How Are You Living?

Philippians 2:1-11

1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8 he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

I would ask myself and anyone else the questions in verse 1 on a daily basis. Amy I encouraging others who belong to Christ? Am I comforting those I come into contact with each day with His love? Am I fellowshipping with others in the Spirit? Is my heart tender and compassionate towards all? If I can't answer yes to those questions then I am probably operating in the flesh and not relying on my spirit to guide and direct me.

I truly believe what makes God happy with our actions is what verse 2 says. Agree wholeheartedly with each other, love one another, and work together with one mind and purpose. There are many examples of what happens when people adopt this concept. There is nothing that can stand in their way of accomplishing their goals.

Verse 3 really hits home for myself. My flesh wants its way and it wants it now! My flesh wants others to think I am something special and it thinks more highly of itself than others. Being humble, thinking of others, taking an interest in them and showing them God's love is the path to happiness for anyone. This is the attitude exhibited to us by Christ Jesus Himself.

Verses 6-8 really show us what Jesus did for us. When He was on earth He was not God nor did He have any of His prior Divinity. He had to experience everything we do as humans in order to fully redeem us from everything the devil had destroyed. What allowed Jesus to fulfill His mission was by living in the Spirit.

Because of His obedience to the plan of God for Him verse 9 tells us that God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and His name is above all other names. There is no name under heaven that can make the devil shake like the name of Jesus. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord and Savior. What an awesome assurance we have in serving Him because we know that in the end, He is victorious. We win, the devil loses! Thank You Jesus!

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Life or Death, Which is Better?

Philippians 1:20-26

20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. 24 But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.

25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. 26 And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

Today is a day to remember a precious child of Christ who went home to be with Him on Wednesday. When I think of Delores Gavin I think of a tender, caring woman of God who fought battles with the sickness the devil brought on her and she fought valiantly for 6 years. I watched her live verse 20. I see her life bringing honor to Christ down through her sons and through her grandchildren. The lives they live are a direct result of the impact of her walk with Jesus and His love flowing through her.

Verse 21 is one that many people struggle with, especially those who are suffering from life threatening diseases. For to live one lives in Christ and can work faithfully in His mission for us on earth. To die would be even better because then we are with Him forever and don't have the limitations of this physical world to deal with. Delores did not want to leave her husband, children, grandchildren or her friends, but to live any longer would have meant dealing with the limitations of her physical body and the disease that the devil brought on her. Right now she is in a place that is hard to even imagine. She is in a place where there is no sickness, no pain, no sorrow and no devil. She is is heaven with her Savior and her Lord, Jesus. Praise God!

Verse 24 lets me know that she does continue to live here on earth though. She lives through her husband, her children and her grandchildren. She lives through the memories we have of her and of the way she touched our lives. She lives through the way in which those who knew her will continue to exhibit the same love that she showed to each of us. She will continue to live through each person that is touched by those who knew her and saw Christ's love flow through her.

Knowing that she will continue to live through those who knew her verses 25-26 are very appropriate. The love of Jesus that she exhibited will continue to flow through each of us and we will grow in our faith and love for Jesus. When we do see her again it will be in heaven and we will be experience the joy she is experiencing right now. We will be glad to see her and she will be able to show us around and show us new ways of worshipping our Lord. Praise God for her life and for our memories of her.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

How Do You Work?

Ephesians 6:5-9

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

If we exchange the word slaves with employee and master with employer how do you fare? Let's see what that looks like.

5 Employees, obey your earthly employers with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As employees of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

9 Employers, treat your employees in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.

How do you as an employee conduct yourself on the job? Do you show up and put your time in and go home? Do you gossip with others in the office about other co-workers or even your boss? Do you gripe and complain every time your boss tells you to do something? Here is an example of a good employee.

Genesis 39:2-6a

2 The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master. 3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. 4 This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. 5 From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished. 6 So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!

This is a young man who was almost killed, thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. He also had a dream that one day his whole family would bow down to him. Why would he not be walking around talking about his vision and that he shouldn't be treated the way he was? That is the way most people would be inclined to act. He knew that the vision he had from God would not come to pass if he wasn't deserving of it. Here is another example of a quality worker.

Nehemiah 2:1-6

1 Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. 2 So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.”

Then I was terrified, 3 but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

4 The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?”

With a prayer to the God of heaven, 5 I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.”

6 The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.

Notice that Nehemiah was never sad so when he appeared to be sad his boss, the king, knew it. Also notice that when Nehemiah told the king what he wanted to do the king didn't say any of the following:

"I need to check with HR and see how much PTO time you have."
"Why can't you just stay here?"
"Why should I let you go?"

He said "How can I help you? How long will you be gone? When will you return?" Nehemiah must have been a good employee because the only real concern for the king was when he was going to be back and if he needed anything for his trip. This is a guy who was with the king constantly and in a position of influence and trust.

Hopefully you are learning from this lesson and are not like the following employee.

Matthew 20:1-16

“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.

