Solomon, hailed as the wisest man ever, possessed a peculiar trait that has always troubled me. Namely, he failed to follow his own wise counsel. The age-old saying, “Knowledge is powerless without action,” rings true.

Let’s look at one example. Despite having 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3), he adhered to the marriage principles outlined in Proverbs 5:18:

“Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth”.

He had to have married once every two weeks on average for four decades (1 Kings 11:42). Regrettably, it was his wives who eventually led him astray from the divine path, as God foretold.

In 1 Kings 11:9–11, God says “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God…”,

It is a tragedy that despite being so wise, Solomon failed to act on his own words of wisdom. He should have known better than to marry so many women, knowing full well the dangers that come with it. I can only imagine how much more successful he would have been had he followed his own counsel and avoided the temptation of marrying so many wives.

His story serves as a reminder to us all: no matter how wise we are, we must always take action in order to ensure that our knowledge is put into practice. We must learn from Solomon’s mistakes and strive to make sure that our actions always align with our words.

Otherwise, even the wisest among us may fall prey to temptation and regret it later on.

By Lonnie Davis

I call this article, “The Need for The Irreplaceable Family.” As you get into the details, I think you will understand why.

For several years, I have thought about this subject because of Larry. Larry who? Larry was my half-brother that I did not meet or know about until I was in my late fifties. We only talked a few times, and we saw each other four times. I learned about the need for family because of how Larry died. Larry had no family but me. Well, he had a few distant cousins but had no contact with them.

He died alone in his home, sitting in his chair. With no family or close friends, Larry sat lifeless in his chair for three days. Finally, the teenage boy next door wondered about him and went to check on him. He found him dead. That story has haunted me ever since. We all need family to check on us.

The Family is the cornerstone of humanity, the anchor that keeps us grounded amidst the chaos of life.

Our family is our source of love, our source of support, and our source of belonging that shapes our identity and provides a safety net in times of need. The importance of family cannot be overstated.

Our families are there for us through thick and thin, offering emotional support when we feel overwhelmed, helping us navigate the complexities of life, and providing a sense of belonging and purpose.

When God said, “It is not good for man to be alone,” (Gen 2:18) He wasn’t just talking about Adam needing a wife. He was foreshadowing the need for family—the irreplaceable family.

Lonnie Davis

In the story of the Prodigal Son, the Bible says, he gathered all his possessions together and “took a journey into a far country.” In other words, he wanted to get away from his father’s watching eyes. Many people try to do the same thing with God. If only they can get out of his watching eyes, then they will be free to do what they really want. Alas, we learn that God is everywhere. There is no escape from his eyes. That attribute of God is called “God’s Omniscience.”

When you did deeper into this you will see that God’s omniscience is a good thing for Christians for several reasons:

1. It means there are no surprises. God knows everything about us and understands us completely – our thoughts, feelings, struggles etc. We don’t have to try to explain ourselves to God or wonder if He gets us. He already understands. Years ago, Hollywood made a movie called “Defending your Life.” In it the characters had to stand before God and explain why they acted like they did. They had to defend their lives. That is very simplistic. We don’t stand before God so he can find out what we did and why. We don’t have to explain anything. He knows all about us and loves us anyway.
2. It means we can’t hide any sin or mistake from God. This should motivate us to live openly and honestly before God since He sees all anyway.
3. It allows God to guide us perfectly because He knows our future and can see the consequences of our actions. His infinite wisdom and knowledge means His guidance for our lives is trustworthy.
4. It provides assurance that God knows our needs before we even ask and nothing escapes His attentive care for His children. Our loving Father is intimately acquainted with all our ways.
5. It inspires awe and worship of God. The depth of His knowledge is unimaginable for us as humans. Realizing this should humble us and draw us to reverence.

Further reading on the Omniscience of God:

“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5 NKJV).

Our God is all-knowing. He possesses infinite understanding and awareness. As Psalm 139:4 declares, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” There is nothing that escapes His notice.

I remember playing “hide and seek” as a child. I would find clever hiding spots, stay extremely quiet, and wait eagerly to see how long it would take my friends to find me. Sometimes I would even sneak across the yard to a new location while they searched the old one! Of course, I could never fully escape their pursuit.

