Matthew 27:3-5 (KJV)
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

There are some actions, which, once taken, cannot be undone. Judas did not imagine (though I can’t see how he would not have known something like this would happen) Jesus’ treatment would be so brutal. After betraying Jesus he repented himself and tried to return the money. Those he had delivered Jesus to could car less about Judas’s sorrow, repentance and regret. They had what they wanted and they weren’t about to turn back.

The Bible tells us that Judas was a thief. It tells us that Judas betrayed Jesus. But the sorriest part of his story is that he hanged himself. He provided for himself no chance to see what the grace and mercy of God might have done.

• Thomas doubted Christ
• Peter denied Christ and
• Everyone of the disciples except John fled from Christ
• None of them at the first believed Christ had risen. 
• Later, one called Saul of Tarsus would consent to the death of believers. 

And yet, God was gracious to these people, lifted them up and did miraculous and world changing things through them.

Who knows but God what He might have accomplished in Judas Iscariot if he had but reached out to God for mercy instead of to the Pharisees and then to the noose?

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

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Matthew 27:3-5 (KJV) The Sorriest Thing Judas Did

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Matthew 26:6 (KJV)
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,

Little is known of this Simon. Some go so far as to speculate he had never personally been a leper but was so named because someone in his genealogy had been. Others suggest he had been a leper but Jesus had previously healed him. What I see is:

The stigma the world ascribes to people
Whether it is:

• a family sin, 
• a personal failure,
• a reputation once held 

the people of this world tend to never let it go. As quick as this world is to judge Christians as being hateful, it is they who refuse to forgive and forget.

The carelessness demonstrated by Jesus and His followers
Jesus sat at meat in the leper’s home! It is safe, I think, to assume that Simon had been healed by this time but the Bible nowhere says that. That He would be in the home would be an act of grace in those days. That He would eat while He was there would be an unheard of kindness.

What’s more His disciples were with him, so oblivious to the reputation that:

• One poured ointment on Christ and
• The others criticized her for doing it

I am not in favor of their criticisms but I do mark that they were not concerned about his leprosy.

Christians are not perfect. We often dispute with one another about every difference under the sun. Some of those disputes are legitimate others are trivial. The one thing that is constant; we accept that those who have trusted Christ are, for all their faults, saved.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

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Matthew 26:6 (KJV) The Constant About Christians

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Matthew 25:1 (KJV)
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

I am impressed as I recall that this parable is delivered to the disciples of Jesus the week before his crucifixion and just previous to his administration of the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper is intended as an opportunity not only to reflect on the price of our salvation, but also to examine and judge ourselves concerning our Christian walk. It would seem appropriate then, as a Christian prepares to receive the Lord’s Supper, that he examine himself in the light of this parable.

Wisdom vs foolishness
The point seems to be concerning salvation. The wise are saved. The foolish are not.

With oil vs without
This is closely associated with salvation. The Bible most often uses oil to picture the Holy Spirit. Those without this oil would be unsaved. Christians are always indwelt by the Spirit but are not always filled with the Spirit. It would be a wise Christian who evaluates his filling in light of the Lord’s Supper.

Ever prepared vs unprepared
Jesus is going to return one day. It seems like an obvious reason why some would not be prepared would be the growing mockery at the doctrine of His return. Is this not what we see today? A prepared Christian will almost certainly be a mocked Christian in these days.

Watching vs sleeping
The Bible says they all slumbered and slept. What frailty belongs to this human condition! Nevertheless it can be said that the wise watch more and sleep less. A good indicator of our spiritual condition would be how often we find ourselves spiritually asleep.

Watch therefore. Watch as often as you are able and build up your ability to watch the more.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

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Matthew 25:1 (KJV) Prepared For His Return?

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2 Kings 13:5 (KJV)
(And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians: and the children of Israel dwelt in their tents, as beforetime.

