MAY DAILY DEVOTIONS
DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE MONTH OF MAY
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.
May 1
“God sweetens outward pain with inward peace.”
Thomas Watson
Pain, struggle, hardship and the storms of life are never pleasurable, but they are opportunities to seek the Lord for comfort, provision and peace. There is an amazing ability God has of giving us a peace that passes our meager human understanding that can sweeten any pain we might have in our difficulties. To be aware that He knows what is happening, that He cares for us and is seeking to help us through such times is not only a great comfort, it also can sweeten the pain. This does not take the pain away, but it can reduce the sting and hurt of it.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
This amazing verse establishes several crucial Christian core doctrines. First, the Word is in reference to Jesus Christ God’s Son and this verse establishes that He has always existed. Secondly, Jesus Christ the Living Word was with God from eternity past. Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, Jesus Christ the Son of God was God completely and absolutely. Many false teachers attempt to twist and contort this passage to mean something else, but the original Greek language is strong with its meaning that Jesus Christ is the Living Word. He has always existed and He is God!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 2
“What good are Greek, commentaries, insight, gift, and all the rest, if there is no heart for Christ?”
Jim Elliot
It is true that we can study the original Greek and Hebrew texts of the Bible but without a heart for Christ it is simply original information. We can have a house full of commentaries on scripture but without a heart for Christ it is simply words of man about God’s Word. We can have intelligent insight about spiritual matters but without a heart for Christ it is simply human impressions. We can have gifts of expression, be it in ability to speak and teach or in the area of writing, but without a heart for Christ they are but simple words printed or spoken. A heart for Christ passionately seeks Him, obeys Him, loves Him, serves Him, is filled with Him. May we have a heart for Jesus Christ so that all we do has godly application and impact.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”
Acts 2:36-37
Here we see Peter addressing a large crowd of people with the fact of Jesus being established by God as Lord and Messiah. Convicted by Peter’s statements they are convicted to respond and ask, “What shall we do?” Peter told them what they must do and almost 3,000 people accepted Christ as their Savior. The question for you and I is, if we are convicted that this statement is true, “What are we to do?” How does knowing Christ is Lord and Messiah affect the way we live, work and recreate? How does it affect our relationships with others? How does it affect the way we deal with trials and struggles? How does it affect how we manage our time. I suggest you and I need to evaluate daily what we are to do in response to the fact that Christ is Lord.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 3
“A God all mercy is a God unjust.”
Edward Young
We know that God is love, but He is more than this, He is also just. If God were only merciful then all manner of person would be allowed into Heaven. We would have the righteous and the unrighteous mingling in a mass of confusion and in contradiction to the holiness of God. God is merciful and expresses this mercy through the sacrifice of His Son who paid the debt for sin. The penalty of rejecting this sacrifice and God’s mercy is a just punishment, eternal death in Hell. This illustrates that God is a just God, that He is holy as well as full of mercy. There is a balance in all the characteristics of His personhood and these are illustrated for us in scripture, by the witness of His Son Jesus Christ and by the presence of the Holy Spirit in His servants.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Philippians 2:3-4
What a challenging passage. Imagine what the world would be like if all Christians were able to obey God and live up to this passage every moment of every day. It calls us to do “nothing” out of selfish desires or for personal gain. This means every area of our life that we deal with anyone else. This means we must die to self every day in all we do and let Christ rule and the Holy Spirit lead us. What we are called to do with godly humility is to value those around us more than ourselves. We are not to look out for our own interests first, but the interest of others before our own. While this is an impossible task when we look at our abilities, resources and motivations, God would not command us to do this if He did not think it was within our grasp. The power, ability and motivation to do this lies within the submission to the will of our Heavenly Father, living as our Savior Jesus Christ, walking in the Holy Spirit and obeying the entire content of the Holy Scriptures. May we seek to obey these few verses and see how the world around us is transformed.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 4
“Let us preach you, Dear Jesus, without preaching….not by words but by our example.”
Mother Teresa
Preaching and teaching is vitally important to the spread of the gospel, but unless it is backed up by holy living it lacks evidence that it can impact a person’s life. When we live holy, pure, righteous lives as Christians we adorn the gospel with jewels of obedience and love that shine like rubies and sapphires. This makes the gospel attractive to those around us and dispels any criticism they might have of scripture or Jesus Christ. Let us live as Christ lived empowered by the Holy Spirit for without the Spirit of God we are helpless to live the life to which we are called.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.”
