Raindrop Devotionals: Volume Two

By Dr. Jeffrey T. Rainey

Normally, we hear the call and the command to come in out of the rain. This devotional is an invitation and an incentive to get out in the rain to get drenched with these drops of devotions. Rain is not from the sea, but from the sky.
Rain is not drawn from the faucet into the sink, but it falls from the sky. Rain is not from the ground, but from God.
These raindrop devotionals are written to wet you with the Word, soak you with the Scripture, and mizzle you with the message.
These raindrops are relevant, revealing, and reaching. So, let down your umbrella and let this rain drop in your walk, work, witness, worship, and week.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Aug 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664243194

Dr. Jeffrey T. Rainey

Dr. Jeffrey T. Rainey graduated from Alabama A. & M. University, Huntsville Alabama with a BS Degree in Business Administration. He earned his Master of Theology (2011), Master of Divinity (2012), and Doctor of Ministry (2015) from Faith Evangelical College and Seminary, now Faith International University, in Tacoma, Washington. He has pastored the Christian Union Primitive Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama since June 10, 1984. He has served as the Bible Expositor of the National Primitive Baptist Convention since 1998. His gifts has made room for him on platforms, on panels, and in pulpits across the United States. He is married to the former Carolyn Suzette Hunter. They have two daughters: Caryn (Brandon) Scott and Carmen Suzette Rainey, and one grandson, Caleb Javon Scott.,

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Unless otherwise noted, scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture marked (NKJV) taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-4320-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4321-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-4319-4 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 08/23/2021

Contents

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

WEEK 5

WEEK 6

WEEK 7

WEEK 8

WEEK 9

WEEK 10

WEEK 11

WEEK 12

WEEK 13

WEEK 14

WEEK 15

WEEK 16

WEEK 17

WEEK 18

WEEK 19

WEEK 20

WEEK 21

WEEK 22

WEEK 23

WEEK 24

WEEK 25

WEEK 26

WEEK 27

WEEK 28

WEEK 29

WEEK 30

WEEK 31

WEEK 32

WEEK 33

WEEK 34

WEEK 35

WEEK 36

WEEK 37

WEEK 38

WEEK 39

WEEK 40

WEEK 41

WEEK 42

WEEK 43

WEEK 44

WEEK 45

WEEK 46

WEEK 47

WEEK 48

WEEK 49

WEEK 50

WEEK 51

WEEK 52

WEEK 1

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MONDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Merciful Monday! "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

This is the fifth Beatitude. When Matthew gets to this point in the Beatitudes, the concern changes, the stress shifts, and the tone turns. In the first four Beatitudes, the emphasis was on our attitude. The fifth through the seventh Beatitudes emphasize our action. This beatitude could be called the out flowing Beatitude, for mercy must be shown. You cannot be merciful without someone knowing its effects. Mercy is an outward expression, a manifestation of an inner attitude.

It is, sometimes, difficult to separate "Mercy and Grace. Grace is receiving what we do not deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. Grace is God blessing those who cannot earn it. Mercy is God withholding from us what we have earned. Better put, Grace deals with the committing of sin itself. Mercy has to do with the consequences of sin Grace deals with the cause. Mercy deals with the symptoms. Grace offers pardon for the crime. Mercy offers relief from punishment. Grace cures the disease. Mercy" eliminates the pain.

WEEK 1

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TUESDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Tithing Tuesday! "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house" (Malachi 3:10).

One of the questions asked in Church that plays a great factor in giving is, "Where does the money go?" Now, to answer the question, the money goes to the Pastor, the Programs, the Property, and the Poor. Let me continue with the Programs.

The programs include the Equipping of Members. Members must be made aware of the fact that each believer has a specific calling from God on his or her life and a specific function to fulfill within the Church body. Paul wrote, "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him" (1 Corinthians 12:18).

None of us are all we should be or could be. We are all in a developing stage. Some things about us have to be purged, proved, polished, and perfected. During this process, the leader walks beside them, works with them, and watches over them as they discover, decide, develop, and do their duty.

