In the previous two devotionals, I talked about how God sees and hears what His children do and go through. He also sees what the wicked do – all the time.

Two things enable Him to do this: His omnipresence and His omniscience. Not only is He present everywhere, but He also knows everything about everything – and everyone. He also knows the future. The Internet does not hold a candle to what He knows about everyone.

Just because God does not act immediately against evil does not mean that He never will. The truth is that our timetable is not His timetable. He will judge.

His great patience works two ways: First, He wants to save all – no exceptions. Second, the day of judgment is coming: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). He is not in a hurry. He can wait until the wicked die – He has all eternity to judge and punish the wicked – if they do not repent.

One reason that God waits to punish the wicked is because He desires to show mercy rather than judgment. It is our trust in Him that enables us to wait for Him to act, even when we feel we should not wait but get revenge. If we do not see it in our lifetime – be sure that it will come for the wicked and the unsaved. His promises cannot fail.

To the wicked – the unsaved – and those who act and live wickedly, Jesus said: “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:5).

Unfaithful believers are also warned: “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters” (Jer. 17:13).

Believers can have comfort in knowing that He sees us. There is no place we can go to hide from His eyes. God saw Jonah in the whale’s belly in the ocean depths.

In this verse, we understand that He also hears us when we call unto Him. He not only hears when we audibly talk to Him, but He can also hear the cry of the heart when not a word is spoken.

Some people like to light candles when they pray. Other religions believe they must bang drums to get their god’s attention before they pray. Still others have prayer wheels that supposedly keep repeating their prayers. Thank God, the born-again believer does not need to do any of that.

He is our Father and He cares for all His children. He loves us all infinitely.

Even though He promises to hear, we must remember that He does have some expectations of us. By His love and grace, He redeemed us from the penalty of our sin. We told Him that we were sorry for our disobedience and asked Him to forgive us and save us. Our redemption cost God the life of His Son. Although He gives us free will, out of thankfulness we ought to love and serve Him.

Many believers pray but receive few answers. It is often because they are disobedient. The verse above reveals His willingness to hear. If you have no answers to your prayers, it might be because you are out of His will.

The joy of the believer comes in the doing of His will and walking close to Him in daily fellowship. I John 3:22 tells us: “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in has sight.”

If you are not getting answers to prayer now, the one prayer He will hear is the prayer of confession. If you are serious, He will hear that prayer and fellowship will be restored.

Psalm 34 is an excellent chapter to read when you need comfort. It reminds us of many things that will help comfort your soul when facing troubles.

Verse 15 reminds us that God sees everything that you, as a believer, face in this life. There is nothing that you do for Him, or that happens to you, that He does not know about.

Some hymns that are sung in churches imply that you will understand why everything that happened to you or to those around you – such as loved ones. While it may sound good, it is not Biblical.

The Bible does tell us that we will be rewarded for all we faithfully do for Him, in His Name, and for His glory. We are also told that if we suffer loss for His Name, that He will reward us abundantly for it. Praise His Name! Sometimes, He just wants us to trust Him when things go right and when they don’t (read Job).

I seriously doubt that we will care much about what happened down here after we see our Savior and the glorious surroundings of Heaven. We will also be very excited to see our loved ones again – as well as some of the well-known saints that have gone before us.

For those who faithfully serve Him here, He has promised that all things will be for good (Romans 8:28). If we are willing to be His servant and witness, then we can be assured that sometimes the things that happen to us are also for the benefit of others we come in contact with.

He knows at all times not only what you face, and He also knows what you feel and what you can handle. Somewhere, though, and somehow, He will teach us not to rely on our own limits but on His infinite grace – which is always sufficient – all the way to glory.

The trip to the Promised Land from Egypt should not have taken but about 11 days. Once there, they could have started to enjoy the trees, shade, rivers and streams, fruits of the land, and homes already built. Instead, they entered the desert and did not leave it for 40 years.

They all hated the desert, but no one 20 years old or older would leave it alive. Ten men robbed them of the blessings the children of Israel could have had. It seems the children of Abraham could not trust God to move forward – even though they saw what God could do again and again. Note that the above verse states that Miriam died there. The last verse of this chapter says Aaron died there, too.