Proverbs 20:15
Precious metals and rare jewels are stockpiled around the world. We wear these valuables on our fingers and our necks. We treasure them more than we should possibly because it is rare to hear someone speak knowledge and wisdom. May we see this proverb as a challenge to ground ourselves in God’s Word so that we can gain wisdom and knowledge that can be spoken. As we gain such godly knowledge, let us be bold to speak it for hiding such wisdom is withholding a great treasure from those who need it so badly. Let us also remember that unless we live what we say, the veracity of our words will fall limp to the ground.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 5
“Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue. Gods voice in response to mine is its most essential part.”
Andrew Murray
How often do we view prayer as a monologue where we talk to God not expecting Him to reply? If we pause for a moment or two during our prayers very likely we will hear the Holy Spirit speak to us. Sometimes He uses scripture. Sometimes He speaks through our conscience that has been quickened by His influence. Sometimes He will help us recall memories of lessons He has taught us before. Sometimes He will give us a check in our own spirit about what we are praying about. However He might work, we can quench His influence and guidance if we don’t stop praying and listen for Him to respond during our prayers. Let us let God speak to us in our prayers.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”
2 Thessalonians 3:5
Paul is communicating in this passage how he is praying for Christians in Thessalonica. He is praying that God will direct their hearts in two ways. First, into God’s love. He is praying that the Lord will direct their hearts to be immersed in God’s love. When we are bathed in God’s love, we love others better, we love ourselves in a proper manner, we love in our thoughts more purely, we love in our actions more compassionately, we love in our words more tactfully. When our hearts are directed into God’s love what emerges is a person who is Spirit led and Spirit filled. Secondly Paul prayed that the Lord would direct their hearts into Christ’s perseverance. To have our hearts directed into Christ’s perseverance means that our stamina, strength and power to endure hardship, overcome the trials of life and to walk the road of holiness are made easier because Christ’s perseverance is now our perseverance. May we pray in this manner for each other as often as possible.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 6
“Do you seek any further reward beyond that of having pleased God? In truth, you know not how great a good it is to please Him.”
John Chrysostom
Our main motivation in life should be to seeking to please our Heavenly Father. If that is our main focus and goal, all other priorities, needs, desires and achievements fall into place. A man or woman who has a passion for pleasing the Lord will experience great blessings. Even if hardships and trials come, a person seeking to please the Lord will be sustained by the pleasure and joy of living for God in all areas of their life. May each of us give evidence of our great salvation by how we live for God the Father, Jesus Christ our Savior and the precious Holy Spirit.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.”
2 Peter 3:10
A thief will surprise you. He will appear without warning. Such will be the day when Christ returns to earth. While we will know the season of His second coming, we will not know the year, week, day, hour or minute. Many men and women over the years have attempted to predict this “Day of the Lord” but have not only failed, but caused much distress and confusion by making such attempts. Our task as Believers is to joyfully anticipate this day, serve Him faithfully until it comes and tell others that it will come as a thief in the night so they need to be prepared.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 7
“The Lord gives his people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to him.”
Dwight L. Moody
Critics of Christianity often state that it is a horrible burden to walk in the path Jesus walked. They claim it is restrictive and narrow-minded. But they fail to see the precious benefits of living a godly life. When we live within the boundaries God lays down, we walk in joy protected from results from sinful living. Walking as Jesus walked provides meaningful opportunities to experience God’s presence for we are not in opposition to Him, but living as He ordained us to do so. When we love the Lord as we are called to as followers of Christ we seek to obey Him and this is no burden but a privilege and honor. The human spirit, heart, mind and soul is most at peace, full of joy and lighthearted with courage when walking in obedience to the Creator of the Universe.
“But our citizenship is in heaven.”
Philippians 3:20
There is a temptation for followers of Christ to forget their true citizenship. Whenever we fail to be aware of who we are in Christ we begin to think in a fleshly manner, focusing on the world around us and seeing things with earthly eyesight. We must seek to cultivate a heavenly sight that is nourished by our relationship with our Lord, Master and Savior Jesus Christ so that we remember that our true citizenship is in heaven. This means we understand on a regular basis that we are aliens in this earthly life, that it is just a temporary place we walk as we live in obedience to God’s Word waiting to be taken to our true eternal home.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 8
“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.”
