DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL

Below are daily devotions for each day of the month. They include a quote from a famous individual with my personal comment and a scripture passage with my personal comment. I hope you find these quotations, scripture passages and my personal comments helpful in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

April 1

 

“He that lives in hope dances without music.”

George Herbert

 

God gives us great hope because we know His character, power and love. When things seem hopeless, we rest on our faith in our Heavenly Father, that He is in control, that He knows what is going on and why, and that He will work it out for our good and His glory. We dance in this hope and require no music, because the spiritual presence of God’s Word is in our mind, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is established and the protective love of God envelopes our soul. Christian hope is often hard to understand and that is part of the reason it is so precious to us. We can always have hope, because God is always with us!

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”

Matthew 8:38-39

 

Jesus has just exorcised a Legion of demons from this man and totally changed his life. No more will he be tormented and tortured by the oppressive possession of such evil creatures. He was so thankful he wanted to follow Jesus wherever He went and serve Him. But Jesus had a specific mission for Him that was much more important. He commanded him to return home and minister to others through the sharing of his witness of being saved from demons. What a testimony this would be and what an amazing effect this would have on all the people he would tell it to. Such is our mission as well. We are to tell others of the amazing deliverance that God has performed in our lives as well. Our mission and task is to share with those we know how Jesus has transformed our lives. Often those we know, our friends and relatives, are the hardest mission field. They knew us before we were saved and question our conversion. But God asks us to share our new lives in Christ with those whom we know the best because we may be the only one and the best one to confront them with their need for Jesus Christ. Let us follow the example of the restored demoniac man by doing what we are commanded to do as he did, share our faith and our relationship with the Lord with those closest to us.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 2

 

“Christ is the Lord of the little things in our lives too. For the little things are more important than the big. He must be the sovereign in all our affairs.”

John White

 

Big decisions and big things in our lives are important, but here John White confronts us with a truth that the little things may be even more important. Why, because by their sheer number they can outweigh the big things in life. We make millions of small and little decisions each day that reflect who we “really” are. It is often easy to make a “big” decision correctly because it is obvious and important to us. It’s those little things that can reflect more of our real self. Do we say a kind word to someone that needs it? Do we help someone with something simple to minister to them? Do we make a small sacrifice of something to help another? These small acts of kindness and holiness will reflect a heart, mind and soul dedicated to the Lord. We will often compromise our morals and lifestyle in the small things because we think they are not as important, but it is very true that a fall into a gross sin first began with a very tiny compromise. Christ must be sovereign over every aspect of our lives, the big decisions and the small ones, the big events and the small ones.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

Luke 16:10

 

This truth might not make sense to us because we are thinking more of our earthly wisdom than God’s heavenly wisdom. If someone will steal a dollar from you, if given the chance, they will take your life savings. If someone will tell a white lie, they will very likely, in the right situation, make up all sorts of evil lies and stories for their own benefit. If God can’t trust us in the little things of our lives, why should He trust us with greater responsibilities? This verse may reveal much about the mind and heart of God when it comes to His perception of us. Is He withholding blessings or greater growth in our spiritual life because we have not been able to be faithful in the little things? I wonder if we fail to give attention to the small responsibilities that God gives us and therefore He holds back more significant responsibilities from us because we are not faithful in the small ones? May we seek to give God all of our lives in all areas and be faithful and trustworthy in whatever task or commandment He gives us.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 3

 

“Have you ever wondered if God was fair and true? Whatever your difficulty or burden might be, never forget that the testimony of Scripture and history is that the problem lies not with God. He is gracious; He is righteous…His gracious and righteous purposes always have our greatest good and His glory in view…and sometimes these can only be accomplished in this life through trials or suffering.”

Dr. Alden Gannett

 

Often when we are going through a tough time or a horrible experience we can’t help but wonder if God is cruel and/or unfair. Why is He allowing such a thing to happen? How can He condone such trauma to take place? But we must always cling to the sturdy foundation of our faith, the character of our Heavenly Father. He is not capricious or flippant. He is always fair, honest, faithful, truthful, caring, loving and desires to look out for our best interest. Sometimes to live out His character and fulfill His good will for us He must allow a storm to come into our life. These storms are meant to refine our commitment, purify our testimony, polish our witness and empower our resolve. When we trust in God during a struggle, we grow in strength, draw closer to our Savior and listen with attentiveness for the voice of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever noticed how we seem to be closest to the Lord during a trial and how quickly we fade in faith when we are doing much better? Let us remember God’s character and His love for us in the midst of a hardship. God is still God no matter what is happening to us. He is always active and involved in our situations and experiences.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

