May 18, 2026 Morning Devotional

Morning Devotion: Read Proverbs

Proverbs 22:28  Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.

The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy and Joshua give great detail to the boundaries, landmarks property divisions for each tribe of Israel. Those landmarks were never to be changed in any way. Each tribe was allowed thiner portion. (One day the Lord will restore those landmarks and restore to Israel her rightful possession.)

In my yard there is an iron stake in the ground at one corner. That stake is the marker for the property line. It is the landmark used to determine the boundaries and between my neighbour’s property and myself and is used when the property is bought and sold.

There are biblical landmarks as well, these are landmarks that have been form the beginning and will never change for they are made by God.

Today, our world has changed the doctrines, the teachings, of Christ to fit man’s agenda rather than God’s will as given in His Word. Man has changed the “love of God” into a religion that allows sin and salvation regardless of what a person is or how they live. “Oh, God loves everyone and everyone will go to heaven because God’s love overlooks your sin.”

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

My friend, God does love you, never forget that. However, God’s righteousness and God’s holiness will never allow sin into heaven. That is why God sent Jesus to calvary’s cross. That one act proved He loves you.

Romans 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

If you never repent of sin and place your full trust in Jesus, you will never truly experience God’s love.

God’s word, God’s landmarks in His word, have never changed. However, as we said before, man tries to change it.

Here is an example of the Catholic church changing bible teaching to satisfy her need to rule the people:

A.D. 709 Kissing the Pope’s foot

786 Worshipping images and relics
850 Use of "holy water" begun
995 Canonization of dead saints
998 Fasting on Fridays and during Lent

1079 Celibacy of the priesthood
1090 Prayer beads
1184 The Inquisition
1190 Sale of Indulgences
1215 Transubstantiation (The conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into that of Christ’s body and blood)

1220 Adoration of the wafer (Host) (the worshipping of a piece of bread that one has become convinced is the Lord Jesus Christ)
1229 Bible forbidden to laymen
1414 Cup forbidden to people at communion
1439 Doctrine of purgatory decreed
1439 Doctrine of the Seven Sacraments affirmed
1508 The Ave Maria approved
1534 Jesuit Order founded
1545 Tradition granted equal authority with the Bible

1545 Peter declared first Pope
1854 Immaculate Conception of Mary
1864 Syllabus of Errors proclaimed
1870 INFALLIBILITY OF THE POPE DECLARED
1950 Assumption of the Virgin Mary (the belief that the Virgin Mary ascended bodily into heaven without dying)
1965 Mary proclaimed "Mother of the Church”

The above list are not landmarks, they are issuances of a religious organization governed by men. All of these issuances are deigned to turn ones heart from worshiping God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

You can go to any false religion and find deviations from God’s word to support their beliefs.

Jesus said in John 14:6 - “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

You can believe whatever you want, but to go to heaven there is only one landmark that can never be changed, Jesus.

The choice is still yours,

Pastor Cook