Chuck Swindoll
It seems that life is full of impossible situations. Whether it be home life, work, recreation or random events, life seems to thrive on throwing impossible situations our way. Usually we respond to such tests, trials and horrible situations with stress, angry complaints or depressed attitudes rather than as Pastor Swindoll suggests looking upon them as great opportunities. How does one do such a thing? I would say that such impossible situations beg us to ask questions. How is God going to work in this situation? How does God wish me to respond? What would Jesus do in such a dilemma? How does God’s Word apply in this situation? By seeking God in prayer, reading His Word, submitting to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and finding a mature Christian to ask for advice, we can grab the opportunities in the worst of impossible situations and not only bring glory to God, but see how powerful God can work in and through us!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1
What a wonderful scripture verse that communicates to us both the love our Heavenly Father had for us but also the fact that we are His children. Notice the word “lavished.” God didn’t just make love us, He lavished in great measure with overabundance His love upon us. This is speaking of the “agape” love God has for us. Often we seek to compare God’s love to the love defined by the world. But God’s love is a magnificent, massive, overwhelming love that really cannot even be fully comprehended by our heart, mind and soul. What a great love this is from the perfect and pure holy God. He is our “Abba” our spiritual Father who cares and loves for us. This is our true identity as a follower of Christ. We are part of God’s family and we should never doubt or forget this great truth.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 9
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else.”
Charles Dickens
Sometimes we feel useless. We think we can’t be of any use to God or others, but there is always something we can do to lighten the life of another. When we feel useless one of the best things we can do is search for someone to serve. Find some person that needs a smile, a hug, a chore or task done, a service to be provided for them, even simple friendly conversation is treasured by those who are lonely. There are trillions of needs in the world and when we seek to fill those needs we become tools God can use for His glory. When we are used by God in service to others we will never feel useless. Let us be about this holy much needed work.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
Psalm 23:1
Most of us have a craving for more than we have. Because of this, we feel we lack many things, but if we have the Lord as our shepherd we really do lack nothing. Everything else we have besides the Lord is just icing on the cake of life. If we focused more on this most critical concept, our time would be managed much better, our belongings and hobbies would never seek to be an idol in our life and our skills and abilities would be poured more into people rather than self-entertaining recreation. May we seek to remember that if we have accepted the Lord as our Savior, He is always our shepherd and we truly lack nothing.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 10
“Words are like leaves and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is seldom found.”
Alexander Pope
The truth hidden in these words is that too many words spoken often hide or smother any common sense or truth. Basically he is saying that many of us talk way too much. We talk and talk and talk but bury any truth we are saying by the plethora of words. In order for me to avoid doing the same thing with written words, I will stop typing now…
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
You may have wisdom. You may have great understanding. But if you fail to let your humble deeds reflect such wisdom and understanding there is question whether you really possess any wisdom at all. Knowledge puffs up and great understanding can be used to feed our ego. It is through humble service and acts of kindness that the foundation of our wisdom is established. May our actions always reflect the heart of Christ, the love of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 11
“I am not a theologian or a scholar, but I am very aware of the fact that pain is necessary to all of us. In my own life, I think I can honestly say that out of the deepest pain has come the strongest conviction of the presence of God and the love of God.”
Elisabeth Elliot
While it is never pleasant, pain is necessary in our lives. It is part of the curse upon all creation for sin, but it has several other purposes as well. It can drive us to the Lord for comfort and help. So often we take Him for granted and pain reminds us of our frailty and need for Him. Pain can also develop our faith because it pushes us to trust in God and have faith that the only way we will get through the pain is if we place our lives in His hands and believe He will help us and sustain us through the pain. Without pain, would we wander far from Him and grow feeble in faith, very likely so.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”
Romans 11:34
I wonder how often any one of us has attempted to be a counselor to the Lord? Haven’t you in your prayers at times suggested to God what He needs to do or should do? While I believe He takes such advice with a grain of salt, we should remember with whom we are talking. Who has ever known the thoughts of God, His intentions, perfect will and the complexities of why He allows things to happen? We cannot be a counselor of our Heavenly Father, so humbly we come before Him in prayer and petition and request what we need and desire always submitting to the timing of His answer as well as the manner in which His answer is carried out. God is so patient with us in this regards and forgives many a word we say to Him I believe.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 12
“Revenge easily descends into an endless cycle of hate and violence. The Bible says never repay evil with evil.”
Billy Graham
Revenge is an external manifestation of the fruit of the sinful flesh. The flesh will hate and seek violence. This violent revenge may be through words or actions. It can be expressed directly against another person or indirectly behind their back. However you paint it, the substance of revenge is evil. We are never to repay evil for evil as a servant of God. Thoughts and emotions of hate in the Christian must be confessed and forgiven for if they are allowed to remain, they will fester internally and cause spiritual gangrene or eventually express themselves in vitriolic destruction.
“I ask that we love one another.”
