Devotions Archives | New Rocky Creek Baptist Church

How to Live the Kind of Life that Pleases Our Lord

Posted on Jan 17, 2025 in Devotions |

Introduction: Pleasing our Lord should be #1 on our list. Right? Is it possible? How? Every day? Failures, faults, and fears can block us. But inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul lays out to the church of Ephesus — and to us today — five ways to live a life that pleases the Lord:

1. Watch Your Step CAREFULLY! (Ephesians 5:15) – “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.”

“Circumspect”: Latin: “looking around”; Greek: “accuracy & precision.” Be cautious — think of a yellow light!

2. Use Your Time WISELY! (Ephesians 5:16) – “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

“Redeem”: Buy back (wouldn’t you like to do that?). “Days are evil”: The world, the flesh, and the devil pull us constantly.

3. Fill Your Tank DAILY! (Ephesians 5:18) – “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”

“Be filled” (Greek: plerusthe): Present tense: Continuous action — go on being filled (because we leak!). Plural form: For everyone (not just for Charles Stanley — it’s for me and you!). Passive mood: We can’t fill ourselves; we need God to fill us.

4. Sing from Your Heart to the Lord JOYFULLY! (Ephesians 5:19) – “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”

When praises go up, blessings come down.

5. Thank God CONTINUALLY! (Ephesians 5:20) – “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Thanksgiving is thanks giving. Notice: “For all things.”

Conclusion: I know what you’re thinking… “Three out of five isn’t bad!” Or, “We can’t do that. It’s unachievable.” No, we can’t (in ourselves). But if we: 1. Admit we can’t, 2. Believe and trust Him to enable us, and 3. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit, it is possible. Otherwise, the Lord wouldn’t have had Paul write it down for us. Not perfection, but pleasing!

Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese

Jan '25

With Jesus We Win

Posted on Jan 16, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Are you tired of being defeated? Do you feel like a loser? How can we win when we are losing? Things are not always as they appear. Look at the Cross. Looks like a total loss. But we who have been forgiven know differently!

1. With Jesus we WIN God’s favor and forgiveness! (2Cor 9:15) – “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Eph 1:7)

2. With Jesus we WIN over the devil’s dominion! (John 10:10) – “10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

“15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col 2:15)

3. With Jesus we WIN Heaven as our Home! (John 14:1-3) – “1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Will you count your many blessings?

Conclusion: Stop talking negatively. Start praising our Lord daily! With Jesus, no matter what, we Win! In life, in death, in sickness, and in health, with Jesus we WIN!

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor 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.”

Love y’all,

Dr. Randy Reese

Jan '25

Sweet Sleep

Posted on Jan 15, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Do you have trouble sleeping? One man said, “Not too bad — except sometimes during the daytime!” I love what Solomon was inspired to write. Check out the following:

“24When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.”

Several ideas come from this text.

1. Fear keep us from sleep! (Prov 3:24) – “24When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid.”

The word “afraid” is פָחַד,(paw-kkad’), which means to dread, be in dread or in awe. Honestly, when we dread something, it usually makes us sleepless.

The word “sweet” is עָרֵב: (aw-rabe’), which means to be sweet or pleasing.

2. Sudden fear and devastation keep us from sleeping! (Prov 3:25) – “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.”

When trouble comes, it can keep us from sleep.

3. But the Lord gives us His presence and peace to help us to sleep! (Prov 3:26) – “26For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.”

When we have confidence in Jesus it soothes our soul and calms our fears.

Conclusion: Are you having trouble falling asleep? Staying asleep? Remember. Read Proverbs 3:24-26 and thank God, for He is our rest and security.

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

Triumphant Trust Through Troubles and Trials

Posted on Jan 14, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: What do you do when you’re going through TROUBLES & TRIALS? Remember the song? “We will understand it better by and by.” Nahum understands. Over 100 years has passed since Jonah preached in Nineveh, which resulted in a mighty, national revival (Do it again, Lord!); However, Judah (the Southern Kingdom) still paid tribute to the cruel & merciless Assyrians -Nineveh was its capital. Where is God? Why would He allow this? Heard that before?

Nahum reminds us that there are at least three ways to TRIUMPH when you’re going through TROUBLES & TRIALS:

1. Remember when life isn’t always good, GOD is always good! (Nahum 1:7) – ^”The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

• The devil’s bad

• God’s good

2. Remember when your going through a STORM you can SEEK a SHELTER! (Nahum 1:7) – ^”The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

• Face your fears

• Seek a Shelter

3. Remember when you are in need of HOPE & HELP, you can find FAITH in the FATHER! (Nahum 1:7) – ” …. and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

• He knows our name
• He made our frame

Conclusion: God reminds Nahum whose name means comfort that the so-called impenetrable fortress of Nineveh (the walls of the city measured 7-1/2 miles in circumference; they were 100 ft. high and wide enough for 3 chariots to drive on) would come to a screeching halt. Their doom was deserved! In our day, when in seems like the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer, one look at this book assures believers that there’s coming a PAY DAY SOMEDAY!