In the same way, we can never hide anything from our omniscient God. He knows our actions, thoughts, and motives more intimately than we know ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 10:30 that “even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

God’s infinite knowledge can be frightening at first. We are exposed and known thoroughly. But it also offers great comfort. No struggle or pain escapes His notice. No tear goes unwitnessed. He understands and cares for us better than any earthly parent ever could.

So take heart today. Bring your full self to God – joys, pains, questions and all. Rest in the security that you are fully seen and known by your loving Father. His perfect knowledge leads to perfect love and care. You never walk alone.

Lonnie Davis

1 John 4:19 is a beautiful verse about the root of our ability to love others – “We love him because he first loved us.” Especially notice the word “Him.” It was added in some older Bible versions, but the most reliable early manuscripts do not include it. This change the meaning significantly.

This verse is not just saying we love Jesus because He first loved us. Rather, it means we are able to love others because God first loved us. This is a profound truth that has changed how I see love. 

You see, my capacity to love was based on how lovable the other person was. I showed love to people who were kind, godly, and had it all together. But that’s not how God’s love works!

God poured out His love on us even when we were trapped in sin, unlovable, and His enemies (Romans 5:8). His love is not conditional on us being good enough. He loves simply because He is love (1 John 4:8).

When we fully receive this undeserved, lavish love of God, it should soften our heart and start to change how we view difficult people. We realize our one qualification for God’s love was our desperate need for grace.

This transforms our ability to love others – even unlovable people – through His power. With God’s love flowing through us, we can forgive those who hurt us, serve the needy, and embrace outcasts with compassion. 

That this is the meaning is obvious in the verses that follow (1 John 4:20-21). They explain that hating people shows we do not truly love God. Loving the invisible God requires tangibly loving the visible humans created in His image. His love in us overflows.

God would fill us with His unconditional love for others. As recipients of His endless grace, may we extend that same grace and love to a people who are broken.

Lonnie Davis

Our text for today is taken from Matthew 25:34-40: 

 “‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

In this passage, Jesus teaches us that serving others in need is like serving Him directly. He notices when we turn away from those who need help, but He also sees when we lend a hand to those who need help. 

Once Liz and I were waiting in a lab for me to have blood drawn for my doctor. While sitting there, an older lady rose from her chair and walked haltingly toward the lab. Liz told me, “Go help the lady.” I questioned whether she wanted help so Liz did a typical Liz thing. She got up and helped the lady herself. When she came back to me, she said, “She has cancer of the spine.” 

There was nothing I could say because I knew I had blown the opportunity to do good.

How often do we avoid helping someone because we judge their situation? Yet we never know the full extent of people’s needs. Like Liz, we must open our eyes to see the needs around us. Then we can serve Jesus by serving others. 

To help others, the first thing to do is to open our eyes. There are many who need our help. A simple act of kindness done in His name can make a world of difference to someone going through a hard time. 

Lonnie Davis

Our text is Revelation 22:5. It tells us about heaven and says,

“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. For the Lord God will give them light.”

For 40 years I have rarely preached a funeral when I did not relate the following story.  I want you to have it because if you don’t need it now, you will one day. As the church song says, this earth is not my home, I’m just pass through. Along this line, one man said,

As a boy I used to think that heaven was a place with streets of gold and gates of pearl and with angels everywhere. But there was nobody there that I knew and wasn’t sure I wanted to go there.

By and by my little brother died, and I thought of heaven as a place with streets of gold, gates of pearl, with angels everywhere, but with one inhabitant that I knew. 

Then my mother and father died, and heaven was a place with streets of gold, gates of pearl, angels everywhere and one little boy that I knew and my mother and my father.

Then other of my acquaintances died and so in time I began to think of heaven as containing several people that I knew. 

But it was not until one of my own little children died that I began to think I had treasure in heaven myself. 

Afterward another loved one went, and then another. By that time I had so many acquaintances and loved ones in heaven that I no longer thought of it as a city merely with streets of gold but as a place full of people I love. Now there are so many loved ones there I sometimes think I know more people in heaven than I do on earth.”

Lonnie Davis

Our text is Ephesians 4:31-32

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another.”

Here is the lesson from this short verse.

Some years ago, I exchanged Christmas gifts with an old friend. I bought him a nice $30 gift. What he gave me was a piece of software. It looked like it came out of one of those discount bins at Wal-Mart. He accidently left the price tag on it and I noticed that the price was 499, which I read as four dollars and ninety-nine cents. I was a little surprised that he thought so little of me. Several months later I found out that part of the number was missing and the price was $49.99.

