Old is New Again 

On January 27, 2025   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 23: 4

Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it.

There is some confusion over the part the Old Testament plays in a New Testament people. This verse gives an excellent opportunity to see how the Old and New Testaments work together.

Hebrews 13: 8 reads, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” That means that God has not changed His mind or principles. True, we are no longer living under the Levitical priesthood, so some things have changed but not God nor those premises that He sought to teach the Old Testament people. Jesus didn’t come here to throw out everything that God taught for thousands of years. Jesus himself said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5: 17). Jesus became the embodiment of the law. He changed it from a bunch of rules to a lifestyle. His life and ministry took legalism out of the law, turning it into a passion. His coming and his leaving takes us deeper, where our relationship with him is the focus but yet embodies all of the law and prophets. Our relationship with him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit would have contained all of these elements even if we had never seen, heard of or read an Old Testament text. So, when you love Jesus, you automatically love the law and want to do those things that the prophets taught, even had the law never been taught. Compassion which comes from our love of Jesus now drives us to do all the things that the prophets had to instruct and order the Old Covenant people to do.

One of the things I love is seeing where the Old Testament text and the New Testament intersect. I enjoy seeing the fulfillment of the Old Testament and those mirror images of each other. For example, let’s look at this text from the book of Matthew. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there will you heart be also. No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6: 19-21, 24). Then Jesus went on to speak about not being anxious about our needs and concluded with, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6: 33). Jesus’ teaching in Matthew says the same thing as the proverb. It just took Jesus more words because He wasn’t just laying down a law. Rather, He was teaching the substance of the law. He was teaching why that rule was ever given to us. He could have just quoted the Proverb to us, but He came to lead and teach us rather than to give edicts. Under the new Covenant we are supposed to be able to understand, use wisdom and thereby make good choices for ourselves. We are still supposed to refrain from chasing after material wealth. We are still supposed to keep our minds from the consideration of it and our needs but now we have a fuller explanation. Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of the law, but as you see, the basic tenets have not changed. Legalism is gone but love compels.

I hope you enjoyed this comparison and feel empowered by it. Love, it turns out, wrote the Old Testament. Now, through the lens of Jesus’ ministry, we see more clearly.

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Eeeek, Not that!

On December 9, 2024   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 3: 8 – 9

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you.”

Let me talk to you about tithing and let me encourage you to hold on for the good news. Tithing is a very unpopular topic and many people do not want to teach about it. It is hard for your pastor to talk to you about it so here, perhaps, we can look at tithing Biblically in an unthreatening environment. I say unthreatening but that is God speaking in the verse above and it is pretty frightening if you read thoughtfully.

I don’t think God leaves a lot of room for discussion here. As a matter of fact, He is talking about more than tithing. He says He is being robbed in tithes and offerings too. The tithe is the first 10% of your income. Technically “tithe” means ten percent. And it is supposed to be the first ten percent. That means we are supposed to tithe on gross income folks. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it just is what it is and our discomfort doesn’t change God’s word.

Now I know some of you are having a hard time wrapping your head around that, so you are really going to love this next part. It is clear from this passage that God expects us to give above and beyond the tithe. Otherwise, He would not talk about offerings. He even says that He is being robbed in offerings. That indicates that the offerings are His. So, when we don’t give them to Him, we are stealing from Him. Come on! That is strong God! And yet, day after day we look at promise after promise that He has given us. The fact that He requires a little something of us really shouldn’t cause us so much heartburn. But there is little that is more controversial and misunderstood of Biblical principles. People really don’t want to hear that God wants them to give something. Isn’t that amazing with all that He has given us, wants to give us and has promised us. It’s not like He is asking for 90% and asking us to live on 10%.

I know that many of your churches have different doctrines regarding tithes, offerings and pledges, but just ask yourself this one question. From where did those doctrines arise? Are they purely from the church’s need to finance its programs? Was there a divine source? If it came from God, how can it contradict His word?

I know this really challenges some of you but there are very good reasons God has required the tithe of us. Yeah, I know some of you will say that tithing is from the “Old Testament” or the “Old Covenant.” I honestly don’t think that even deserves a response but for those of you who are sincere rather than just looking for an excuse not to tithe or give gifts let me give you two things to think about.

If the Old Testament people who were under compulsion from the law gave 10 percent of their income, how much more should we who are under grace, who have received the gift of the Christ, give? Secondly, all those promises that we cling to, that we believe and that we hold up to God, many of those are in the Old Testament too. Do you expect all of those promises to have passed away? Of course not! That would be ridiculous. The Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever,” (Hebrews 13: 8) and that is New Testament. The truth is, the things that make us uncomfortable we claim passed away somehow but the parts we like, we keep.

