Sermon: Faithful Provision from a Faithful God (1 Kings 17:8-16)
All posts by Brandon G. B.
Sermon: The Faithful Are Never Forsaken (1 Kings 17:2-7)
Sermon: Standing in the Gap (1 Kings 17:1)
God Will Send His Ravens | Bible Gleanings – January 20-21, 2024
A German boy and his mother were in a perilous predicament in the dead of winter. Their food and firewood were running out, leaving them famished and freezing. And suddenly, the woman’s son swiftly slung the door open, ushering in the suffocating cold air. “My son,” she gasped, “why are you opening the door on such a cold night?” The youngster, familiar with the biblical story of Elijah being miraculously fed by ravens, said with conviction, “Mother, it’s for the ravens.”
Do you remember that awe-inspiring account of God’s powerful provision? The Lord assured Elijah that He would meet his needs if he stepped out in faith to live in the wilderness east of the Jordan (1 Kings 17:2-4). The Lord promised that Elijah would drink from the brook and be fed by the ravens. And that’s precisely what occurred: “And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook” (1 Kings 17:6). The Lord of creation used winged birds to care for Elijah because he had taken refuge under His wings (Psalm 91:4). God rewarded Elijah’s firm faith with faithful provision.
And the boy with childlike faith was likewise honored with miraculous provision. The mayor of the snowy village was walking around that frigid night to check on the residents, and he was shocked to see a little cottage with an open door. He went to investigate and the mother explained that they were waiting on God to send His ravens. The concerned mayor then remarked, “I will be your raven, both now and ever.” And he provided them with food and warmth.
Whether you are in dire straits like this German family or standing alone for the truth like Elijah, you can be certain that God will provide for you when you trust His word and remain faithful to it. When you devote yourself to the Lord—no matter how hard it may be—the ravens will always arrive on time. When you put the Lord first, He will meet your needs according to His riches in glory (Matt. 6:33; Phil. 4:19). The faithful are never forsaken. The holy are wholly cared for by the Lord.
And this is the trustworthy testimony of Scripture. As David exclaimed, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25). He also declared, “Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:9-10). “For the LORD God is a sun and shield,” proclaimed another psalmist, “the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11). Will you open the door with arms of faith to let the ravens in?
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Stand in the Gap | Bible Gleanings – January 13-14, 2024
The dark days of history have always been brightened by those who had the courage to wave the torch of truth. Societies slumbering on the bed of wrong have always been awakened by those with the backbone to sound the trumpet of truth. One such person was Rosa Parks, who defied the racial segregation of her day and time by refusing to give up her seat on the bus on December 1st of 1955. She was willing to stand for what was right and later famously said, “Stand for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s nut that held its ground.”
Whether it was Rosa Parks on the bus, Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, Patrick Henry in the colonies, the anonymous “tank man,” at Tiananmen Square, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer during the Holocaust, the world has always needed humble heroes who would stand for what was right—even if they stood alone. And in these evil days in which we find ourselves, God is looking for torch-bearers to shine light in the dark and trumpet-players to sound the truth to the deceived. He is looking for the faithful few and the righteous remnant who will go against the flow by believing, preaching, and living the truth. He is seeking out Elijahs who will stand for the truth in the face of evil. He is on the lookout for Daniels who will oppose idol worship at any cost.
Unfortunately, there are so few who will stand in the gap. As the Lord said in Ezekiel 22, “The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully. And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:29-30, KJV). The truth is, it is easier to be a hermit-crab Christian. It is more convenient and comfortable to compromise, take a back seat, sit on the sidelines, and ride the fence.
Doing what is right is almost never easy or comfortable, and it will cost you popularity and approval. But you are not alone when you stand for what is right. The faithful few are out there, as God reminded the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:18). And more importantly, you’re never alone when you stand with the Lord and His truth. As the great Scottish reformer John Knox once said, “One with God is always the majority.”
So, will you speak up, stand up, and stand in the gap, even if no one else does?
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
The Lord’s Discipline | Bible Gleanings – January 6-7, 2024
An unpleasant tingling sensation swept over my body as the needle sank into my vein. It wasn’t a surprise, however, since the nurse had warned me, “Alright, you’re going to feel a slight prick, Mr. Bramlett.” Needles have never frightened me, but I have always appreciated a heads-up before the metal micro-rod pierces my skin. I was in the hospital, desperately requiring medicinal fluids, and the stinging of a needle was the only way to get them into my system. Pain was the price of gain, and there’s no doubt that I would have been worse off without the medicine I needed—even if it required a painful prickle.
And this is what happens to all of God’s children when they are lovingly disciplined by Him. His discipline is a painful prick of the conscience and a temporary sting to the soul that gives us the correction we need when we have sinned. The Lord administers the sanctifying medicine of His compassionate discipline when our sin-sick heart goes astray, and sometimes it hurts. As the writer of Hebrews said, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). Believers do not face punishment from the Lord since there is “no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1), but wayward saints must endure His benevolent chastising, just a loving father disciplines his children for their good.