The preached messages, the purchased manuals, the prepared material, the provided ministries, and the personal meetings help believers to find, fill, fit, and fulfill their God-given ministries. That is where the money goes!

WEEK 1

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WEDNESDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Witnessing Wednesday! "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me…" (Acts 1:8).

One of the terms used most frequently in the New Testament to describe the Christian message is the Greek word "evangelion," which means "Good News. The English word evangelism" is derived from that and simply means "sharing the Good News."

Jesus says to each of us, "witness. So, whatever your position, profession, or platform, we are to share the Good News." If we think of ourselves as soldiers, then, these are our marching orders. If we think of ourselves as spiritual statesmen, going out to find a spiritual republic, then, this is our constitution. If we think of ourselves as philanthropists, then, this is our manual of universal beneficence. If we think of ourselves as spiritual physicians, then, this is our sovereign remedy for sin-sick souls. If we think of ourselves as teachers, then, this is our textbook. If we think of ourselves as preachers, then, we have the fundamental principles of our discourses, directed to disclose a Savior’s love and power, and the lost souls’ supreme need of Him.

Every child of God bears the responsibility to share the "Good News." Will you be a witness?

WEEK 1

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THURSDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Trial Thursday! "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8).

Job, himself, is quite unconscious of the fact that he is being used by God as an object-lesson to all generations. He knows nothing at all about the conference that has taken place concerning him. Job was not privileged to be present at the preliminary hearing held in the Council Chambers of Eternity.

We noted, the rampancy of the Adversary and the recommendation of the Almighty. Now, notice:

c. the record of Job’s attributes – v 8b

"… that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?"

According to the record:

i. Job was dutiful – "My servant"

ii. Job was developed – "perfect"

iii. Job was devout – "upright"

iv. Job was devoted – "feareth"

v. Job was disciplined – "escheweth evil" – Maybe, I should inject here that God recommends saints who are seasoned, not the saints who are seasonal.

WEEK 1

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FRIDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Faint Friday! David said, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalms 27:13).

When you believe, you live a life of expectancy. Whatever God makes is good. Whatever God does is good. Whatever God gives is good. So, I expect the goodness of God. "The goodness of the Lord" is prayers answered, bodies healed, doors opened, ways made, blessings overflowing, victories won, habits broken, unexpected finances, businesses started, families reuniting, marriages restored, souls saved, burdens lifted, yokes destroyed, strongholds destroyed, joy restored, and mercies unseen.

The story is told of a woman about to backslide. She was about to give up on God. She had lost everything. She said before she backslid, she wanted to thank God for all the things He had done for her. She began to thank God for keeping her son through a close call with death. She thanked God for putting food on her table. She thanked God for making ways for her. She continued to thank God and in her thanking she concluded that God had been too good to her to turn her back on God. Instead of backsliding, she rededicated her life to the Lord. It was "the goodness of the Lord" that kept her.

WEEK 2

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MONDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Merciful Monday! "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

We must acknowledge and admit that not much mercy is shown in this cruel world today. Abortion clinics have no mercy on the innocent life. Casinos have no mercy taking money from those who take the risk. Robbers have no mercy holding up businesses. Thieves have no mercy stealing what others have worked for. The ambitious have no mercy on those they step on to get to the top. Businessmen have no mercy taking advantage of the consumers. Teachers have no mercy failing students whom they have failed to teach. The dealers in drugs and narcotics have no mercy on the lives their substance corrupts. Murderers have no mercy as they kill without remorse or regret. Church members have no mercy pushing members away who are not their kind.

Let’s face it, we live in a day when "winner-takes-all. People are treated like things where power is supreme and personal success is the chief end of man. In a world that has no mercy on its occupants, Jesus admonishes us to be merciful. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

WEEK 2

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TUESDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Tithing Tuesday! "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house" (Malachi 3:10).