Many of God’s people today are living in a spiritual desert. A desert has very little beauty and very little life. It is drab and dry. Not much happens there.

Psalm 86:6 says: “God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.” This verse says that those who do not obey God – the rebellious – dwell in a “dry land” – a desert.

It is not God’s will that His people live in a spiritual desert. They are there because they are not following Him like they should. Christians that obey God find that He gives them fruit for their labor, satisfies their thirst, and they know the joy of God, and have no want (Ps, 23:1). They know what the “abundant life” is.

The “family” that God wants to put His new-born children (born-again) into is the local church. It is there where His people meet together, share one another’s burdens and pray for each other, and exercise their God-given gifts to edify one another.

Are you tired of desert living yet? Would you like to see more of what God wants to give you?

Christian friend, if you are saved but are not a part of a local church, I want to encourage you to find one that loves God, enjoys giving out the gospel, preaches the word of God plainly, and wants to please God in what they do.

Although the blood of animal sacrifices was commanded in the Old Testament, it was only a temporary part of God’s plan. It was never able to wash away sins. Old Testament believers were saved by faith – just like we are today.

Verse 23 of Hebrews 9 reveals that animal sacrifices were only a “pattern” of things to come – of a better sacrifice. The fact that animal sacrifices could never take away sin was emphasized by the fact that these sacrifices had to be repeated over and over.

Christ’s sacrifice of Himself was totally different. His sacrifice was the final one. He never needed to make another one, which would mean He would have to die again. Hebrews 10:10 confirms that there would never be another sacrifice that God would accept: “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

The text verse reveals that Christ entered Heaven (when He ascended) with His own blood and put it on the altar in Heaven – no other blood has ever been put there for us. It is there for eternity guaranteeing our salvation and acceptance with God.

If you are not trusting in His atoning (covering) blood for your sin – you are not saved. Hebrews 9:22 tells us that “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Remission means “covering” or putting away of sin.

Can you thank God now for what Christ did for you on the Cross? He shed His blood for your salvation and mine because He loved us. We must, however, accept the gift of salvation at Christ’s expense.

After what seemed like the greatest possible tragedy to Jesus – the Lord of glory – His horrible death on the Cross, came the greatest possible blessing. The Cross was no surprise to Jesus, as some suppose. Jesus Himself declared that His death was the very reason He came, according to John 12:27 “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.“

Although the apostles did not believe it when the women told them the tomb was empty – and an angel told them it was so, they did not even believe Jesus’ own words. Later He appeared to them in the Upper Room and proved that He was more than a ghost. Then they saw and believed.

Paul makes a powerful statement about why the resurrection is so important. In I Corinthians 15:16-18, he said: “For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”

Of course, Paul was saying that the resurrection is proof that our sins are forgiven. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then He is still paying for our sins – and we do not have salvation. His resurrection proves our sins are forgiven, which gives us a sure hope of a future in Heaven with God.

Just before Christ ascended into Heaven, Paul testified that there were more than 500 believers who saw Christ at the same time (I Corinthians 15:6). Just as His resurrection is a sure event, we can have confidence that He will return for us – probably very soon.

Yes, He lives. Praise God, He is alive!

The death of the Lord Jesus and its significance to Christianity is of utmost importance. Some Christians and preachers play it down as though it was unfortunate or a surprise. Neither is true. We celebrate Good Friday because it is when a very important part of Christ’s prophesied work was fulfilled.

Even though Jesus repeatedly told the Apostles about His upcoming death, their did not understand or believe it. They were thinking that Christ would take the Kingdom away from the Romans and set up His rule over the earth.

Christ was ordained before the foundation of the world to be the Sacrifice for sinners: “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (I Peter 1:20). Once He came, nothing would stop Him from going to the Cross for us – for unworthy sinners.

The fact that He would become our Sacrifice – our Substitute – was pictured in the illustration of Abraham sacrificing Isaac, in the thousands of sacrifices every year in Israel, and in many prophecies, such as Isaiah 53.