3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

Notice here that the employees who showed up first were upset because they got paid the same as those who showed up last. Why should they have been mad? Didn't they agree to work for a certain wage? This is the mindset of most people in this country. They agree to work for someone for a prescribed wage. They get mad because the boss hires someone else and may pay them the same or even more money then they are currently paid. Why should they get mad? Did they not agree to the amount they are currently getting paid? This is all due to a concern for self above others. Also known as selfishness. God does not like people being selfish. He loves people who are selfless. These are the people who will work as unto the Lord and not be concerned with what others are doing, saying or making. They conduct themselves in a manner worthy of being called one of God's children.

Father I thank You that You continue to reveal Yourself to me new each day. I praise Your holy name for the work You are doing in me, to me and through me. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Live by the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:15-20

15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

These six verses really capture how we are to live in order to please God. Be prudent and wise. Make use of your resources to their fullest extent. Think before you act by knowing what God wants you to do and when He wants you to do it. Don't get physically drunk, but be drunk in the Holy Spirit. Sing praises to God and give thanks to Him for everything He has given you. Enough said.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Unity is Needed for Victory

Ephesians 4:1-15

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,

“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”

9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

What I see in these verses should be enough evidence to anyone with any intellectual honesty to say that there should be no denominational churches, no differences in what is taught from the pulpit and no different titles than what is given by the Holy Spirit and that each church works together with the others to complete the tasks given to us by Jesus, the head of the church.

In verses 1-6 i see that each of us is individualy called by God and that what ever that calling is on our life that we are to lead our life worth of that call. I was not called to be a pastor in the traditional sense of the word. I have been called to be a pastor in the marketplace and to be amongst the people on a daily basis to spread the Good News to those I come into contact with. My clients are my congregation and how I perform the duties of my calling will be a witness to those clients. They know that there is something different about me and they like what they see.

Verse 2 is probably the biggest area of struggle for most people in the body of Christ. Our flesh does not like the words humble and gentle, nor does it like the word patience. Our flesh wants results, it wants it now and it wants what it wants and doesn't care is people are hurt in the process. If we remember what the word says in 1 Corinthians 13 it tells us what love is. In case you can't remember, here it is:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Verse 3 in our main text is the key to victory for every Christian on the planet. Unity in Spirit and bound together with peace. It is evident what can happen when people get together and are unified in their efforts. Here is an example from the Word.

Joshua 6:15-21

15 On the seventh day the Israelites got up at dawn and marched around the town as they had done before. But this time they went around the town seven times. 16 The seventh time around, as the priests sounded the long blast on their horns, Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! 17 Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies.

18 “Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on the camp of Israel. 19 Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the Lord and must be brought into his treasury.”

20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it. 21 They completely destroyed everything in it with their swords—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys.

As we see here these people were following God's commands and they were unified in Spirit and peace and they experienced a total victory against a town that was impossible for them to get on their own. This is what God wants for us, His children. Verse 4 really gets to the point that their is one body and one Spirit. Not 12 bodies and 12 Spirits. Not thousands of bodies and thousands of Spirits. Does this mean there is only one church for everyone? Not at all. What this means is that the body should act together under the direction of the one Holy Spirit. If each pastor of each congregation was actually born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, the message that is preached would be the same. That message is the message of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us.

Verses 5-6 show us that there is only ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism, ONE God and ONE Father. There are not multiple gods and multiple faiths nor are the multiple baptisms. This is the part of the scriptures that the devil has deceived the body of Christ into believing the opposite the most. There are at least 33,800 different denominations that have been started by man since Christ died. Here is a partial list.

Christianity
-Non-Denominational
-The Chosen Elect
-Charismatic
-Neo-Charismatic
-Catholic
-Penacostal
-Baptist
-Southern Baptist
-Southern Conservative
-Strict Baptist
-Independent Baptist
-National Baptist
-Black Primitive Baptist
-Conservative Baptist
-Dunker
-Salvationist
-Eschatological
-Theosophist
-Evangelical
-Episcopal
-Methodist
-African Methodist
-Chinese Methodist
-Christian Methodist
-British Methodist
-Primitive Methodist
-Calvinist
-Congregationalism
-Lutheran
-Lutheran Orthodox
-Taborites
-Moravian
-Utaquists
-Wycliffites
-Waldensians
-Jehovah's Witnesses
-Mormonism
-Aaronic Order
-Latter Day
-Remnant
-Conservative
-Fundamentalist
-Seventh-day Adventist
-Congregationalist
-Anglican
-Monophysite
-Quaker
-Nominal
-Protestants
-Roman Catholic
-Latin Catholic
-Coptic Catholic
-Antiochian
-Maronite
-Syro-Malankara
-Syriac
-Armenian
-Chaldean
-Syro-Malabar
-Byzantine (Constantinopolitan)
-Ukrainian Greek Catholic
-Melkite Greek Catholic
-Romanian
-Hungarian Greek
-Ruthenian Catholic
-Belarusian Greek Catholic
-Bulgarian Greek Catholic
-Slovak Greek Catholic
-Croatian Greek Catholic
-Italo-Albanian Catholic
-Greek Byzantine Catholic
-Macedonian Greek Catholic
-Russian Byzantine Catholic
-Georgian Byzantine Catholic
-Brazilian Catholic
-Mexican National Catholic
-Celtic Catholic
-Ancient Apostolic
-True Catholic
-Polish National Catholic
-Free Catholic
-Liberal Catholic
-Palmarian Catholic
-Spiritus Christi
-Russian Orthodox
-Eastern Orthodox
-Oriental Orthodox
-Nestorians
-Anabaptism
-Restorationism
-Apostolic
-Presbyterian
-Unitarian
-Transcendentalism
-Anabaptist
-Amish
-Beachy Amish
-Nebraska Amish
-Old Order Amish
-Swartzendruber Amish
-Mennonite
-Nontrinitarian
-Greek Orthodox
-Liberal Catholic
-Orthodox Catholic
-Brethren
-Open Brethren
-Exclusive Brethren
-Indian Brethren
-Kerala Brethren
-River Brethren
-Social Brethren
-Anglo-Israelism
-Reformed
-United
-Independent