Do we make this a regular and consistent practice in our lives as Christians? Do we seek to encourage each other in creative and different ways? Do we build each other up in our faith? It is important for those around us that we encourage them, for life can be discouraging at times. Encouragement can make our brothers and sisters in Christ smile, lighten their step, and spur them on to greater works of service for our Lord and King. When we build up others we support them and compliment them on their spiritual gifts and abilities. This ministry of love can also benefit us. We feel the joy of the Lord and the filling of the Holy Spirit when we encourage others as Christ would. Let us do this more often in large and small ways.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

April 4

 

“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises…leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

It is good we don’t get everything we want for then not only would we be spoiled brats, we would also obtain things that would not be good for us. God always fulfills His promises and those are the things that are best for us and most wise to possess. Life should not be about getting what we want, but receiving what God thinks best for us and this is included in His promises. The best and straightest path to God often seems rather crooked and twisted. This is because the straightest path to God is often through some degree of hardship or trial for God wishes to perfect our faith and encourage our spiritual growth. If any other direction were taken to get to the Lord, we would miss out on some of the promises and arrive spiritually weaker than God intended. Let us be thankful for the promises God is faithful to fulfill and that He cares enough to lead us straight to Him in life according to the wisdom of His will.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.”

Proverbs 18:4

 

We can lose our bearing in deep waters and sometimes even drown. When the words we speak are too deep with wisdom we may lose those who listen to us because they find our words too difficult to comprehend. May we speak more like a pure mountain stream that is full of life and pleasing to the senses. Wise words delivered in such a manner are fully understood, easily accepted and more than likely applied to the life of the hearer. Let us bring life and truth to others by the words we speak and may we speak with the wisdom of the scriptures.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

April 5

 

“Believe God’s word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences.”

Samuel Rutherford

 

Most of us battle over how to make decisions in life because we are torn between our feelings and experiences when we should be relying upon God’s Word and His power to intervene and guide our steps. While feelings possess some information and experiences can be a wealth of knowledge, they are nothing compared to the wisdom in God’s Word and a comprehension of the power of the Lord. Too often we do not seek out guidance from the Bible and sometimes even when we do, we ignore the counsel we read. Many times we doubt the power of God to work in our lives and seek to use our own energy and abilities to solve our issues. It is a difficult thing to die to self, place our trust in our all-powerful Heavenly Father and live by the Holy Inspired Scriptures, but it is something we must do if we are to live for the Lord and reap the blessings He has for us.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee”

Exodus 23:28

 

Leave it up to the Lord to come up with inventive and creative ways to deal with the enemies of His people. He could have simply stopped all of their hearts or withheld breath from their lungs. But here we see He sends venomous insects to drive away enemies. We should remember this when we face trials, struggles or people who wish us harm. We usually pray for how we want God to intervene in our lives, and there is nothing essentially wrong with that, but we must leave the manner in which God intervenes up to Him. He may wish to help us in rather strange and peculiar ways that accomplish what we desire and in accordance to His will that we would never have imagined. God usually works in His time and through natural means to rescue us from our situations of testing. This is an expression of His patient character and His creative omniscience intelligence.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 6

 

“When I want to speak let me think first. Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary? If not, let it be left unsaid.”

Maltbie Davenport Babcock

 

We should be very cautious when we speak. It is so easy to speak a falsehood, says words that are inappropriate or to simply waste our breath saying things that should remain unsaid. James 3 addresses the potential dangers of speech left unchecked and unbridled. We can do much damage with just a few simple words. So the advice from Mr. Babcock is wise and prudent. Let us think carefully before we speak our words. Let us question what we are about to say as to whether it is a truthful statement as well as is it spoken in kindness. Let us also understand that the right words spoken at the wrong time are as inappropriate at times as the wrong words spoken at any time.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

John 16:7

 

I can’t imagine living without the Holy Spirit in my life as a Christian. This is why it was so necessary that Christ leave, so He could send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Comforter to indwell us as Believers. This shows the concern Jesus had for His followers and all Believers that would ever commit their lives to Him. He knew they needed to be indwelt with the Holy Spirit so that they would have a constant guide and companion in living the Christian life. This also shows the intimate relationship Christ had with not only His Heavenly Father, but also the Holy Spirit. Each of them work together as the triune God we worship and serve to minister to us and instruct us. We need to thank the Lord Jesus Christ each day that He sent the Holy Spirit when He returned to Heaven to rule at the right hand of God.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 7

 

“It is with men as with wheat; the light heads are erect even in the presence of Omnipotence, but the full heads bow in reverence before Him.”