Jesus never ceased to be God; He merely added a human form to Himself at His conception. It did not weaken Him in any way, as His many miracles prove. Another testimony of His present power is seen in His statement in John 10:18 where He was talking about His life: “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified that He might fulfill His purpose as the “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” – as spoken by John the Baptist. Notice in this verse that Jesus did not just die for the Jews – but for the entire world. Only His death could do that.

Peter declares, in I Peter 1:19, that we are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Because only He was God in the flesh, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Among Jesus last words on the Cross, He declared three most powerful words: “It is finished” (John 19:30). By those words, He meant that all sin had been paid for and none were left unpaid – thus guaranteeing salvation to all who believe.

Have you believed on Him yet to become your Savior? If not, why not talk to Him now in prayer and tell Him you are sorry for your sins and want to live for Him now. Then, ask Him to forgive and save you because Jesus died for you – and He will.

Even though He died – that is not the end of the story. Easter is coming!

The born-again Christian has been given the Word of God to be a Guide for daily living. It is, of course, much more than that. It is also a mirror, a source of strength and comfort, a promise Book, a window to see our Savior and learn from Him, and a way to see what will happen in our world. There is a lot in it and the more you think about what it says and apply it – which is what Bible word “meditation” means – the more blessed you can be.

The best blessings are not physical ones. They include walking in fellowship with Him, enjoying His peace, and knowing that He will provide. Many rich people do not have them and they cannot buy them.

Although the promise of blessing is there, you also need to notice that there are two conditions for it. First, you need to “delight” in it. Do you really “delight” in reading and studying God’s Word? And what about hearing it preached and taught on Sunday in church?

Second, there is the constant meditation on it – “day and night.” This, of course, implies that you are applying it to your life. The best way to do his through the day is to memorize passages of Scripture. Are you doing that?

Many have found the above two conditions to be the key to a joyous life in Christ. Why not start to get in on the blessings and find out how meditation can make a difference.

This verse reveals much of the ministry of Jesus while He was on earth. There are three things that stand out.

1. He wanted everyone to hear

Jesus’ ministry was not limited to a small area. He went to the sheep of Israel and gave them the Gospel. He visited every town and village – the big and the small places. We don’t want to forget that He and the disciples had to cover all this distance by walking.

2. He chose the best method

The method Jesus chose to get the message out was preaching. It still is the best method, although there are many other methods that may also be used. People are more touched by a personal contact than any other means.

It is also important to know that His message was considered “glad tidings” (good news). Christ put the emphasis on how God loved people and that He wanted to save them from Hell. We must never forget that although God is love, He also hates sin and will judge it if it is not forgiven through Christ.

3. He prepared for the future

The Bible says: “and the twelve were with him.” That means they saw what He did, how He did it, and the attitude He did it with. They saw everything He did – His teaching, His miracles, His humanness and His Divinity. God planned it that way because they were to carry the work on the same way that Jesus did it.

They also knew that He did not do His own will but was subject completely to the Father’s will. Because of it, Jesus accomplished more in three years than most people could accomplish in a lifetime.

Jesus was always on the go. The only thing He depended on was the power of God – the same we must also depend on if we are to do God’s work. What are you depending on – and is He getting the glory? Are we seeking to imitate Jesus pattern of ministry?

When Jesus visited Mary and Martha – probably not the first time – Mary knew that time spent with the Master would be limited. Both Mary and Martha had the same choice to make.

Mary chose the better option – spending time learning from the Lord Jesus. Martha chose to serve.

Jesus pointed out to Martha that she was “careful and troubled about many things.” Apparently, she worried a lot and had never learned the value of spending time alone with the Lord. This was, of course, the cause of her anxiety.

When we spend time with Christ in Bible reading and prayer, He gives peace and joy. Jesus next statement sums up the benefit of time spent with Christ and shutting out the world for a little while: “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (vs. 42).

We all can cope better with the pressures of the day when we spend time with God in worship and devotions. Have you chosen “that good part,” today, or will you be “troubled about many things?”