Islam
-Sunni
-Shi'a
-Ahmadiyya
-Sufism

Hinduism
-Shaivism
-Shaktism
-Vaishnavism
-Smartha
-Balinese

No Religion
-Evolutionist
-Naturalist
-Agnosticism
-Freethinkers
-Secular Humanism

Chinese Folk
-Animism
-Feng Shui
-Xiantianism
-Way of Former Heaven
-Falun Gong
-I-Kuan Tao (Way of Unity)
-T'ung-shan She (Society of Goodness)
-Tien-te Sheng-chiao (Sacred Religion of Celestial Virtue)
-Dao-yuan (Sanctuary of the Dao)
-Tz'u-hui Tang (Compassion Society)

Buddhism
-Thervavada
-Mahayana
-Nichiren
-Pure Land
-Tendai/T'ien Tai
-Zen/Ch'an
-Vajrayana
-Tibetan

Tribal Religions

African Traditional & Diasporic

Sikhism

Juche

Shamanism

Animism

Atheist

New Religions
-Sciencetology

Sikhism

Judaism
-Orthodox Judaism (was the only branch of Judaism till the late 1880's when Reform Judaism, and later Conservative Judaism developed)
-Conservative Judaism
-Reform Judaism

Spiritism
-Astrology

Baha'i Faith

Confucianism

Jainism
-Digambaras (Sky Clad)
-Shvetambaras (White Clad)

Zoroastrianism

Neo-Paganism
-Asatru (Norse)
-Druidism
-Goddess Worship
-Wicca
-Witchcraft

Unitarian-Universalism

Rastafarianism

Shinto
-Koshitsu Shinto (of the Imperial House)
-Jinja (Shrine)
-Kyoha (Sectarian)
-Minzoku (Folk)

Taoism
-Orthodox
-Spirit Claud

Other
-Anago
-Batuque
-Candomble
-Idigene
-Lukumi/Santeria
-Oyontunji
-Umbanda
-Voodoo
-Santo Daime
-Monism
-Pantheistic Monism
-Monotheism

This is just a portion of what is out there. That is the saddest stat that anyone could come up with. Why is there so much division? Deception. Different denominations start because someone doesn't like what is being preached so they start preaching what they want to hear. This is the main tool of the devil to keep the body of Christ ineffective and weak. He gets people to focus on differences and personal tastes or pride and not on what the Word is saying.

Verses 7-10 let us know just how complete our gifts are that were bought through Christ. He had to conquer the entire universe, not just earth. Christ really did pay a heavy price for us.

Verses 11-15 really tie up this message of unity. It doesn't day anything about bishops or arch bishops or deacons. This lists apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as the roles for people to attain to in the body of Christ. Those who hold these positions are held accountable to the Father because their roles are described in verse 12. They are to equip God's people to do His work and build up the body of Christ. This doesn't say that they are to press their own agenda or put their spin on what the Word says so that it fits their world view. They are to equip using the Word so that people know what is His work to be completed before He returns. When we do that in unity then people grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus and that we won't be wavering or unstable in our ways. We will know when people are trying to trick us because we know the Holy One.

It is said that the special agents who work for the Secret Service that are in charge of forgery attempts of our currency never study what the forgeries are. They study the real thing and know it so intimately that they can spot a fake from a mile away. This is what we are to do in Christ. We are to study Him and His message so intimately that when someone comes along to try and deceive us we know that what they are saying is a lie. We we see in verse 16 the outcome of doing this is that the whole body fits together perfectly. No missing pieces or nothing out of place. When we each do our special work it helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. That is the mission. Are you up to the challenge? I hope so, for Christ's sake.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

The Mysterious Plan Revealed

Ephesians 3:6-12

6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. 7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

I love verse 6! Because God revealed His plan to us through Jesus and because I have accepted that plan I get an equal share of God's riches and blessing. Praise God! I concur with Paul's account of feeling privileged to be serving Him by being able to tell others about the Good News of Jesus.

Verse 10 really speaks volumes as to what the purpose of the church is and why I think the church as a whole is not as effective as it should be. The church battles the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms by effectively doing verse 7. If the church would be more evengelistic in its role in the communities in which they are placed then there would be more of an effect overall. It has been said that 95% of the body of Christ will never lead anyone to a relationship with the Lord. That is a sad commentary on what the church should be doing. I am so thankful that I go to a church that does share the Good News with people on a consistent basis. Our church is approaching 1,000,000 souls being led to the Lord through street evangelism since 1986. PRAISE GOD FOREVER! That is an impact of eternal proportions. I am glad to say that I have prayed with over 50 people myself and my son, who was 6 at the time, has prayed with 9 kids to receive Jesus. We are proud of what Jesus has done in our lives and want to share it with others.

