Let the Children Come

This devotional on allowing children to worship with their families has been moved to danieljkoren.com

God Character

This devotional on taking on "God's Character" and many more are now available at danieljkoren.com

The Greatest Joy

This devotional on raising a family now at danieljkoren.com.

Number the Beast

“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast” (Revelation 13:18).

Bible students have argued for years what the beast and his number 666 might mean. However, there may be a beast lurking in our personal lives that must be dealt with: debt. Most Americans have gotten themselves into debt and don’t know how to get back out. It almost seems as if “no man might buy or sell” unless debt gets involved (Revelation 13:17).

Now, I could quote Romans 13:8 and tell you to “owe no man any thing,” but I think must of us already desire a better life without monthly payments—or worse, collections calls. We’ve got to get rid of the mark of that beast named Debt. Many debtors refuse to take the first step, though. They are afraid to number their beast.

Do you know the tally of what you owe? What do you still owe on your appliances and furniture? How much do you have in credit card balances? Medical bills? School loans? What about that nagging $300 you borrowed from Uncle Larry? If we’d sit down and total up our bills, we could move to the next step of slaying the dragon.

I sat down and calculated my obligations the other day. Sure, I don’t like the fact that I’m still paying a medical bill from a couple years back and some other liabilities, but I also don’t like being a servant to any lender (Proverbs 22:7). After giving that monster a number (and I wish it was only $666) I sized it up and improved my game plan to bring it down piece by piece.

Obviously, this writing has not probed the depths of end-time events as the Bible passage truly means when discussing the world beast and number. Yet I don’t think any believer has really prepared for the Apocalypse if they think they will just fly away from their obligations when Jesus comes back. Let’s be free of debt and make sure there are no commitments tying us to this world. Once you’ve killed your debt monster you’ll enjoy a profound financial liberty and life as God intended for His people.

Master your money or it will master you.

Perfect Woman

This article on the Proverbs 31 woman has moved to my main page.

Jump Into the River

The Day of Pentecost is for everyone one. Did the Holy Spirit fall in the upper room or in the Temple?

Who Gets It?

“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

A diligent Bible reader will quickly discover that Jesus’ disciples soon cashed in on this promise when the Holy Ghost fell for the first time in Jerusalem. But what happened after that? The Bible records the stories of thousands who received this heavenly deluge. Today, more people receive the baptism of the Spirit each year than all those recorded in the Bible.

When Jesus introduced us to the promise of the Spirit, He made a key statement that explains exactly who receives this gift. Those who receive the Spirit come first with that rare little trait called “thirst.” Some consider the Holy Ghost as a casual discussion, an interesting possibility, or a doctrinal argument. Jesus, however, isn’t looking for us to just bring Him our minds regarding this gift. He’s not just looking for our faith. He’s looking for those who realize their need for His love, His joy, His peace, His kindness, and much more. Dehydrated from secularism and parched by pluralism, they are seeking a source that doesn’t burn them out and disappoint them in the end.

It’s easy to not thirst for more of God. We drink deeply of our busy lifestyles. Modern society takes a few sips at the fountain of self-indulgence, guzzles a gulp of lewd thinking, and washes it all down with a slosh of Hollywood. Perhaps if we de-carbonated our schedules and de-caffeinated our weekends we might be able to de-mystify certain passages of Scripture that seem to apply to someone else.

Many people who take up physical training or health improvement discover how good pure water can taste when they cut out commercial beverages. A life spent seeking first the Kingdom of God would be just as refreshing. Crave Him. Thirst. Want the Spirit of God more than anything and you will have Him. If a person today would concentrate on worshipping and praising God as those thirsty early Christians did, they too could take a deep drink of that Living River.

Do you want just a swig or the whole river?

Sweating the Small Stuff

“I struck you with blight and mildew and hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me.” (Haggai 1:6)

God sent the Prophet Haggai to the people of Israel to point out their inconsistencies. They had been working on rebuilding God’s Temple in Jerusalem, but, after some setbacks, began focusing on making a nice life. But the Lord was not blessing their efforts. Their crops were miserable looking, and their harvest was puny.