Richard Joseph Cooke

 

Light heads of wheat in this quotation symbolize people who lack the knowledge of God and fail to acknowledge Him as Lord of all. They have no seed of spiritual life in them and are the chaff that will burn when judged. They refuse to bow before the Creator and submit to His will. The full heads of wheat symbolize people who are filled with the Spirit, full of the knowledge of God and bow in humble reverent adoration of Him. They will be rewarded for their submission and be granted eternal life. The question is are you a light head or a full head and if you are a full head, are you striving to be even more full of Christ in your life each and every day?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

Philippians 2:5-8

 

This is a most challenging commandment to be obeyed, modeling ourselves after our Savior. Jesus Christ was fully man but also fully God. But being fully God, He did not consider this character and ability something to prevent Him from also being fully man. He willingly restricted and limited Himself by taking on the human nature of a humble human servant. He was so submissive in this loving act that He obeyed to the point of being willing to die. This death was no normal death. It was a death that paid the sins of all mankind and His resurrection proved that not only was He fully man, He was fully God. May we seek to model His life and ministry and be not only obedient to our Heavenly Father, but to serve and minister to those in need with this same loving attitude.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 8

 

“Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is.”

Author Unknown

 

Our imaginations are a wonderful gift from the Lord. Such a gift is another one of the facets of being made in His image. With our imagination we create art, music, writings and numerous other creations but we also use our imagination to create in our minds what we are not or possibly could never be. But our sense of humor, which is another gift from God, is necessary for our sanity and survival. With it we can laugh at ourselves when we fumble and stumble around. We can laugh at our mistakes and laugh at the jokes of others. But imagination can be used for fleshly evil and laughter can be at the expense of others, so let us be careful how we channel our imagination and what is the object of our humor. As with all behaviors, thoughts and words, we must be godly in all we do.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Romans 4:7-8

 

We should always view ourselves as Christians as blessed by God. Our sins and transgressions of God’s laws are forgiven forever and completely. Our sins are covered by the sacrificial blood of Christ which is the only payment that wipes out their penalty. We are blessed because God will never count any sin against us. Let us show our love and appreciation for these blessings by obeying His commands, serving others and seeking to love Him with all our heart, mind and strength.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 9

 

“O Lord, whatever others may think of me, let me be more and more sensible of Thy presence, and of the glorious privileges and hopes which are created in the heart by Thy grace!”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

We should take into account what others think of us, but the focus of our greatest concerns should be more about the presence of God in our lives and the marvelous blessings that God has bestowed upon us as a Child of the King. May the hope of salvation and the experience of His grace be the center of our thoughts and motivations. If they are, then we have nothing to be concerned about in regards to what others think of us, for they will likely value us as friends, honor us because of our witness and love us for how we have served them.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“A man is praised according to his wisdom, but men with warped minds are despised.”

Proverbs 12:8

 

Christians should seek wisdom from the Lord for God’s wisdom will benefit us in this life and the next. Godly wisdom protects us, guides us, ministers to others and brings glory to our Heavenly Father. Such wisdom is praised and greatly appreciated, especially in times of stress and trials. On the other hand, warped minds bring dishonor and disgrace. Such minds are focused on self and all sorts of sordid sinful pursuits. Creation was perfect before the fall of man and now it is warped due to the effects of sin. Men’s minds are warped as well and the only thing that can purify and set them straight is the gospel. May we avoid the warped philosophies and lifestyles of the world and seek wisdom from God so that we may receive praise and God may receive the glory that He deserves.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 10

 

“God’s punishment of sin is eternal. If you believe in wrath you must believe in eternal destruction. The parallels are used everywhere in the Scripture. There is nothing in Scripture about another chance, another hope, another opportunity beyond death.”

Martin Lloyd Jones

 

Men and women always seek a way around God’s perfect justice. Whether it is for themselves or those they know, people seek to compromise or water down the pure honest and just standards by which men and women are saved. There is a high price to pay for sin because God’s standard for purity, justice and salvation is high. This price was paid through Christ’s death and is the only payment for the penalty of sin. God is love, but He is also a just holy Judge. Scripture cannot be twisted or ignored when it comes to the doctrine of eternal punishment. There are no second chances after this life. It’s God’s way or the highway to hell. This is why it is so critical for us to share the gospel with those we know and love.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

 

Here Paul gives five commands of encouragement. “Be on your guard” is to be ever ready and alert to the attacks of the demonic, the temptation of the flesh and the influence of false teachers. “Stand firm in the faith” is to have your mind firmly planted in the Word of God and your heart and soul dedicated to loving the Lord. “Be men of courage” applies to all people and courage is absolutely needed to deal with the struggles and trials we face in this world. “Be strong” is to be strong in the Lord, not in ourselves, for we can do anything when we stand in the strength and power of our Heavenly Father. “Do everything in love” is to be humble before the Lord and others, ministering whenever possible and treating others as more important as yourself. Christ did all five of these things and we should follow His example.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 11

 

“Next to faith this is the highest art — to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.”

Martin Luther

 

Without faith we cannot please God so this is the highest art. Martin Luther may be right thought that next to faith, godly contentment, is the next highest art. Godly contentment goes beyond human contentment. Godly contentment is when you trust God so much that nothing upsets your life because it is so firmly grounded in dedication to God’s will and a faith that He is always working in your life. Struggles, trials and hardships may come and possibly even some difficult emotions and thoughts, but contentment overrides all of these and a submissive humility to the hand of God working in your life overshadows all. This contentment is not something that is humanly acquired, it flows freely from a life totally given to the Lord. It is a sacrificial attitude that develops with Christian maturity that God is sovereign, loving, perfect and compassionate.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good.”