I am borrowing this from a friend and it can be used by anyone.

“God in Heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need Your help. I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is Your Son, that He died on the cross for my sins and God raised Him from the dead. Jesus, right now I open my heart and invite You to come in. Make Yourself real to me. Take control of my life. Keep me from evil and make me the person You want me to be. Be my Lord and Saviour.”

This is the extent of what you need to pray with someone to accept Jesus. If you pray and ask for opportunities He will provide them to you. I love how Paul finishes this chapter and will leave you with this:

Ephesians 3:20-21

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

The Best Gift Ever

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Verses 1-3 are a wake up call to us to remind us of where we came from, or for those not in Christ where they currently are. Verse 4 starts off with a word that we most commonly associate with something bad is going to be said after. In this case, though, what comes after is Good News to all who believe. The great part about what is relayed to us here is that it is not something we did to deserve it or nothing we did to earn it. It happened only because of God's love for us and Christ's obedience to His Father's plan for Him.

Verse 8 reminds us that it is not because of anything we did and we can't take credit for what was done. It is purely a gift from God. How many gifts do you know of that sit unopened on Christmas or on someone's birthday? Why do people not want the gift that God has for them that will change their eternal destiny? I am so thankful that God has this plan for everyone, not just me or Billy Graham or CS Lewis. This is for everyone including Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy and Adolf Hitler. They had every opportunity to hear the Good News and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior like everyone else but only two of the three accepted it. Obviously those three did not do anyting to deserve that gift nor did they do anything to earn that gift, but the gift was given to them just like everyone else.

You may be wondering why I would use them as examples it is simply to exercise the Word and its application to everyday life. God was able to reach both Mr. Dahmer and Mr. Bundy in the lowest point of their lives and they bent their knees in submission to Jesus and accepted the gift He had for them. No one is beyond the reach of Christ's blood. Christ's blood can either cover ALL sins or it can't. There is no inbetween with God. Christ's sacrifice has to be good enough to cover anything that we could do otherwise it wouldn't be good enough to cover even the smallest transgression. The Bible says His sacrifice was complete and totally acceptable to save ALL who believe.

Father I thank You that Your love for us was great enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for those sins that I commit. I thank You that His sacrifice is total and complete. I thank You that it is not by anyting that I can do or I have done, but only by Christ's sacrifice that I can come to You boldly and totally righteous. Jesus I am eternally grateful for what You did for me and will do whatever You call me to do. I praise Your name forever and ever. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Spiritual Pick Me Up

Ephesians 1:3-14

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

This is amazing! If you are ever depressed, worried, anxious or sad read these verses over and over again. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms! How awesome is that? Better yet, this decision was not one that was made on the spur of the moment. God didn't just sit around in heaven one day and decide to do this for us. He had this planned out before He even got started! PRAISE GOD! He had me on His mind back then! Even more encouraging is that He doesn't do this in a begrudging manner. He did because He wanted to and it brought Him great pleasure! We should at all times and in all ways praise God for His love for us. He is so rich in kindness and grace towards us. He didn't stop there He has included all wisdom and understanding for us as well.

James 1:5-8

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Ask for wisdom and he will give it to you, as long as you ask Him in faith. Everything with God revolves around faith. Not His faith in us, but our faith in Him and His Word. To be included in God's plan because of our faith in Christ is an awesome priviledge. To be an heir and receive our inheritance when God's plan is fulfilled is another great benefit of being in the Kingdom of the King of Kings.

When God makes a covenant He keeps His end of the covenant. He usually seals the deal with something we can have our faith in. In this case for the Gentiles who have accepted Jesus we get the Holy Spirit as our confirmation to His covenant with us. There is no greater assurance one can have that having the Holy Spirit to reveal all the truth of the Word to you, to lay out God's individual plan for your life and to help you walk out that plan. God has all the bases covered. The only way it doesn't succeed is if we make a choice not to follow those directions. Praise God for His plans for our lives. I thank God that no one else has the same plan that I do. I don't have to worry about what He is doing through someone else because that is not my plan. My plan is made for me and for the way that He created me. I am accountable to Him for how I carry out His plan for me and no one else is. Praise God!

Father I thank You that You cared enough about me to have me on Your mind before You even started creating the world. I thank You that Jesus was obedient to His plan for His life so that I can be an heir for Your plan for me. I praise You for who You are and what You mean to me. I thank You for choosing me and loving me so I could love You back. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

What Type of Harvest Do You Want?

Galatians 6:1-10

1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.

7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

WOW! There is so much in these 10 verses that one could take years to glean everything from them. They are so packed with good information it's hard to figure out where to begin. Let's see where the Spirit leads.

Verse 1 is the game plan for each Christian here on earth. Notice what isn't included in that verse. Do you see what's missing? What's missing is judgment, anger, condemnation, guilt, shame and chastisement. Why do you think they are missing? Is it because those are not the qualities of one who walks in the Spirit? I would bet that they are missing for that exact purpose. The Spirit is always gentle and humble with us. He never overpowers us or makes us do thing we don't want to do. He is a complete gentleman.