One of the questions asked in Church that plays a great factor in giving is, Where does the money go? Now, to answer the question, the money goes to the Pastor, the Programs, the Property, and the Poor.

We have looked at the Pastor and the Programs, now let’s look at the Property. The Property is inclusive of the facilities, the furnishings, and the field. The facilities must be monitored. The furnishings must be maintained. The field must be manicured.

Is not strange that we repair what is damaged, restore what is depreciated, and replace what is deficient in the residence where we dwell and we do not want to repair, restore, and replace things in the House of God? These things are needed for construction aesthetic, to comfortably accommodate, and for community appearance.

To fix things requires funds. To maintain things requires money. To repair, to restore, and to replace things require revenue. That’s where the money goes!

WEEK 2

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WEDNESDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Witnessing Wednesday! "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Getting out into the world where people are and sharing our faith with them is the only practical method of winning our world to Christ. Churches often lament at declining attendance by saying, "They won’t come. And the Lord must weep in heaven saying, Yes, and you won’t go. Nowhere in the Bible are we told that the lost are going to come to us. But repeatedly, we are told that we must go to them and share the Good News" of salvation. So, we must get out of the Church and go where people are to witness effectively.

It is estimated that less than three percent of the lost people ever come into our buildings. This will never reach our world. If great cathedrals would win the world, Europe would have won it long ago. If programs would win the world, Southern Baptists would have done it long ago. Jesus is our example. Consider what Jesus said, Himself, about why He came. He said, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He met Peter at the docks, the woman of Samaria by the city waterworks, Matthew at the internal revenue office, and scores of others while they were in the process of their daily pursuits. He went to them. Few came seeking Him. It was only after He sought men that they sought Him. Perhaps, when the Church go to the world, the world will come to the Church!

WEEK 2

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THURSDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Trial Thursday! "Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face" (Job 1:9-11).

Satan is running rampant for a case, so God recommends a client. Now, when God gives him a client for his case, he is causative. He claims Job’s commitment is caused. Satan argued that Job’s praise was predicated on:

a. his protection – "an hedge about him." Satan argued that God had a 24 hour security and surveillance on Job. Job was never raided, roughed, or robbed. He was protected.

b. his posterity – "about his house." Job’s children were never a problem. Not one of them dropped out of school, got in trouble with the law, or went to jail. They were mannerable, managerable, and minding children. He had posterity.

c. his profession – "Thou hast blessed the work of his hands." Job’s work was going well. He landed contracts. His loans were all approved. His inventory was stocked. His investments brought good returns. He had regular, record, and returning customers. His work was blessed.

d. his prosperity – "his substance is increased." Job’s business was booming. His income was increasing. His operation was optimizing. He was prosperous.

Satan said Job’s praise was predicated on his protection, his posterity, his profession, and his prosperity. This may be true for some, but not for Job and, hopefully, not true of us. The truth will come out in our talk. While we are on trial, Satan is trying to get us to say something against God. He is really trying to get us to curse. "He will curse Thee to Thy face."

WEEK 2

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FRIDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Faint Friday! David said, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalms 27:13).

When you believe, you envision and you expect to embrace them on earth. Everything is not about "When I get Home. It is not all for Bye and Bye." God is going to bring some things to past in our lifetime. We are going to see answers to prayers in our lifetime. We are going to see miracles in our lifetime. In David’s time of weariness, he waited on the Lord. Expecting to embrace your dreams, desires, and destinies on earth will keep you from fainting.

David’s faith is a realistic faith. He knew that the pressure would not suddenly leave. He had no magic wand or quick fix. He is realistic enough to know that anything worth having is worth waiting for. So, he tells himself to relax, to lay his fears down, while he places God first.

David knew from experience what it meant to wait for the Lord. He had been anointed king at age sixteen, but didn’t become king until he was thirty. During the interim, he was chased through the wilderness by jealous King Saul. David had to wait on God for the fulfillment of his promise to reign.