2 John 5
All Scripture is divinely inspired and here we see the Holy Spirit speaking through John to make a simple yet critical request, that we love each other as Christians. Loving others is harder than we might think if we try and do it in through our limited human strength. It is so easy for imperfections in others to irritate us, their habits to drive us crazy and mistakes of the mouth or accidents in actions to cause us disturbance and distrust. We can truly love others if we allow God to guide us, the Holy Spirit to fill us and Christ to lead us in this love. There are great pleasures and joys to be found if we make the humble attempt to love others through the power of God. We will discover how amazing it can be to love others in God’s strength if we die to self and put others first.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 13
“That which is striking and beautiful is not always good; but that which is good is always beautiful.”
We tend to dwell on external beauty and are often mislead by it because beauty is truly only skin deep. A friendly smile can represent innocent friendly compassion or hide a devious wicked heart. Beauty on the outside can be pleasing to behold, but it can be an external facade that hides a most hideous heart. May our internal godly beauty be reflected in our godly countenance. May we place more importance on the internal character of a person rather than our skin deep perceptions of their external appearance. Good is always beautiful and those who are good and godly are most gorgeous!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”
Jude 1:6
I am so thankful that my God is all-powerful, powerful enough to keep demonic beings in everlasting chains waiting for judgment. Even those evil beings He allows to roam are on a leash and are unable to do uncontrollable damage. What little freedom He does give them is to further His divine and holy purposes. When we see evil in the world sometimes we question God’s goodness, but there are areas of God’s will we will never understand until we reach Heaven. The main thing for us to remember is that God is in absolute control and any evil done or evil being allowed to roam ultimately is part of God’s perfect will. We must trust our Heavenly Father that He knows best and will always protect us as one of His own.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 14
“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
Unfortunately as humans we open our mouth and let words escape from the heart that are not conformed to instruction from God’s Word nor the love of the Holy Spirit who lives within us as followers of Christ. Our minds which have not been fully transformed by God’s Word and the influence of the Spirit also can be harsh in opinions and judgments. It is the heart that is full of the love of the Lord, the mind that has been transformed by the Word of God and the soul that is in love with the Father that can show love in action, compassion in speech and understanding with a gentle touch. These are Christ-like qualities that come as we seek to be submissive to our Lord and Savior’s direction through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. May we all seek this path as we love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind and soul.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Jude 24
What an amazing scripture passage this is. Contained within its words is the foundation of our faith. Jesus Christ is able to keep us from stumbling in our walk with Him. Our responsibility is to rest upon and in Him. It is when we stray off the narrow path that we stumble. As we seek to stay close to Christ in all things, He can keep us from stumbling in life. He wishes to present us before Himself in Heaven without fault, sin or blemish as we have great joy in Him for what He has done in and for us. The second portion of this scripture is a great and glorious praise of God’s omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. Jesus Christ is God and His glory and majesty is overwhelming. His power and authority is massive. “Before all ages, now and forevermore” are words which reflect His eternal being. What a Savior we have!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 15
“If there were no God, there would be no atheists.”
G.K. Chesterton
Mr. Chesterton is such a wise man with words. One does wonder at times why atheists are so hot and bothered by those who believe in God. If there is no God, why be in such a huff to prove there is no God? If there were no God, as Chesterton says, then there would be nothing for atheists to disbelieve in. It is possible that the pride of man is completely fulfilled in the rebellious thought that God does not exist. Atheism is a total rejection of the obvious facts contained in the Creation that God does truly exist. Atheism is a mindless denial of the plethora of data supporting the veracity of Holy Scripture. Atheism is a heartless belief that there is a no love beyond our understanding. What would an atheist be without the God they deny? They would probably seek to deny their own existence. May we say a prayer for such individuals and ask that God deliver them from their delusion.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.”
Titus 2:11-14
What a marvelous scripture passage that illustrates how God’s grace is sufficient for all that ails us. God’s grace appeared in His Son taking on human form but retaining His deity. As God in the flesh He gave His life to save us from our sins. His holy walks serves as an example for us to follow as we let the Word of Christ dwell richly within us and as we are filled with the Holy Spirit. This causes us to say “NO!” to ungodly fleshly passions. The power of the Holy Spirit enables us to live like Christ, self-controlled, upright and godly in this horrible evil age. The power of the Spirit also gives us the patience necessary to wait for the fulfillment of our blessed hope when we will see the Son of God, Jesus Christ appear to claim His Kingdom and His children, we who are saved. What a marvelous exciting work Jesus Christ did on the cross when He gave Himself so that we might be redeemed and purified so that we might belong to Him. Such a work and power enables us to be eager to do what is good to demonstrate our love for Him!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 16
“If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think.”