His discipline sometimes takes the form of heartache, inward regret, or bitter sorrow (Psalm 32:4). He may also use the loving rebuke of other believers to administer His chastisement (Matt. 18:15-20; Heb. 3:13). More often than not, the Father reprimands us as believers by letting the consequences of our sin run their course. Sometimes, His discipline may be very severe if we continue in sin without repentance (1 Cor. 11:29-30). And just as God chastised the Israelites through famine and drought, the Lord may see fit to upset and interrupt our lives in noticeable ways in order to arrest our attention and correct our course.
The good news is that God always administers such painful discipline because of His fatherly love for us, His children. “My son,” said Solomon of old, “do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3:11-12). Moreover, as the writer of Hebrews confirmed, “It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb. 12:7-8). Even Jesus promised, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19).
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Will There Be Marriage in Heaven?
Marriage is a blessed and sanctifying institution the Lord established in the sin-free perfection of Eden. And God ordained marriage as a lifelong and loving union between one man and one woman. After God created Adam, He saw that it was not good for him to be alone, so He created woman from his rib and gave her to him to be his companion. The Scripture, therefore, says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24).
According to this verse, marriage involves leaving, cleaving, and weaving. First, a man and woman leave their old homes to establish a new one. They become their own family unit. Second, a man and woman hold fast to each other in steadfast love and devotion, committed to each other for life. And thirdly, a man and woman “become one flesh” in marriage, that is, their two lives join together as one, just as human DNA is one substance made of two strands.
Seeing that marriage is a lifelong union of a man and woman, the question that has often been asked is, Will marriage continue into eternity? What does the Bible say about marriage in heaven? Will we be married there? What if we have been divorced? Will we be married to our ex-spouse or our new one?
It just so happens that Jesus answered this question directly, and was asked this specific question by the Sadducees:
“The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.” But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching” (Matthew 22:23-33).
That was a loaded question, wasn’t it? The Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection (that’s why they were sad you see? I know, that was terrible), posed an interesting question to the Lord. The question was, who will you be married to if you’ve been widowed seven times? The woman in their scenario had seven husbands because each of them succumbed to death (seven in a row is a bit suspicious if you ask me). So, when the woman gets to heaven, who will her husband be?
It was a good question, and Jesus’ good answer was essentially this, “You’ve got it all wrong. In heaven, they neither marry nor are given in marriage.” In other words, Jesus says that there will be no marriage in heaven. This does not imply that husbands and wives will not recognize each other in heaven or forget about their marriage on earth. There is no chapter and verse that suggests memory erasure or anything of the sort.
Jesus simply says that there will be no marriage institution in heaven, and if you think about the purposes for marriage, this makes sense. According to the Scripture, the five purposes of marriage are procreation (Gen. 1:28), companionship (Gen. 2:16), sexual purity (1 Cor. 7:2, 5), family (Mal. 2:15), and the gospel (Eph. 5:22-33). And in heaven, all of these purposes are fulfilled.
God will fill heaven with His spiritual children, and thus, there will be no need for sexual intercourse which produces physical children. Additionally, the presence of all God’s saints and the presence of the Lord Himself will be eternally sufficient for companionship. And what about sexual purity? Well, heaven is a place completely pure and free from sin and its curse, and thus, temptations to sexual immorality will be eliminated. We will also be surrounded by the family of God throughout eternity, fulfilling yet another earthly purpose of marriage. And lastly, we will not need marriage as a symbol of the gospel to remind us of Christ’s love for the church because ironically, believers will be “married” to Christ (cf. Revelation 19:6-8).
Marriage, as God ordained it, is a beautiful institution for love, friendship, family, child-bearing and rearing, mutual holiness, and it symbolizes the love Christ has for His church in an unforgettable way. It is a gift God has given His creation on earth, to be greatly cherished while we have it, as its purposes will one day be fulfilled in heaven for all who have repented of their sins and exercised faith toward Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Training for Godliness | Bible Gleanings – December 30-31, 2023
It was unbearable. Experiencing agony like never before, I yearned for relief. Torture devices surrounded me and I didn’t think I was going to escape alive. And I kept asking myself, “Is this some kind of plot to get me killed?” Needless to say, my first time working out in a gym was unforgettable.
To be clear, physical exercise is not entirely foreign to me, but it’s a different ballgame when you use machinery that is made to work every muscle in your body. Still, I wanted to get in shape instead of just being a shape, and I knew that physical fitness could only be achieved through regular and rigorous training. Being physically fit doesn’t happen accidentally—you have to put forth effort and stay with it. And this is exactly what Paul the apostle said about godliness in 1 Timothy 4:7b-8, “Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Godliness is not something our sin-cursed bodies are accustomed to, and that is why believers must train for it. Walking the narrow road is strange to feet that have walked long on the wide road that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13-14). Cultivating a holy heart that loves the Lord is foreign to a heart that has only known love for sin (Jer. 17:9). Because of this, we will never stumble into godliness. We can only attain it through grace-empowered effort and spiritual discipline.