But until then, keep fighting the good fight of faith.

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

Living and Dying in the Lord

Posted on Jan 13, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Did you know your life will preach your funeral? Actually, your life is your testimony. What kind of legacy will you leave behind?

Thanks for taking a moment to consider what the Bible reveals about life and, more specifically, one’s death. As a believer in Jesus Christ, eternal life begins at conversion and will last throughout eternity.

1. Whether Living or Dying, We Are the Lord’s! (Rom. 14:8) – “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.”

Bottom line: He made us, bought us, and will come back for us some glorious day in the near future. What a day that will be!

2. When a Christian Dies, It Is Valuable in the Sight of God! (Psalm 116:15) – “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”

Imagine that! When a Christian dies, God says it is precious in His sight. The word “precious” is יָקָר (yaqar), which has to do with something valuable, rare, or even esteemed. Immediately, you recognize that humanity looks at death differently than Divinity. Keep in mind, since our God is a God of no beginning and no ending, He is waiting for His creation to enjoy their eternal destination.

How have you looked at death for the Christian? Now, obviously, this should not take away from the grieving process, which our Lord understands and even experienced with His friend whom He loved—Lazarus.

3. While Our Bodies Are Going Down, Our Spirits Are Going Up! (2 Cor. 5:1-8) – “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven.”

In this passage of Scripture, the apostle Paul likens our earthly body to a tabernacle or temporary tent. Then, he is inspired to describe why the believer will live forever with Jesus Christ: “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord… we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

Did you recognize the down payment of the Christian life—namely, the “earnest of the Spirit”? What does that mean? It reveals that God made preparations before He created man for him to live forever. In so doing, He deposits into every believer an upfront payment by giving him or her the Holy Spirit. Since God the Holy Spirit lives forever and because He indwells the Christian, the Christian will live forever. Oh, that explains why Paul wrote those comforting and deeply cherished words: “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

Doesn’t that bring peace to your heart?

Conclusion: Now that we’ve briefly considered the biblical insight for living and dying, what more could be said other than: “Keep living a life worth dying, only to live again with Jesus!”

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

Don’t Give Up Hope

Posted on Jan 10, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Do you ever feel like “GIVING UP”? We’re not home yet! God is not finished with you. God reminds us through Paul (I believe the author, inspired by the Holy Spirit), do not go BACKWARD but PRESS FORWARD to maturity in Christ.

There are three ways to PRESS on:

1. Don’t Give Up Your “CONFIDENCE”! (Heb. 10:35) – “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.”

Some things NEED TO be thrown away — clutter.
Some things DO NOT need to be thrown away — “confidence” (παρρησία (parrhesia), which means freedom, boldness).
Payback on the way — rewards.

2. Don’t Forget to Hold On to “PATIENCE”! (Heb. 10:36) – “For ye have need of PATIENCE, that after ye have done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.”

To know the will of God — “PATIENCE” (ὑπομονή (hupomone), meaning endurance, steadfastness, to remain under).
To do the will of God.

3. Remember, JESUS Is Coming Soon! (Heb. 10:37) – “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

Keep Looking Up.
Keep Looking Out.

Conclusion: It is easy to get discouraged these days. Constant focus on “The BIG Picture” — God’s purpose and plan — will keep us motivated to not GO BACK but to PRESS ON, loving, serving, and waiting for JESUS to come again. That will be worth it all!

PRESS ON!!

Love y’all,
Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

What a Prayer for Others

Posted on Jan 9, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: What a model prayer Paul had for the believers in Philippi. Are you praying daily for others? What should you pray? The devotion today should be a blessing to its readers.

Please notice the direction as well as elements in this prayer.

1. Pray for Overflowing LOVE! (Phil. 1:9) – “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.”

The word “abound” is περισσεύω, which means to be in abundance or to overflow. It can mean to excel. Is the love of Christ living in your heart for others?

2. Pray for Spiritual Knowledge Along with DISCERNMENT! (Phil. 1:9) – “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.”

Do you know what this word “knowledge” means? Is he talking about head knowledge? The word is ἐπίγνωσις. It means full spiritual knowledge. It can refer to discernment. Next, look at the word “judgment.” It does not mean criticism; instead, it is the word αἴσθησις, which means perception, discernment, or even insight. In other words, if we have a full and experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ, then as believers we can exercise discernment without being critical. Are you a critical person?

3. Pray for CHARACTER! (Phil. 1:10) – “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”

What does “approve” mean? It is the word δοκιμάζω. The word reveals to test or to prove. Furthermore, it can have to do with examining. Actually, this word was used in testing metals and coins. Why? The answer is to see if they were real and met certain standards. In addition, the word “excellent” means to excel, or to be better, and it can mean to surpass. When you have been tested, do you pass the test with approval?

