In police work, you often get called to domestic fights. Many of these involve couples living together and having kids out of wedlock. So you’ve probably heard, “that’s just my baby’s father (or mother)“ more times than you can count. Couples “shacking up” is symptomatic of a sinful culture. One man was complaining around Christmastime that he had two (or was it three?) baby’s mothers to deal with. Another time the police were called where a woman was having a dispute with another woman, whom she referred to as “my baby’s father’s baby’s mother”.

So what in the world does this have to do with the Scripture? If you’ll notice, the lady in this verse is called “the mother of Zebedee’s children”. That verse is written that way for a reason. Remember, “Every word of God is pure:…“ Proverbs 30:5 She’s not called Zebedee’s wife, so it’s possible, although we can only speculate, that either she and Zebedee were divorced, or her sons were born out of wedlock.

At any rate, regardless of what had happened in her past, she’d received Jesus as her Saviour. The passage tells us that she worshipped Him (recognized Him as God), and asked that her two sons could sit on his right and left in his kingdom. Jesus responded to her request at some length, too much length for this devotion, but one thing He DIDN’T do was beat her over the head with her past. Jesus didn’t say, for instance, “You’ve got some nerve, lady, after you’ve had kids out of wedlock (or been divorced) and you’re going to ask ME something like that!”

The two sons, by the way, were the apostles James and John. They were two of Jesus’ three closest apostles, Peter being the third. James also wrote the Epistle of James, and John wrote the Gospel of John, the three epistles of John, and the book of Revelation. God used those two men powerfully to touch lives throughout history for Christ, regardless what had been in their past.

Sin can do a lot of damage to your life, and maybe some of it can’t be undone. But when you come to Christ for forgiveness of sins and receive Him as Saviour, all of your sins–past, present, and future–are forgiven in His sight. When people come to Jesus to be saved, he will “…cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19 Not only that, when you receive Christ, God works in your heart to change your life. You find that you want to live pleasing to the Lord because of what He’s done for you. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

So don’t think that you can’t be forgiven for your sins and saved because you’re divorced or you’ve got some past issues in your life. These words about Zebedee’s “children’s mother” are in the Bible to assure you that the Lord wants to forgive and save you just as much as anyone else, and He wants to use you to serve Him and reach others, too. If you want to see in the Bible how to be saved, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org and click, “How do I go to Heaven?”

Brian Miller 5/18/2013

God called the prophet Jeremiah to preach to the Israelites, who as a nation were desperately wrong with God. As our passage says, He commanded Jeremiah to preach to people who were worshipping in the LORD’s house. Surely of all places, Jeremiah should have gotten a warm reception from people in church, right? After all, isn’t that why people go to church, to hear God’s Word? It should be.

God sent Jeremiah to the house of worship because even there, people were guilty of sin. Our passage makes that fact very clear: “If so be they wll hearken, and turn every man from his evil way…” Jeremiah 26:3 Apparently they had some evil ways that needed to be addressed, and apparently the leader at the house of worship wasn’t doing his job of addressing them.

So Jeremiah preached to the people there, as God commanded. He warned them that if they didn’t repent, their land would come to ruin. But they weren’t receptive to Jeremiah’s words. The priests and prophets and people were angry, and took Jeremiah, and told him, “Thou shalt surely die. Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant?“ Jeremiah 26:8-9 Isn’t it sad that the very men who should have been giving God’s Word to the people not only weren’t doing their job, but they threatened violence against one who WAS giving God’s word?

The same thing happened to Jesus years later. His worst enemies, the ones who engineered His crucifixion, weren’t the criminals and atheists. They were the religious leaders, who had turned Judaism into a racket. Jesus called them serpents, vipers, hypocrites, and children of hell. They didn’t like hearing that, but they knew that He was telling the truth. Even so, many people came to trust in Him as Saviour, but others didn’t. The chief priests, the religious leaders, were among the ones yelling, “Crucify him, crucify him.” John 19:6

So what does all this tell us? It tells us that having a building with the word “church” on it doesn’t necessarily mean that God’s Word is preached there, and the term “Reverend” in front of a man’s name doesn’t necessarily mean that he preaches God’s Word. It also tells us that people can have religion, but still be just as much without God in their life as an atheist. A church, by Biblical standard, is a place where God’s Word is preached by a man who recognizes himself as a servant to the Lord, and declares God’s Word faithfully as his Lord commands.