Moreover, training for godliness sometimes hurts. Strains and aches are inevitable for gym goers because they are stretching and strengthening their muscles. Likewise, living a holy life will sometimes be painful as we stretch and strengthen our spiritual muscles. Godliness is costly, and it requires cross-bearing and repentance of sins that our wicked heart cherishes (Luke 9:23). But take heart: such spiritual pain always results in gain, just as muscle soreness from exercise yields greater muscle strength.
Training for godliness must be as consistent as a physical workout regimen, too. We can never take a break from prayer, Bible study, fellowship with the saints, evangelism, and discipleship. Just as muscles shrink without being constantly worked, our spiritual muscles will likewise weaken if they aren’t used. The believer ought to make progress in the Christian life (Phil. 1:25; 1 Tim. 4:15), and progress requires that we keep moving and working.
Finally, training for godliness is much easier when you do so with other saints (Heb. 3:13; 10:25). I always work out with my wife, and she encourages me when I want to give up. And you will find the race of endurance easier to run when accompanied by fellow saints who can encourage, correct, and love you. Are you training for godliness? Are you “working out” your own salvation (Phil. 2:12)?
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
For more devotional entries like this, check out Brandon’s latest book, Bible Gleanings Volume II, which features 100 daily devotionals gleaned from God’s word:
Away in a Manger | Bible Gleanings – December 23-24, 2023
The cries of a newborn were heard from an animal feeding trough in a little town called Bethlehem. God had come to earth as a baby, utterly dependent on the care of Mary and Joseph. The God who created the sun was wrapped in swaddling cloths to keep Him warm. The omnipresent God who cannot be confined by human temples was contained in the temple of a human child. The Lord exalted above the heavens was born as an infant and laid in a dirty and unsanitary manger: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
No doctors or nurses attended Him. He received no medical tests or vaccines. Furthermore, there was no aroma of gingerbread or apple cider in the air—only the stench of manure and the smell of birth. This was not a bright and starry night as depicted by Christmas cards and carols. The Lord Jesus entered the world in the most humiliating manner imaginable.
Considering that Jesus is the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, [and] Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7), you might expect a more glorious and unforgettable entrance into the world. But instead of a breathtaking and royal arrival displayed to the whole world, Jesus was humbly born in the presence of only Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the company of dirty animals. No red carpet or triumphal band accompanied the arrival of the King of Kings. And this is the way God ordained it.
Jesus was demonstrating what kind of Savior He was from the moment He took His first breath. He had not come to overthrow the Romans. He would not dominate Israel’s opponents by consuming them with wrath from heaven. He would allow Himself to be consumed by wrath from heaven. And being born in the lowliest of places embodies His humility. The apostle Paul summed it up perfectly when he said:
“Though he [Jesus] was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:5-8).
And He did it for you. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.
Brandon is the founder and main contributor to Brandon’s Desk, the blog with biblical resources from his ministry. He pastored the family of believers at Locust Grove Baptist Church in Murray, Kentucky for six years. He and his wife Dakota live there with their three dogs, Susie (Jack Russell), Aries (English Shepherd), and Dot (Bluetick Beagle).
A New Creation | Bible Gleanings – December 16-17, 2023
Research shows that you like new things simply because they are new. We all prefer new things, not because they are better or more improved, but because the neurons in our brain foster a sense of adventure and fascination when we perceive that something is fresh or new. We are more inclined to buy a seasonal Coke with Santa on the can rather than a regular old Coke. Our brain doesn’t care if it’s the same old product. If it’s in new packaging, the brain assumes it is actually brand new and says, “Hey, you have to get that!”
Of course, this adds to the exhilaration of Christmas because most people will be giving and getting a lot of new stuff. The latest gadgets, trendiest toys, and most in-style clothes can be found beneath many Christmas trees throughout the world. But much more exhilarating is the truth that on Christmas Day, Jesus brought something new—something far more important than any physical gift: a new creation.
The Gospel of Matthew begins with a lengthy and seemingly unnecessary genealogy. But, right from the first sentence, it is rich with theological meaning: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1:1a). In the first verse, “genealogy” can be translated as “genesis,” which simply means beginning. Matthew is therefore indicating that the coming of Jesus Christ inaugurates a new beginning. God created the world in the beginning, as recounted in the book of Genesis (Genesis 1:1). In the same way, Jesus came to create a new world—to undo the curse of sin and make all things new.
It all starts with you. Jesus came to earth to make you a new creation. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” You can be born again and become a new person because of His advent and atoning death. As it is exclaimed in Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Jesus was “born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.”
It ends when Christ returns in glory and judgment to set all things right, and usher in a new heaven and new earth to replace the old (cf. Revelation 21:1-4). That is why God said in Isaiah: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (Isaiah 65:17).
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