I have to admit, I don’t know how He’s going to do it. I don’t know when He’s going to fix it. I only know He’s going to give us the victory in His own time and in His way. So, don’t you be weary. "Wait on the Lord!"

WEEK 3

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MONDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Merciful Monday! "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

The word "merciful, according to Thayer is defined as: good will towards the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them." It not only means to feel deeply but is also a word of action. It is to recognize a need and then do something about it. The stress is on the feelings of empathy showing itself in action, and not just existing in thought only or feelings. Mercy is a quality that cannot be kept inside for oneself. To possess this quality, we must give it away to others.

"Mercy" is:

(1) feeling

The Hebrew word for mercy is "chesedh. It does not mean only to sympathize with a person in the popular sense of the term; it does not mean simply to feel sorry for someone in trouble. Chesedh," mercy, means the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin until we can see things with his eyes, think things with his mind, and feel things with his feelings.

In a book written some years ago, entitled "Black Like Me," John Howard Griffin describes what life was like for a black man in the south in the 1950s. Griffin wanted the chronicle to be based on firsthand experience. From a physician he obtained some prescriptions and dyes that would change the pigmentation of his skin so convincingly that he would be able to pass himself off as black. For the first time he was seen as a black man. He quickly gained an insight into the burdens that were carried by the people of his temporary race.

Jesus feels us (Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 4:15). We, too, must feel those suffering from hurt, hardship, heavy hearts, and "hamartia."

WEEK 3

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TUESDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Tithing Tuesday! "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house" (Malachi 3:10).

One of the questions asked in Church that plays a great factor in giving is, Where does the money go? Now, to answer the question, the money goes to the Pastor, the Programs, the Property, and the Poor.

We have looked at the Pastor and the Programs, and the Property, now let’s look at the Poor. Jesus said, "For ye have the poor always with you" (Matthew 26:11). I want to start by sharing from the Scripture that poverty is the result of:

(1) disregarding wisdom. "Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured" (Proverbs 13:18).

(2) dodging work. "Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man" (Proverbs 24:33-34).

(3) dreaming wildly. "He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough" (Proverbs 28:19).

Despite the result, we are to respond responsibly for the poor. Listen to the Law. "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth (Deuteronomy 15:7-8). Now listen to Love. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:16-17).

Responding responsibly to the poor requires revenue. That’s where the money goes!

WEEK 3

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WEDNESDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Witnessing Wednesday! "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Jesus gave the apostles His divine plan for world-wide evangelism when He said, "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8, thus, becomes the theme of the entire book. Roughly speaking, Acts 1-7 describes the impact of the gospel in Jerusalem. Then, Acts 8-12 carries the account forward, depicting the effects of the Gospel in several places in Judaea and Samaria. Lastly, Acts 13-28 highlights the spread of the gospel to major cities of the whole Roman Empire, the civilized world.

Jesus was pushing their concept of geography to the limits. They were untraveled men. Jesus, Himself, never left Palestine and its immediate environs, as far as we know. He was urging them to go beyond what they had known, both of geography and culture to see the universal implications of the Gospel. Not only Jews, in the capital city and their native country, but half-breeds in Samaria and outright Gentiles in the farthest reaches of the earth had a stake in the Gospel. It took some dramatic revelations from God to convince the apostles of the universality of the Gospel, but Jesus laid the groundwork that day on Mount Olive.

WEEK 3

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THURSDAY

Good Day to you! Today is Trial Thursday! "Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse Thee to Thy face" (Job 1:9-11).

Satan wants us to curse God. He wants us to accuse God instead of appreciating God. He wants us to bash God instead of blessing God. He wants us to criticize God instead of celebrating God. He wants us to profane God instead of praising God.

Satan thinks if God cuts, it will cancel our celebration. He thinks if God deletes, it will discontinue our devotion. He thinks if God eliminates, it will end our exaltation. He thinks if God takes, it will terminate our tribute. He thinks if God subtracts, it