Speaking of following the will of God, there was a woman who did just that; her name was Rebekah. Watch closely how she cooperated with the providential hand of God. The narrative unfolds in the book of Genesis, starting with Abraham taking the initiative to find a godly wife for his son Isaac.

After choosing, commissioning, and sending a faithful servant, Eliezer, the Lord orchestrated the circumstances for him to discover Isaac’s future bride. While on his journey he prayed:

“And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham,” (Gen. 24:12).

Listen to the specific request that, in faith, he presented:

“Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master.” (Gen. 24:13–14).

Guess what happened next? Here’s what happened:

“And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels. And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the LORD had made his journey prosperous or not. And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold; And said, Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in. And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.” (Gen. 24:15–26).

Did you notice the character and kindness of this woman, Rebekah, and how it was displayed? So what would you have done next? Look what she did. She ran to MAMA’S house!!

“And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well. And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well. And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the LORD; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels. And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him. And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on. And he said, I am Abraham’s servant.” (Gen. 24:28–33).

After being welcomed with Middle Eastern hospitality, Abraham’s servant began to explain what happened at the well:

“Behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the LORD hath appointed out for my master’s son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets upon her hands.” (Gen. 24:43–47).

After explaining what happened, Rebekah’s brother suggested calling her to see what she wanted to do. Imagine the security she had living and growing up with her family. And now, all of a sudden, she is confronted with the biggest decision of her life. What would you have done? Stay in the comfort of your own family, or launch out into a whole other world? This amazing young lady crosses the bridge by saying:

“And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them. And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels, and followed the man: and the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.” (Gen. 24:57–61).

So now, how will she react when she sees her husband, whom she had never seen or met?

“And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” (Gen. 24:63–67).

What a beautiful narrative revealing how important it is to cooperate with God’s will!

Your thoughts?

Here are three unbeatable, unchangeable, and unmovable transactions made possible by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The word “blotting out” is ἐξαλείφω, which means to wipe away, cancel, or erase. Thank God, when Jesus forgives us of our sins, we are GUILT FREE! Are you GUILT FREE?

Next, check out the word “handwriting.” It is χειρόγραφον, which is pronounced khay-RO-grah-fon. It means certificate of debt. Bless the Lord! We are DEBT FREE!

3. SET FREE! (Col. 2:14) – “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” 

The word “ordinances” pictures the sign mounted above the cross which read, “Jesus King of the Jews.” Normally, in Roman culture, the crime would be posted on the cross, which was the case with Jesus Christ. But really, He was the King of the Jews! Furthermore, He will return in His Second Coming as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

First, take a look at Daniel’s prophecy, and then John’s. Where, and more specifically how, will this fit into the time of the tribulation? Could the stage setting be happening right now? Some say yes. But why? And who would this be?

Here is a hint and a possible scenario, according to some prophecy teachers: The technocrats of today or future, which include Elon Musk, are suggested to perhaps be one of these ten kings. He’s a billionaire plus; some claim he will be the first trillionaire. He owns multiple businesses—CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Dogecoin, new artificial intelligence (AI) company xAI, Neuralink Co., etc. Needless to say, his influence in the world is obvious. To a certain degree, he, along with those who head up Stargate, are very influential shakers and movers.

Now to Daniel…

1. Daniel’s Perspective – Ten Toes – Ten Kings! (Dan 7:8, 24) – “…..and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.”

“And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” (v. 24)

Keep in mind that the prophet Daniel foresaw four dominate world empires, which have risen and fallen; i.e. Babylon, Medo-Persian, Grecian, Roman. Besides that, he was inspired to write about another dominate kingdom yet to come depicted as in the ten toes of the statue. Interestingly enough, these toes were mixed with “iron and clay.”

The bottom line: Who are these 10 kings? In order to understand that better, take a look at the book of Revelation. By the way, this is going to happen; it is just a matter of time. Perhaps it is just around the corner.

2. John’s Perspective (Rev 17:12–13) – “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.”

One differing view besides the Technocratic perspective is found in the interpretation of these 10 kings representing leaders from the REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE.

In summary, during the tribulation, after the rapture, the Antichrist will control the world politically, economically, militarily, and even for a while religiously. Heading over these ten kings which represent leaders, regardless of the different views, the Antichrist will implement the Dragon’s {Satan} system of buying and selling, traveling, and tracking every living person on earth at that time.

This is all in God’s plan. However, eventually his time will run out and prepare the way for Jesus Christ to return as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to destroy the works of the Antichrist, these ten kings, the false prophet, and ultimately the devil.

3. Jesus Christ’s Perspective! (Rev 17:17) – “For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.”

God is in CONTROL!
Rest in Him.
Look to Him.
Rejoice in Him.
Call upon Him.
Thank Him.
Bless Him.
Serve Him.
Share Him.