I am grateful for three things: 

First, that my friend loved me more than $5.

Second, that I learned that one should not judge a gift or a friend by how much they spend.

Third, that I had not said anything about my “cheap” friend to anyone.

The real point of this story is the third one. You will never be sorry for the unkind remarks that you do not make. As our text says, Paul wrote, “Be kind and compassionate to one another.”

Once, after I had moved away from one church, a member of the church had been wounded by unkind remarks from one of its members. I called the friend on the phone to comfort him. He thanked me for my concern and said, “They did the best they could.” Wow! His response to someone’s unkindness to him, was to frame the remark as “They did the best they could.”

I admit that I did not write those words down. I did not need to because they were burned into my heart.

The way the man who was the target of the unkindness handled unkindness has become a life lesson for me. They remind me that I should never make unkind remarks. Never! It is an unchristian thing to do. I hope I don’t fail in this lesson. It is hard to keep so if I do, I hope I will repent and make things as right as I can.

Lonnie Davis

Today we turn our attention to Habakkuk 3:17-18

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, thought there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Wow! That is a promise of faith. However, Habakkuk what promised, other Godly men like lPaul and Silas lived.

For doing good, they were dragged before the judges. They were falsely accused. Without a conviction, they were stripped of their clothes and beaten with rods. The Bible says they were hit “with many blows.” After the beating they were thrown into jail. Paul and Silas were not only jailed, but were thrown into the most secure part of the jail. That was not enough so they fastened their feet in the chains.
 
With no human hope of escape, Paul and Silas did the only thing they could. Acts 16:25 tells us,
 
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”
 
Stripped and beaten, cast into jail and chained to the wall, how does one sing a song of praise? The Bible does not tell us what song Paul and Silas were singing, but it is almost certain that they were singing one of the songs found in the Book of Psalms.
 
Maybe it was Psalm 11:1, “In the LORD I take refuge.”
 
We do not know what they sang, but we do know they sang. This means that even when times were hard and life was tumbling in, these Christian men had the faith it took to trust in God.
 
Anyone can trust God when the sea is calm, but only a man or woman of faith can trust God when the sea is stormy.

No matter our circumstances, we must praise God anyway!
 
Lonnie Davis
 
 

Do you keep on doing that thing you wish you could change. Don’t feel alone in this. Even the Apostle Paul lamented over this. In Romans 7:18-19 he said,

“I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”

There have been times when I feel like I could have written that. Well, the Bible tells us how to overcome this. Let’s follow the steps to discover the secret of overcoming bad behavior.

Step 1: What you think is what you say.

Luke 6:45: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

In plain words, “What you think is what you say.” 

Step 2: What you say is what you do.

James 3:2 – “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.”

This verse teaches that if we say a thing, we are more likely to do that thing. 

Step 3: What you do is what you are.

James 2:18 – But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 

As loudly as someone may protest “That’s not me,” people can see who someone is by watching what they do.

The final step, is you are what you think.

Proverbs 23:7: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Our more common way of saying this is “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

If you want to change what you do, if you want to change what you say, if you want to change what you are, change what you think about.

That is why Paul called on us to think about whatever is lovely, honest, true. (Philippians 4:8)

Lonnie Davis

Our Text for today is James 4:13-15

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

This passage reminds me of a story I heard decades ago. There was this young man who graduated from high school. After his ceremony, all his family was celebrating and congratulating him. His grandfather had a different approach. 

His grandfather said, “You graduated high school, so what’s next?” 

The young man said, “I’m going to college.”

 Grandfather asked, “What’s next?” 

“Well, he said, “I will get a degree in law.” 

Again the grandfather said, “What’s next? 

The boy replied, “Then I will be a lawyer.” 

Grandad said, “What’s next?” 

“Then I will set up a law practice.” 

“What’s next?” 

“Then I will become a judge?” 

“What’s next?” 

“Someday I hope to be appointed to the Supreme Court.” 

“What’s next?”

Exasperated, the young man said, “Why do you ask ‘What’s next?” He said, “Grandad that is a life time appointment?”

The grandfather paused then asked, “What’s next?”

I love this old story because it remind us that we need to think about the day when all of this will end and then we have to ask “What’s next?”