4. Pray for WISDOM to Avoid Being an Offense! (Phil. 1:10) – “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”

The word “offense” is ἀπρόσκοπος, which does not mean faultless but blameless. It literally describes not causing someone to stumble. Besides that, it speaks of being free from hurt or harm. Wow! That encompasses quite a bit! Now granted, if you are teaching or preaching from the Bible, it is going to be offensive to some. However, this passage seems to be more directed to what we say and do. Have you ever been an offense unintentionally? Probably so, since we are mere human beings, although redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion: What a beautiful prayer to pray! Besides love, pray for discernment and understanding. Certainly, do not forget to pray for wisdom. And when all is said and done, give God the glory!

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

Can’t Wait for the Marriage & Marriage Supper

Posted on Jan 8, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Have you ever been to a wedding? Every wedding consists of at least both the bride and the groom. Get ready for the wedding. But how? First, a careful study of the texts reveals the meaning.

1. Will You Be at the Wedding and Marriage of the Lamb? (Rev. 19:7-8) – “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

Question: Is this verse referring to the “wife” of God the Father of the Old Testament or perhaps the “wife” of Jesus Christ (Bridegroom-wife), which would be the Church of the New Testament? Some suggest the former, others the latter. Listen, either way, it does not erase the truth of either one taught in the Scriptures. Chronologically speaking, first, Christ will come back for His Church in the rapture. Notable scholars have drawn the parallel between this event and the reference in John 14:1-3. In this passage, the Son of God goes back to His Father’s house to prepare a place for He and His Church to spend eternity. By the way, Jesus Christ is referred to by John the Baptist as the “LAMB of God.” From an exegetical standpoint, that should identify this passage as JESUS CHRIST (the LAMB) being joined to His wife, the Church.

2. Will You Attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb? (Rev. 19:9) – “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Following the wedding of the Lamb comes the marriage supper. Again, the terminology “LAMB” should be a “giveaway” to which this passage is a futuristic event that celebrates the marriage of the Church to Jesus Christ. Imagine, what a spread!

3. How Can We Get Ready for These Futuristic Events? (Rev. 19:7-9) – “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

Will you reread the last few words again?“…the righteousness of the saints.” This can be translated as the “righteous acts” of the saints. In other words, Christians living and serving through obedience to the “Will and Word” of God will purify their wedding garments.

Conclusion: Are you planning on going to the wedding? Are you preparing now for that heavenly event? Start now.

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

A New Start in a New Year

Posted on Jan 7, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Recently, at the hospital after undergoing major surgery, a man expressed his shame and guilt for not serving the Lord. It appeared he felt regret, showing godly sorrow for not truly pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ, even though he professed to be a Christian. Without hesitation, the Lord prompted me to share this message of restoration.

In other words, there can be A NEW START for A NEW YEAR. But how?

1. With CONFESSION! (1 John 1:9) – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What does it mean to confess? It means to admit, acknowledge, to say the same thing as—in this case, what God says is sin. Did you notice it is conditional? In other words, we do not have to confess, but if we do, there will be forgiveness.

2. With RESTORATION! (Galatians 6:1) – “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

Did you catch the word “restore”? What does it mean? It pictures a doctor gently realigning a joint, like a shoulder that is out of socket. A good doctor would use extreme care not to inflict more pain on the patient. Have you ever needed restoring?

3. With REDEMPTION! (1 John 1:7) – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Here, the beloved John is inspired to write about the choices believers have regarding the Christian life—fellowship with God. Either we can be open and honest with God, or we can be deceitful and try to cover up sin. One reason Christians walk in darkness is pride and self-righteousness. Do you battle with this?

4. With REDEDICATION! (1 Thessalonians 5:23) – “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Once confession and restoration take place, a believer in Jesus Christ should follow the path of letting Jesus have the throne of their heart. Is He on the throne of your heart?

Conclusion: Do you need a fresh start? Why not follow these biblical directives to start a NEW YEAR off on the right foot?

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese

Jan '25

Blood Moons in 2025

Posted on Jan 6, 2025 in Devotions |

Jan '25

Introduction: Could this be the year when Christ comes again? BLOOD moons are scheduled to appear on March 13th and 14th. Does that mean Bible prophecy is going to be fulfilled? Is this a “sign” of the “time”? Certain Bible teachers and preachers will certainly attempt to hype up this event to make others feel that this is the fulfillment of the Bible. But is it really?

Let’s see. Here are references to BLOOD MOONS in the Scriptures:

1. The Book of Joel! (Joel 2:30-31) – “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”

By the way, this was not completely fulfilled in the book of Acts. How can we know? The answer is because all of these phenomenal occurrences did not take place in that day. Therefore, we must conclude it to be futuristic.

2. The Book of Matthew! (Matt 24:30) – “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Again, these supernatural signs will occur when Jesus Christ comes in His second coming — not in the rapture.

3. The Book of Revelation! (Rev 6:12) – “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.”

When does this happen? During the tribulation, the moon will turn BLOOD RED! By the way, this is after the rapture of the Church. Get ready!

Conclusion: As we’ve seen, the Bible reveals the true meaning of the BLOOD MOONS. In the context of each book and certain phrases lies the key to understanding the timing. With that being said, keep looking UP — the rapture will happen first!

Love y’all,

Pastor Randy Reese