Angels, December 5

Angels, December 5

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

Psalms 103:19-21, www.solascriptura.com

Father, here we learn that Your angels excel in strength. We sometimes feel the obstacles of life are insurmountable, but we forget that we do not have to accomplish everything in our own strength. It has been said that what we begin in our own strength, we must finish in our own strength and that is a formula for failure, in the long run.

We do not fully understand what kind of power the angels have but since they do Your good pleasure it seems safe to assume they can do anything You want them to do. We often limit our hopes by placing our own earthly perspective on things that simply exceed our understanding and sometimes exceed our faith.

Help us know afresh that Your love for us is greater than our understanding and that as we look to You, constantly, that You take joy in our having done so. We truly never walk alone. Bless us this day, in Jesus name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, October 11 2008

Angels, October 11 2008

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; his truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Psalms 91:1-6,11-12, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we read of Your protection and how we abide under the shadow of Your wings. How is it Father that You can be so aware of our needs and be so ready to help us?

Here, You answer the question; Your angels have charge over us, they are present, they are the ever present reality, sent by You to bear us up, to keep us from stumbling.

Father, that is why we are unafraid when others may be afraid. Pestilence and destruction may come but Your angels are escorting us through every anxiety. We may trip on the pitfalls of this earth but if we do and if we are Yours, we are taken to Your side, we are escorted by angels into Your presence.

Father, can death be joyful? Certainly not for those left behind but Your word tells us that heaven is a perfect place of peace. We do not seek to leave this place before our service to You is complete, so help us today to take every advantage You offer us to love You and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Thank You for sending Your angels to look after us. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, September 20

Angels, September 20

"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Matt 24:34-36, Matt 25:31, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You teach us that everything we see around us will pass away; all things will become new. You and Your angels will come and those who love You and whose lives have been encircled by Your righteousness will enter into eternal peace with You, forever.

How, Father, can we speak with such certainty? It is because we believe that Your word is true. Heaven and earth may pass away but Your words will by no means pass away. If that is a fact Father, then the only thing that we have now that will endure is Your word.

Help us today to experience Your presence afresh, to abide in Your word and to learn of Your ways. Father, Your word is indeed a light unto our path. Let us not walk in darkness when the light is at hand. The treasure of eternal life is not buried and You have not kept it from us. Help us to draw near to you today, we pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, September 18

Angels, September 18

"... those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
"nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

www.solascriptura.com Luke 20:35-36

Jesus, when you spoke these words, You were giving us a glimpse of what we should expect in heaven. We simply can not fully grasp what heaven will be like but here You tell us there will not be marriages, thus no procreation, no child bearing and no babies. You also told us elsewhere that we will be neither young nor old in heaven. Given Your resurrection at age 33, one could speculate that age may be just about right. Were we not in our prime at 33 years of age?

Jesus, the idea of not being married is a difficult idea for those of us who have spent a lifetime with our mate, where indeed two have become as one. In heaven, those who love You will be together in new kinds of relationships, the kind that will last forever.

But given the fact that we will live eternally, without aging, illness, envy, anger, poverty, or handicap, puts it in perspective. We will have a new body, a new name and we will exist forever in a state of joy and celebration, alongside of all those who are in Your presence.

You tell us we will be equal to the angels, something we can not describe but we know how they serve You and protect us. Father, prepare us here and now to abide in Your everlasting love and enrich our relationships with all those that love You, forever. We pray these things in Jesus name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, September 14

Angels, September 14

"The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
"The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
"The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
"and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
"Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matt 13:38-43

Jesus, You do not speak to us in unclear words. We hear what You just said and having ears we are told to listen. You have spoken of the "harvest" at the end of the age and You tell us that you will send out Your angels to gather up those who practice lawlessness.

Jesus, we believe we understand what it is to be unrighteous and we are clear enough on what it means to be lawless. We either love You and the Father with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and we love our neighbors as ourselves, or we do not.

Jesus, we also know that none of us are sinless, we have all broken the law, so when we are among the righteous that shines forth, it is because you have clothed us in Your righteousness and are prepared to usher us into the presence of the Father, a Holy place where we could never be without You having made it possible.