Clarence Darrow
If you can’t laugh at yourself some of the time you have a major problem. If you can’t laugh at some of the struggles you have, you’ll become cynical and depressed. If you can’t laugh at anything you will have fallen into a stupor of negativism that will paralyze not only your ability to think but also to cope with life in general. Laughter is really good medicine. It provides relief, perspective, release and can encourage joy. God wants us to laugh when something is funny, especially when we make a mistake at times because it fosters humility. He also wants us to laugh when possible in the mist of a trial or hardship for it gives us release from the stress of the storm and encourages us to gain perspective on our difficult experience. Let us seek to laugh more often in our lives so we can be free to think more clear.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
” The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.”
Proverbs 15:14
What do we feed on, godly knowledge and meaningful pursuits or silly useless folly? There are some pretty ridiculous things the world makes available for us to feed on and to waste our time. This scripture tells us that if we are spending exorbitant amounts of time pursuing crazy, silly and ridiculous things we are a fool. I would much rather be known to have a discerning heart than to be categorized a fool. May we reduce and/or eliminate the things of folly in our lives and gain our self respect back as well as a better reputation.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 17
“Courage is about doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”
Eddie Rickenbacker
Christians should take this quote to heart. We are often placed in situations where we are fearful or scared. Our response should be to acknowledge the fear but move on with the courage God grants us. We will face situations of financial ruin, threats to our health, stress at our job, rejection in relationships and fear of the future that will tempt us to be scared to death at times. But knowing that we are a child of the King, a member of God’s royal priesthood and have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit should encourage us to have courage and with God’s help walk through the dark valley’s of life and trust in Him. This courage will be empowered by the belief that God will not only protect us but will help us work through our fear to emerge on the other side a better person than we were before.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13
Can you imagine holding the hand of God? How comforting this verse is. How empowering it is to us who often face trials and struggles that are too much for us to handle on our own. The Creator of the Universe not only is able, but willing to hold our hand and walk us through whatever we might face. We may think He has better things to do than to be concerned about us, but it is all about who He is. He loves us more than we can comprehend. He wants us to be victorious over trials. He stands ready, willing and capable of getting us through anything…and I mean ANYTHING! To read this verse and understand that He will hold our right hand no matter how hard life gets or what might get thrown at us or what we might get thrown into has to be encouraging. You MUST BELIEVE that God cherishes you so much that He will hold your right hand, will ask you to NOT FEAR and that He will impress upon you deeply, that HE WILL HELP YOU!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 18
"Guard your thoughts and there will be little fear about your actions."
J. C. Ryle
How does one guard his or her thoughts? I would suggest it is by taking every thought captive and making them obedient to Christ as stated in 2 Corinthians 10:5. The Holy Spirit also assists in this task as well, for He convicts and instructs us in the matters of life. When we allow the Word of God to transform our mind, give our bodies to the Lord as a holy sacrifice and stay in step with the Spirit our thoughts will be guarded and we will have little fear about what actions we might take in life. More Christians need to guard their thoughts.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life inChrist Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
When you study the Greek words for “wages” and “gift” in this verse you find out some interesting facts. First “wages” has association with the stipend, wages or rations a Roman soldier received for his service to Caesar. Secondly “gift” refers to a divine miraculous qualification for rescue from danger. When you think about this, it sheds some light on understanding the doctrine of salvation. People earn their way to Hell by living without Christ and rejecting His payment for their sin. These wages are given to them because their “Caesar” is something other than the Lord God Almighty. Their payment for their life choices and actions is death. On the other hand, there is no payment for accepting Christ as Savior and living a holy life of obedience to God’s Word, there is simply the free gift of divine rescue from the penalty of sins. This free gift is the undeserving status we gain from accepting Christ as our Savior. Not only are we granted this free gift of miraculous rescue from the dangers of Hell, the wages we have earned in our life for living in sin are removed from our account and placed on the shoulders of Christ Himself. What an honor it is to receive such a gracious gift from God and also have horrible wages we’ve definitely earned taken from us. May we thank the Lord for this free gift of salvation by living out our love and appreciation for Him and His mercy.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 19
“God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.”