Contrary to the saying, “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” we do worry about little things. I can picture the Israelites studying what caused the mildew. Down at the farm supply, they were buying nematodes, antifungal powder, and spray disinfectants for their beans and peas. However, this blight and mildew outbreak wasn’t the problem, just an indication of it.

The problem? The people had forgotten God. They had come back to Jerusalem to build God’s house, yet they began building their own kingdoms. This could be at the root of many of our struggles today. Jesus said it this way: “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

How much time do we waste focusing on our problems rather than focusing on the solution? We want counseling for this and therapy for that. We need answers for this impossible situation and a miracle cure for another, when we really just need to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and others as our own selves. Blight and mildew (a.k.a. stress and worry) cannot live in a loving environment.

I’m amazed at the number of personal conflicts that could be resolved if we’d grasp this concept. Marriage counseling wouldn’t be so much needed if husbands or wives would pursue the Lord Jesus with all their energy and attention. Just by seeking out God’s ways, most “issues” in life manage to cure themselves. Have you gotten distracted from the most important pursuit? Stop reading that “Mildew for Dummies” book and pick up God’s Manual (the Bible). Quit dialing the Blight Hotline and place your call to Heaven today. You’ll be glad you did.

Don’t mistake symptoms for the disease.

Make God Glad

“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would… fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness,… That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you” (II Thessalonians 2:11-12)

Most believers know that our lives should give God glory. When you give God glory you are simply making God glad. We do a lot of things for reasons other than making God glad. We usually live only make ourselves happy. Think about children for example. Children who live to make themselves happy have few friends and frustrated parents. When children like to share and help out, they make joyful parents—and the children themselves are happy as well.

People do many religious things without even thinking about making God glad. For example, some religious people came to church reminding their leaders that they always fasted on a certain day each year. God spoke to them through the prophet and asked, “Did you do it for Me?—for Me?” (Zechariah 7:5).

The Lord Jesus asks us this same question today. Do we go to church for Him? or because we are expected to? We should give our tithes and offering to Him, not just to look good. Do we dress to be seen? to be popular? to show off the bling-bling? Or do we dress modestly to honor God?

When we spend money do we spend for us? Too often we spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need to impress people we don’t like. We should handle all our money in a way to make God proud: giving to the poor, investing, saving, paying off debt, and so on.

How do you use your time? How do you treat your family? How diligent are you at your work? When you read your Bible, is to please God, or just follow daily routine? Does your prayer life honor God? Do you worship and thank Him, or just tell Him what you want?

Have you ever seen someone come to a wedding just for the food? A wedding feast is held to honor the bride and groom, not to stuff your gut and take three plates home. God feels the same way when we look at the Bible as a self-help manual instead of a guide book to know Him better.

Live for His glory; you’ll be glad you did.

Rules vs. Relationship

This devotional on rules vs. relationship has been moved to danieljkoren.com.

Listen. Be Heard.

This devotional has moved to http://danieljkoren.com

Never Enough

      “You have sown much, and bring in little;
             You eat, but do not have enough;
             You drink, but you are not filled with drink;
             You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
             And he who earns wages,
             Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

(Haggai 1:6, New King James)

Human nature drives us for more. If the food doesn’t satisfy, we keep eating. If the paycheck doesn’t make us happy, we chase more money. Then we pursue debt and extend our credit into the danger zone.

So many people live in a continual state of unhappiness. They search for fun, relief, self-expression, distraction, and even wickedness. Why do they feel empty? Because they failed to make God happy.

Leave the carnival, step away from the buffet, shut off the game machine, get off the roller coaster, park your shopping cart, roll up your beach towel, and go to church. Get your heart right with God. Give Him time each day as you search the Scriptures and seek His heart in worship. Give Him the priority in your paycheck by tithes and offerings. Promote His cause by sharing the gospel with someone else and telling them about the Promise.

When you seek first His kingdom, even boring days are fulfilling. When you seek your own, even lavish fun feels hollow. Contrary to Wal-Mart theology, getting more stuff won’t solve an unhappy heart. Only an intense, personal relationship with God does.