Verse 2 should be enough to let people know that is why it is not right for anyone to be a Lone Ranger Christian. You cannot successfully walk the walk God has for you by yourself. This is one reason why I am so glad I am married to a Godly woman. We can share each other's burdens and cares. This is also why I am in a men's discipleship group. I love my wife with all my heart but she does not know what it is like to be a man. Meeting with other men and sharing what God is doing in our lives and sharing each other's burdens is very helpful. The devil would want us to believe that what we are experiencing or struggling with is an isolated incident. We are the only ones going through that and no one would understand. Once you start sharing what you're going through you realize that other men have not only been through that or they may be currently going through it. If they have been through it they can share their testimony of what God did to help them through. That is why it is important to be involved in a discipleship group and to attend church on a regular basis. Not going to church regularly so you can get fed spiritual food and have fellowship with other Christians is like a starving man who needs food but won't go to the restaurant because he doesn't like being around other people. He will build up the courage to do it once or twice a year but that is enough for him. He would rather starve himself to death than to be around others. That's as best as I can put it.

Verse 3 is a real wake up call to each of us. Even though we may have experienced a lot of things in our lives and watched God do many miracles through us, we are not to think more highly of ourselves. If we do then we don't think we need to help just anyone. We may think we only need to get involved in the extra special cases. In God's eyes we all have the same value. He would have sent His Son to die for each and every one of us, even if we were the only ones around. Don't fall into the devil's trap of thinking to highly of yourself. That is a road that leads to destruction. Proverbs 18:12 explains it better than I can:

12 Haughtiness goes before destruction;
humility precedes honor.

Verse 4 is another real key for each of us. I don't know how many times I have to tell my children to worry about themselves and not what the other one is doing. It must be our sinful nature to worry about what others are doing. This is what got Cain in trouble. After Cain's offering was not accepted by God this is what God said to Cain:

Genesis 4:6-7

6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

"You will be accepted if you do what is right." That is awfully familiar with verse 4 in Galatians 6. If we would all learn to be more concerned with our own work, what we are doing and what God told us to do, then we will get the satisfaction of a job well done. We won't need to even worry about what someone else is doing because we know that we did what God told us to do.

Verse 5 ties up that thought with letting us know that we each need to be responsible for our own conduct. When I stand in front of the Lord I do not have to give an account for every actions my wife did or anything she said. I have to give an explanation for myself, my actions and words. No one else can give testimony for me because it is my responsibility to be accountable for what the Word tells me to do and say, what the Spirit tells me to do an say and how I listened, or didn't listen, to what I know to be the direction of the Lord for me, Erik Lee Vakula, and not for anyone else. Praise God! It's hard enough to make sure I'm doing what I need to, let alone to worry about what everyone else might be doing or saying.

Verse 6 is an excellent encouragement for us to make sure we take care of our teachers in the faith. We need to make sure our pastors know how much we care for them and find ways to bless them for the time and effort they put into bringing us the Word God has for the body of believers we are tied to. I encourage you to find ways to reach out to them and show them how grateful you are to them. Bless them with gift certificates to their favorite coffee shop or restaurant, offer to watch their kids so they can have a date night with their spouse, buy a gift certificate for massage or facial at their favorite spa, etc. Ask God for a way that you can show them you care and then do it. Don't argue with God about it, don't worry about how much He asks you to spend, JUST DO IT!

Verse 7 is where the rubber of the first 6 verses meets the road. "You will always harvest what you plant." That is a great analogy for me to understand. I grew up on a farm and I know that when my dad bought corn seed and put it in the ground that corn was going to grow. I didn't have to pray that corn came up instead of beans or oats. I knew that if he planted corn, corn would grow and some day we would harvest that corn. What I didn't know until a couple of years ago was just what kind of return he got for the seed sown. When he put in one kernel of corn to be sown it would grow into an eight foot high corn plant. That corn plant would produce one ear of corn, typically. That one ear of corn can have around 600 kernels on it. That is what I call a harvest of seed sown. I have heard it preached many times that the natural world cannot do what is impossible in the spiritual world. If that's the case, I will start to claim a 600 fold return on the seeds I sow into the Kingdom.

What I also found interesting in verse 7 was when I started to look at other translations. I typically use the New Living Translation for the scriptues I post. I will indicate if it is other than that source. Here are some of the other versions I found interesting.

Galatians 6:7 (MSG)
Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.

Galatians 6:7 (AMP)
Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.

Galatians 6:7 (CEV)
You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant.

Galatians 6:7 (Phillips)
Don't be under any illusion: you cannot make a fool of God! A man's harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows.

The last one really puts it into perspective. Our harvest in life, both this physical life and our eternal life, depends ENTIRELY on what we sow, both in the physical life and in the spiritual life. That is great news if you sow the right stuff. Bad news if you don't.

Verse 8 shows us again how this applies. If we sow to please our sinful nature then we harvest decay and death. If we sow what the Spirit tells us to sow then we will harvest everlasting life! PRAISE GOD!

Verse 9 is an encouragement to us to not give up. Keep going. Fight through. If my dad planted the seed then sat around and moped because the next day it wasn't ready to harvest, he would go insane. Corn usually would be planted in April or May and harvested in October. I think with the society we live in today we are so accustomed to instant gratification that any time to wait just causes our flesh pain. The Word does not tell us that the fruit of what we sow or the harvest of what we sow is going to be an instant one. Sometimes it is. Most of the time it is not. The latter part of verse 9 tells us when we will reap our harvest, "At just the right time". This is better understood as God's time. James 1:2-4 really puts this into perspective for us.