D. L. Moody
When someone is full of themselves there is absolutely no room for God. Unless some space is allowed for God to reside in such a person there is no hope of transformation and reduction in the pride and arrogance that is present. Anyone can have this problem, even Christians. Sometimes religious pride can be even worse than worldly pride for it taints the witness of the Christian and tarnishes the Truth of Scripture. May we as Christians never be accused of being full of ourselves and if we have even the smallest hint of such pride may we ask the Lord to purge it from our heart, mind and soul. Humility is a godly virtue and cannot exist in the presence of selfish pride.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1
Here John is telling us to be cautious what we hear and see. We are to question everything by the Word of God. We are to test the spirit of a person, the content of what we read, the intent of what we see and the influence of who we are around. Two tests are important to apply. First what is being communicated concerning the person of Christ. Anyone or anything that alters the scriptural truth of Christ as both fully man and fully God or questions His ability to save by His work on the cross is of a different spirit. Secondly anything or anyone who attempts to either add or omit from the Bible is of a different spirit. These are two important tests that false teachers and false religions always fail.
Michael K. Farrar O.D.
May 20
“When men sought to make Him a king He fled; now that they seek to put Him to death He goes out to meet them.”
We must take this statement and hold it close to our heart, mind and soul for it is so true. Jesus avoided the accolades of kingship that were attempting to be placed upon Him by His followers. He had a more critical mission and ministry. If He had claimed an earthly kingship He would have undermined His Heavenly kingship. He came to earth to establish God’s Kingdom on earth but He knew He must first pay for the penalties of man’s sin. He was secure in His knowledge of the kingship that was to be His so denied the requests and attempts to make Him king on earth. He willingly stepped forward and died for you and me so that we could have the opportunity to become His servants. May we see in His example something we should apply to our own lives. Let us be willing to forgo status and attention on this earth so that our reward in Heaven will be greatly increased. Praise God for Christ’s willingness to die for each of us.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
Hebrews 10:14
There is a lot of meat in this short verse. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross makes it possible for those who accept Him as Savior to be viewed as perfect forever by the most holy God. We who are Christians, while perfectly justified, are in a process of being made holy. This is called the process of sanctification. Christ paid the penalty of sin to forgive the debt we owed God for our sin. This takes the burden of sin off of our account with God. This also gives us the blessing of knowing we are saved and forgiven and go about living for our Heavenly Father and becoming more holy each and every day. May we not tarnish the death of Christ by failing to obey God’s Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in the path of holiness on the King’s highway.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 21
“That which is striking and beautiful is not always good; but that which is good is always beautiful.”
Anne de l Enclos
This is especially true in our world today. People who are beautiful are not always good. Business deals which appear to be great and beautiful are not always good and wise. Activities that appear to be beautifully exciting and fun are not always good for you to participate in. But whatever is truly good is always beautiful. This beauty can be obvious or subtle. It can be peaceful or overwhelming. God has created good things that are always beautiful, godly, righteous and true. Let us seek the good things in life that come from our Heavenly father and not be swayed by what appears to be “good” but in essence is far from beautiful.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
1 Peter 3:8-9
This is a godly calling we have as followers of Christ. We are to seek to be unified in thought, to be like-minded in how we think and make decisions. We are to be sympathetic towards one another for this demonstrates Christ love for us and our love for each other as brothers and sisters in the faith. We care called to love each other as Christ loves us. This is an “agape” unselfish love which comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to be compassionate towards each other, holding up our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ when they are burdened by the trials of life, experiencing pain in illness, disturbed by troubling thoughts or dealing with the loss of a loved one. We are to be humble at all times, placing the needs of others above our own and not seek fame and glory for ourselves. We are not to seek revenge or do evil deeds to those who commit evil deeds towards us. We are not to respond to insults with insults, but be of sober mind and tongue always speaking the truth in love. When we repay evil treatment with blessings, we respond as Christ would in our situation. As we live like Christ we will reap an overwhelming blessing into our lives. Let us live in such a manner and receive peace, joy and hope.
Michael K. Farrar
May 22
“The church is the great lost and found department.”