Most importantly, a church is a place for people to hear how to have their sins forgiven and have a home in heaven. If you want to know more, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org and click, “How do I go to Heaven?” If you’re looking for a church where God’s Word is preached faithfully, please visit.

Brian Miller 5/11/2013

Here’s an interesting fact: if you’re a cop, the Bible says that you should practice your shooting. It also says that you should have your gun with you, even off-duty, so you can be prepared for an emergency. It doesn’t say that verbatim, but it does say that in principle. Colossians 3:23 says, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;“ So if you’re going to do police work, you ought to do your best. Do it heartily, as if Jesus Himself were your supervisor, which, in reality, He is.

As for specifics about practicing your shooting skills, look at our Scripture. David was about to go fight Goliath. Saul lent him his sword and armor, but David didn’t want it; not because it was poor quality, but because he wasn’t used to it and had never used it to fight. “…I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them…” Instead, David went into battle with his sling. He had proven it. He practiced with it and he knew that he was proficient with it.

Do you practice shooting? You should. What if one day you have to shoot to save yourself, another officer, or an innocent citizen? If you don’t practice, you’re gambling with your life and other people’s lives. Some people may think, “Well, I’ll just trust the Lord if the time comes”. But faith in God does not preclude common sense. Proverbs 21:31 says, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle…” If you neglect your skills and then expect God to bless, you’re tempting God: “…Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Matthew 4:7

David also had his weapon with him. He didn’t see Goliath and say, “Let me run back home and get my sling”. No, HE HAD IT WITH HIM. “…his sling was in his hand:…” Ever hear of officers who go unarmed off-duty, because they don’t want to be “the police”? Hopefully they don’t carry their work ID off-duty, either. If they’re in a bank one day and a robbery occurs, and one of the robbers finds their ID but no gun, the robber may just execute them on the spot. Or if one day they need to shoot to save an innocent life but don’t have their gun and an innocent citizen is killed, they have to live with that fact. It’s one thing to be in a situation where you can’t shoot because of the circumstances. It’s another when you deliberately refuse to prepare yourself.

It’s great to find things in God’s Word that maybe you never expected. When God inspired the Bible, He didn’t give us everything that there is to know about Him and about life, but He did give us everything that we NEED to know. Most importantly, God tells us in His Word how to have our sins forgiven and a home in heaven when we die. If you’d like to see that, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org and click, How do I go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 4/14/2013

As a cop, you’re likely to meet other cops whom you don‘t like for some reason, and who don’t like you. You don’t like how they talk or act. You don’t want to work with them or even be around them. If you see that you’re scheduled to work with someone you don’t like, you’re tempted to call in sick (which, by the way, is a sin). In short, you want nothing to do with them.

If you know Jesus as Saviour, though, forget about how you feel about those people and think for a minute about how God feels about them. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us exactly how God feels:

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

Now put the name of someone you don’t like into the blanks: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that _____ should perish, but that _____ should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

If someone you don’t like is not saved, their worst problem has nothing to do with you. Their worst problem is that they’re lost and headed for hell. You were once lost and Jesus saved you. He also wants to save them, and He wants to use you to reach them: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ…” 2 Corinthians 5:20 So please don’t let some petty dislike or silly grudge on your part ruin your chance to reach them for Jesus. Most importantly, don‘t let their hearts be poisoned against Christ because of what they see in you. Their souls are too precious.

Romans 12:18 says, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” You may never be friends with some people on this job, but you can live peaceably with them. Now if you‘re guilty of wrongdoing against them, swallow your pride and make it right; but if you‘re not, try to get along with them, so you can share Christ when an opportunity comes.

Jesus also said, “…Love your enemies,…” Matthew 5:44 That’s not easy to do that when people are nasty to you, but the Lord will give you grace. Romans 12:20 also says, “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink:…“ Romans 12:20 Speak kindly to them. Do good for them. If they need help, give it. If they’re unfriendly, ignore it. Don’t gossip about them. Pray for them. And don’t think that doing all this won’t help. Yes, it will. Romans 12:21 doesn’t say, “oppose evil with good”, but “…OVERCOME evil with good.” Doing good will help you OVERCOME evil and reach them for Christ. God’s Word says so.