Note*
For a future study about the ten toes:

“And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay” (Dan 2:41–43)

Conclusion: For those of you who love studying Bible prophecy, this should wet your appetite. And for those who may feel that this is irrelevant, do not be surprised when your children or grandchildren start asking you questions about the Bible that pertains to this subject; hopefully, you will be “ready to answer”!

Introduction: What does it mean to be “chosen”? This devotion will explore the biblical treasures of being “chosen.” There are three main thoughts:

Paul’s letter to the Church of Ephesus identifies these jewels.

1. Picked Out by Jesus! (Eph. 1:4) – “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

The word “chosen” is ἐκλέγομαι, which means to select, to pick out for myself, to choose, to elect, select. You get the picture:

Our Lord has picked us out before the foundation of the world. His purpose is to make us (in Christ) more like Him.

2. Predicted For Jesus! (Eph. 1:5) – “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

The word “predestined” is προορίζω: It means to foreordain, or to predetermine, to mark out beforehand. Do you get it? Our great God has marked us out beforehand, even before the world was formed. After all, He is a God of for knowledge. That means we ought to trust Him!

3. Pardoned By Jesus! (Eph. 1:6-7)

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

If you were to sign a check in your checkbook, it would probably be limited as dependent upon how much is in your account. With our Lord’s account, it is limitless! He has no restrictions. His heavenly bank account is inexhaustible. Therefore, we are rich in Jesus Christ! “According to the RICHES Of HIS GRACE”!

Conclusion: These nuggets of gold are worth more than money! If implemented by the Holy Spirit, this is guaranteed to bring New Life. That is what “Chosen” is all about!

Do you remember the old song “Cats in the Cradle”? I remember growing up as a teenage boy in 1974 hearing this song, especially the words. Even though it is a secular song—at the time I was not a Christian—it does have a profound message. Perhaps you can relate to the song. Every working parent needs to hear it. As a matter of fact, it would do us all good to hear it!

The origin of the song is found below:

“‘Cats in the Cradle’ by Harry Chapin tells a poignant story about a father too busy with work to spend time with his son, only for the roles to reverse in adulthood when the son, now busy with his own life, also has no time for his father, revealing the tragic cycle of missed connections and the father realizing his son has grown up ‘just like him.’ Inspired by a poem from Chapin’s wife, Sandy, the song serves as a cautionary tale about prioritizing work over family and the fleeting nature of time.”

Founder of Focus on the Family, Christian psychologist James Dobson used to refer to this song on his radio broadcast often. Honestly, it would move my heart to tears. How about yours?

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom,” (Psa 90:12).

Here are the words to the first stanza of the song:

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon

‘When you coming home, dad?’ ‘I don’t know when We’ll get together then, you know we’ll have a good time then’”

Obviously, the penetrating message of the song is about a BUSY lifestyle….. Sometimes, too busy. Not to mention, that life is very short. Doesn’t it seem like just yesterday you were younger and couldn’t hardly wait to get older?

“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:16).

As time passes, our children grow up faster than you can blink your eye, just like we did, as seen in the next stanza.

There is a small window to influence and spend time with our family that seems to close fairly quickly! Look back on your life.

“For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away,” (James 4:14).

Next stanza:

If you haven’t experienced this, you probably will someday in a similar fashion.

Keeping the balance between job and family is challenging! Jesus must come first!! He enables us to know how to keep our priorities in the right order. 

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

 So the Main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing!

Listen to this part….

Do you agree that some things are more “caught than taught”? While this earthly life is quickly fading, eternity is swiftly approaching. Missed opportunities are like scrambled eggs; You can’t unscramble them once they have been scrambled. But we can refocus. Move on. And do what we can now. “…but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.” (Phil 3:13) This thought occurred to me as my friend and I were talking about this song.

On earth we may not can get together, but in heaven, we will get together! “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thess 4:16,17)

For those who are reading this and feeling like scrambled eggs, stop looking in the rear view mirror of life when it comes to your family and friends, start looking to the future.

Purpose in your heart, with the help of the Lord, to seize the opportunity now. Do what you can! And especially, share and prepare all of those you love for heaven.

Do you know why? Because in heaven,

WE’LL GET TOGETHER THEN, YOU KNOW WE WILL HAVE A GOOD TIME THEN!

Please forward this to every person you know. To God be the glory!

Introduction: Did you hear about the couple that were working on improving their marriage? So one day when the hard-working husband got home from work, his beautiful wife was preparing for a “Special Candlelight Romantic Dinner.” To say the least, he was genuinely… flabbergasted!