What evidence of the grace of God is noted here! These are wicked men who have:

• Rebelled against the authority God had ordained for them
• Rebelled against the house God had given for their worship and
• Rebelled against God Himself in worshiping idols

Still, the Lord gave Israel a Saviour. This of course is not referring to a spiritual salvation but deliverance from an even more wicked kingdom. This salvation was such that the people were free to dwell where they pleased and at peace enough to dwell there in tents rather than fortifications.

Is there some application we may find concerning Spiritual salvation in the passage?

• Salvation restores us to the original relationship between God and Adam
• Salvation is available to the most rebellious among us if we will but ask for it
• Salvation is a liberating work
• Salvation is a peace bringing work

It’s not a perfect picture, that is certain. But it does provide hints of a promise to come.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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2 Kings 13:5 (KJV) A Promise To Come

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Matthew 23:24 (KJV)
Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

The problem seems so obvious doesn’t it? The gnat and the camel are of such different proportions, who could not tell which was the more challenging to swallow? Trouble was, they were blind. They could not see the obvious.

And so we have our problem. In as much as we always see through a glass darkly we too always wrestle with what is spiritually obvious, what is the true priority and what is a mere gnat of an issue. Whole movements are made up of differing opinions on what constitutes a gnat and what is a camel. Younger generations, coming to believe that the doctrines their parents taught are gnats in importance, have picked up the camels of:

• Hebraism or 
• Philosophy or 
• Agnosticism. 

Modern Bible teachers, who cannot see what all the fuss of fundamentalist preaching of a generation ago was all about, have created their own fuss around progressive ideas of methodology and church practice. Is it possible that pastors of past generations could see the differences between gnats and camels more clearly than we? I think so.

No one will ever see the true difference between the two until they admit their own blindness. Rebellious action against their teachers or their teachers’ teachers is a clear sign of blindness. Humility – acknowledging that, while they know their predecessors were fallible men, they too are blind and in need, is the first step toward sight.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Matthew 23:24 (KJV) A Hard Thing To Swallow

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Matthew 22:29 (KJV)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Jesus here exposes the two great shortcomings that lead all unbelievers into error:

Not knowing the Scriptures
Note that these are Sadducees being addressed. They were the more liberal sect of the Jews but it cannot be said that they were unfamiliar with the Scriptures. If they were like modern liberals it is possible they had never read the Scriptures for themselves. More likely they were experts in the philosophies and thinking of other religious experts. They would have read and discussed alternative interpretations of the Word of God other than a literal one, but they would have known what the Scriptures say.

The first recourse in correcting error is to get people to read the Bible for themselves. We need to get people to put down the books about the Bible and turn off the programs where others teach the Bible and invest some significant time into personally studying the Bible

Not knowing the power of God
It seems to me this is an issue of faith. The power of God is demonstrated in everything from the regular seasons of the year to the intricacies of life. He is witnessed in:

The birth of a child

• The beat of the heart
• The history of empires 
• The charity of man
• The calling of preachers 
• The grace of forgiveness 

And a thousand other daily things if only they would had faith to see.

The power of God is also experienced through faith.

• Divine protection in a dangerous circumstance 
• Wisdom to deal with a difficult situation 
• Conviction concerning right and wrong, and, for the Christian;
• Assurance of the Holy Spirit that our sins are remitted

All of these amount the knowing the power of God at work in us.

Some are unfamiliar with the Word of God. Others cannot see the power of God contained within them. And because of these they make terrible mistakes with the Word of God.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Matthew 22:29 (KJV) Why The Error?

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Matthew 21:1-2 (KJV)
And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.

It happens that this passage is part of my regular visit with the Lord in this Sunday before Easter. (I do not like to use the term Palm Sunday because it smacks too closely to Protestantism and Catholicism. I know my Anabaptist forebears would never have associated so closely with them regarding observances of days.) I do enjoy that God orchestrated the timing that I read this passage this morning.

