Category Archives: Daily devotions

October 8 – Is Jesus God?

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John 5

Yes.

I know some can read these verses in John and twist the words to say Jesus never really identifies Himself as God. But Jesus calls Himself God’s Son, One who gives life like the Father gives life. One who judges, is sent by God, and who affords equal honor with God.

Then He told the Jews, who were well aware of Scripture, the law of Moses, that He was the One Moses spoke about. Jesus said they searched the Scriptures because they thought eternal life was in the Scriptures. Jesus told them those Scriptures testify about Him.

Jesus was not just another good guy. He was the physical Son of God, equal to God, eternal, and worthy of honor and glory.

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We can’t get on our island yet after Matthew’s visit. So I don’t know the extent of damage. Early  news is encouraging. But whether little or great, I will praise God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who does all things well.

October 7 – And They Were Following Him

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Mark 2

We might think that because Jesus called twelve men to follow Him that is all there was. Yes, there were twelve whose names we know, and who Jesus entrusted with the intimate details of His ministry. But there are many who followed Jesus. Mark gives us a glimpse of that in 2:15.

We know Matthew, that tax collector and disciple of Jesus. But Mark tells us Matthew wasn’t the only tax collector who was changed because of Jesus.

Sometimes, too, I think we get the idea that people like Billy Graham, or Beth Moore, or Bill Gaither have more important ministries than ours because everyone knows their name. That’s just not true.

A follower of Jesus doesn’t have to stand behind a pulpit. He can sit in the bleachers at a ball game. Or across the table at a coffee shop. Or over the backyard fence. Following Jesus isn’t about getting recognition, or limited to those who do. It’s about my obedience, and your’s. It’s about sharing the Gospel, a willingness to let Jesus be seen in us, even if no one else knows our name.

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So I’ve shared that I recently bought a house on an island in Georgia. Hurricane Matthew is headed straight to St. Simons and that entire area. God is faithful, and even though we have all been evacuated and are waiting for the storm to blow through, watching the weather channel and praying, I know that it all belongs to God anyway. My prayer is that the people will be safe, including those brave first responders who will do what they can to protect and care for those who are effected. I thank Him that the storm seems to be staying off shore and seems to be weakening. Would you pray with us? As always, may God be glorified even in this.

October 6 – My Food

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John 2-4

Jesus’ disciples went to get him something to eat. The fact that they “urge” Him to eat makes me believe Jesus was so intent on doing what He came to do, He might not have taken time for meals. His disciples knew he needed to eat.

I know, myself, that if I am focused on a task at hand, eating is the last thing on my mind. Jesus said something that made me stop and think.

He said, “My food, is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” (4:34)

Food. That which nourishes and strengthens, that which is necessary for life itself, that which is pleasant and anticipated. Something you just can’t do without.

Is that how I view my service to God, sharing the Gospel, sowing seed that leads to repentance? Is representing Jesus to a lost world as necessary to me as filling my belly?

It was that to Jesus. It ought to be in me.

October 5 -Temptation Isn’t Fun

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Matthew 4; Luke 4-5; John 1:15-51

When Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, He wasn’t on vacation. He was out there with no food, being jerked around by Satan. Matthew and Luke share three of those temptations. Many have said they represent three things God hates: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (I John) I can see the correlation.

But today, I’m wondering how Jesus’ time in the wilderness effects me. Here are my thoughts:

Forty days is a long time to be exposed to the elements without food. We aren’t sure what those forty days were like for Jesus, but I have a suspicion Satan didn’t wait until day 37 to hit Jesus with the first of only three temptations. I think Satan probably hit Jesus with everything in his arsenal the moment he realize he could. Think of it. Forty days with unrelenting attacks on your soul. And I think Satan’s hard on me.

And, I imagine, as Jesus’ physical body became weaker, Satan’s attacks intensified. Because that’s how he is with me. If my body is weary, if my heart is heavy, Satan throws me a bone. “Compromise,” he says. “Things will get better.” And I am tempted.

Satan knew Jesus was here to win kingdoms for Himself. He knew the Lord had a job to do. So Satan told Jesus, “Here is a shortcut. Bow down to me just this once and I can get you what You’re after without having to go through all the grief.” Satan knows I have a job to do, too. I am commanded to share the Gospel. Now I don’t hear Satan asking me to worship him in those words, but I certainly hear him telling me to back off a bit, tolerate other viewpoints, let a person believe what he wants to believe. I hear that voice in my head almost every day. Tempting.