2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

The reason why I think this is so appropriate is because it's the troubles that cause us to abandon our harvest before it is ready. When my dad plants his corn and he starts to see the weeds come in he doesn't run around crying and wondering what's going to happen. At the right time he puts the cultivator on the tractor and goes into the field and digs up the weeds. He does this at least twice before the plants get too tall. He also applies some chemicals to kill the weeds, prior to any formation of corn that grows later. The corn that is harvested shows up well past any of his intervention with the weeds. He knows that if he doesn't knock out the weeds at the right time that they can reduce his harvest. We are to be as diligent with what we sow. We we sow the Word into people we need to make sure that if weeds show up that we get them out as soon as possible to the Word will work the harvest intended.

Verse 10 is a great way to finish up this note. "Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone - especially those in the family of faith." That is a great encouragement for us today. I recently purchased an enclosed trailer. I have been believing for the finances for over a year. Last year we purchased a riding lawn mower from one of my wife's cousins. We did not need a riding lawn mower for our yard, but are believing for a bigger yard in our new house. I used it to help some neighbors mow their yards and had a desire to help out the elderly at my church with their yards. I had no way to get my lawn mower around so I started believing for a trailer. I now have my trailer and this summer I will be going around once a week to mow the yards for those senior citizens of my church who can't do it for themselves. This is my way of implementing verse 10 with the blessings of what God has given to me. My encouragement to you today is what is that you have or do that could be a blessing to someone else. Do good to everyone when you have the opportunity. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Sin or Fruit, the Choice is Yours

Galatians 5:16-26

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

What I see here is that God does not impose Himself on us and has given us the freedom to choose which way we go with our decisions. Do we choose to follow our sinful nature or do we choose to follow the Holy Spirit and produce fruit? It is not a dicision one makes when they get up in the morning and that settles the rest of the day. This is a second by second decision we have to make. We cannot control things that happen that are caused by other people, but we do have the choice as to how we react to those situations.

These verses remind me of what was told to the children of Israel in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 30:11-20

11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ 14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

It seems to me to pretty consistent that the Lord is giving us the ability to choose life or death. We must make the choice and live with the outcomes of those choices we make. Here is some more reasons why it is important to make the right choices.

Deuteronomy 28:1-14

“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God:

3 Your towns and your fields
will be blessed.
4 Your children and your crops
will be blessed.
The offspring of your herds and flocks
will be blessed.
5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards
will be blessed.
6 Wherever you go and whatever you do,
you will be blessed.

7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven!

8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you.

11 “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. 12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. 13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. 14 You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them.

Those look like some pretty good arguments about why it is important to make the right choices. The rest of the chapter, which is another 54 verses, talks about the curses for our disobedience, or wrong choices. Granted, it may look like there are more curses than benefits, but I would rather indulge myself in the right choices and live with the consequences than I would want to live with the wrong choices made. God wants the best for me and the devil wants the worst for me. Seems to me like the choice is easy on which way I should go. Why can't more people see that? Why doesn't everyone see that?

Father I thank You that You have provided the choice for me on which way I should go. I thank You that Your Holy Spirit is here to guide and direct me so that I can make the right choices and walk closer with You and Your plan for my life. I thank You that when I do make the wrong choice that I have the ability to come to You through Jesus, my Lord and Savior. I thank You that Your mercies are new every day and may I make the right choices that bring me life and liberty through Your Spirit. I praise You this day and choose life! Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Children of the Free Woman

Galatians 4:21-31

21 Tell me, you who want to live under the law, do you know what the law actually says? 22 The Scriptures say that Abraham had two sons, one from his slave wife and one from his freeborn wife. 23 The son of the slave wife was born in a human attempt to bring about the fulfillment of God’s promise. But the son of the freeborn wife was born as God’s own fulfillment of his promise.

24 These two women serve as an illustration of God’s two covenants. The first woman, Hagar, represents Mount Sinai where people received the law that enslaved them. 25 And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law. 26 But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. 27 As Isaiah said,

“Rejoice, O childless woman,
you who have never given birth!
Break into a joyful shout,
you who have never been in labor!
For the desolate woman now has more children
than the woman who lives with her husband!”

28 And you, dear brothers and sisters, are children of the promise, just like Isaac. 29 But you are now being persecuted by those who want you to keep the law, just as Ishmael, the child born by human effort, persecuted Isaac, the child born by the power of the Spirit.

30 But what do the Scriptures say about that? “Get rid of the slave and her son, for the son of the slave woman will not share the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.

This is another reason why I love God so much. He explains things so that it is easy to understand what message He is trying to relay to us. These verses make it abundantly clear that when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior that you are a part of the children of the free woman. You are an heir of our Father in heaven. Verses 4-7 show us how that is:

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

Since we are His heirs to His Kingdom, we then are entitled to all the promises that are found in His Word. His Word is the source of all truth and there is no lie found in it. Since His Word is truth and He is a God who does not change, if He promised it to anyone in the Word, then it is our promise as well. These promises are what the devil tries so hard for us to not accept. He knows that if we do we will trample all over him and his angels and will be victorious in all areas of our lives and will impact this world with the Good News of Jesus. We need to stand up and take a hold of our rights as heirs to our Father and carry them with us so we know what they are and how they work for us. Praise God!

