Monthly Archives: November 2020

November 26, 2020 · 7:15 am

MATTHEW 5:7

The Beatitudes – Mercy

A Five Minute Devotional

The video shown below is the devotional from November 26th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.

Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram

WELCOME

Hello! My name is Ruth and I would like to welcome you to today’s Good News, Ladies Edition.

INTRODUCTION

Our Scripture verse today is Matthew 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

The definition of Biblical mercy is God’s pity, compassion and kindness toward people who do not deserve it.

We’ve all heard the story of the prophet Jonah. 

And this reminds me of a story.

A young girl and her teacher were arguing about whether humans can be swallowed by whales. Her teacher said that it’s impossible. The little girl said, “How can this be? Jonah got swallowed by a whale; and when I get to heaven, I’ll ask him.” The teacher said, “What if Jonah didn’t go to heaven?” The girl said, “Then you ask him.”

GOD’S MERCY

Jonah was the earliest of the prophets in the Old Testament. God sent Jonah to preach repentance to the Ninevites.   

We can learn a great deal about God’s mercy from this story.  One thing that really stands out about the story of Jonah is the fact that he heard what God wanted him to do and he did the opposite. Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.

We may ask ourselves why would Jonah do such a thing? Then we realize that we’ve probably done the same thing at some time in our own lives, maybe even now.  Reflecting on the choices we’ve made when we have wanted to do things our own way can create anxiety and sleepless nights. There also may be times where we’ve tried to numb our pain with people or things that are not of God. Afterwards we felt even more empty than we did before.  What Jonah should have done and what we should do is repent, humble ourselves and surrender to God’s will.

It’s not always easy to show people mercy.  But what we should remember is that whenever we don’t show other people mercy, we are forgetting that we have already been shown such great mercy by God. Jonah should have shown the people of Nineveh mercy because he had already been shown the exact same kind of mercy from God when the whale spewed him out.  We all deserve to stay dead in our sins and separated from God forever, but in His mercy, God gives us new life in Christ.  God has forgiven us such a great debt and shown us such mercy. How can we not show mercy to others?

How did God react to the Ninevites’ repentance?  “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on the destruction He had threatened.  God’s righteous anger against Nineveh simply subsided. He observed the change in the people and saw that the punishment He had intended to bring on them would no longer be fitting.  Some people may see God as cold, rigid and harsh. But His true character shows that He is indeed reasonable, adaptable and merciful.

When we show mercy, we receive mercy. Jesus also says that “if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will Your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”  Mercy triumphs over judgment.  If Jonah had the opportunity to reflect on these verses, he may  have been able with God’s help to show mercy on the Ninevites.  Only the merciful will receive mercy in the Kingdom of God. And the ones who show mercy will reap mercy.

One of the most important lessons from Jonah on God’s mercy has to do with God’s character. When we practice mercy, we display God’s character for everyone around us to see.   Jonah calls God “a gracious and merciful God.”  Paul says that God’s nature is “rich in mercy.” As Christians, we know that God is making us into the image of His Son and that we are the light of the world.  Mercy isn’t something we do simply because we are commanded to do it. Mercy is something we do to reflect God’s character in a worshipful way. God shows us mercy and grace. We should also reflect the same in our lives.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians, “Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes!  He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God.”

And that ladies, is today’s good news!

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November 20, 2020 · 7:15 am

PROVERBS 30:5-6

Proverbs Greatest Hits

A Five Minute Devotional

The video shown below is the devotional from November 20th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.

Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram

WELCOME

Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News.

INTRODUCTION

As we continue the Today’s Good News series on The Greatest Hits From Proverbs, we’re getting pretty close to the end. Today, we will be in Proverbs Chapter 30 which is, in fact, the next-to-last chapter in the book. Proverbs has been referred to as a workshop in wisdom. So, not surprisingly, Chapter 30 continues with wisdom as its theme. What really draws it apart from the rest of the book, though, is that it is not presented as human wisdom, gained through life experience but as prophecy, given by the Holy Spirit.

As we prepare to dive into this very interesting Scripture, let me share a non-Scriptural story with you that may aid us in keeping open minds about what is and what isn’t true wisdom.

A young woman brings her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, the father invites the fiancé to his study for a chat. “So what are your plans?” the father asks. “I am a bible scholar.” replies the fiancé. “Hmmm,” the father says. “But what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?” “I will study and God will provide for us”, the young man replies. “And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring?” asks the father. “I will concentrate on my studies,” the young man replies. “God will provide for us.” “And children?” asks the father. “How will you support children?” “Don’t worry, sir, God will provide,” replies the fiancé. With each of the father’s questions, the young man continues to insist that God will provide. Afterwards, the mother asks, “How did it go, honey?” The father answers, “The bad news is, he has no job and no plans. The good news is he thinks I’m God.”

HUMILITY

Agur, the author of Proverbs 30, starts out with humility when he says, “Surely I am more stupid than any man, And do not have the understanding of a man. I neither learned wisdom Nor have knowledge of the Holy One.”

Then he points out the need for humility by asking, “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?”

ADMONITIONS

Then, he goes on to provide a series of admonitions.

The ability to address Agur’s opening statement of humility, to answer his follow-up question revealing our need for humility and to comply with his admonitions are all wrapped up in verses 5 and 6. Please turn with me now in your Bibles to Proverbs Chapter 30, Verses 5 and 6 and we will read them together.