It has been my solemn experience to be at the bedside of those I love and say good by to them. It has been my honor to say that all of them prepared their life for “What’s next?”

In all of our life plans we must keep that short question in our plans.

Lonnie Davis

Our Text today is – 2 Chronicles 7:14

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

In talking about this verse, I want to tell you about a man named George Wilson.

George Wilson is a real person who in the early part of the 1800’s and was sentenced to death for robbing the mail and killing a government employee. While on death row President Andrew Jackson sent him a pardon. 

He did not commute his sentence to life, he pardoned him. He was free to go. In response to this George Wilson did a strange thing. He refused the pardon. His case was taken to the Supreme Court. 

This was the only time in American history when the Supreme Court was asked to decide if a man could force the government to execute him. Chief Justice Marshal wrote the court’s opinion. He wrote, “A pardon is a slip of paper, the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is not a pardon. George Wilson must be hanged.” Following this verdict, George Wilson was hanged.

In our nation’s law books this case is strange and rare, if not unique. In religious matters, this case is rather common. Every soul is under the condemnation of death. Paul told the Romans, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23). Later he said, “The wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23). After telling us of our sentence of death, Paul said, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (6:23). 

We have all been issued a pardon. Sadly, many do not accept the pardon. We rejoice in the 3,000 souls who were saved on Pentecost (Acts 2), but thousands more left that day without accepting the pardon extended to them.

God has issued a pardon to you. Whatever sins you may have committed, whatever wrong you have done, whatever burden you are carrying, He pardons them all. All you have to do is accept the pardon.

Lonnie Davis

Old Words for Success

Ours is the day of many, many business consultants, CEO’s, and business leaders. Well, today’s words from 3,000 years ago could easily have come from a Warren Buffet or Elon Musk type of business man. They are words of how to build a successful business, bu more than that, they tell you how to build a successful life.

Let’s read Proverbs 21:5

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

These 14 words cover the question of how to build a successful business. Of course it means whether that business is running a commercial enterprise or a private home. These words tell you three vital truths.

First, Make a Plan. 

Don’t just jump into a project and figure it out later. You can do that, but you will make things a lot harder, slower, and more apt to fail. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit.”

Second, Be Diligent.

Every major translation use that same word, “Diligent.” To understand what is mean by this word, we need to look at the dictionary definition. To be diligent means to be “Marked by persevering, painstaking effort.” In other words, A diligent person sticks to the job, even when things are hard. So make your plans and be diligent to stick to the task. This leads to profit and success.

Third, Haste makes waste.

Don’t lose this old lesson – haste leads to poverty. It is advice against the get rich quick scheme. Just today I saw advertisements for how to become a millionaire in 5 short years. That assurance seems quick. There are too many of get rich quick schemes to warn us about all of them, so just take Solomon’s advice (the wisest man ever) and remember slow down, because haste makes waste.

This proverbs is 3,000 years old, yet completely modern.

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

Lonnie Davis

Our Text for today is:

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

I use to think that lightning was beautiful. I remember walking the golf course with my son and seeing the lightning but having no fear. We only left the course when it got really bad. That was before I was knocked down by lightening. With a bolt from the blue my attitude changed.

Later a lightning storm came out of nowhere. I was in a building, but needed to make a run for my car. It was exactly the same run I had made a few months earlier when I had my own close encounter with lightning. As I stood looking through those glass doors I realized I was afraid. I wanted to wait out the lightning, but I girded up my loins and made the run. It only took a few seconds, but it seemed to me like the run was 10 minutes long.  

The earlier faith I had that lightning would not hurt me was gone. Fear was in its place. In this story is a great spiritual lesson: Faith drives out fear or fear drives out faith. 

When you are afraid you will not attempt things. When you are afraid you do not fail in your task, you fail to attempt your task. A fearful man or woman does not have the faith that he can be successful at anything. Faith for success is gone and fear has killed it.

All Godly people should remember Hebrews 11:6:

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”.

Lonnie Davis 

I love the Biblical story of Philip the Evangelist. On one occasion an angel of the Lord came and called him to do a great work.

“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (Acts 8:26)

God told him to go and he went! That was Philip, always obeying God. Of course he had an angel to tell him what to do. It is easy for any of us to say that we would happily do what God tells us to do if an angel came and told us to do it. Maybe so, but Philip’s true greatness is not found in this verse but nineteen verses earlier in the same chapter.

“Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there.” (Acts 8:6)

Philip was driven from Jerusalem because of persecution. Finding himself in Samaria he told people about Jesus. The Bible does not tell us that he had some vision in the night, angelic visit, or burning bush to tell him to serve God. Philip served because he was a servant.

Here is a great God principle: God uses people who show they are servants. God does not hunt for some person with plenty of time on their hands and nothing to do. He sent his angel to give a task to a busy man (8:26) who had already shown himself to be a servant.

God still works that way. If you want to do great things for God, start by doing the little things. Ministry does not start with a burning bush, but with a man or woman who is doing what can be done wherever he or she can do it.

Do what you can with what you have wherever you are. God will then use you for bigger things.

Lonnie Davis

Our text for today is one that I have spent decades appreciating.

 Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” Proverbs 24:16

 This verse is about what we do with failure. Will Rogers is an example of this.

Americans know who Will Rogers is. Presidents opened their doors to him. Even today speakers everywhere quote him. He did not begin with a goal of being known by politicians and quoted by speakers. Will Rogers’ stage was a vaudeville performer who had a specialty of rope tricks. One day, on stage, in the middle of his act he failed. He got tangled in is lariat. 

How does one get up from obvious failure? Here is what Will Rogers did. Instead of getting upset, he drawled, “A rope ain’t so bad to get tangled up in if it ain’t around your neck.” The audience roared. Encouraged by the warm reception, Rogers began adding humorous comments to all his performances. It was the comments, not the rope tricks, that eventually made him famous.

Even though no one strives for failure, we all fail. We have failed and will fail again. A successful life does not depend on never failing. The secret to success in life is found in God’s Word. Let’s read that verse again.

 “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” Proverbs 24:16

Everybody falls, but righteous people try again. Wicked people fall, but then they just wallow in their failure. Trying again and again is a trait of righteousness.

It is not the falling that defines us. It is what we do next.

Lonnie Davis

Appetite Comes with Eating

Our text is one of the “beatitudes” from Jesus.

Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” 

Once I was teaching this verse when One of the class members asked, “How can you develop a hunger for righteousness?” It was then that my mind ran back to this old proverb, “Appetite comes with eating.”

Let me explain, I recently was reading some old notes about why we ought to read the Bible. The notes were the usual things that preachers share: (1) It is the inspired Word of God, (2) It tells us about God, (3) It contains the answers to life’s question.

To that list I want to add another. “Appetite comes with eating.” The full text of this old French proverb says, “Appetite comes with eating; the more one has, the more one would have.”

That may not seem like a sensible reason to read the Bible or anything other than eat, but after you think about it, it will make sense. When I first read this proverb I too raced through it and did not see the great truth in it. Later I began to reflect on it and realized the life principle in it. Its meaning is simple.

Appetite comes with eating. If you are watching your weight and want to avoid eating a donut tomorrow, do not eat one today. If you want to avoid eating a second piece of cake, do not eat the first piece. “Appetite comes with eating; the more one has, the more one would have.”

Here is a life application. If you want to be more of anything. If you want to build any habit in your life, then start acting that way. If you want to build a great prayer life, start a small prayer life. It will grow. If you want to get into the habit of worshipping God faithfully, go to church next Sunday, then go the next and the next. In time it will seem normal to you. Appetite comes from eating.

 If you want to become more spiritual tomorrow, practice spiritual things today. One does not become a great prayer warrior in one day. One does not go from casual acquaintance with the Bible to deep knowledge in one week. Begin today to make small changes. It will make the big change feel more natural tomorrow.

Appetite comes with eating. 

~Lonnie Davis

Don’t Just Start

Our text is Nehemiah 4:10:

“Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, ‘The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.’”

“Meanwhile?” Our text starts in such a way that it demand that we know what the meanwhile is about.

70 years earlier Israel had been taken captive into Babylon. Their Temple had been destroyed. The walls of the city were broken down. Now a leader named Nehemiah returned to help them start over. They planned, they worked, and got the work going. They started well, but then they struggled. The reason for the struggle is explained in this verse.

1. They were tired. – The people said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out.” 

They started well, but now they are exhausted. Exhaustion kills many good works. We start a good work and then stop because we are tired. The solution to such a barrier is to stop and rest. No one can go and go and go. Sometimes one has to take a step away, refresh, and restart.