The harsh reality of eternal suffering helps us understand that we, if we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, have a clear cut responsibility and we require Your inner strength, the power of the Holy Spirit in us, to fulfill it. Lead us this day to be aware of every opportunity to testify of Your love. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, July 14

Angels, July 14

..."Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."
Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Luke 22:42-43, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we know that when You suffered on the cross for our sins and took our sins upon yourself, that it meant separation from the Father, for the moment, since the Father will not allow sin or sinners in His Holy presence. You suffered as we would have had to suffer if it was not for Your sacrifice. Your assumption of our sins accomplished for us what we could never accomplish on our own.

There is no sacrifice available to us that will cleanse us our sins except Your shed blood. We are called by God's grace and saved by Your redemptive, sacrificial act.

Father, You sent an angel to Jesus to help Him endure the pain, the suffering, the separation. Now You tell us that we have angels looking over us helping us in the same way.

Our sins were borne by Jesus and the he became the propitiation for our sins. He went to the Cross so that we would never have to endure what he endured. We truly never walk alone. Bless us abundantly we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, July 1

Angels, July 1

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Hebrews 13:2, Psalms 34:7-8 www.solascriptura.com

Father, are angels for real? Your words confirm that angels are indeed real and that we interact with them and are observed by them more than we know. It is sort of a scary thing, at first, because we don't know when we are entertaining an angel unaware or if we are just in the presence of a person that seems a little more interested in us than we would expect.

Father, your advice seems to be that we should treat all encounters with an expectation of hope and love because some of those encounters are ordained for our own good.

Your word tells us that angels are encamped all around those who love You. Are angels only serving, leading, protecting and nurturing believers? Your word says "The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him." That seems to answer the question. We should not expect deliverance if we do not fear You (reverently love, honor and obey).

The Psalmist says, "taste and see that the Lord is Good." This free sample wasn't provided without cost. We know the price You paid, Father. Your grace is sent to us, constantly, and the "taste" turns into a daily feast and an eternal banquet. May we draw near to You, today? Your answer is yes! We pray we do so, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, December 5, 2008

Angels, December 5, 2008

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

Psalms 103:19-21, www.solascriptura.com

Father, here we learn that Your angels excel in strength. We sometimes feel the obstacles of life are insurmountable, but we forget that we do not have to accomplish everything in our own strength. It has been said that what we begin in our own strength, we must finish in our own strength and that is a formula for failure, in the long run.

We do not fully understand what kind of power the angels have but since they do Your good pleasure it seems safe to assume they can do anything You want them to do. We often limit our hopes by placing our own earthly perspective on things that simply exceed our understanding and sometimes exceed our faith.

Help us to know afresh that Your love for us is greater than our understanding and that as we look to You, constantly, that You take joy in our having done so. We truly never walk alone. Bless us this day, in Jesus name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, October 11 2008

Angels, October 11 2008

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; his truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Psalms 91:1-6,11-12, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we read of Your protection and how we abide under the shadow of Your wings. How is it Father that You can be so aware of our needs and be so ready to help us?

Here, You answer the question; Your angels have charge over us, they are present, they are the ever present reality, sent by You to bear us up, to keep us from stumbling.

Father, that is why we are unafraid when others may be afraid. Pestilence and destruction may come but Your angels are escorting us through every anxiety. We may trip on the pitfalls of this earth but if we do and if we are Yours, we are taken to Your side, we are escorted by angels into Your presence.

Father, can death be joyful? Certainly not for those left behind but Your word tells us that heaven is a perfect place of peace. We do not seek to leave this place before our service to You is complete, so help us today to take every advantage You offer us to love You and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Thank You for sending Your angels to look after us. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, September 20, 2008

Angels, September 20, 2008

"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Matt 24:34-36, Matt 25:31, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You teach us that everything we see around us will pass away; all things will become new. You and Your angels will come and those who love You and whose lives have been encircled by Your righteousness will enter into eternal peace with You, forever.

How, Father, can we speak with such certainty? It is because we believe that Your word is true. Heaven and earth may pass away but Your words will by no means pass away. If that is a fact Father, then the only thing that we have now that will endure is Your word.

Help us today to experience Your presence afresh, to abide in Your word and to learn of Your ways. Father, Your word is indeed a light unto our path. Let us not walk in darkness when the light is at hand. The treasure of eternal life is not buried and You have not kept it from us. Help us to draw near to you today, we pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, July 24, 2008

Angels, July 24, 2008

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Psalms 91:1-2, 11-12 www.solascriptura.com

Father, dwelling in the secret place, with You, and abiding under Your protective and loving shadow, gives us a perfect retreat in times of trouble. It is easy to be joyful, in You, when things are going right but when there are difficulties, we need to be reminded that You are our refuge, our fortress and in You we must trust. To whom else can we turn?