“Every word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

Do not add to His words,

Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

GOD’S WORD IS PURE

“Every word of God is pure;” – When we read God’s word, we can take comfort in the fact that we don’t have to pick and choose what’s good and what’s not. The Bible is not a book filled with mostly true information mixed with some false information, leaving it up to us to distinguish which is which. The Bible isn’t that way because God isn’t that way! He is 100% pure. We can fully depend on getting the perfect and complete truth from Him and His Word.

GOD IS A SHIELD

“He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” – This statement is a reminder that God will always be there to stand in the way of dangers that come to His followers. This doesn’t mean we should take this for granted but it should give us confidence where God wants us to have confidence. Though overconfidence is dangerous, under-confidence can be destructive.

DO NOT ADD TO GOD’S WORD

“Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.” – Every Word of God is pure but man’s word is not. Thus the importance of not adding to or taking away from it. Mark Twain famously said, “It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.” Can you identify with that? Have you encountered Scripture that you wished you could change because it convicted you of your own shortcomings? I certainly have. But, Agur tells us that those who choose to do so are liars. To say we trust God and then try to change His Word is lying, proving that we don’t actually trust Him. Unfortunately, much of the religious world seems to think that changing God’s Word is not only “OK” but necessary in order to accommodate changing social standards. But that’s not the way the Bible is to be read or followed. It is timeless. It is a perfect and complete book that is only spoiled when man chooses to change or add to or take away from its instruction. We should spend our time following God’s Word, not looking for opportunities to change it!

GOD’S WORD IS REWARDING

Here, at Calvary Chapel Rosarito, we point our church to the Word of God, studying it verse-by-verse. In Proverbs 30, Verses 5 & 6, we’re given three foundational reasons for our doing that:

  1. God’s Words are true.
  2. God protects His people through His Word.
  3. He gives us the ability to not be deceived because we can identify when His Word is being misquoted or misused out of context.

And that is TODAY’S GOOD NEWS!

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November 12, 2020 · 7:15 am

MATTHEW 5:3

The Beatitudes – Poor In Spirit

A Five Minute Devotional

The video shown below is the devotional from November 12th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.

Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Ruth Wiram

WELCOME

Hello!  My name is Ruth and I would like to share with you today The Good News… Ladies Edition!

INTRODUCTION

Let’s read Matthew, chapter 5 verse 3 together.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

This reminds me of a funny story about heaven.

A woman dies and goes to heaven.  Of course, St. Peter meets her at the pearly gates.  St. Peter says, “Here’s how this works.  You need 100 points to make it into heaven.  You tell me all the good things you’ve done, and I give you a certain number of points for each one, depending on how good it was.  When you reach 100 points, you get in.”

“Okay,” the woman says, “I was married to the same man for 50 years and never cheated on him.”

“That wonderful,” says St. Peter, “that’s worth 3 points!”

“Three points?” she says.  “Well I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my tithe and service.”

“Terrific!” says St. Peter, “ that’s certainly worth a point.”

“One point?  Golly.  How about this.  I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for battered women.”

Fantastic, that’s good for two more points,” he says.

“Two points!” the woman cries, “At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!”

“Come on in!”

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

What truth there is in that humorous story?

The main focus of this verse in Matthew is, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

Let’s get into a little background of this verse.  This is a fantastic portion of Scripture called the Sermon on the Mount.

The first thing we notice about the Sermon on the Mount is that it is not for everyone.   

In Matthew 5, Jesus gets aways from the crowds and teaches His disciples.  And even though this message was preached 2000 years ago, it is for our ears and hearts today, Ladies.

Matthew 5:1-12 is known as the Beatitudes or pronounced blessings.  The word literally means, “O, how happy!”

Our verse today says that the poor in spirit are blessed.  How can that be? 

We don’t usually think of the poor in spirit as being happy people.

Jesus is not talking about financially poor.  He is talking about being spiritually bankrupt.

It is the opposite of being proud.  And it is the glorious consequence of our coming into a real personal recognition of who God is.  And immediately when we compare ourselves to the Holy Perfect Savior of our souls, we must admit our true position.  We say with the Apostle Paul, “O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from this body of death?”

TREASURE IN HEAVEN

And because we have had a true encounter with God, and have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the kingdom of heaven belongs to us.

We no longer live in just this physical material world.  We are transported into the kingdom as a child of God and a citizen of the eternal kingdom. 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the following story about someone who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else.  Two women went to the temple to pray.  One was a famous Bible teacher, a world wide celebrity, and the other one was a mere mother and housewife.  The famous teacher stood by herself and prayed this prayer, “I thank You, God, that I am not like other people – cheaters, sinners, adulterers.  I’m certainly not like this meager housewife.  I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my sizable income.”

But the housewife stood at a distance and dared not even lift her eyes to heaven as she prayed.  Instead, she lowered her head in sorrow, saying, “O God, be merciful to me for I am such a sinner.”

Jesus tells us that this sinner, not the famous teacher would return home justified before God.  

Because those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Those who humble themselves and realize that only God can fill them and bring lasting fulfillment are truly blessed. 

Ladies, which one of these 2 women are you?

We see our ultimate reward in trusting and obeying God in humbleness of mind and actions in 1 Corinthians 2:9.

 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor has entered into the heart of woman the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

And that, Ladies, is today’s Good News.

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