-controlled Judah, David was out from under the watchful eye of Achish. Ever the faithful servant of the Lord, David used this opportunity to pursue the Torah mandate to conquer the Promised Land. “David and his men went up and raided” (v. 8) three different groups. God had given the land of “the Geshurites,” located in Judah’s tribal allotment, to Israel; however, Israel had failed to take control of that region (cf. Josh 13:1–2). The Lord had also commanded Israel to eliminate “the Amalekites” (cf. Exod 17:15–16; Deut 25:17–19). Saul had failed to accomplish the task (cf. chap. 15), but David heeded the Torah mandate. “The Girzites” are otherwise unknown, but like the Geshurites and Amalekites, “had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt” and thus were partially in territory that legitimately belonged to Judah.

As such, the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites were under the ban commanded by the Torah (Deut 20:16–17); none of them was to be spared by the Israelites in warfare. David, the man after the Lord’s heart (cf. 12:24; Acts 13:22), was careful to follow the prescribed rules of warfare. Thus, whenever “he attacked an area” (v. 9) inhabited by these peoples, “he did not leave a man or woman alive.” However, he did take the booty—“sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes,” part of which he presented “to Achish” on his periodic visits to Gath.

In his visits to the Philistine royal city David would have a personal audience with Achish. As the king was receiving his share of David’s spoils, he would ply the Israelite warlord with questions regarding the location of his plundering activities. David’s cunning and deceitful answers suggested that he was raiding territories in the Promised Land that were under Israel’s control—“the Negev of Judah,” “the Negev of Jerahmeel,” and “the Negev of the Kenites” (v. 10). The answer seemed credible to Achish, for none of David’s victims survived who “might inform” the king to the contrary.

David’s scheme was ingenious and effective. His conscious use of deceit was arguably the lesser of two evils: granted that lying is wrong and to be avoided (cf. Lev 19:11; Col 3:9), in this case David’s deception saved lives and thus fulfilled the Spirit of the Torah. Not only did it enable hundreds of Israelites to avoid a deadly confrontation with Saul, but it also helped Israel fulfill military assignments left undone since the days of Moses.

Achish was thoroughly taken in by David’s skillful lies and therefore “trusted David” (v. 12). The words—along with the generous gifts of plunder—made the Philistine king conclude that David had become “odious to his people” and would therefore be forced to be Achish’s gift-bearing “servant forever.”

Thus, David’s obedience to the Torah warfare regulations caused him to prosper. In this section the writer subtly contrasts David’s actions toward the Amalekites with Saul’s. David’s killing of all the Amalekites he encountered brought about blessing and life. On the other hand, when Saul disobeyed the Torah and consciously spared an Amalekite, he experienced a curse and loss of position. (Bergen, R. D. (1996). 1, 2 Samuel (Vol. 7, pp. 261–262). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)

_____________________________________________________________

Far enough away from Gath so that Achish would be ignorant of his movements, David can lie to him with impunity—especially by leaving no survivors who might be able to contradict him. David thus has the best of both worlds: He implies to Achish that Judahite hostility toward David is increasing, and at the same time he gains the appreciation and loyalty of Judah toward himself by raiding their desert neighbors. (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 775). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

_______________________________________________________________

This remained David’s headquarters for over a year, until the death of Saul and David’s subsequent move to Hebron (v. 7; 2 Sam. 1:1–2). From there he carried out pillaging raids against various desert peoples, including the Geshurites (a tribe bordering the Philistines on the south, Josh. 13:2), the Girzites (an otherwise unknown people living between the Philistines and Egypt), and the Amalekites (1 Sam. 27:8), killing the people and looting all their livestock and other goods (v. 9). These raids were in the region of the modern Gaza strip, toward the Desert of Shur, east of the present Suez Canal (v. 8). But David reported to Achish that his attacks were against his own tribe Judah, or Jerahmeel, or the Kenites, fabrications which endeared him all the more to the Philistines and persuaded them that he was a true and loyal subject (v. 12. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 453). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

_______________________________________________________________

His reports of the raids (1 Sam. 27:8–12). Achish thought that David and his band were attacking cities and towns in Judah, when in reality they were raiding the towns and camps of the allies of Achish! David was wiping out the people that Joshua and his successors failed to exterminate when they entered the land, following the orders given by Moses in Deuteronomy 20:16–18. At the same time, he was eliminating the danger of any survivors taking the word to Gath that David was a liar. David took Achish gifts from the spoils of battle and gave him false reports of their activities, and Achish believed him. When word got back to the people of Judah that David was attacking their enemies, this made him even more popular with the leaders. (Wiersbe, W. W. (2001). Be successful (p. 148). Colorado Springs, CO: Victor/Cook Communications)