Meanwhile, his gorgeous wife, dressed “to kill,” had set up the table elegantly with the finest china. While the scented candles on the table were burning off a pleasant and soothing aroma, she gracefully walked over to her beloved husband, who was awe-stricken, and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Meanwhile, he thought to himself, “Why such a special dinner? Have I forgotten about this special day?” He couldn’t contain himself and blurted out, “Honey, this is marvelous!!”

Then she said, “HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!!!”

Oh well, so much for that.

Speaking of Groundhog Day, do you think there is going to be six more weeks of cold weather?

According to history.com, here is an explanation of Groundhog Day: “Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter. The candles represented how long and cold the winter would be. Germans expanded on this concept by selecting an animal—the hedgehog—as a means of predicting weather.”

Do you believe that the groundhog is right? Do you know how often he is wrong?

Overall, he has missed the forecast more than pinpointing it correctly.

However, when it comes to prophetic future events, the Bible is 100% accurate. In fact, Moses wrote concerning the criteria of a prophet that made predictions. Check it out: “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:20–22)

Plain as day, huh?

Are you prepared? How about all of your loved ones? Read the Bible to be 100% sure for the current times and prophetic future.

1. Good Gifts! (James 1:17) – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

2. Grace Gifts! (Eph. 2:8) – “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

3. God’s Gifts! (Rom. 11:29) – “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

Conclusion: So speaking of GIFTS, this includes GOOD GIFTS, GRACE GIFTS, and finally GOD’S GIFTS. All of these are GIFTS FROM ABOVE. Receive them, and then give them!

If you will take these three nonnegotiable, irrevocable, and undeniable steps, Jesus will make you a blessing by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Jesus said (Matt. 10:37–39): “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

1. Love Test! (Matt. 10:37) – “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”

Is there anybody that you love more than Jesus? This includes parents or children. Wow! That calls for some heart searching. Tell the truth. Can you honestly say that all of your decisions in life put Jesus Christ first before your family? That means pleasure, entertainment, or even doing what others want you to do on the Lord’s Day—Sunday—instead of what Jesus Christ makes clear in His Word (or any day for that matter).

Most of us would need to admit (confess) that we fall short of this at times. Therefore, we need to reevaluate our “LOVE LIFE” along with our priorities. That leads to the second step. Do not stop after the first step. Go to the next one.

2. + Die to Self! (Matt. 10:38) – “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.”

What did Jesus mean? Did you notice that this statement followed the LOVE LIFE comment? Obviously, this entails saying NO to SELF. That is hard to do. Be honest. Self rules these days. Self is in control. Self doesn’t want to go to the cross easily. Self is powerful. Self is dominant. Self is strong. Self does not want to die.

Just about everywhere we turn, SELF is fueled to satisfy its own pleasures and desires. Right? Do you feel the pull? Are you caught in the trap? Look at the cross. Think about the process. Consider the end. Remember how Jesus did it.

Purpose in your heart to follow Him. Say NO to the flesh. Say YES to the SPIRIT. Check your motives. Make sure SELF is not behind it. Let the cross crucify the flesh. Ask for resurrection power. Fully rely upon Jesus to enable you. Thank Him for His grace.

3. = Heaven’s Best! (Matt. 10:39) – “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”

Please understand that people will think you are CRAZY! This is not normal. In fact, it is abnormal. But after all, JESUS CHRIST is not normal. Normal is the way of the world. Normal is all about self-righteousness, self-dependency, self-sufficiency, and ultimately, self-glorying.

But that is where God steps in and gives His children an opportunity to live above normal—to take the ordinary and do EXTRAORDINARY exploits (notable feats, things). That is what makes the CHRISTIAN life or SPIRIT-FILLED life different than an ordinary life.

But please note: when all is said and done, JESUS gets the GLORY because it’s HIS life—not ours—that is EXTRAORDINARY!

1. The Purpose! (2 Tim. 2:15) – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Do you give diligence to the Word of God?

2. The Priority! (2 Tim. 2:15) – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The key phrase for this point is approved unto God. The word approved is δόκιμος (dok’-ee-mos), which means tested, approved, acceptable, tried. This means a student of the Bible will have been tested and approved.

Have you been tested? Questioned? Ready to give a defense?

3. The Principal! (2 Tim. 2:15) – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The word workman means laborer; i.e., a hard worker. It takes a great amount of discipline to study the Bible—not just on Sunday! This is especially true for one to keep up the study for years and decades.

The words rightly dividing are ὀρθοτομέω (or-thot-om-eh’-o), which means to cut straight, to handle correctly, to teach rightly.

Can you say you cut the line straight? None of us, no matter how long we’ve studied the Bible, will ever exhaust its insight.

Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese