John 2:19 (KJV) It’s No Accident

John 2:19 (KJV)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

I learned recently that Ephrath, where Rachel was buried, and later named Bethlehem, was the city of Bezaleel, the man gifted by the Holy Spirit to build the tabernacle. It was also the city where the sheep used for sacrifice were raised. 

It was no accident that Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus. 

• He has a heart for the house of God, 
• He builds the His church and, in this chapter, 
• He refers to His own body as the Temple 

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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John 2:19 (KJV) It’s No Accident

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John 1:15 (KJV) Jesus Christ is God

John 1:15 (KJV)
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

As far as I can tell Jesus came after John in two ways:

• He was born after John
• His ministry began after John’s

John was sent ahead as a sort of “advance man” preparing the way of the Lord. John was a witness of Him. He knew his role was to point others, not to himself, but to Christ. 

Though John could say in an earthly way that Jesus came after him, he also testified the divine truth that Jesus was before him. Jesus had no beginning. He is from everlasting. 

Our first witness, the thing we must make plain is that, no matter what other things may appear to be true, Jesus Christ is 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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

John 1:15 (KJV) Jesus Christ is God

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Luke 24:6 (KJV) Remember

Luke 24:6 (KJV)
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,

Luke 24:8 (KJV)
And they remembered his words,

Luke 24:11 (KJV)
And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

It seems to me that there is a progression that happens concerning the Word of God.
There are some whose first impression is that these are but idle tales
They discount the message. They disregard, demean, denounce and ignore it. Still, they have heard it. 

They are urged then to remember what they heard
It may be that a person’s first response to the Word of God appears to be minimal. That does not mean it had no purpose. There comes a point where we who witness merely need to remind others of what God said. 

They remembered 
Then comes the moment in life when the Word of God finds purpose. Whatever the event, they come to remember and, remembering, their lives are changed. 

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Luke 24:6 (KJV) Remember

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1 Kings 22:1 (KJV) Deadly Discontent

1 Kings 22:1 (KJV)
And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.

After three years of peace with Syria, Ahab started the battle that led to his own death. He thought he had

• The help of Jehoshaphat 
• The blessings of the prophets
• The victories of the past and even
• The deception of not dressing like a king

on his side.

None of that mattered. One lone prophet had told him what the outcome would be. He was right. Before the day was over Ahab was dead. He lost his life over one city. After three years of peace, he died because he was not content. 

God help us learn a lesson from that. 

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

1 Kings 22:1 (KJV) Deadly Discontent

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1 Kings 20:31 (KJV) Mercy? Not So Much

1 Kings 20:31 (KJV)
And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

God’s mercies are new every morning. They are some of the richest treasures we possess as His children. God extended tremendous mercy upon Ahab, giving him two great victories over Ben-hadad, king of Syria. But those mercies reached their end when Ahab extended mercy to Ben-hadad. Mercy is not always the appropriate response. 

There is a notable legal case going on in this day. A young woman approached the new pastor of the church she grew up in to say that she had been molested as a child by the former pastor. The new preacher heard her out, believed her account and supported her in reporting him to authorities. The process took many months, perhaps two years. All the days of the investigation both the woman and the pastor supporting her were maligned, accused, and mistreated as false accusers of this man. Eventually the former pastor, at the time a teacher in a Bible College, was arrested. Not too long ago in a plea bargain, he confessed to many but not all of the accusations. The debate among preachers now is about forgiveness, mercy, and restoration. The pastor of the church, the man who supported the victim, has been labeled unforgiving and vindictive. 

Here’s the thing, mercy is not always an appropriate response. It is always right to forgive, to release feelings of ill toward another. But it is not always right to show mercy. 

• The murderer must not be set free 
• The thief must make restitution 
• The abuser must be held accountable 

Forgive, always. Mercy? not so much.

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

1 Kings 20:31 (KJV) Mercy? Not So Much

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1 Kings 18:3 (KJV) Live As A Believer

1 Kings 18:3 (KJV)
And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

In the home of Ahab and Jezebel, and very prominent in that home, was Obadiah, the governor of his house. 

I note three things about him:
He feared the LORD greatly
He said as much to Elijah in verse 12, “I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.”

He acted on his faith[1]
In caring for the one hundred prophets and hiding them from Jezebel.

He did as Elijah had asked
Despite the risk and personal fears, he told Ahab where to meet Elijah. 

It is possible to live as a believer in a hostile environment. It might have challenges and require discernment. There will no doubt be fearful times, but God uses believers who will serve Him in those places. 

---

[1] For that is what such fear is.

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

1 Kings 18:3 (KJV) Live As A Believer

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Luke 20:2 (KJV) Authority

Luke 20:2 (KJV)
And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?

The subject of authority occupies a good deal of the New Testament. Jesus taught as one having authority and not as the scribes. Even, when later in this chapter He is referred to as Master, the word signifies authority. But where did He get this authority? 

Jesus determined not to tell them by what authority He operated. Then He gave them a parable that is all about their refusal to submit to God-given authority. In the parable, the lord sent three servants and his son, each with implied authority and each beaten or worse. Finally, Jesus said the lord of the vineyard would destroy those husbandmen and give the vineyard to others. 

We live in a time of rebellion, not dissimilar to the days of Christ. Authority on all levels is questioned, ignored, maligned, and attacked. This is apparent in the Christian world too. There is a day soon coming when God will destroy those abusers of His authorities and will create a new heaven and new earth where such abuse does not occur. 

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
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My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Luke 20:2 (KJV) Authority

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1 Kings 16:33 (KJV) To Minister

1 Kings 16:33 (KJV)
And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

Ahab’s father, Omri, had done more wickedly than any of those before him but Ahab exceeded even his father in wickedness. Two of Ahab’s sins, the Word of God marks as especially egregious:

He married Jezebel
Marriage is a serious matter. It changes a person. In this case, he married someone who made him even worse than he would have been. 

He rebuilt Jericho
This was the first city taken when Israel entered the Promised Land. It was taken by a miracle and was to be considered an offering to God. By rebuilding it, Ahab robbed God. 

Ahab had provoked the Lord to anger more than anyone previous. What I find interesting is that God’s response was to send a prophet. The very next chapter introduces Elijah, likely the most well-known of them all. God’s response to unparalleled evil was to call a preacher of unparalleled gifts. 

God uses preaching, ministry to respond to evil. His first reaction is not to execute but to minister. 

May we learn to be like 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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

1 Kings 16:33 (KJV) To Minister

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Luke 18:8 (KJV) Faith Waits

Luke 18:8 (KJV)
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

This is, as I understand it, an incredibly important passage and telling of the last days. Jesus strongly implies that, by the time He returns, there will be very little genuine faith on the earth. 

For consideration today is the context in which He says it. The passage is derived from a parable spoken to the end that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.  It is immediately followed by the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, concerning the prayers of each. Faith is demonstrated in prayer. 

The two signs of the last days, if we take them simply from this passage is:

Men will faint and no longer believe in unceasing prayer. 
They may still pray. They just won’t continue in prayer until it is heard. 

Faith (trust) will be in their own righteousness and not in God
That’s religion. They will perhaps pray but their faith will be in their good works. They will not see themselves as sinners, in need of God’s mercy. 

Faith, true faith, trusts in the mercy of God until it is finally received. 

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 4800 earlier Daily Visits with God visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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.

My books are available at:
My author spotlight at Lulu.com:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/marvinmckenzie

My author Page for Kindle/Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/author/marvinmckenzie

Luke 18:8 (KJV) Faith Waits

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