3 John 1:11

 

You would think that the average person would never willingly imitate evil. But we do at times. When we fail to put God first in our lives, we imitate evil. When we ignore scriptural instruction that we have received and fail to apply it to our life, we imitate evil. When we live for self, rather than Christ, we imitate evil. There are numerous ways we can imitate evil because the world is full of temptations, the flesh constantly wants us to practice evil and the Devil loves to war against us to send us down this evil path. May we take this instruction in 3 John to heart and be so busy about imitating good that we have no time or inclination to even think about imitating evil. Let us be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 12

 

” Compassion costs. It is easy enough to argue, criticize and condemn, but redemption is costly, and comfort draws from the deep. Brains can argue, but It takes heart to comfort.”

Samuel Chadwick

 

To show compassion and concern, care and comfort it will always cost you something and sometimes it can cost you dearly. To demonstrate Christ-like compassion requires a person to die to self and put the needs of others before their own. Your focus must be on someone else and their situation, not you and your situation. To manifest the fleshly behaviors and attitudes of criticism, condemnation and angry argumentation often comes naturally for us and all too easily. A heart softened by God’s grace and empowered by God’s love can minister to others in a most godly fashion.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“…the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

Psalms 33:11

 

We face so many uncertainties in this life it is good to know something is firmly established. God’s plans for the world and for us will stand forever. What a great hope this gives us that the plans God has for us will be directed by His will and enabled by His power. It is also good to know that the purposes of His heart will continue for all of time because His heart is good, pure, holy, loving, just and righteous. When life seems so fragile and inconstant, we can rest in the fact that God is in control and His plans and purposes will stand forever.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 13

 

“A fundamental and foundational virtue is honesty. It is truthfulness in word and deed. It includes an absence of deceit and a respect for that which belongs to others.”

Mike Randall

 

We are called by the Lord as servants of His to be virtuous in all we do. One of the traits of virtue is honesty. Honesty is truly the best policy. We must be honest in all aspects of our lives, in our financial dealings, in our relationships, in our work ethic and in our service in ministry. Honesty is living truth out in our actions and in our spoken word. Pure honesty is devoid of any deceit or misinformation. Honesty respects both the emotions and reputation of others as well as their belongings. Let us be honest in all we do as Believers and remember that we are to also speak the truth in love at all times.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.”

Proverbs 30:5-6

 

The words of men are not always reliable but God’s words are infallible and embody truth. God states He will protect those who take refuge in Him and because His word is flawless we can believe it and rely upon it. We are instructed in this verse not to add to His words or He will prove us to be a liar. When we mix our words, interpretations and insights in with the Lords and claim they are all divine, we blaspheme our Heavenly Father. Only God’s words are divine. Let us always quote the words of God accurately and appropriately and make sure we identify our words as supplemental human comments of limited wisdom. Over and over again God proves false teachers as liars for they mix their words in with the Lords and twist godly wisdom to serve their selfish sinful pursuits.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 14

 

“The devil is nimble; he can run apace; he is light of foot; he hath overtaken many….They that would have heaven must run for it.”

John Bunyan

 

James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us, but we must not linger in his presence to test him nor our faith. The devil is not to be trifled with, so while we are resisting Him and waiting for him to flee, let us run with all persistence and determination towards heaven. If our focus is on running down the King’s highway towards the Lord’s residence we will always stay ahead of the devil as he strives to keep pace and distract us from our godly goal. Eventually he will flee, but not after he has made every attempt possible to slow us down or cause us to trip and fall.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and tell the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, ‘Will you not learn a lesson and obey my words?’ declares the LORD.”

Jeremiah 35:13

 

Here the Lord is telling Jeremiah what to communicate to His chosen people. They have persistently disobeyed Him, ignored His instructions and failed to respond to His acts of mercy. So now God is giving them a warning in regards to learning a lesson from their previous acts of rebellion and disobedience. These would be uncomfortable words to hear in our own lives if we were acting in a similar fashion. God is loving, compassionate and caring, but He is also just, righteous and holy. He commands us to obey His Word, to honor Him with our lives and decisions and to walk in a path that brings Him glory and honor. May we never hear these words in our thoughts uttered by the Holy Spirit nor in our hearts by the convictions we feel from God’s Word. May we seek to show our love and commitment to the Lord by humble obedience.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

April 15

 

“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men, more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of Providential agency.”