Father, You tell us that Your angels have charge over us to help us get through the difficulties as well as to take advantage of the opportunities to serve You. Surely the angels are there for us even when we don't realize it, keeping us from evil influence.

When we see evidence of Your protective love directing our lives, help us to acknowledge You and to thank You. You remind us in so many ways that we never walk alone. Strengthen our faith, we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, July 1, 2008

Angels, July 1, 2008

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Hebrews 13:2, Psalms 34:7-8 www.solascriptura.com

Father, are angels for real? Your words confirm that angels are indeed real and that we interact with them and are observed by them more than we know. It is sort of a scary thing, at first, because we don't know when we are entertaining an angel unaware or if we are just in the presence of a person that seems a little more interested in us than we would expect.

Father, your advice seems to be that we should treat all encounters with an expectation of hope and love because some of those encounters are ordained for our own good.

Your word tells us that angels are encamped all around those who love You. Are angels only serving, leading, protecting and nurturing believers? Your word says "The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him." That seems to answer the question. We should not expect deliverance if we do not fear You (reverently love, honor and obey).

The Psalmist says, "taste and see that the Lord is Good." This free sample wasn't provided without cost. We know the price You paid, Father. Your grace is sent to us, constantly, and the "taste" turns into a daily feast and an eternal banquet. May we draw near to You, today? Your answer is yes! We pray we do so, in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, February 29, 2008

Angels, February 29, 2008

"The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
"The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
"The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
"and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
"Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Matt 13:38-43, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You used parables to teach us the fundamentals of our faith, very often. We see here that there are good seeds, sons of the kingdom, and tares (bad seeds) sons of the wicked one. You tell us the devil sowed the bad seeds and that they will be reaped by the angels at the end of the age, burned in fire.

The bad seeds were sown among the good seeds but when the seeds bear fruit, one bears good grain (fruit) and the other bad. We understand that as we mature we will be known by the kind of fruit we bear.

You teach us that You, Jesus, will send out the angels to gather those who offend and who practice lawlessness. Then, after that, the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.

Jesus, we do have ears and we do hear. The warning is too ominous to ignore. We want to be sons of light, Your Light in us. Help us today to be the righteous persons You have called us to be. In Your Holy name we pray, amen.


Bruce Caldwell

Angels #1

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Hebrews 13:2, Psalms 34:7-8 www.solascriptura.com

Father, are angels for real? Your words confirm that angels are indeed real and that we interact with them and are observed by them more than we know. It is sort of a scary thing, at first, because we don't know when we are entertaining an angel unaware or if we are just in the presence of a person that seems a little more interested in us that we would expect.

Father, your advice seems to be that we should treat all encounters with an expectation of hope and love because some of these encounters are ordained for our own good.

Your word tells us that angels are encamped all around those who love You. Are angels only serving, leading, protecting and nurturing believers? Your word says "The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him." That seems to answer the question. We should not expect deliverance if we do no fear You (reverently love, honor and obey).

The Psalmist says, "taste and see that the Lord is Good." This free sample wasn't provided without cost. We know the price You paid, Father. Your grace is sent to us, constantly, and the "taste" turns into a daily feast and an eternal banquet. May we draw near to You, today? Your answer is yes! We pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels #2

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; his truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.

Psalms 91:1-6, 11-12, www.solascriptura.com

Father, we read of Your protection and how we abide under the shadow of Your wings. How is it Father that You can be so aware of our needs and be so ready to help us?

Here, You answer the question; Your angels have charge over us, they are present, they are the ever present reality, sent by You to bear us up, to keep us from stumbling.

Father, that is why we are unafraid when others may be afraid. Pestilence and destruction may come but Your angels are escorting us through every anxiety. We may trip on the pitfalls of this earth but if we do and if we are taken to Your side, we are escorted by angels into Your presence.

Father, can death be joyful? Certainly not for those left behind but Your word tells us that heaven is a perfect place of peace. We do not seek to leave this place before our service to You is complete, so help us today to take every advantage You offer us to love You and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Thank You for sending Your angels to look after us. In Jesus' name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #3

The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.

Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

Psalms 103:19-21, www.solascriptura.com

Father, here we learn that Your angels excel in strength. We sometimes feel the obstacles of life are insurmountable, but we forget that we do not have to accomplish everything in our own strength. It has been said that what we begin in our own strength, we must finish in our own strength and that is a formula for failure, in the long run.

We do not fully understand what kind of power the angels have but since they do Your good pleasure it seems safe to assume they can do anything You want them to do. We often limit our hopes by placing our own earthly perspective on things that simple exceed our understanding and sometimes exceed our faith.

Help us to know afresh that Your love for us exceeds our understanding and that as we look to You, constantly, that You take joy in our doing so. We truly never walk alone. Bless us this day, in Jesus name, we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #4

It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Mark 1:9-13 www.solascriptura.com

Father, You chose to proclaim Jesus as Your only begotten Son and Your Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. Even now, Father, when a dove comes near it seems like a reminder of Your presence. What a beautiful, peaceful bird. Your decision to use this bird as a symbol of Your presence affords many of us an opportunity to turn our attention to You very often as You remind us of Your constant presence.

Father, You tell us that Jesus went into the wilderness and was tempted for 40 days and nights. He was hungry and subject to the elements and dangers of the wilderness for a very long period. You provided safety and Spiritual strength, sending Him ministering angels.

Father, we know the outcome of this ordeal. Jesus remained obedient and faithful and Satan was not able to tempt our Savior beyond what He, in Your strength, was able to bear.

Father, we too are tempted but seldom under such strenuous circumstances. Please remind us to look for the ministering angels, to acknowledge Your presence in every situation. We may feel deserted and alone but that is never true. Lead us today, beside the still waters and into the serenity of green pastures as we walk with You. Comfort us we pray, in Jesus name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels #5

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
"Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

Mark 8:35-38, www.solascriptura.com


Jesus, You finish this admonition with the warning that if any of us are ashamed of You and Your words, You will be ashamed of us, and then You tell us the holy angels will be present with You when You return to us.

Jesus, we not only do not want to be ashamed, but we want to be courageous in sharing Your love with others. It is not easy to witness to some people. They just do not want to hear it but in such cases, help us to show people how Your love for us spills over and that we can be loving, even when our instincts are otherwise.

You teach us that if we gain all the possessions, notoriety and admiration of the world and yet lose our soul, we will count the gains as nothing. There is nothing we can gain in exchange for our soul that makes any sense. It seems that clinging to things, as though they can redeem us, is a recipe for disaster.

Teach us to use all of the assets You have given us, including money, intelligence and personal attributes, as leverage to better serve You. Make us each a Holy conduit, this day. We pray these things in Your Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #6

"Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
Matt 24:34-36, Matt 25:31, www.solascriptura.com



Jesus, You teach us that everything we see around us will pass away; all things will become new. You and Your angels will come and those who love You and whose lives have been encircled by Your righteousness will enter into eternal peace with You, forever.

How, Father, can we speak with such certainty? It is because we believe that Your word is true. Heaven and earth may pass away but Your words will by no means pass away. If that is a fact Father, then the only thing that we have now that will endure is Your word.

Help us today to experience Your presence afresh, to abide in Your word and to learn of Your ways. Father, Your word is indeed a light unto our path. Let us not walk in darkness when the light is at hand. The treasure of eternal life is not buried and You have not kept it from us. Help us to draw near to you today, we pray in Jesus' Holy name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #7

Angels, #7

"... in those days... the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
"the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in heaven will be shaken.
"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
"And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

Mark 13:24-27, www.solascriptura.com


Jesus, You tell us of a calamitous moment, where the earth will be shaken, stars will fall and thereafter, nothing will be the same.

Jesus, there is nothing we can do to escape this moment except to place our souls in Your care. We want to ask, how could anyone not seek You and love You while the sun is still shining and the moon still giving its light. Jesus, these are good times for us because even when we are distressed, You are shedding Your light upon us.

Where would we be Jesus, without Your light, Your Holy word, Your angels looking after us. We would simply be lost and we would have turned into the darkest of all alleys, willingly.

O' Jesus, draw our friends and family unto You today. Give us a good and perfect witness, we pray. Prepare us for the marriage supper of the Lamb, that moment where You welcome us into Your eternal home.

You have extended Your hand of grace and mercy. Help us to reach out and become as one with You. In Your Holy name, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #8

"... There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
"...I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:7,10, www.solascriptura.com



Jesus, we confess we have sinned. It would be arrogant and incorrect to say otherwise. Why then do You specifically refer to "just persons" as being persons who do not feel they need to repent?