If you’ve never seen in Scripture how to have your sins forgiven and have a home in heaven when you die, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org and click, “How do I go to Heaven?” If you like these devotions, please forward them to people you know. If you’re looking for a church that preaches God’s Word lovingly and without apology, please visit.
Brian Miller 4/3/2013

I want to give you a couple of suggestions to help you make the most use of your time. Psalm 90 states that we are to number our days and apply our hearts to wisdom.

1. Make God an essential part of your time. Begin your day with Him with Bible reading and prayer. Make sure that He is the focus of your time throughout the week. Church attendance is not optional! It is not a waste of time but rather it is a way to capitalize on your time.
2. Plan your week as much as possible. At the beginning of every week, try to write down the things that you need to accomplish and when you are going to do them.
3. Prioritize your time with your family. If you have young children in your home, remember that they will be grown and gone from your home soon. You have this moment to make a difference in their lives. If your children are grown and gone, make sure that you and your spouse make time to be with each other. Eat meals together as a family. Talk at the table and encourage one another.
4. Turn off the television and read a good, helpful book. When was the last time you can remember reading to expand your mind and grow intellectually and spiritually? Encourage your children in this matter of reading. It will help them more than they know.
5. Finally, assess your week. How was it spent? How you did you manage your time? When you fail, determine that the following week will be better.

I hope that you will have a great week!

Stephen one day debated with a group of Jews. He spoke very powerfully of how Jesus was the Christ. They became angry with him and falsely accused him of blasphemy against God. Stephen replied by using Israel’s history to show them how Jesus was Israel’s Messiah.

Stephen’s hearers were powerfully convicted by Stephen’s words, and could not argue against them. Still, they refused to listen. Instead, “…they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears…” Acts 7:57 They said, in so many words, “We don’t want to hear this! We won’t even listen to it!” They were so angry at Stephen that they stoned him to death.

Stephen’s death was in a way even more unjust than Jesus’. The Jewish rulers had taken Jesus to Pilate for execution because they didn’t have authority to execute. That lack of au-thority didn’t stop them from killing Stephen, though. His death was really a mob murder.

As an officer, you’ve no doubt met people who’ve “stopped their ears” at the truth when it wasn’t what they wanted to hear. Say you’re called to a neighbor dispute. You listen to Neighbor #1‘s version of the dispute, then Neighbor #2‘s. You hear both sides, as an officer should. You figure out how the law applies and advise Neighbor #1. He gets it. You then try to tell Neighbor #2, but as soon as you start telling him something that he doesn’t want to hear, he starts to argue and cut you off. You assure him that you’re not taking sides, only applying the law, but he insists that he knows the law better than you. You keep your cool and try to talk with him, but he continually interrupts. He threatens to call your boss, the commander, the chief, the media, and all the important people that he says he knows, because you won‘t give him what he wants. He’s really doing what the Jewish council did: stopping his ears, because it’s not want he wants to hear. He may hope that if he cuts you off enough, he’ll get his way, but eventually, he’ll have to deal with the truth. As 2 Corinthians 13:8 says, “For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”

The Jewish elders were not only stopping their ears against Stephen, but also against the Holy Spirit, who was dealing with them about believing on Jesus. Many people do that today. They hear that they’re sinners, separated from God, on the way to hell, and that Jesus, God the Son, paid their sin-debt in full, was buried, and rose again. They hear that if they’ll come to Jesus in repentance and receive Him as Saviour, trusting entirely in Him to forgive and save them, He will, as His Word says. Yet they “stop their ears”, not because it’s not true, but be-cause they don’t want to hear it. If you’ve not received Jesus as Saviour but think you should, the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart. Please don’t “stop your ears” to the truth.

If you want to know how to have your sins forgiven and a home in heaven, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org and click, “How do I go to Heaven?” If you’re looking for a church that preaches directly out of God’s Word, as churches are supposed to do, please visit. If you know someone who would enjoy this devotion, please forward it.
Brian Miller 3/28/2013