__________________________________________________________________

Ver. 10. And Achish said, whither have ye made a road to-day? &c.] Or whither had they rushed in, or poured in and spread themselves? or where had they made their excursion to fetch in the prey and booty they now brought? and David said, against the south of Judah; he meant against some people that lay to the south of the land of Judah, without it; but expressed himself so, that Achish might think he meant the southern parts of Judah within the country; which, though not a downright lie, was an equivocation, and made with a design to deceive; and was by no means agreeably to the character of David, nor to be defended nor imitated: and against the south of the Jerahmeelites; these were the descendants of Jerahmeel, the son of Hezron, the grandson of Judah, and so inhabited in the tribe of Judah, and very probably in the southern part of it, 1 Chron. 2:9, 25, 26. and against the south of the Kenites; the posterity of Jethro; these, at least some of them, at the first seating of the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, went with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad, Judg. 1:16. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 550). London: Mathews and Leigh)

__________________________________________________________________ 

FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

____________________________________________________________________

Matthew 3

After His baptism by His forerunner, John, Jesus’ ministry is validated by God the Father.

INSIGHT

No matter when, no matter where, repentance is necessary when meeting God for the first time. To repent means to change your mind.

If you have been living your life without God, you must change your mind about Him. You must stop thinking of Him as something less than Sovereign Lord of the universe. You must acknowledge His right to define what is right — and wrong — for you. And you must trust Him to reconcile you to Himself through His only begotten Son.

If you were transported back to John’s time and heard his message, would you repent?

                               (Quiet Walk)

_________________________________________________________________ 

Preserved

The Lord himself goes before you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

While I was clearing out the garden in preparation for spring planting, I pulled up a large clump of winter weeds . . . and leapt into the air! A venomous copperhead snake lay hidden in the undergrowth just below my hand—an inch lower and I would have grabbed it by mistake. I saw its colorful markings as soon as I lifted the clump; the rest of it was coiled in the weeds between my feet.

When my feet hit the ground a few feet away, I thanked God I hadn’t been bitten. And I wondered how many other times He had kept me from dangers I never knew were there.

God watches over His people. Moses told the Israelites as they prepared to enter the promised land, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8). They couldn’t see God, but He was with them nonetheless.

Sometimes difficult things happen that we may not understand, but we can also reflect on the number of times God has preserved us without our ever being aware!

Scripture reminds us that His perfect, providential care remains over His people every day. He’s always with us (Matthew 28:20).  

                              By James Banks, Our Daily Bread)

_________________________________________________________________

WHAT OUR LORD PRAYS FOR

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.   John 17:15
The primary object of Christ’s prayer is not so much that His followers may be one with one another as that they may be kept in true unity with Him, with God the Father, and therefore with each other. That is the nature of communion. Obviously, this has to be worked out in greater detail, and never perhaps was this more necessary than today.
The next thing He prays for them is that they may be kept from the evil one—the devil, the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air—and the evil that is in the world as the result of his activities and efforts. Our Lord does not pray that they may be taken out of the world. We sometimes wish we could pray that; the idea of monasticism is somewhere down in the depths of all of us. We want to retire out of the world and arrive in some magic circle where nothing can disturb us. There is a longing in the suffering, persecuted Christian to get out of the world. But our Lord does not pray that they may be taken out of the world in any sense, nor that they may be taken out of it by death, but rather that in it they may be kept from the evil.
Your business and mine as Christian people is to be in the midst of this world and its affairs and still remain true and loyal to God and be kept from the evil. “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,” says James, not to retire out of every vocation in life, but rather “to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James1:27). The task of the Christian is to be in the midst of this world and its affairs in order that he or she may do this work of evangelism.
A Thought to Ponder
Our Lord does not pray that they may be taken out of the world but rather that in it they may be kept from the evil. 

                (From Safe in the World, pp. 14, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

______________________________________________________________________

Living in the Real World
“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)
People often think they are being practical when they place material values ahead of spiritual, emphasizing that we have to “live in the real world.” The fact is, however, that we are not living in the real world at all but in a world that is dying and will soon be gone. “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17). This is not even the world that God created, for that world was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Because “sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12), therefore, “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:22). In fact, this world is not even as it was soon after God’s curse, for “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished” (2 Peter 3:6).
The present, post-Flood world is now under the dominion of Satan, who is “the prince of this world” (John 12:31) and of “all the kingdoms of the world” (Matthew 4:8). The Lord Jesus Christ came to “deliver us from this present evil world” (Galatians 1:4). As our text says, this world shall not even “be remembered, nor come into mind.” It “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).
Therefore, we must “be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2). We must “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13). In the meantime, our true citizenship, if we have been born again in Christ, is in the real world to come, and we are His ambassadors to an alien land (2 Corinthians 5:20).

                           (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

__________________________________________________________________

NEW

We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.