THE GOOD SAMARITAN 1

Lu 10:30-37 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. (31) And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. (32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. (33) But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, (34) And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (35) And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. (36) Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? (37) And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

INTRODUCTION:
A Sunday school teacher was teaching a class of second graders about the Good Samaritan. She asked the class what they would do if they saw a man lying beside the road bruised and bleeding from being robbed and beaten.
One of the girls raised her hand and honestly answered "I'd probably throw up."

We might find that story humorous but there are many of us who say we are getting sick of the damage that Satan is doing in the lives of people but that is really all we do...We get sick of it but do nothing.
In the next few devotionals I want to discuss the story of the Good Samaritan. I hope you receive a blessing from these devotionals.


Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD? 4

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which

I say?

THERE ARE THOSE WHO BOTH CALL HIM LORD AND DO THE

THINGS HE SAYS

The last group I want to discuss is the group that I hope you are in. I

sincerely hope that you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. There is

no other way to be accepted by God but through His Son Jesus. We

can not ever live a life of perfection, we can never do enough works,

give enough or sacrifice enough to be saved any other way than

through the grace of God and by accepting the sacrifice that was

made by His Son Jesus.

Once we accept Him as Savior we must make Him Lord over all of our

lives. He is always right. He is always Just. There is no room for

disagreement when it comes to His teachings.

If the people claiming the name of Christians would just crucify their

flesh and selfish desires and follow the leadership of His Holy Spirit we

would see a great revival. It would start in individual lives, fill the

churches, envelope the communities and sweep like wildfire

throughout all of this Nation.

Do both. Call Him Lord and do the things He says.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even

suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for

our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this

devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer

relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read

these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

No Devotional today.

Spend the day giving thanks to God for all His blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD? 3

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

SOME DO NOT CALL HIM LORD BUT STILL TRY TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS
Mat 21:28 -31 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. (29) He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. (30) And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. (31) Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

This verse has always confused me a little I confess. As I think about it and meditate on it though it is no more confusing than to see people who reject Jesus as Lord but still try to do that which is morally right.

In the second of these devotionals we discussed those that call Jesus Lord but do not follow His teachings and obey His commandments. Here we find just the opposite, those who do not call him Lord but try to live morally and upright lives. As I have studied and meditated on this I have come to an opinion. Both groups are lost. The second group does have a better life because all of Jesus commandments are for our benefit.

It is hard enough to live right and do the right things when we are doing them in obedience to Jesus and trying to follow Him. It would be very difficult to try to do them on our own.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD? 2

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

SOME CALL JESUS LORD BUT DON'T DO THE THINGS HE SAYS

Matthew 7:21-22) Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. {22} Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

I think I can better understand someone who does not accept the fact that Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords better than I can understand the people who acknowledge that fact but still live their lives as if Jesus were not Lord.

Many have a knowledge of Jesus in their heads but have never had a personal relationship with Him. They know of Him but they really don't know Him.

In truth, none of us can live perfect lives. Our perfect spirit is still clothed in this imperfect flesh. Even the apostle Paul admitted to having internal struggles. There is a war going on within each of us as the spirit wars against the flesh.

When we acknowledge Jesus is Lord and still fail to try and yield to Him and follow Him we are being deliberately rebellious against one whom we agree has complete authority over us.

It kind of boggles the mind when you think about it doesn't it. If He is Lord, shouldn't he be obeyed?

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD? 1

Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

INTRODUCTION:
There are many today who neither call Jesus Lord nor do the they do the things He says. They live their lives in search of something to make them happy or satisfy them.

It is sad but the only time many people use the name of the Lord is when they use it in vain or in some term of derision. They make fun of those of us who do claim Jesus as our Lord and our Savior, never looking close enough to realize that we are not the angry and bitter ones but they are.

There are several different categories of people who do not call Jesus Lord. There are those who do not believe in God at all. There are those who believe in a god but not in the Living God of the Bible. There are those who believe parts of the Bible but do not believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God.

They all have two things in common. The first is that they are lost and their only hope is in trusting Jesus as their Lord. The second thing is that some day they will bow before him and acknowledge his Lordship.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. (12)So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

KING OF KINGS 5

1 Timothy 6:15) Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

HIS KINGDOM IS EVERLASTING

Other kings die and someone else has to step in and take their place. Jesus died but He rose again. He overcame death never to die again and now He will reign eternally.

Other kings can be overthrown or defeated. Jesus can never be overthrown and will always be victorious. His reign is eternal.

Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Isn't it wonderful to know that no matter how much political turmoil and how much unrest there is in this world that we have a King who will be our King forever.

Is Jesus your King? Is He your Lord. If you want to know more about being a child of the king please let me know.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

KING OF KINGS 4

1 Timothy 6:15) Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

JESUS IS WORTHY TO BE KING

HE IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE

We should sing praises to Him because he is worthy of our praise. We should praise Him in our speech and in our prayers because He is worthy of our praise.
We should praise Him by our very actions because He is worthy.