When Haggai preached his message to God’s people, they were on a vicious cycle of narrow survival. God reminded them that if they would go back to work building the Temple, they would find satisfaction again in even the simple things of life. How about you? Are you generally satisfied and full of the Lord Jesus? Or do you suffer the inner gnawing of discontent? Don’t neglect building the Temple where God can dwell in your heart and mind.

Crave heavenly things; be content with everything else.

Finish the Battle

“Then cometh the end,… when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” (I Corinthians 15:24-25)

The bad guy during the reign of queen Esther was Haman, a man descended from Agag (Esther 3:1). Just like great-granddaddy Agag, Haman wanted to destroy the people of God. However, this Haman would not have existed if King Saul had obeyed God some 500 years before by killing all the followers of King Agag (who were Amalekites, murderous enemies of the Jews).

Since God’s man didn’t follow God’s orders the first time, the Lord raised up Queen Esther and her foster-father Mordecai to finish the Job. By a miracle, Mordecai and Esther led their people in a fight against the people of Haman. This brought a great victory to the oppressed and weary followers of God.

While Haman descended from the centuries old hatred of his people against the followers of the One True God, Mordecai and Esther came from the centuries old failure of their ancestor, King Saul (Esther 2:5-7). The man who made a mess of things was fortunate to have a descendent come along to reverse his mistake and turn it into a triumph instead.

We have another ancestor who made a muddle of things: Adam. He should have guarded the human race from the influence of the devil. Instead he submitted himself and all his descendants to the enemy’s power. The story isn’t over. From the genealogy of Adam came a Man who would not flinch from the destroyer. Jesus Christ won’t quit until the enemy is completely demolished.

History never mentions the Amalekites, the descendents of Agag, or Haman again. Soon we will live in a universe free of the enemy’s attacks, where we’ll never hear of Satan again either. Will you join the Lord Jesus Christ in defeating the devil who would like to destroy you? Don’t give him any space for his evil. Let’s help end this battle that our ancestor botched as we follow our Commander to conquest.

Sword Sharpening

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” (Ezra 7:10)

If anyone writes a book about my life someday (don’t ask me why they would attempt such a boring work), I hope the author would say the same about me as the Bible says about Ezra: “he prepared his heart to seek God’s Word.” Too often we don’t seek God’s Word. We read it out of guilt or commitment. But God is looking for someone who will seek out the Truth of His Book. Sure, He appreciates our scripture-a-day calendars and Bible quotes on our personal checks. Yet He still watches for those who will devote time and attention to finding the treasures He has buried in the Book. Not scripture as a program but as a process. Not activity, but activator.

Ezra was a skilled student of God’s Writings (7:6). While we don’t all have to learn Greek and Hebrew to “get it,” we need to sharpen our Bible study skills. We don’t need a bunch of stuffy commentary books either. We need to find out what the Bible says about the Bible. When we encounter a verse we don’t understand, we should seek out other passages like it. God’s Word explains itself if we use cross-reference helps and concordances to find similar topics and teachings. And don’t become an expert on just one verse. Seek out the whole counsel of God’s Word.

In addition to seeking the Truth, we must do it. Many people know what the Bible says. Very few live it. Look at the people around who live in despair, stress, anger, or gluttony. They know the principles, but they’ve yet to encounter the promises by obedience. It’s one thing to know the Bible; it’s another to be known by it.

Finally, we must teach what we know. Once we’ve discovered it, we live it, and then we begin share it with others. What has the Lord Jesus taught you through His Word lately? Are you living it? How could you improve? Who could you share your message with? What’s stopping you from doing it now?

Life isn’t dull for those who keep a sharp sword.

The Best Ability

http://www.danieljkoren.com/2011/01/ability/Find this devotional on overcoming excuses at danieljkoren.com

Are You a Thief?

“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?” (Malachi 3:8)

How have some robbed God? By holding back “tithes and offerings” He says. “Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation” (3:9). That statement is at true today as it was in Malachi’s day. While most of America gives little or nothing to the Lord, amazingly many so-called Christians don’t either. Yep, they might drop a buck or two into the plate on Sunday, but they still rob God by not giving Him full honor with their income.