George Washington

 

It is very true and continues to be that God has His providential hand on America. But we are drifting quickly away from our original commitment to our Heavenly Father and I am afraid that if we digress too much further, God will life His hand of provision and guidance and replace it with a hand of discipline. Or worse yet…remove it altogether and let us rest in the consequences of our poor choices, eroding morality and abandonment of Christian ideals. The same is true for us as individuals. God will bless and provide for us as we remain faithful to Him, but as with Israel, He can replace the hand of blessing with a hand of chastisement or worse yet, let us fall into the consequences for unwise choices and disobedience.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”

Psalms 45:1

 

What a beautiful verse. Our heart can be stirred by a noble theme as it meditates on God’s Word. As we recite His scripture verses through our actions and words, God writes His words with what we say and ministers with our hands, His love. May we be so consumed with the Lord that this beautiful verse is embodied in all we do, say and think.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 16

 

“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling ‘darkness’ on the wall of his cell…”

C. S. Lewis

 

C. S. Lewis presents us with a great analogy. People are often in denial and assume the universe revolves around them. God doesn’t exist to them because they refuse to believe in Him, but God exists none-the-less. You may refuse to believe in the sun as you place your thumb over its image in the sky, but it exists in spite of your meager efforts. You may adamantly refuse to worship and serve the Creator, but His overwhelming glory, purity, power and presence is manifested all around you. His mercy is available to even the skeptics if they will but humble themselves and acknowledge Him as Lord. Stubborn unbelief is dangerous, it blinds the eyes, makes the heart callous and numbs the heart. May we pray for those who are of such a mindset and may we humbly pray we never fall into the same confusion and deception.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

^“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Romans 12:1

 

This urging command by Paul is established on the foundation of God’s mercy. If we truly believe in the loving and compassionate mercy of God what else would we do but present our bodies willingly and completely to the Lord as a living sacrifice to Him. A living sacrifice is not burnt up and consumed in one minute, one hour or one day, it is continually being offered up every single moment as we live. We must also consider the condition of what we offer to the Lord as well in the words; “holy and pleasing.” We are to offer a holy life based on God’s Word and lived out in obedience to Him. This is therefore a pleasing sacrifice that is acceptable to Him and therefore we are worshipping Him in spirit and truth. We benefit from such sacrificial dedication for it brings us godly joy, pleasure and contentment.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 17

 

“A God all mercy is a God unjust.”

Edward Young

 

What Edward Young is telling us is that while God is love, He is also perfectly just. If God were only love, there would be no justice. God is perfectly balanced in His character. He loves people perfectly, hates sin perfectly and is totally perfect in His justice. A God of only love would allow sin to run rampant without ever any penalty for its consequences. Be assured that our God of love is also a God of perfect justice. We must also consider the alternate fact that a God who was only just would not be a loving God. God sent His Son to die for our sins so that He could love sinners in an intimate manner because Jesus paid the debt for sins and this allowed God to be just and loving perfectly.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.”

Titus 3:10

 

This scripture gives us the advice that there is a limit what we have to endure with people who are divisive, argumentative, ungodly, rebellious to the gospel and rude. We must speak the truth in love and warn them of their behavior not once, but also a second time, then avoid association with them because they are nonresponsive to God’s love given through you. The main point is that there comes a limit to what we can do when a person is rebellious and unwilling to listen to reason. A boundary has to be set in this type of relationship and God will give us the wisdom when to set it.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 18

 

“Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.”

Winston Churchill

 

Often we never learn the truth upon first exposure. We tend to ignore truth until we can no longer avoid it. God’s existence in creation is very apparent, yet many men deny He exists. The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ has been established as a truth, but the world views it as speculation. God’s Word is full of truth and wisdom, yet people continually ignore its advice and instruction. Many people have read the Bible but unfortunately few have taken to heart what it says. Even we as Christians read truths in scripture or are taught truths every Sunday in sermons but we fail to put it into practice in our lives. Let us not be known as servants of Christ who stumble over the truth and hurry off, let us embrace the truth, engrave it on our hearts and be about the business of serving Christ our Savior and bringing honor and glory to our Heavenly Father as we let the Holy Spirit fill us with His passion.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

Acts 2:22-24

 

On the day of Pentecost Peter makes this proclamation which is the foundation for our faith as Christians. Jesus was a man whose credentials were miracles, wonders and signs, but He was also God in the flesh for even though He was dead he was raised from the grave. Numerous evidence in scripture verifies His deity. God’s only Son was the only one who could pay the penalty for our sins because He was pure, perfect and holy. He was the complete sacrifice for the sins of the world. People debate the deity of Christ and the purpose He came to earth, but one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 19

 

“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and the angels know of us.”

Thomas Paine

 

Reputation is what we often fertilize in our life to hide the true character we possess. Men and women can be fooled by our external behavior at times and our reputation may not fully represent our character. But God and possibly His angels know all too well who we really are. God knows our heart. He knows what dwells within our mind. He knows the deepest parts of our soul and what resides within it. May we be more concerned about our character than our reputation. May we also let our character be molded by the reading and application of the Word of God. May our character be formed by the influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. May our character be modeled after the character of Jesus Christ our Lord and Master. May we humbly submit to such molding, forming, influencing, guiding and modeling through the power of regeneration of our Heavenly Father.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear.”

John 18:10

 

Here we see Peter responding without thinking and in a violent manner. Damage was done and a mistake was made. Jesus had to heal the injury and chastise Peter. How similar this is to some of the mistakes we make when we fail to think as Christ. Our wrong thinking can often get us into trouble and cause injury because we have failed to consider all aspects of a situation. If keep in step with the Holy Spirit, remain in fellowship with our Heavenly Father, pattern our actions after that of Christ and let Holy Scripture seep deeply into our mind, we will very likely avoid most rash actions that lead to costly mistakes and damaging injury to those around us. May we have the passion of Peter, but the wisdom of Solomon and the dedication of Paul.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 20

 

“No word, outside the Bible, is authoritative in the realm of the soul.”

John MacArthur

 

This is a great truth. There are self-help books on the shelves of thousands of book stores offering wisdom from the world. There are magazine articles written by thousands of writers offering advice and help for those that seek wisdom. There are speakers, teachers and self-proclaimed gurus that offer advice from a plethora of man-made sources. But when it comes to the your soul, there is but one book, one source, one avenue for true authoritative wisdom to be found and that is in the Holy Bible. It is such a shame that so few seek it out and it is even a greater shame that many Christians fail to run to it for counsel, comfort, wisdom, knowledge and the truth that is contained within its pages. Let all of us as Believers open our Bibles on a regular basis. Dust should never be found on such a holy and necessary book.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

” Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?”

Proverbs 8:1

 

Here in Proverbs holy godly wisdom is compared to a woman shouting on a street corner to all that pass. I get a picture of wisdom desperate to save people from man-made folly, misguided guided advice and false teaching. I can almost hear the desperation in her voice as she observes people ignoring the wisdom of God and walking off to their own destruction. How often do any one of us behave in this fashion? How many times do we know what we should do and fail to listen to what we have learned from the Lord? How many times does the Holy Spirit convict us, but we cover our spiritual hears from hearing? How many times do we hear good Christian counsel from friends or a pastor and run off down our own path because we want what we want? Let us stop in our tracks immediately when we hear the wisdom of God shout to us and proceed not just to listen, but also to obey.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 21

 

“He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”

Benjamin Franklin

 

It is good to have a healthy self-image and self-respect, but if we don’t recognize our imperfections and faults we begin to fall in love with ourselves. This might be called “The World Revolves Around Me” disease. Philippians 2 encourages us to have the same mindset as Christ when we view ourselves, to seek humility by dying to self and putting others first. God does not want us to beat ourselves up because of our faults, but He does want us to realize that we are not perfect and need to place the needs of others above ourselves. A Christian should never be in love with themselves for it would be an indication their love for Christ has diminished and they are ignoring the needs of others around them.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

Matthew 25:13

 

While we may be aware of the season of Christ’s return to earth we will not know the exact date or time. God knows only too well if we knew the exact second of Christ’s return we would put off our spiritual growth very likely postponing our prayer, scriptural study, ministry and therefore our growth in faith and sanctification. If we keep watch with expectation we will have the excitement of waiting for the Lord’s return plus the motivation to remain steadfast in running our spiritual race. Let us be about the process of growing in Christ, becoming sanctified and expecting, at any moment, the Lord’s return.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 22

 

“Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask!”

Billy Graham

 

How many of us should take this word from Billy Graham to heart? How often have we been distressed, disturbed, concerned, fretful, worried, emotional, afraid and tense simply because we have not made the time to pray to God for an answer. It is true He does not always answer immediately, but possibly in such times, that is part of the answer. Prayer connects us with God and then our trust and faith must be applied to wait for His answer in His time. In the waiting for an answer there is spiritual growth, reflection and an awareness that God is waiting with us for the right time to reveal the answer. To know that answers to our problems, questions and concerns are laying in heaven waiting to be delivered to us, but remain there because we have not made time to pray should convict us to fall to our knees readily and humbly right now. Do you have a concern, a need, a conflict you need an answer to? Pray.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Even before the mountains came into existence, or you brought the world into being, you were the eternal God.”

Psalms 90:2

 

There are many so-called gods that mankind believes in, but there is only one true eternal God. He is the God of the Bible. He is the only true God that has existed forever and will last forever. He had no birth or creation for He is eternal, the Alpha and Omega. Not only is He eternal, His character is eternal and never changes. It does not shift like clouds or smoke. He is just, righteous, loving, pure, holy, all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful and omnipresent. To know that this magnificent God who is beyond our imagination loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die for our sins is overwhelming, but again, this is part of who He has always been. How can you help not believe in Him and what His Son did for you?

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 23

 

“If we do not die to ourselves, we cannot live to God, and he that does not live to God, is dead.”

George MacDonald

 

We are dead spiritually if we do not accept the Gospel of Life. Jesus Christ embodies eternal life and He is who we accept to gain it. Once we do, we begin the process of dying to self and living to God. If we fail to die to self we call into question our commitment to God. Do you know someone who is spiritually dead? Share with them the Gospel of Life that comes only from knowing Christ as Savior and Lord. They have a choice for life or for death. Help them choose wisely by your own example of dying to self and living to God as a Believer.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“You have stored my tears in your bottle and counted each of them.”

Psalms 56:8

 

It is comforting to know that God counts and records each tear that flows from our eyes. Whether it is heartache from a broken relationship, sadness from the loss of a loved one or a heavy burden from a storm of life, God sees each tear and takes special note of it. He intervenes when prudent, comforts when necessary and gives strength when required to help us through the difficult times of our lives. Our tears do not fall upon our cheeks without our Heavenly Father compassionately ministering to us at all times. Let us take heart when tears come, that God is close by our side.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 24

 

“Many would be scantily clad if clothed in humility.”

Author Unknown

 

Can you imagine if our humility were our clothes how adequately would we be dressed? Would some of us be stark naked as we went around our business because humility is so foreign to us. Very likely those we know who are known for their humility would be dressed very nicely and properly compared to us. May we seek this godly trait of having and exhibiting godly humility. We do this as we recognize our position before our Heavenly Father and as we strive to love others as ourselves while placing their needs above our own. Selfish pride cannot be found in someone clothed in humility.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”

1 Timothy 1:15

 

We probably don’t consider ourselves the worst of sinners as Paul did. I wonder if this is another example we should follow. Not that we should degrade ourselves by focusing on our sins and imperfections, but having a true picture of who we were before Christ became our Savior and how the sinful flesh we battle has a propensity to drag us back into the gutter from which we came. A healthy understanding of who we are in Christ and who we were before we accepted Christ is a contrast that can motivate and stimulate us to live as we are called, holy and righteous as a child of our Heavenly Father. May we never take for granted the purpose Christ came into the world, to save the worst of sinners from their sins which includes you and I.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 25

 

“Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.”

Charles Wesley

 

Do I have this type of enthusiasm for the Lord? Do you? I wonder how much more our churches would be full on Sundays, how many of our small group Bible studies would overflow with people and how much increased influence the Christian faith would have on society if we caught fire with a greater enthusiasm for the Lord. People would very likely, as Charles Wesley says here, come for miles to see us burn for the Lord. May we seek to live passionately for Christ each day and burn for Him.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Jesus wept.”

John 11:35

 

Such a short verse but so full of emotion and knowledge of our Savior. Jesus was not impersonal, He was capable of feeling and expressing all the emotions we experience. Here we see Him responding to the death of a friend by weeping. He possibly was also weeping because He knew the heartache present in the family of this treasured friend. He also wept because He was knew that death was one of the consequences of the curse on creation for sin. It is good for us to know that we have a Lord and Master who weeps with us and understands full well the meaning of loss through death. Even though Jesus knew He could and would raise Lazarus from the grave, He empathized and sympathized with our humanness in the grief felt when a loved one dies. What an amazing Savior we have who has the power over Creation and death, yet relates to our condition so well. Praise God for the sacrifice of His only son, Jesus Christ who was both human and God in the flesh.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 26

 

“Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.”

C. S. Lewis

 

Discord results when people fail to forgive. Tension mounts, stress creeps in and relationships begin to wither when we fail to forgive others who have wronged us or when we fail to receive forgiveness. The gospel of Christ is all about forgiveness. God forgives us when we accept His Son’s sacrifice so we in turn, should forgive others around us. This should be one of the core ministries of any Christian in this world of enmity and strife…forgiving those around us. If we make this a holy habit and lifestyle, it is very likely others will seek to forgive us as well when we do things we shouldn’t do. May God grant us the power and grace to forgive and may we humbly ask for forgiveness when we have failed.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus.”

Philemon 4-5

 

Paul has some precious words of love here for his brother in Christ Philemon. Paul includes Philemon in his prayers and is always thankful for him because of the witness he has demonstrating his love for others and of his witness of strong faith in Christ. The question is, as we pray do we remember our Christian brothers and sisters in our prayers in a similar fashion. As we pray, do people come to mind who are faithful and steadfast in their trust in our Heavenly Father and do we thank God for them? As we pray, do people in our church, Bible study or on our ministry teams who show dramatic love for us and others come to our mind, and do we thank God for them. How would it make you feel if you knew that you were in the thoughts and minds of other Christians and they were thanking God they knew you and that God was using you to bring Him glory. I suggest each of us sometime today, seek to pray for those Christians we know who love other Christians and are strong in their faith.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 27

 

“Faith is the silver thread upon which the pearls of the graces are to be hung. Break that, and you have broken the string — the pearls lie scattered on the ground.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

 

Faith in God is the foundation upon which our lives are lived. God’s graces flow through our life if we have sustained and persistent faith in Him. When our faith is tarnished, tattered or torn we struggle because we have grown distant from the Lord. When we draw close to our Heavenly Father, seek His face, draw strength from His protection and claim His promises our faith is nurtured, established and empowered. May we always seek to keep the strand of faith in our lives centered on the work of Christ, focused on our loving Father and open for the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.^”

Jude 22-23

 

Jude is issuing this command to Christians who must seek to rescue those who have been led astray by false teachers in the local churches. The same command is our responsibility as well. We will encounter young Christians who will doubt their faith at times and our responsibility is to mercifully help them doubt their doubts and believe their beliefs. Other Christians we come in contact with will have moved beyond doubt and are in the beginning stages of walking down a dark path. Here our responsibility is to snatch them from this dangerous course of action through loving confrontation with the truth. There are still others that have let their doubts lead them down dark paths and they are in the midst of horrible sin and spiritual confusion. To these we must show mercy combined with a fear for the state they are in and the risk we take ourselves. We must attempt to bring them back to faith in God. We are to hate the sin, but love the sinner and this is often difficult to accomplish, but necessary none the less.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 28

 

“The more worldly pleasure we enjoy, the less satisfied and contented we are with life.”

Billy Graham

 

To some of us this quote by Billy Graham might not make sense, but if you read it with Christian eyes you’ll understand the wisdom. Worldly pleasures are just that, temporary and fleeting pleasures that are enjoyable for awhile but they are not ultimately fulfilling to the soul. There are pleasures, interests, hobbies and pursuits in the world that are fine to involve ourselves in, but the more time we spend with them the more they can encroach on our time with the Lord. Everything has a place and our relationship with the Lord must be not only our center, but also our constant focus. Contentment with life comes only from an intimate relationship with the Lord and when we do make some time to enjoy the pleasures of life, He should be by our side.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”

James 3:13

 

True wisdom is demonstrated and apparent when it is observed in godly behavior. Another verification of this wisdom is the humility that is heard in the kind words that are said and the good deeds that are done. If our wisdom comes from the Lord and not from ourselves, it will be verified that the Holy Spirit lives within us and that we are submitted to His pure and perfect will and guidance. May we pray that we can become wiser each day as we submit to the Lordship of Christ, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the authority of our Heavenly Father.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 29

 

“Teach us, O Lord, the disciplines of patience, for to wait is often harder than to work.”

Peter Marshall

 

Most of us are very hard workers at our job, in the yard and around the house, but the discipline of patience can often overwhelm us. Physical work relies upon our motivation to use our physical strength. Patience relies upon our spiritual gifts of love, compassion, faith, humility, forgiveness and holiness. Possibly it is hard for most of us to be as patience as we should because we have not grown in these spiritual areas. Peter Marshall here makes a request for all of us, that our Heavenly Father will teach us in His perfect patient and loving manner, the discipline of patience so that we might grow in our relationship with Him as well as with others.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Do not quench the Spirit.”

1 Thessalonians 5:19

 

How do you quench the Spirit? I believe it is when we fail to listen to His instruction and prompting. Do you feel quenched in spirit when a friend or family member does not listen to your wise instruction and advice? I believe we quench the Spirit when we fail to talk and share our lives with the Holy Spirit. Do you feel quenched in spirit when someone close to you ignores your efforts to communicate or seems disinterested in communicating with you? I also believe we quench the Spirit when we fail to nurture our relationship with Him. Do you feel quenched in spirit when someone significant in your life withdraws their attention and seems to be fading in their commitment to you? Let us listen to the Holy Spirit’s wise guidance at all times. Let us speak to the Holy Spirit and share our innermost thoughts with Him. Let us have a passion for the Holy Spirit, to get to know Him intimately and substantially. If we make these holy habits, I believe not only will we not quench the Spirit, we will be better servants of our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

 

April 30

 

“A godly thought is an unseen treasure of an upright man.”

Julie Shannahan

 

We all have thoughts that float through our minds at times. It is the godly thoughts that we should treasure and dwell upon. As we grow in the Lord and the frequency of such godly thoughts becomes more common, we are blessed with these valuable treasures that flow from a heart, mind and soul focused on our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our most precious Comforter, the Holy Spirit. These unseen thoughts though hidden from those around us are manifested in the words we say, the deeds we do and the impressions we make. May we seek to dwell upon godly thoughts.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

“Let another praise you and not your own mouth.”

Proverbs 27:2

 

When we boast and praise ourselves we become the smallest cheering section for selfishness and the value of such praise is basically worthless. On the other hand, when we let praise and honor come from the mouths of others the veracity and value of such praise is beyond compare.

Michael K. Farrar, O.D.