Then there are those times of doubt. I am not suggesting Jesus ever doubted His Father. I think at this point, as weak as He probably was, He might have been viewing Satan like a yappy little puppy nipping at His heels. He probably wanted to kick him to the curb. But Jesus endured this ridiculous attempt by Satan to get Him to sin, because He knew Satan wasn’t going to give up on me easily, either. Satan said, “You’ve got all those angels at your disposal, prove it.” And to me He says, “You claim to have God with you, why are you suffering?” And, “Go ahead and sin a bit, you’re forgiven, right? What’s the big deal?” I begin to consider giving in to the temptation.

Jesus’ time in the wilderness with Satan wasn’t to prepare Him for ministry. He did that for me. He wanted me to know that He gets me. He wants me to come to Him when I am tempted and weak, and know that He’s been there, too. Jesus’ time in the wilderness wasn’t about Him at all. It was about me because He loves me that much. He did this so I can know Hebrews 4:15 is true:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin.

And I Corinthians 10:13:

No temptation has seized you expect what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Jesus was tempted. But He won. And He’s willing and able to give me the victory, too.

Thank You, Jesus.

 

 

October 4 – Fruit In Keeping With Repentance

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Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3

When John was preparing the people for Jesus’ ministry, he told them to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” If you say you’ve repented of sin, your life should demonstrate a noticeable difference.

Be warned. Saying the words, “forgive me” are meaningless without a heart’s change. And when a heart is truly changed, what we say and do and feel change as well. It has to.

Paul, in Galatians, gives us a practical list of what fruit keeping with repentance looks like. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. And self-control. If all of those aren’t evident in your life, I suggest you check the level of your repentance. Paul doesn’t say the Spirit gives 7 of 9 to a repentant heart. Notice the word, “and” in there. It doesn’t say “or.”

John told the tax collectors to quit charging more than the required tax. He told the soldiers to stop taking money from people by force. A repentant heart changes how we treat each other.

Bearting fruit in keeping with repentance starts with a change of heart, then it pours out in how we live our lives. Do your friends and family notice a change in you since you’ve asked Jesus to forgive you?

They should.

October 3 – A Four-Year-Old Son of God

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Matthew 2; Luke 2:39-52

God did not inspire the Gospel writers to include much about Jesus’ life as a child. We get glimpses, and we can guess, but we don’t know details about His growing up years. We know he had siblings. We know His dad was a carpenter and many have imagined Joseph teaching Jesus that trade.

The ladies of my church are in the middle of a Beth Moore Bible Study entitled: Jesus, The One And Only, and yesterday my pastor spoke on the importance of family and parenting. So after reading these chapters in Matthew and Luke today, it’s no wonder I’m sitting here trying to picture Jesus’ earthly family, and wondering about the dynamics of living with a four-year-old Son of God, or a fourteen-year-old King of the Jews.

When did the Boy realize His power? Were his sibling jealous? Did He laugh and tease, fall down and scrape His knees, have a favorite food, or best friend? Thinking about these things has me loving the Boy.

Jesus was a real person. He lived those years one day, one moment at a time until the day He met John there at the Jordan River and began His ministry. Jesus wants me to know that He gets me, because He lived life right here on the same planet I’m living on.

We had the privilege of sharing Communion yesterday, a time of remembering what Jesus did on the cross. That little Boy whose early life is a mystery, lived a very public life as an adult. He died on the cross because I am a sinner. He rose from the dead so that I can live, too.

Yes, Jesus is real. From the baby in the manger, to the four-year-old big brother, to the twelve year old in the temple, to the young man baptized in the river, to the Savior on the cross, and the risen Lord ascending into heaven. I remember, Lord. And I love You.

October 2 – Here He Is… And He Changes Lives

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Matthew 1; Luke 2:1-38

Simeon called the baby he held in his arms “A light of Revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:32) God had given the old man a bit of insight. The Messiah was not here exclusively for the Jewish nation. Jesus was going to change the world.

We call today October 2, 2016 because of Jesus’ presence on earth. Holidays like Christmas and Easter are celebrated by believers and non-believers all over the world. When I was young, businesses were always closed on Sundays. The way these things are observed aren’t necessarily “Christian,” but they certainly are a reflection of the the impact Jesus made and continues to make on life.