Tithing is an act of faith demonstrated by Abraham, not a work of the law by Moses. Tithing means giving 10% of our increase (wages, bonuses, SSI, etc.). Although some churches follow a different financial system, tithing was established to support the ministry.

Offerings maintain the church campus and provide missionary and evangelistic funding. Biblically an offering is 5% or 10% more after we tithe. Offerings show our love for God. We give this to God through the local church.

God said, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house” (3:10). This means our tithes and offerings should go to the local church, not to some TV or radio ministry. For there to be “meat in the house,” somebody has got to pay for the groceries.

Remember, we don’t give so that we can have some “say” in how the church is run. Tithing doesn’t mean you’ve rented out the preacher so that he has to come running when you need your lawn mowed or when you lock your keys in the car.

Does God challenge us to give 15-20% of our income so that we will go broke and not be able to keep up with our obligations? Not at all. By giving to God, we remove the curse from our income and see how a little bit goes a lot further than before. To those who give both tithe and offerings, He promises: “prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (3:10). Give and it shall be given unto you.

Prove Him this week.

Healing for the Deepest Wounds

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

Family members can hurt you worse than anyone else. When a loved one turns against you, it can cut you deeper than any other form of rejection. Although we’ve all seen our parents get upset at our immature behavior once upon a time, when a care-giver or close relation tells you that you’re worthless they can damage you emotionally and morally. Wounded people often don’t realize how deeply they are hurt. They may not even realize they are acting out wounds buried long in the past. Those things follow us forever until we find out that we can be free.

Not only does Scripture promise us that the Lord is close to those “that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18), but He also said He comes to “set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).

Bruised people have been hurt intentionally.

Bruises hurt whenever you touch them.

Bruises only happen from close up action.

If you’re hurting from someone who deliberately accused you, molested you, or otherwise destroyed your self-worth, you need to know that Jesus Christ offers you liberty. You don’t have to stumble through life in blind pain, grieving inside, seeing no end to your frustration.

When you run to Him with your tears,

when you leave behind all your demands,

when you accept the fact that He thinks you are wonderful,

when you stop believing all the lies you’ve been told,

when you find the end of yourself,

only then will you find what walking with Jesus means.

The Lord didn’t come to wave a magic wand and say “See ya’ in Heaven.” With wide-open arms, He gathered the cast-off children, the drunks, the divorce victims, and the disabled. He came to restore and rebuild a tattered world. He came to let us know a Father’s love. Broken weeping draws us near to Him. Looking into His light chases away the clouds of the past. Begin the lifelong journey now, to experience this life of wholeness.

Jesus is reaching out to you.

Summer Skin Sin

“I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly; not with fancy hair styles or with gold ornaments or pearls or expensive dresses, but with good deeds, as is proper for women who claim to be religious.” (I Timothy 2:9-10, Good News Bible)

Sorry I have to interrupt the party with the voice of morality, but… Too many girls and women today have no sense of shame when they pick out their clothes for the day. Godly ladies should know better than to try to show a lot of skin and outline their figure with skimpy, tight clothing.

This is the time of year when everyone seems to want to work on their tan, but they often do so at the expense of other people’s sensibilities. I imagine every young lady wants to be noticed by the guys, but lowering the neckline (and the morals) only gets the wrong guys to look. Modern styles have driven even mothers and older women to imitate the floozy teen clothes coming from Hollywood. Just because it’s a dress doesn’t mean it’s modest.

Most men fall into the sin of lust around such lewdness. A woman of God “should decide never to do anything that would make others stumble or fall into sin” (Romans 14:13, GNB). Sometimes women aren’t aware of the effect they have on the male gender. A comfortable style for her can make a godly man very uncomfortable.

Of course, men have no room to justify the sin of gawking at a scantily clad female. Sir, if she’s not your wife, don’t look. And let’s pray, pray, pray for winter.

Lady of God, modesty doesn’t turn men’s heads (or their stomachs). Watch the men’s eyes. Do they meet yours when you talk to them? Or are they distracted by what you are wearing (or not wearing)? Put on a godly spirit and a little more cloth, and you’ll have all the attention you want without being overexposed.

If it’s not for sale, don’t put it in the window.