You make it perfectly clear that those who are righteous in their own eyes are in big trouble. It is the confession of a sinner that brings Your angels to a position of exuberance and a joyful celebration.

Jesus, most of have witnessed a sinner come to You and be forgiven. It is the most pivotal moment in their lives and it was the most pivotal moment in our lives. It is a specific moment in time. It is a Spiritual birthday and it only happens once.

We know that after our Spiritual birth we will continue to be imperfect but You have taught us that we are in a different position after our rebirth. Our souls have been saved. We are still accountable but as heirs, but we will not be judged as estranged sinners. We are Yours, forever.

Thank You is simply too trite a comment to mark this immense reality. Bless us and keep us we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #9

"... there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.
"...I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:7, 10, www.solascriptura.com


Jesus, this seems to be a message to the "lukewarm church" you described in Revelation 3:14, where the church was neither hot nor cold. You teach us there that you would even rather we be cold than lukewarm. Why would that be? Perhaps it is because a cold church does not deceive anyone. It is not a vibrant, living body with a great witness.

You then tell us you would rather we be "hot" than lukewarm because our witness would be alive and effective, full of Your presence and energy, bringing glory to Your name.

But it is the lukewarm church that you detest. You use graphic language in describing their fate, "You will spew them out of Your mouth". Jesus, we are not able to stand before you "needing no repentance" and if we think we can, we delude ourselves. It is a sinner, saved by grace that causes the angels to rejoice, not a person who feels they need no repentance.

Jesus, help each one of us, this day, to never be "lukewarm". Give us a repentant heart, full of humility and contrition as we enter into Your presence. Then and only then will You and the angels rejoice and then You will fill our hearts with Your goodness and love. Bless us as we seek Your presence in our hearts, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #10

"... those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
"nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Luke 20:35-36, www.solascriptura.com



Jesus, most of us who are happily married often use words like "forever" to describe the depth of our love for our partner and how long we would like to be together. Is that a scripturally accurate perception?

On the one hand, we know that in heaven we will know people and be known; but on the other hand our relationship will not be there as it is here. There You teach us, we will be equal to the angels, neither to marry or to be given in marriage.

Jesus, what is it to be equal to an angel? You tell us we will be sons of God, sons of the resurrection. You already told us that we would not have a physical body, as we have here, but we will be a spiritual body that will function as You did on earth, after the resurrection.

We understand far less about our spiritual bodies that are yet to come than we would like to know but what we do know is coming is beyond our experience. Help us today to simply cling to what we know and not overly worry about what we do not know. We know angels are real here and will be real there and we can read about all the things You did after You were resurrected, things You said we will do as well.

Bless us as we look to You for greater understanding. In Your Holy name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels, #11

"The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
"The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
"Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
"The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
"and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
"Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Matt 13:38-43, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, You used parables to teach us the fundamentals of our faith, very often. We see here that there are good seeds, sons of the kingdom, and tares (bad seeds) sons of the wicked one. You tell us the devil sowed the bad seeds and that they will be reaped by the angels at the end of the age, burned in fire.

The bad seeds were sown among the good seeds but when the seeds bear fruit, one bears good grain (fruit) and the other bad. We understand that as we mature we will be known by the kind of fruit we bear.

You teach us that You, Jesus, will send out the angels to gather those who offend and who practice lawlessness. Then, after that, the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.

Jesus, we do have ears and we do hear. The warning is too ominous to ignore. We want to be sons of light, Your Light in us. Help us today to be the righteous persons You have called us to be. In Your Holy name we pray, amen.

Bruce Caldwell

Angels #12

..."Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."

Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Luke 22:42-43, www.solascriptura.com

Jesus, we know that when You suffered on the cross for our sins that it meant separation from the Father since the Father will not join Himself to sin or sinners. In taking our sin upon yourself, you suffered as we would have had to suffer if it was not for Your sacrifice. Your assumption of our sins accomplished for us what we could never accomplish on our own. There is no sacrifice available to us that will cleanse us our sins except Your shed blood. We are called by God's grace and saved by Your redemptive, sacrificial act.


Father, You sent an angel to Jesus helping Him to endure the pain, the suffering, the separation. Now You tell us that we have angels looking over us helping us in the same way. We truly never walk alone. Bless us abundantly we pray, in Jesus' name, amen.


Bruce Caldwell