Lastly, why am I bothering to teach you about this? Not because I want to but because God wants you informed. He wants you to tithe. I do not stand to gain from you embracing this teaching. Most of you have a home church to which you will give your tithe. Others of you, I know, are supporting many ministries. I want you to learn this because I want you blessed and I want this entire nation to grow in the glory and blessing of our Lord. But here is the thing, it begins with you.

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Unchangeable

On April 29, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 13: 8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.

Jesus is good, all the time. In the verse from yesterday, we read that he went about doing good. Everywhere he went, he healed the sick. The good news is that he is the same today as he was on that day and every day he walked the earth. He is still healing. He is still setting free. He is Lord and he has arisen with healing in his wings.

Today concludes the healing series. I hope you have enjoyed this series but, more importantly, that you got something from it. I hope you shared it with others and that they received revelation from the Lord too.

You have a plethora of verses which you can continue to review as often as you wish. All these daily devotionals are archived on the Ivey Ministries website. Besides that, I hope you have retained some verses which captured your attention. If nothing grabbed you, then I strongly encourage you to review them so that you gain what the Lord intends for you.

Today’s verse reminds us that the God of the Old Testament and the God of tomorrow are the same and that the promises are for today. Healing is for today. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to steal from you. Don’t listen to them because they are not speaking Biblically. I don’t care how smart and educated they sound. You don’t need a PhD. in Biblical studies to understand today’s verse. Jesus is the same today as he was yesterday; the same as he was when he healed in the New Testament accounts. That is exactly what this verse was intended to teach us. He has not changed his mind about healing.

Feel free to write me at any time with questions or if there is something you would like to discuss. For those of you who do not own a copy of my book, this might be a good time to purchase it. It is a wonderful tool for a Bible discussion group. Click Here to go to our website to purchase your own copy.

I leave you with this, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers,” (3 John 1: 2).

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Willing

On March 8, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 8:2-3

And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

People have messed up this passage so completely, but we are here to set the record straight today. This passage is more of Matthew recording the miracles of Jesus as proof of his deity. What we were supposed to learn from it was first, that Jesus heals and second, that he is willing to heal.

It was forbidden to touch a leper. Doing so would make one unclean. In fact, the question arises as to why this leper was even in town. The beginning of the chapter tells us that a large crowd surrounded Jesus, so this fellow was mixing in a crowd. Lepers were supposed to isolate themselves outside of town. Then Matthew makes a point of saying that Jesus touched this guy. There are several messages there, but the one I wish to highlight is that Jesus became ceremonially unclean when he touched the fellow. Jesus knew the law. He knew the implications of touching the man. Okay, but then the leprosy was cleansed so what are the rules now? Legally Jesus would have needed to go through the rites of ceremonial cleansing, but do you see how he turned the law on its head? Most importantly, the chap was healed. Jesus proved his willingness to heal.

Here is how we have turned this passage on its head. We have made this passage a question about Jesus’ willingness to heal rather than a statement. The passage is Jesus saying, “I am willing.” We no longer need to ask him if he is willing to heal us. It is said and done. I hear people say often, “If God is willing.” We get prayer requests for healing on our Prayer Request page expressing the same uncertainty, and if you have ears to hear, doubt. We don’t know if God will heal or not, don’t know if He is willing or not, so we overload our immediate environment with the doubt ladened words of, “if He is willing.”

Well, let us put that to bed forever. God is willing! Remember yesterday’s verse where Jesus healed all. He didn’t discriminate but was willing to heal all. Re-read today’s scripture. Jesus said, unequivocally, “I am willing.” We know “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever,” (Hebrews 13: 8). If he was willing 2000 years ago, he is willing today. He doesn’t change. He has not gone hardhearted on us during the ensuing years.

If you had any doubts about Jesus’ willingness to heal you, I hope they have been resolved today. He healed all the people who presented themselves to him, not choosing between them. He healed the blind, the crippled and those with infectious disease. He healed the broken hearted and abused. There is not one ailment, malady or disfunction that he is not willing and able to heal today. Let his willingness to touch you be resolved in your heart and mind today and forever and let that understanding heal you.

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Pardoned

On November 2, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Micah 7: 18

Who is a God like Thee, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.

I pray this revelation will fill the earth, and the church. God isn’t angry. He does not retain His anger but rather lets it go in favor of unchanging love. Yahoo! And just consider that this is a passage out of the Old Testament. Frankly, there are lots of New Testament believers who think God is angry now. Some folks are willing to concede that God is now a God of love but they think He was an angry God before. The truth is that God doesn’t change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13: 8). If we take a position that God was angry, revengeful, and wrathful our hearts convict us. We cannot truly believe in a God who is love and live in that love if we believe this same “person” is the one who tortures us and is angry with us. We have to choose – is God an angry deity or is He love?

