Tag Archives: Humble

January 26, 2021 · 8:16 am

1 Samuel 16:7 – Ladies Edition

Old Testament Promises

A Five Minute Devotional

The video shown below is the devotional from January 26th, 2021. 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’s Good News, Ladies Edition!

INTRODUCTION

I want to read to you a poem entitled Judge Not

I was shocked, confused, bewildered

As I entered Heaven’s door,

Not by the beauty of it all,

Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven

Who made me sputter and gasp–

The thieves, the liars, the sinners,

The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade..

Who swiped my lunch money twice.

Next to him was my old neighbor

Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought

Was rotting away in hell,

Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,

Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, ‘What’s the deal?

I would love to hear Your take.

How’d all these sinners get up here?

God must’ve made a mistake.

‘And why’s everyone so quiet,

So somber – give me a clue.’

‘Hush, child,’ He said, ‘they’re all in shock.

No one thought they’d be seeing you.’

PROMISE

The Bible promise we are studying today is found at the end of the verse in 1 Samuel 16:7. 

The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

We tend to judge the character and worth of others by looking at outward appearances. If a person is tall, good-looking, and nicely dressed, then he or she possesses physical qualities that we generally admire and respect. 

But God has the unique ability to see inside a person. 

God knows our true character because He “looks at the heart.”  Moral and spiritual qualities are far more important to God than outward appearance.

The heart in Scripture is a person’s inner moral and spiritual life. The heart is the core, the inner essence of who we are.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.  And the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.

My hope and prayer is that when God looks into our hearts, He sees hearts that are seeking Him.

GOD’S HEART

But, how do we seek God With our Whole Hearts?

This is a work of the Holy Spirit.  And I definitely don’t have it all “figured out”! So, if you feel me; like you’re lost in a sea of worldly distractions, and you don’t know how to seek God wholeheartedly, rest assured you are not alone. 

There are three things we can do to seek God whole-heartedly.

OUR ATTITUDE

One is to approach God with an attitude of fear, reverence, awe and worship.

Do you ever stop and think about how amazing it is that God created you? That He knew you even before you were born?  God created us for a relationship with Him, and He desires our full devotion and adoration.

The second thing we can do to seek God whole-heartedly is to cultivate a humble and repentant heart.

Since we know God is worthy of all praise and glory, we should seek Him with humble hearts. We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory, and yet He gave His only Son Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins. So, if we’re to seek God honestly and openly, we need to confess our sins regularly, repent, and make a sincere effort to turn away from them.

This brings us to our last point; which is to lean on God’s grace. 

As we’re seeking God, it can be tempting to try and accomplish things in our own strength, like trying to love difficult people, or being more generous with our resources.  But at the end of the day, we find ourselves still falling short.

I can’t tell you how many days I’ve tried to pray continually, or love my neighbors, or stay focused on Jesus, but felt  I was failing miserably.  What I realized is that I was TRYING to do all those things, without seeking God. It’s only when I make a point to come to God first thing in the morning and throughout the day, that I can do these things.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And I can also rest in His Grace and not feel guilty for the areas where I fall short.

If our aim is to genuinely seek Him, we WILL find Him. 

Philippians 1:6 says, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

And that Ladies, 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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September 17, 2020 · 7:15 am

PROVERBS 1:29

A Five Minute Devotional

The video shown below is the devotional from September 17th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.

Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram

WELCOME

Good morning. I am Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News!

INTRODUCTION

Currently, we’re teaching through the first chapter of Proverbs. As a reminder, this section of Proverbs is aimed at providing a basic summary contrasting wisdom and foolishness. Today, we will be looking at Proverbs 1:29. Before we do that, let me tell you a non-Scriptural story that may help set the stage for today’s topic.

An 86 year-old man was out in his fishing boat when he heard a voice say, “Pick me up!” The old man looked in the water and there, floating on a lily pad was a frog. The man said, “Are you talking to me?” The frog replied, “Yes, I’m talking to you. Pick me up. Then, kiss me and I’ll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I’ll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because you will have me as your bride.” The man looked at the frog for a minute then he reached over, picked up the frog carefully, and placed it in his front pocket. The frog screamed, “What, are you nuts? Didn’t you hear what I said?? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride!” The old man opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, “No thanks! At my age I’d rather have a talking frog.”

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

Whether or not you see the humor in that story, it’s pretty easy to understand. Proverbs 1:29 says, “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,” That’s a message I found much more challenging to understand. And once I understood it, I realized, it’s not so humorous.

In order to understand the cryptic message of Proverbs 1:29, I think you have to go back to the key verse for the entire book. That’s Proverbs 1:7 that tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

WISDOM

This section of Chapter 1 has been subtitled “The Call of Wisdom”. It is God calling us to be wise. In the verses leading up to 1:29, it’s obvious that His call is made openly and it’s loud and clear. But, in our sin, we foolishly choose to not listen and even when rebuked by God, we continue to do so. That leaves God no alternative but to allow us to continue down the path we’ve foolishly chosen, a path that leads to a destination of calamity, terror, destruction and anguish. Finally, then, we may call out to God but when that comes too late, He may no longer answer, He may no longer  be there. Proverbs 1:29 tells us that’s due to our choosing not to fear Him and instead, hating His knowledge.

True wisdom is always grounded in a healthy, respectful, reverent “fear” of God. When we choose not to fear the Lord, when we choose not to place Him in His proper place in our lives, we despise knowledge, and refuse to act wisely. Verse 29 emphasizes how this results in catastrophe.

FOOLISHNESS

In my eyes, there is no greater catastrophe than what’s currently going on in the U.S.A. Presently, the ever-deepening division in its population makes it seem to be on the verge of civil war. To explain this, many look to aspects of American life that are nearly the polar-opposite of the way they were in the nation where I grew up. The common thread running through all these aspects is that the vast majority of the population no longer gives priority to things they recognize as being greater than themselves. Weekly attendance at a house of worship once was nearly universal and Judeo-Christian values were the foundational qualities of most individual lives, families, neighborhoods and communities. In other words, today’s American catastrophe has resulted from ignoring true wisdom grounded in a healthy respectful reverent “fear” of God, through not choosing to place Him in His proper place in their lives, through despising knowledge and refusing to act wisely.

HUMBLE PRAYER

So, in the face of this tragic sadness, what are we to do? Well, God Himself has given us the answer in His Holy Word. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, he tells us, “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.” One aspect of this that can still seem intimidating is where God says, “If my people”. It may be natural to think, “What can I do to get an entire people to turn back to God?” Well it’s kind of like answering the question “How do you eat an elephant? That is “One bite at a time.”  So the answer to “What can I do to get an entire people to turn back to God?” is “By setting an example, one person at a time … beginning with you and me.”

And THAT, is Today’s Good News.

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