Not many moments ago I received a message from a pastor friend that he would be contrasting this passage with Revelation 19. Some contrasts that come to my mind are:

In this, Jesus rides into town on a borrowed ass.The traditional royal animal was the ass. In the later He will ride out of heaven on a white horse, traditionally an animal of war.

In this he rides into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.In the later he rides to the Mount of Olives from heaven.

In this the children proclaim hosanna.In the later he is followed with the armies of heaven.

In this he will affect the victory over sin.In the later he will have victory over the Antichrist.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Matthew 21:1-2 (KJV) The Triumphal Entry and The Grand Entry

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2 Kings 8:19 (KJV)
Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children.

David was obviously not alive to see how Jehoram turned out. But he would have been broken hearted had he been.

Jehoram would have been David’s great, great, great grandson – distant enough that he would have little personal connection to him but not so distant (especially in David’s case) to have no connection with his heritage. David was a king after God’s own heart. How could his own kin be anything else?

Perhaps it was because of his wife. Jehoram married the daughter of wicked king Ahab, a woman he undoubtedly met through his own father’s willingness to fellowship with Ahab. Jehoshaphat was a good king with this one exception, he refused to separate from those doing wrong.

What I am interested in is the influence David still carried all these generations latter. He was still a light that God honored and that generations later could be guided by. My interest has always been to be able to influence my family for God at least through the fourth generation.

• If I can help my kids to love God and
• If I can help their kids, my grandchildren to love God then perhaps
• I can be a light for my great grandkids, whom I likely will not see in my lifetime 

But what if that doesn’t work out exactly as I wish it would? As much influence as I might try to have, there are other influences at play in their lives. Even if it doesn’t work out as I wish, it’s still right for me to love God and live for him with all my heart so that I might be a light many generations down the road. There are a number of pastors who have rejoiced to discover that two hundred years ago or more there were preachers in their family. I have found a few of them myself. (None were Baptist to my knowledge.)

If I am a light in my lifetime, I have hope that I might still be a light even for my great, great, great grandchildren.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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2 Kings 8:19 (KJV) A Light After My Lifetime

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2 Kings 5:11 (KJV)
But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.

Naaman here demonstrates what is perhaps the chief cause of disputes between God and the world. Naaman thought he knew what God, through the prophet, would do. Perhaps he thought God was not in the equation at all.

I read it in newspaper opinion pages, and more often now in social media; people are offended at Christians because they think a Christian should behave or even believe differently than he or she does.

• They thought love outweighs judgment. 
• They thought such sins as abortion and homosexuality ought to be legitimized by Christians
• They thought Christians must be opposed to the right to keep and bear arms

They thought
They thought
They thought

The same happens in local churches. People get offended because they thought things would be different than in fact that they turned out to be.

• They thought the Pastor would not discover their besetting sin
• They thought the church would overlook doctrinal differences
• They thought those things they left the last church over would not exist in this new church 
• They thought they could lead a ministry they are not qualified to lead

They thought
They thought
They thought

There is nothing wrong with thinking. We ought to do more of it. But the thinking we do needs to be shaped with the truth of Philippians 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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2 Kings 5:11 (KJV) They Thought, They Thought, They Thought

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2 Kings 3:7 (KJV)
And he went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, The king of Moab hath rebelled against me: wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said, I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as thy horses.

None of the commentaries I possess make any mention of this play on words, “he went and sent.” It’s likely because the play exists only in the English language. The commentaries all purposely attempt something deeper through the studies of the original languages. Nevertheless, the translators deemed this to be the most accurate manner in which to render this phrase. I cannot help but think it must have occurred to them that someone would catch the poetry. It has value if, for no other reason, to cause us to pause a moment.

This is an active phrase.

He went
It means, “to walk” and by extension, to:

• Travel, 
• Go forward, 
• Exercise, 
• Grow 

This is motion, action, progress.