HE IS WORTHY OF OUR OBEDIENCE
If we call Him Lord we should obey Him. Many leaders in our world are not worthy to be obeyed because some of their laws and some of their actions are cruel and unjust. Jesus is righteous. He is just and thankfully He is merciful. He is worthy of our obedience to His every command.

HE IS WORTHY OF OUR SERVICE

He gave His life as a ransom for us. We belong to Him and we should offer ourselves as a living sacrifice which is our reasonable service. What is reasonable? To give him our best and our all.


Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

KING OF KINGS 3

1 Timothy 6:15) Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

JESUS IS WORTHY TO BE KING

He is worthy of our worship.
The best definition I have ever heard of worship is an overflowing adoration. I am afraid that many times we can go to a so called worship service and never take the time to really worship.

I might ruffle a few feathers with this comment but I remember when song leaders were called song leaders. Now they are called worship leaders. I do believe we should worship during the song service in church. I also believe we could just as easily give the title to our ushers who take up the offering because I believe that giving should also be an act of worship. I certainly believe that the one who is preaching whether it is a pastor or an evangelist should be considered a worship leader. The purpose of the preacher is not to lead you to listen to Him but to direct your focus on God so that you might worship Him.

If you are leading in prayer you too should be a worship leader.

Every act, and every ministry should be directed by a worship leader whose primary purpose is to present Jesus in such a way as to make Him real to you. When He is real to you, you can not help but to worship Him.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

KING OF KINGS 2

1 Timothy 6:15) Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

THE POSITION OF KING

Usually someone dies or retires and their son then becomes king. In the instance of the King of Kings, He died for our sins and paid our sin debt on Calvary. He then overcame death and rose up again and His Father made Him King for eternity.

Satan has tried to usurp the position of the King of Kings since the very beginning. He wanted to rise above God and sit as a ruler over all things. He is still trying to sit as king on the throne of people's lives. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, He comes in and sits on the throne of our hearts and exiles Satan forever.

It is a position that Jesus desires. It is a position that Jesus deserves.
Why not allow Him to be your King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

KING OF KINGS 1

1 Timothy 6:15) Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

INTRODUCTION
There are many kinds of rulers. There are those that are elected by the people such as prime ministers and presidents. There are those who come to power through conquest such as emperors and dictators.

A king is someone who comes into power by inheritance and by a position usually passed down to him by his father.

I must admit that I do my fair share of complaining about our government, yet I also realize that we probably have the best system of government in the world today. We have a voice and we have a vote and sadly we do not always make the most intelligent choices.

When I see people living under the iron hand of some of the rulers throughout the world I do feel a lot better about the government we have here in the United States. I might not always agree with our leaders and I might not like many of the things they do but we do have certain freedoms that many in other nations do not have.

When it comes to true rule and dominion though I really have only one King and that is Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
One can be a part of that Kingdom regardless of his geographical location or what kind of politics his country might practice.

In the next few devotionals I want to talk about my King. The King of Kings.
Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

BUSINESS AS USUAL 2

John 21:3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

LEADERS MUST LEAD

Peter was a leader. The rest of the disciples looked up to him. Sometimes leadership is thrust upon people and they become leaders whether they want to or not. I think this was probably more or less the situation with Peter.

I have noticed that when people in leadership positions lose their zeal and enthusiasm that others will follow. Leadership carries with it a great responsibility. When a person is in a position of leadership it is
also a position of responsibility. He is not only responsible for himself but for those he is supposed to be leading.

If you are in a position of leadership always lead toward Jesus and His ministry and never away from it. Our country has been greatly blessed throughout History because our founding fathers also followed Jesus. We are moving farther and farther away from that as a Nation and we are moving farther and farther from God's blessings.

Pray for our leaders. Pray for our Nation. We certainly don't need to go backward but we need to move closer to Jesus.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

BUSINESS AS USUAL

John 21:3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

Isn't it amazing? They had left their boats and their nets and gave up fishing to follow Jesus during His ministry. They had seen all the miracles He had performed and had heard all the wonderful things He had said.

It is understandable that they had been discouraged when Jesus was crucified. The puzzling thing here is that they had just found out that He had risen. He had overcome the greatest obstacle of all, death. It would seem that His disciples would be energized to spread the message. Instead they were ready to go back to their old way of life.

Sometimes we are about like that too. We will have a great revival or a spiritual blessing in our life and all too quickly we are ready to go back to business as usual instead of going forward with the true business that Jesus would have us to do.

We need to grasp the moment and go forward, not backward when we have a great blessing in our life.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

LIFECHANGING EXPERIENCES 3

John 21:18-19 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. (19) This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

I can identify with not always being able to go where you want to go. Sometimes God will send you to places that you really don't wan to go to. The Lord has truly blessed me in the churches he has allowed me to pastor. I have always been treated well by (most of) the people and have left behind dear friends that I will always cherish.

Some of those places were places that I was very reluctant to go to. Only after much prayer and self examination did I give in to go there. I believe that God used me wherever I went and it was always such a great blessing to be there and it was always hard to leave them behind.

If my health had not caused me to have to leave the full time ministry I like to think I would still be at the last church I pastored because I had a great 91/2 years ministry there. I still see many of the people and consider them as family. It would have been hard to leave if I had been healthy enough to continue there.

My health was a life changing experience that allowed me to meet new people in a new church in a changed capacity. Now I have a new family that I also dearly love.

Sometimes we are not sure how an experience will change our lives but if we will strive to follow the leadership of God it will certainly be a blessing to us and to others.


Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

LIFECHANGING EXPERIENCES 2

(2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

In the early church their lives were truly changed when they were saved and united with the church. They continued in the apostles doctrine meaning they were hungry for the truth and followed it. They had such great fellowship that they had all things common.

They were not bound or governed by their possessions or by their positions. It seems like today people are so actively pursuing position and possessions that they are forgetting the things that are really important.

I am not going to be like some people and tell you to get rid of all your stuff. Maybe because I like my stuff too, but there is a difference in having stuff and liking stuff and letting your stuff rule your life. I have nothing but my family that would be a great loss if it were gone. I have a lot of trinkets and junk that I would miss but it would not ruin my life if it were to suddenly disappear.

The one thing that we can not live a fulfilling life without is Jesus and our relationship with Him. Thankfully no one can ever take that away from us. If we really think about it stuff is not all that important.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

LIFECHANGING EXPERIENCES 1

(Galations 6:15) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

I can remember a lot of life changing experiences. When I was married almost 40 years ago that brought about a dramatic change in my life. I no longer just had to be concerned with how things concerned me but what kind of effect it would have on my wife too. In those early days that was a big adjustment.

Later on when our children were born it really changed our lives. We were responsible for "training them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." We had an example to set and the best way to set that example is to follow Jesus.

There have been other experiences that changed my life. The greatest two were when I was saved at the age of 16 and when I had a great revival in my late twenties. I am sure that many people who knew me when I was younger would not even recognize who I am now. No, I don't mean because of the thinning gray hair and the wrinkles. It is because what mattered to me then is not what matters to me now.

A right relationship with Jesus will change your life. If you are not satisfied with the direction your life is going try following Jesus.



Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

THE LOVE OF GOD 5

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

GOD HAS EXHIBITED HIS LOVE
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Many religions have all sorts of secrets and rituals that one must go through before they have a promise of seeing God. Sometimes I see people out going door to door and I think, it would be nice if Bible believing Christians would work that hard. The difference is that those people are trying to work their way into something and we know that salvation is by Grace.
I am not saying that we should not do good works. We should work just as hard because we are thankful for our salvation.
God has not kept his love a secret from us. He revealed it through the Old and New Testaments and it has been kept vibrant and alive by His church ever since. He has revealed and exhibited His love toward us and we are to exhibit and reveal His love to a world that needs it badly.

Share the love of God with someone this week by telling them about Jesus and His salvation.



Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail@.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

THE LOVE OF GOD 5

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

GOD'S LOVE IS NEEDED BY THE WORLD
1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

We can't pick up the paper without reading of a murder, a suicide or a drug overdose. We see people who have accumulated fame, fortune and power but they never seem to be satisfied. It is true the world is truly going astray.
It seems that every culture and lifestyle in the world is being pushed, tolerated and promoted except the only one that can change lives for the better. The world needs Jesus.
Jesus is the only one who can fill the empty void in so many that are searching. I am not talking about some mythological Jesus that people have created in their minds but they need the real Jesus. The Jesus of the Bible. The Christ, the Son of the Living God.
God's love is needed by the world today and anyone who will believe and accept Jesus can receive that everlasting love.

Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail@.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.

THE LOVE OF GOD 4

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

GOD'S LOVE IS EVERLASTING
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, , Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Long lasting love is kind of remarkable this day and age. My wife and I are in our 40th year of marriage and I can not remember us not being a couple. There was a time before I met her because we didn't meet until I was 20 years old. I can't imagine not having her in my life. It is a wonderful love that will last until we both die.
There is a love even stronger than that. Jesus loved me before I was even born and He loves me enough that I will never be separated from Him. His love is eternal and everlasting. Nothing can
separate us from His love.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
(39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Doesn't it make you just want to shout that there is nothing that can separate us from the everlasting love of God.


Please feel free to contact me by email at

shilohkosciusko@gmail@.com with questions, comments or even suggestions for further devotional studies.


If you know of someone new to the Kosciusko area and would like for our church to visit them please let us know. Our prayers are that this devotional ministry will be an outreach to bring people into a closer relationship with Jesus. I do appreciate you taking the time to read these devotionals and please keep us in your prayers.