Robert Short
What a great statement concerning the church! Churches really are a collection of those where were lost but have been found. We were lost in our sins, but Christ found us and saved us. To be lost is to be without hope, sentenced to death, full of discord, disappointment and death. To be found is to have hope, to receive life, to be filled with peace, patience and presence of the Spirit. Oh it is so good to be in such a department called the church where we are no longer lost, but have been found and claimed by our most holy and loving Savior Jesus Christ!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Romans 8:18
This is a most needed verse to focus on in times of trials. Life is full of situations and experiences that are most horrible and unbearable. In such times, to claim this scripture and comprehend that no matter how massively difficult a suffering we are in the midst of, it can’t compare to the glory that will be revealed in us when we reach our heavenly home as a follower of Christ. I would say we will look back with amazement at the sufferings we endured and wonder why we were so troubled and weak in our faith in such situations. But for now, our comfort lies in this scripture. Our faith in God sustains us in this hope, that no matter what we suffer and endure it does not compare to the glory that we are yet to experience in heaven.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 23
“In looking back upon the character of our prayers, if we do it honestly, we shall be filled with wonder that God has ever answered them. There may be some who think their prayers worthy of acceptance—as the Pharisee did; but the true Christian, in a more enlightened retrospect, weeps over his prayers, and if he could retrace his steps he would desire to pray more earnestly.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I believe what Charles Spurgeon is attempting to communicate is that our prayers should have a strong fragrance of humility in them. As you think about the prayers we pray, how often do we pray from God’s perspective? We should petition our Heavenly Father for healing and for needs, but do we have an attitude of submission when we pray? Do we honestly and compassionately pray for God’s will to be done most of all, whatever His answer may be, and are we willing to respect it and accept it. Is patience behind each prayer as well. How often are we nervous and anxious, not only over the answer we are expecting, but also over when the answer will come. Patient, compassionate, humble and persistent praying is needed more in our lives as Christians.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan.”
Judges 3:1
In the Old Testament God used ungodly nations to test the Israelites to work His will. He often used such nations to train His Chosen People for future tests that would be more strenuous. This may possibly be why ungodly people test us as well today. In your workplace, in your neighborhood or city, in your participation in recreation and hobbies there will be times when ungodly individuals will test your faith. We must be always ready to live our faith by the truth in scripture being guided by the Holy Spirit. Testing can grow faith if the response to the test relies upon godly strength and resources. May each of us pass these tests because we live for Christ, adhere to His Word and let the Holy Spirit lead.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 24
“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
Mr. Chadwick is so right. It seems that arguments, criticism and condemnation sit on the tip of our tongue so easily, ready to be unleashed to do trauma and harm. But when we are redeemed by the Lord the work begins of removing these pernicious problematic propensities from our hearts and minds so that they are prevented from being spewed forth from our mouth. As we are transformed by the cleansing of the Holy Spirit and obedience to the Word, compassion, love and patience dwell in our mouths ready to be sent forth to do ministry in the lives of others. It’s all about a heart and mind change that the Lord does in our life as we seek to obey Him and live by truth while being filled with the Spirit.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.”
Proverbs 23:3-4
If you apply this verse to yourself and contemplate that the house spoken of is your heart and mind it takes on a very personal application. Wisdom from God and His Word will build your life’s deepest passions and remodel your priorities and pursuits. Understanding God’s ways and His will establishes your life on a solid foundation. Knowledge of God’s truth not only fills the rooms of who you are as a person, but also every nook and cranny of it, if you truly seek the Lord. From this comes rare and beautiful treasures, not of jewels, coin or possessions, but of peace, contentment and purpose. These are the greatest treasures of life, for to be at peace with God and life, content with where you are at the moment and have a godly purpose for living is most valuable.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 25
“A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying in other words that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.”
Alexander Pope
It can be difficult at times to admit that we were wrong. The main source of this is our pride. If we are caught in a wrong the best way is to honestly and humbly admit the mistake and learn from it. We are wiser when we own up to the wrongs we do. When we deny we are to blame we begin a dangerous habit of failing to deal with reality. Avoiding the reality being wrong because of sinful pride will erode our faith, eat away at our submission to God and spoil our personality. Let us purge ourselves of pride and instead foster a life of absolute honesty. Then when we lay our head on our pillow at night we can sleep long and peacefully.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.”
2 John 1:12
You can’t beat face to face communication. Sometimes we avoid such intimate communication because we are attempting to avoid honest and open exchange of thoughts. There are other times when distance and circumstances prevent such face to face interaction. In our technological society we text and email so often we lose the personal contact that we so desperately need. Skyping now is an attempt to give video and audio interaction to support and foster friendships. While it is better than impersonal methods, it still can’t replace the atmosphere of face to face perceptions. Let us seek to follow John’s first century example and frequently communicate face to face with friends, relatives and our “significant other” rather than using more impersonal means. Very likely our joy will be much more complete if we do so. Scriptural recommendations are always right and true.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 26
“If there is any sin more deadly than envy, it is being pleased at being envied.”
Richard Armour
Envy is a deadly sin for it is a passionate lust for what someone else has or is. It is sinful desire that focuses on something we don’t have or are. It is rebellion against God’s will for our lives because it rejects where we are in life, who we are or what we have in life and that this is not sufficient for us. But an equally deadly sin is one of pride where we enjoy and take pleasure that others envy us. Pride takes glory that we have something others don’t have be it financial resources, material possessions, fame, good looks or status. Let us beware we do not fall into either the sin of envy or pride for both drive us away from God and reflect a rejection of God’s sovereignty over our lives.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“make my joy complete by being like-minded.”
