Matthew 5:45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
As we continue in the festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), where believers are commanded to rejoice — let’s remember an important principle the Lord laid out for us. The Lord is quoted in this scripture in Matthew. It contains an important precept that believers sometimes tend to overlook. Many believe and even teach that if you’re blessed, your life will be filled with material prosperity and that if you are undergoing extreme trials, it must be because you have sinned or that you lack faith. The Lord says that the sun rises and the rain falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous alike.
A life of good circumstances does not mean that God is with us. And likewise, a life of trial and suffering does not mean that God is not with us! If we base our lives on our circumstances, we are no different than people without God. What makes us different is that we have something far greater than our circumstances! We have a relationship with the Living God!
So this Sukkot season, let’s remember that in His presence is the fullness of joy [Psalm 16:11]. So let’s choose to enter into His presence and learn to rejoice not only in the good times but in the tough times as well — however, hard that may be!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]This past weekend saw an unprecedented assault on Israel by Iran; 185 drones, 36 cruise missiles, and 110 surface-to-surface missiles were launched in successive waves from the eastern enemy nation devoted to the destruction of the Jewish homeland. More than 99% of these objects were intercepted by Israel and her allies. Israel’s military is extraordinarily capable and her allies’ support significant, yet I believe there is a bit more to the story.
In his book, A Spiritual Clinic, J. Oswald Sanders wrote about the lasting family legacies of two families from New York.
As soon as we were translated into the Kingdom of Light, we entered a spiritual war — and we must realize the warfare we face on a day-to-day basis. Constantly contending in our minds, we battle over thoughts and emotions which flow through them. The enemy often attacks by bringing up issues from our past.
This is a powerful passage which believers must claim! The Greek for the word “heaven”, “oo-ran-os”, implies not only heaven, but also eternity. The enemy was removed from the eternal places, and his power is only temporary in this world. Our power does not come from this temporary world, but from eternity, from the eternal throne of God.
An official of a mission board, who knew it takes more than just desire to make a missionary, was appointed to examine a candidate for the mission field. He told the young man to be at his house at six o’clock in the morning. The young man complied and arrived a six o’clock sharp. The examiner kept him sitting alone in the room until ten…
Over the last week, tensions have escalated significantly following the assassination of an Iranian General and several terrorist leaders within the Iranian Embassy compound in Damascus. This week also coincides with the conclusion of Ramadan, during which there have been heightened calls from terrorist groups for attacks against Jewish and Christian communities. The war drums are beating … and the question is — how should we as believers respond?
Yesterday marked the 1st day of Nissan, the beginning of the year on the Hebrew calendar. Nissan is known as the “month of miracles”, derived from the Hebrew word, “nissim”, which means “miracles”. Israel finally and miraculously left Egypt in the month of Nissan after hundreds of years of slavery. God orchestrated their escape, “nus” in Hebrew, (which some say is connected to Nissan), displaying His power over the Egyptian gods and His sovereignty over every pantheon. Nissan may also be related to the Hebrew word “nitzan”, which means “to bud” or “to start fresh and anew”, reflecting the seasonal advent of new life and new beginnings…springtime.