So do you want another little bite of truth? God sent Jesus to the earth in the Old Covenant, not the New. Even the New Testament begins with Jesus’ birth, yes? So, that means that when God sent him, it was still the Old Testament. Are you following along with me? That would mean that this vengeful, evil, mean, wrathful GOD sent His beloved son to die for us. That makes absolutely no sense at all. Look at today’s Old Testament verse. God chose way back in the day to pardon iniquity and to pass over our rebellious acts. What is that about? Then He chose not to be angry because His very nature is love. He chose to love us rather than to hold onto His anger. He has chosen to put His love for us above our sin.

Here is the bottom line. God chose love over sin. He chose to focus on His love for us rather than on our stinking iniquity. His love has overcome our sin. He put sin under the mercy seat and under the blood. He isn’t writing your name in a book and inscribing beside it every sin you have ever committed. No, your name only has one word written beside it, “Forgiven” and it is written in crimson. You’ve just got to get happy about that. You are forgiven.
Just one side point. I like that God takes His own advice. He has told us not to hold onto our anger. In fact, He said to let not the sun go down on our anger (Ephesians 4: 26). It’s good to see that He has let go of His anger too.

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Lordly Duties

On March 29, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Exodus 15: 26        NIV    Index Card 11

I am the Lord that heals you.

There is something about the tone of this verse which blesses me. It is almost as if God is saying that healing is in His job description, like healing us is part of what it means to be Lord.

One of the key points I take from the last two days’ verses is that they are both from the Old Testament. Do you know that old saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same?” It seems the same can be said of scripture. Many of us think of healing as a New Testament theology but it is not. God was into healing long before Jesus’ amazing healing ministry. We know that God is not one to change (Hebrews 13: 8). Therefore, we can have confidence that He wants to heal us today. The God of the Old Testament was a Lord who heals. Jesus healed multitudes of people; therefore, they will heal us today. I love good news, don’t you?

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Feeding the Multitude

On September 19, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Kings 4: 42 – 44       NIV

A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said. “How can I set this before a hundred men?” his servant asked. But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

Does this story sound familiar to you? Sure it does. In Matthew 14: 13 and 15: 32 we read the accounts of two separate times when Jesus fed great multitudes of people with meager supplies. Does it surprise you that Jesus was not the first one to perform this miracle? This shows us three things: 1) there are parallels between the Old Testament and the New Testament, 2) Jesus operated in the earth as others had before him, and 3) that what Jesus said in John 14: 12 is possible.

First, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8). Jesus has not changed since the beginning of time; nor has his father or the Holy Spirit. They are unchangeable. Therefore, the power, the love and the miracles that we see from Old Testament times are just as viable today as they were thousands of years ago. Further, we should not be surprised to see parallels between the two parts of the Bible when we understand the unchangeable nature of God.

Secondly, it is important for us to realize that when Jesus walked the earth he did so as a human being. Philippians 2: 7 tells us that Jesus did not come in his godly power and authority but rather that he “stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being” (Amplified Version). The Living Bible says he “laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men.” This is a very important concept for us to grasp. Many times we hear people say, “Oh, well, Jesus was God afterall” in defense of why miracles are not happening in our modern culture. But that is an inaccurate portrayal. Jesus emptied himself of his divinity and walked the earth as a human being with all the attendant frailties. He just walked with God in a way that most of us do not. Jesus’ earthly ministry proves that we can also walk and talk with God as he did because he was a man and had to interact with the world like any other human being. His deity did not explain his close union with God nor did it account for the miracles that he performed. Today’s passage is proof of that. Jesus’ feeding of the multitudes was not from his own divine power. Instead he relied on the God of Elisha to perform the exact same work that Elisha did. 

Lastly, why is this so important? When we comprehend that Jesus had to live and work like any other person it removes the complacency and doubt from our minds and hearts. If Jesus did all that he did without relying on his divinity and instead operated in his humanity then it means that we can see the same miracles today; not only see, mind you, but perform. It makes Jesus statement in John 14: 12 palatable; “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” The uncomfortable part of this is that it also removes our excuses. Jesus performed miracles by relying on the father’s power. We have the same father and His power has not diminished a jot. Not only that but Jesus has now returned to his divinity and we have him in addition to the father. And are you ready for strike three. Jesus also poured out the Holy Spirit on mankind on the Day of Pentecost. So, we have all of the power and all of the help we could ever need. We have only to wrap our minds, and hearts, around the truth and then we too can bless people with miracles of every kind.

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