Philippians 2:2
Paul had a great desire for Christians being united together in fellowship. He took great joy when they were loving one another and like-minded because then he knew that Christ was being obeyed, the Holy Spirit was directing their lives and that Christians were in a close relationship with their Heavenly Father. Paul’s joy grew when he knew Christians were united in thought and deed because he knew God takes great joy in their godly behavior. When Christians are loving each other because they are all on the same page it affects their worship, their ministry and every aspect of their lives. Let us seek to foster joy in our relationships and churches by being like-minded as much as possible by relying upon the peace and grace of God and seeking to be understanding and loving towards one another.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 27
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
Colossians 2:6
This verse contains numerous precious truths. First, when we accept Christ as Savior we accept Him as Lord of our life. We’re not joining a Christian club or making Him a part of our life, we are committing to giving our lives to Him totally. To accept Him as Lord means He is our Master. Secondly, we our life must be one centered around Him thus our lives take root and gain strength from our relationship with Him. Thirdly, because we are saved by Him, because we live in Him, because we are built up and strengthened in our faith by Him, we overflow with thankfulness because of what He has done for us.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“There’s a way to preach the Bible unbiblically. You can use the Bible as the springboard for all kinds of ideas, can’t you? Look around in here and find something that fits your fancy and then launch a rocket off it. People say, ‘That was amazing, wasn’t it? Remarkable what he got out of that.’ Well of course it is because he put it in before he got it out.”
Alistair Begg
We all do this at times because we want to prove a point from our mind, not Gods, or we haven’t studied scripture properly to discern what it really has to say. We fall into this error when we come to the Bible with ideas we want supported rather than letting the Bible tell us the ideas that God wants us to have. Let us be careful how we handle the Word of God.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 28
“The minute you stop growing, you start dying.”
Howard Hendricks
This could be applied both physically and spiritually. When we are not growing in our faith, we are becoming stagnant. Stagnation in faith can lead to complacency and apathy. Let us continually seek to never stop growing in our faith in the Lord.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.”
James 1:22
We can deceive ourselves when all we do is listen to the Word of God and never put it into practice. You can sit in church or in a Bible study and hear all the great truths of the Bible but if you never take them to heart, make them a part of y…our life, and follow through with their instruction we can deceive ourselves that we are living the Christian life. Being a Christian is more than listening to the Word it is DOING THE WORD!
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
October 29
“There is an ache within my soul. A longing deep as rivers roll. An ancient song a song of praise. To hear Your voice, And see Your face.”
from song Benediction by Sheila Walsh
Do you and I have this ache within our soul? Is there a deep longing to sing an ancient song of praise that lives within our heart, that seeks to hear our Heavenly Father’s voice and see the face of Jesus? I pray it is so.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“I will praise you, O Lord with all my heart.”
Psalms 138:1
Let us not give partial offerings of praise, but give our all as we praise God with all our life, our hobbies, our recreation, our work and our relationships. Let us be a living sacrifice and willingly offer ourselves to Jesus each day. Let us not hold back anything of ourselves for if we are true Christians God possesses all of us, not just a fragment or part.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 30
“Lead from the front.”
Audie Murphy (Most decorated soldier of WWII)
These words of Audie Murphy could apply to us as Christians. We fight a spiritual war and a moral war as Christians. We need to be the first to stand against evil and sin. We need to lead from the front by living a life that glorifies God and seek to serve others – the gospel in action.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
”My heart is steadfast, O God.”
Psalms 108:1
We are steadfast when we rely upon God’s strength and power. He fights the battles, we are His vessel to fight. We endure struggles, hardships, trials and opposition when we remain steadfast in Him, His Word and His Holy Spirit.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
May 31
“As well might a gnat seek to drink in the ocean, as a finite creature to comprehend the Eternal God.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I doubt any of us will ever fully comprehend our Heavenly Father, but that is part of the mystery of knowing God, that He is bigger than our imagination, our minds or our ability to experience Him. What an privilege to be a child of such a BIG God.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.
“The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.”
Ecclesiastes 4:5
Hopefully none of us will ruin ourselves by folding our hands. Folding our hands symbolizes giving up on a challenging trial or thinking you have no need to work to provide for yourself. Christians should be known for their diligent work, tenacious courage and ability to overcome obstacles because of their God who empowers them to do so. Christians should be about the business of using their hands to minister and work, for they are the tools of the Master Himself.
Michael K. Farrar, O.D.