He sent
This means, “ to send away” as in to send away for. It can also mean “to cast away.”

The king actively sent for Jehoshaphat. This was no casual request. This wasn’t wishfully hoping the king of Judah would take up his side. He pursued an alliance.

I might not use the king of Israel as an example except that he was successful in the purpose of his alliance with Judah and because, in this case, he insisted that he hear from the living God and not one of the idols.

If something is of the Lord, if He is leading us in doing it, we ought to do more than wish we could be successful. We ought to actively engage in making it a success.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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2 Kings 3:7 (KJV) If Something Is Of The Lord

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2 Kings 2:10 (KJV)
And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

Elisha asked of Elijah “a hard thing.” I am confident that the lesson of the passage is that we ought to do the same. We ought to ask for big, challenging, hard things from God.

• We shouldn’t ask for them out of selfish motivation 
• We should not seek the hard to consume on our own lusts but 
• We ought to ask God for hard things. 

I notice two important provisions for the answer to the hard thing;
I notice that Elisha clung tenaciously close to Elijah
Before Elijah offered the request to Elisha he had proven himself faithful and loyal. The one who may expect big things from God has been proven. There will be tests. Expect to have your faithfulness tried.

The condition for answer was to keep his eye on his master
No one ever succeeds as a believer who believes he is a master of himself. The greatest leaders are always greater followers. Humility always precedes promotion. Submission is always the price of elevation.

Go ahead and ask the hard thing. But remember that the answer only comes through faithfulness and humility.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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2 Kings 2:10 (KJV) Ask For Hard Things

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Matthew 17:26-27 (KJV)
Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

See here a principle that I fear is too little understood and seldom practiced in our day. The principle is the priority to avoid offense. Freedom, liberty even, is to be sacrificed for this principle.

The question had to do with paying the Temple tax. This was a fee levied on all the Jews and intended for the care and maintenance of the Temple building. It was a necessary sum. It was essential for the future use of this facility. The question was, does Jesus and his disciples owe this tax? Peter’s immediate response was, “Yes.”

Jesus did not question Peter’s answer. He came to the same conclusion, but He did want Peter to think through his reasons. Often we do what we do out of:

• Peer pressure or 
• Custom or 
• Expectation 

And do not consider the why. Why we give our tithe and faith promises to missions, for instance, is as important as that we give.

Jesus, the Son of God, was free from the tax. There was no spiritual obligation on his part to pay it. The implication from the passage is that Peter was free from it as well. Neither one had to pay it. But there was something more important than what they had or did not have to do,

• There were souls at stake
• There were messages to be preached
• There were churches to be planted

To avoid offending these men left them free to accomplish those things.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

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Matthew 17:26-27 (KJV) Consider The Why

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1 Kings 21:27-29 (KJV)
And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Note the power of humility.

Ahab may be the most evil king in Israel’s history. He certainly ranks among the most notorious. I dare say even the Kingdom’s original leader, Jeroboam, hasn’t the reputation of Ahab.

And here we see him in the midst of one of his most despicable acts. His coveting of another man’s property is so strong that he closes his eyes as his wicked wife, Jezebel, plots the false witness and assassination of the property’s God given owner. So terrible is this wickedness that the prophet pronounces upon him immediate judgment from God.

But then Ahab humbles Himself. Perhaps even he knew his wife went too far in this evil deed.

Notice:

• He did not repent
• He did not turn from evil

(We will see him once again to wickedly.) but

• He did humble himself

And for that humility God granted a respite from the judgment.

I recommend repentance. I recommend a person trust Christ for salvation, turn from their wicked ways and dedicate themselves to faithful obedience to the Word of God.

But even when a sinner falls short of these minimum expectations of the faith they might see a small reprieve from the judgment of God if only they behave humbly.

To my readers:
First of all, thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. Secondly, I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and more than 4100 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2006.

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1 Kings 21:27-29 (KJV) The Power of Humility

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