Father I thank You for Your Word and for the promises in it that apply to me as Your child. I thank You that I am a child of the free woman and am not bound by the law. I will take a hold of Your promises for me and will claim those promises so that I can impact this world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

It’s Faith, Not the Law, That Saves Us

Galatians 3:1-14, 23-29

1 Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. 2 Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. 3 How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? 4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

5 I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ.

6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.

8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

10 But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”

13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

These verses bring such freedom to me! Praise God! He is such a wonderful and awesome God to serve. Why would anyone deny His existence? Why would anyone not want to fall in love with Him?

Verse 13 brings to light the whole reason for Christ to have come to earth and to give up what He had in heaven. He did that for me! He did that for you! I wouldn't have done it for me or you. His love for me and you was so great that He couldn't stand to let us wallow in our sin any longer. God did not want to start over again because of the sins of His creation so He made a bridge between us and Him by having His Son die on the cross and become sin for us. That is love.

It is love to do something like that for someone with no guarantee that they will accept it or even believe it. He did that for me whether I ever acknowledged it or not. I liken His action to Him providing everyone a get out of jail free card and some don't take it. They would rather spend their eternal life in darkness, isolation, dispair and torment. That does not make sense to me. I am excited for my eternal life with Jesus. I get to walk on streets of gold and serve Him continuously. No more sickness, no more disease, no more crying, no more heartache. Why does that sound so bad to people?

I love the fact that by having faith in God's Word and what Jesus did for me on the cross that I get to partake of the blessing God bestowed upon Abraham. All the nations of the world will be blessed because of Abrahams's faith in God's promise to him. The blessing is there for everyone to partake in, if they have the faith to believe and accept it. Why wouldn't you want to be supernaturally protected? When God's super comes upon my natural things change for the better. Praise God!

Father I thank You for the promise You gave to my father of faith, Abraham. I thank You that the promise You gave to him is mine to enjoy through faith in You. The same faith Abraham had in You and Your promise. I am eternally thankful for Jesus going to the cross to become cursed for me and to die for my sins. I am thankful that the same Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead is living inside of me right now and I have that same dynamic power to raise people from the dead. I thank You for loving me before I was even born and You continue to love me and see me as righteous. I promise to share Your love with others today and to reveal Your truth to them. Guide me, direct me and give me the words to say and the opportunity to say them to the right people. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Love, Not the Law

Galatians 2:11-21

11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish Christians followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?

15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”

17 But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! 18 Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. 19 For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

I find these verses to be very interesting. We see what the Word says all over Proverbs about correcting someone and receiving correction. I love the fact that Paul talks about how following the law brought condemnation. His life in Christ has brought true freedom from the law. When you think about what Jesus commanded us in Matthew 22:36-40:

36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

When you follow those words of Jesus you keep the entirety of the law without the condemnation that comes with trying to follow the letter of the law. Let's look at that in more detail. For a refresher and to make the comparison properly, here is the original 10 commandments given to Moses:

Exodus 20:3-17

3 “You must not have any other god but me.
4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.
7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You must not murder.
14 “You must not commit adultery.
15 “You must not steal.
16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

The following verses of Exodus 20 would be encompassed by Verse 37 from Matthew 22: Verses 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11. Verses 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 would be encompassed in Verse 39. I would rather work on loving God with all my heart, soul and mind as well as loving everyone else like I love myself and knowing that I am covering all the rest of the law. If you study out just the completeness of what Jesus was commanding us in those two verses you realize that you do what the law was intended to do. The reason they couldn't understand back then was because they did not have the revelation of who Jesus was. Jesus' own words were not fully understood by those who heard them until He showed them exactly what He was talking about when He died on the cross.

Jesus I thank You that You gave us the best example to follow when it comes to showing our love for the Father and how we should show our love for others. I thank You that You gave us Your Word, which is Yourself, so that we too can come to know You more and in turn know the Father and the Holy Spirit. It is through You and You alone that we have salvation and I thank You for Your sacrifice for me. I pray that all who read this will come to the same conclusion and will become a part of Your family here on earth, and more importantly, in heaven when they die. I thank You and love You with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind. I will strive to love my neighbors as I love myself. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Who’s Fighting Your Battles?

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. 2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)

3 Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 4 So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help.

5 Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. 6 He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 7 O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? 8 Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. 9 They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’

10 “And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. 11 Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. 12 O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.”

13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.

15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”

18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. 19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.

20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”

21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:

“Give thanks to the Lord;
his faithful love endures forever!”

22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. 24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.

25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! 26 On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.

27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. 28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.

29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. 30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

These verses are extremely encouraging for my family right now. We are in a battle, not with flesh and blood, but with the devil. He is trying to steal from us and are not going to put up with it. We have a very special friend that has been praying for us and this is part of what the Lord showed her during her prayer time for us.

Here is what the Lord gave to her:

"This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s." (v. 15) You won't fight in this battle. If there are traps the will be sprung by God so stay out of it. Events will unfold so be in an attitude of faith, waiting for the Lord's Word and direction. You will know that only the Lord could do whatever He is and will be doing. He will then be giving you direction. Meanwhile, give the situation to the Lord. It and everything is His anyway. Know that He will give it to you at the right time.