2. The rubble discouraged them. – “The people said, “There is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

Israel was surrounded with broken down walls, destroyed gates, and rubble everywhere. Because of the great piles of rocks they had delayed starting the work and now that they were working that same rubble made them want to stop. 

We have all been there. We have walked into the garage, a room, or a yard with great intentions of cleaning it up, but then stopped because there was just so much to do. Maybe the rubble is a checkbook that is hopelessly unbalanced. When rubble discourages us we need to do like Nehemiah did. He broke down the work into small pieces and gave the work to people in small groups. One group worked on this part and another on that part.

Israel did not just start the work, they finished it. They were tired and discouraged, but they finished anyway. Successful people do not just start, they finish.

Lonnie Davis

Our text for today is John 12:37:

“But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him.”

Jesus gave sight to the blind, feed 5,000 with a few loaves and fish, cured the lepers, and walked on water, yet many people did not believe in Him. In fact the miracle right before this verse was the undeniable miracle when Jesus raised a dead man. Even his enemies did not deny the miracle and yet, “they did not believe in him.”

Why O, Why?

The truth is that there will alway be those who will hunt a way not to believe in what is obvious. It was true then and it is true today.

It reminds me of the story of the man who build a locomotive. As he began to build it, his neighbor came by and said, “It is too big, you will never get it built.” 

The man worked for months and months and got it built. When it was build, his neighbor came by and said, “That thing is too heavy. You will never get it on the track. Again he worked hard and finally got it on the track.

Again the neighbor came by spewing his negativity. “You’ll never get it moving. It is jus too big.” 

By and by, he got his train moving. The neighbor finally told him. “Well, you will never get it stopped.”

Jesus was surrounded by people who simply were not going to believe. Even as he was on the cross, the unbelievers cried out, “Come down from the cross and we will believe.” No! They would not. They were the unbelievers. That is who they were. 

Those people still exist today. We also must not let them stop us from doing what needs to be done.

Lonnie Davis

I’m going to do a strange thing with today’s familiar text. It is doubtful that there are any words of Jesus which are more quoted than John 3:16

You know the text: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

But do you know the text that comes just after it? John 3:17

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Today I want to read these two verses to answer a skeptic’s question. The question is: “Why would a loving God condemn anyone to hell?”

The answer is, He didn’t!

I will read those two verses again, but in reverse order and you should see what I mean by “He didn’t.”

John 3:17, 16

17“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 

16“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

No, God didn’t condemn anyone to Hell. He sent his Son to die for us so that we do not have to go to hell. If anyone is lost in eternity, it will be because they did not choose to go to God in eternity.

One well known preacher said it eloquently. If you choose to reject God and distance yourself from him, in eternity God will not force himself upon you.

That is not God condemning man. That is man choosing not to be near God.

Lonnie Davis

Job is a great story. It is the story of a righteous man who was blessed then lost it all and trusted God to work things out.

Our scripture today is Job 1:1-3

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. 

And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.

So there is the background to this most interesting story. We have a righteous man, blessed to an extent that few people could ever imagine. He was the richest man in the East. Since the East may have been the richest part of the world, then this man was probably the richest man on earth. 

The book of Job is about how Satan took this all away. I do mean the took it ALL. 

7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 Oxen, and 500 donkeys: all gone. But it gets worse. His 7 sons and 3 daughters are also swept away from life.

Job is about how, even in such horror, this righteous man remained faithful to God. In fact, when his possessions were taken away, 

“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” (1:20-21)

All I can say this is Wow. Even the death of his children did not cause him to give up on God. Surely God will reward such a faith.

He does! When the test is over, God doubled everything. In the end Job has 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels and 1,000 oxen and sheep. Now he is again the richest man on earth.

But what about his children? In the end, God gives him 7 more sons and 3 more daughters. Why didn’t he double the number of kids? Well, he did! In a few years all of them would be in the house of God in heaven. When he got there he had 14 sons and 6 daughters. You see, he really didn’t lose the first kids. They just went on to heaven to wait for him.

God works everything out in the end. It may not be on earth and it may not be what we think, but our Father knows best and he works things out as we need them to be.

If it hasn’t worked out for you yet, remember it is not the end.

Lonnie Davis