And speaking of life, Jesus changes lives when people meet Him. The baby we read about today has meaning for everyone, including you.

Believe it or not. Accept it or not. Simeon held YOUR Savior that day in Jerusalem. Have you let Jesus change your life? He’s eager to do that very thing.

October 1 – Here He Is!

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Luke 1, John 1:1-4

John the Baptist began his ministry before he was even born. When his cousin Mary came to visit his pregnant mom, Elizabeth, shortly after Mary had had a conversation with the angel Gabriel and agreed to give birth to the Son of God, the baby John leaped for joy right there in his mother’s womb. Mary might not have even realized she was pregnant yet. But the unborn John recognized the Messiah growing inside her as soon as Mary entered the room.

John’s calling was to point people to the Savior, and he must not have thought it was necessary to wait to begin. Elizabeth felt her baby leap inside her. Then she recognized the Messiah, too. John’s first convert. And he still hadn’t been born.

We are also called to point people to the Savior. But it seems sometimes we think we need to take a soul-winning class first, or go to seminary, or rehearse a speech before God can use us. John demonstrates something different.

And it has me feeling guilty this morning. What am I waiting for? I know Jesus. Jesus is living inside my heart. I’ve confessed my sin and I am forgiven! God is my Father.

I want the world to know.

“HEY, Y’ALL… HERE HE IS!!! Let me introduce you!”

September 30 – God Hates

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Malachi

The Lord declares, “I have loved Jacob, and hated Esau.” Yet Jesus Himself said God loves the whole world and forgives whoever believes in Him. How can the God who claims to love everyone say He hates anyone?

Esau and Jacob were both the sons of Isaac. In fact, they were twin sons. Was God’s choice to love one and hate the other an arbitrary choice? Was Esau doomed to be hated from the start? Were Esau’s descendants considered God’s enemies just because they were Esau’s descendants?

Here’s what I know about God who is not willing that ANY should perish, but that ALL people come to Him:

Jacob and Esau started out on equal footing. One chose to obey God, the other chose his own route. God would have us know He loves those who follow Him. But He views those who reject Him as His enemies. He hates them.

That’s something I don’t like thinking about, much less saying outloud. I am devastated thinking there are people I love who are hated by God. He’s that serious about disobedience. People who reject Him are God’s enemies.

But they don’t have to continue in the hate column. Jesus died to bridge the gap, to provide a way for us to get from the category of Enemy of God, to Child of God. We can’t go from one to the other on our own. We are enemies of God by virtue of unforgiven sin. We can only be God’s beloved by repenting, by being forgiven by the one we have sinned against, by accepting God’s grace through the blood of Jesus.

God, who throws a blanket of love over the world, woos and pokes and prods his enemies in order to get them to come to Him. He works tirelessly to draw all people to Himself so that He can forgive them, and demonstrate His love in a personal way.

Esau could have been loved by God just as much as Jacob was IF he had turned from sin and obeyed God. The same can be said of us. That’s why it is so important that we who know the Savior be telling others about Him, and leading them to the loving arms of their Savior, too.

 

September 29 – Hidden Chambers

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Nehemiah 11-13, Psalm 126

It seems as though as soon as Nehemiah went back to his job as King Artaxeses’ cupbearer, the people in Jerusalem, with their newly repaired wall, began to do their own thing. The priest even took one of the temple chambers and made it into a hotel room for Tobiah. Yes, THAT Tobiah who had been one of the liars and cheaters trying to stop the Jews from rebuilding the wall. The enemy was allowed to live IN THE TEMPLE!

The Jews began to disrespect the sabbath by farming, buying, and selling on that holy day. And…

wait for it…

a son of Eliashib the high priest married Sanballet’s daughter. The enemy had infiltrated Jerusalem and the temple without firing a shot.

So who’s living in your temple? Are there hidden chambers in your heart where you’ve prepared a place for the enemy? A secret room you think no one sees? Do you hide jealousy, lust, tolerance, unforgivness, internet sites or TV shows, drunkenness or dishonesty?

Have you established relationships with ungodly people, anti-christ and/or politically correct theologies that oppose Scripture? Are you one person at church and another in the workplace or in your home?

God is asking me today to clean out my temple like Nehemiah cleaned out the temple in Jerusalem. Completely. If I am comfortable living with sin in my life, in those hidden chambers of my heart, God is not going to be comfortable living in me.

And more than anything I want God to feel at home and welcome in my heart.