That is awesome news for us. What I noticed in the passage of scriptures above was what brought about this word from God. Verses 13-14 show what I am talking about, "13 As all the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children, 14 the Spirit of the Lord came upon one of the men standing there." Their whole families were standing before the Lord. We, as a family, have been standing before the Lord praying about this situation and know what He told us. During our time of prayer Jesus showed Himself to my 9 year old son and told him what the outcome would be. Praise God!

One of the coolest things in these verses is what is talked about in verses 21-24. Them praising the Lord and being led by the singers activated the word that the Lord had given to the prophet. King David talked about praising God and the defeat of his enemies.

2 Samuel 22:1-4

David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. 2 He sang:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
He is my refuge, my savior,
the one who saves me from violence.
4 I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.

I also notice that after the battle was over they took the plunder, which was more than they could carry, and they had a worship parade. I will have a worship parade when our situation is over. We know that through this situation a revival will happen from Elk River to Brooklyn Park and everywhere in between. This revival will move through the neighborhoods and the businesses alike. This is why the devil is trying to stop what is going on. He knows that tens of thousands of souls will be won because of this situation. Praise God that He has my back and I can rely on Him. I can't wait for the parade to start.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Where is Your Message From?

Galatians 1:11-24

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the Christians in the churches in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.

It's interesting why people react the way they do when they hear a message being preached. They are more inclined to believe that what they are hearing is not from God, but from the person delivering the message. Maybe this is where the phrase "Don't shoot the messenger" came from. I truly believe that when I am hearing any pastor preach at my church that what is being preached is not from that person, but from God Himself for me to hear. What God is revealing through that person is what I need to hear when I need to hear it. What I do with what I hear is completely up to me. The person who delivers the message has done their job that Christ asked them to do. This must have been what Paul was talking about here in these verses.

I like the fact that he points out specifically that he was not taught what he was teaching based on anything he had read or heard from any human source. Remember that at this time Jesus had already died and been raised again from the dead. So when he talks abouthaving revelation from Jesus Himself, he must have been communing with Him in the spirit. Paul reminds the Galatians in verses 13-14 that he wasn't always preaching what he was now preaching.

In verse 15 he reminds us of what the scriptures say in Jeremiah 1:5

5 “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart
and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

God really does care that much about each of us. He has plans for us before we are even born. I can attest to this. God revealed to me about 6 years ago that He created me to do what I am doing and He even had me named the way I am so that I would come to realize that. That is how much He cares for me and for you. He has done the same thing for you so you can realize what He has created you for.

Jeremiah 29:11-13a also tells us what His plans for us are:

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.

Praise God forever! Those are awesome words to remember. Paul is living this out in his life as he describes to the Galatians. Paul also tells us in verse 10 who he is not trying to please:

10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

Thank God that the pastors I sit under are not trying to win the approval of people. They are doing what God insturcts them to do. If they were trying to please people then they wouldn't be servants of Christ. I know exactly where they are coming from. What I do is not pleasing to people, but if I was trying to please them I wouldn't be doing what Christ instructed me to do. Most people are pleased because they are treated the way other collection agencies have treated them. Some are not pleased because nothing pleases them. If I wanted to please them then I wouldn't be doing what I am doing. I know that what I do and the manner in which I do that is pleasing to Him and that is my mission.

I will finish off with what Paul has in verses 3-5:

3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved

Do You Honor Him?

Isaiah 25:1-3 & 6-9

1 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name,
for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
You planned them long ago,
and now you have accomplished them.
2 You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins.
Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble.
Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear
and will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory;
ruthless nations will fear you.

6 In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
will spread a wonderful feast
for all the people of the world.
It will be a delicious banquet
with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat.
7 There he will remove the cloud of gloom,
the shadow of death that hangs over the earth.
8 He will swallow up death forever!
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears.
He will remove forever all insults and mockery
against his land and people.
The Lord has spoken!

9 In that day the people will proclaim,
“This is our God!
We trusted in him, and he saved us!
This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.
Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!”

What an awesome set of verses! I do honor and praise the name of the Lord because He is my God and I am His child. He does wonderful things! His plans that He has will always comes to pass. He knew me before I was born and His plans for my life are coming to pass. When cities and nations try to come against Him they are laid to waste and ruin. Strong nations, like the USA, declare His glory and are made great. Ruthless nations, like WWII Germany, do fear him. If the ruthless nations did not fear Him then they would be OK with people worshipping Him.

I believe verses 6-9 are talking about when Jesus comes back again and this describes the wedding feast of the Lamb and His bride. That is going to be such and awesome time. I can't wait to be with Jesus forever! "This is my God! I trusted in Him and He saved me! This is the Lord in whom I trust and I will rejoice in the salvation He gave to me." Praise God forever! Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26 (AMP)

The Lord bless you and watch, guard, and keep you; The Lord make His face to shine upon and enlighten you and be gracious (kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you; The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you and give you peace (tranquility of heart and life continually).

Published by Erik L. Vakula
Daily Bread From the Word
Copyright © 2009 Erik Vakula, All Rights Reserved