Devotionals

Matthew 12:46-50 TPT
Jesus’ True Family
46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and brothers came and stood outside, asking for him to come out and speak with them. 47 Then someone said, “Look, your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to have a word with you.” 48 But Jesus just looked at him and said, “Let me introduce you to my true mother and brothers.” 49 Then gesturing to the disciples gathered around him, he said, “Look closely, for this is my true family. 50 When you obey my heavenly Father, that makes you a part of my true family.”

In our passage today, while Jesus is teaching to a crowd of people, he is given a message that his mother and brothers request his attention. Seems like a reasonable interruption since Jesus is presently preoccupied with a crowd of strangers. Jewish tradition is focused on honoring one’s mother and father. So, Jesus’ answer probably takes many of those listening by surprise. How a Jew loves and honors his or her parents reflects how that person loves and honors God.

The truth of God’s spiritual family can easily be misunderstood if we do not allow the Spirit to help us view things from an eternal perspective. We are called to love and honor God above all other people, bloodlines, relationships, or traditions; obedience to love Father God first and wholeheartedly. In our passage, Jesus’ comments reflect that obedience and truth. People may want to claim Jesus as their heir and brother, but he does not want anyone to get the wrong idea of what connects people to the Father’s true (eternal) family. If we truly want to be in Christ’s spiritual family, we will put God first and obey his commands.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making things clear about how I can rest assured of being a member of your family. Thank you for an eternal perspective. Help me to honor you and your commands better each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Praise God
100:4-5

A poetic song for thanksgiving

4 You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise.
Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name!

5 For the Lord is always good and ready to receive you.
He’s so loving that it will amaze you—
so kind that it will astound you!
And he is famous for his faithfulness toward all. Everyone knows our God can be trusted,
for he keeps his promises to every generation!

Two words are extremely important to our Father. In fact, two words sincerely expressed from the heart comprise the password which opens the gate to the Lord’s presence. These two words are very powerful in all relationships, but sadly many people fail to use them anymore. What are these two words? Thank you! How many ways will you find to say thank you to God today? He is ready to receive you to himself.

Prayer: Father, thank you for all you have done, are doing, and will forever do to care for me. I place all my trust in you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Praise God
100:1-3

A poetic song for thanksgiving

1 Lift up a great shout of joy to the Lord!
Go ahead and do it—everyone, everywhere!

2 As you serve him, be glad and worship him.
Sing your way into his presence with joy!

3 And realize what this really means—
we have the privilege of worshiping the Lord our God.
For he is our Creator and we belong to him.
We are the people of his pleasure!

I love the gift of laughter; in fact, holy laughter is like cascading and melodic joy. It is great to be around joyful people; it makes my soul want to sing, too! Never forget, the Lord created us to be joyful; our joy not only touches the lives of others it also gives God pleasure.

In our passage today, the psalmist reminds us of the privilege we have been offered to serve and worship God. Joy should be the fuel that stirs up gratitude within us; we should serve the Lord and our neighbors with gladness. Be the worshiper God created you to be, today. Be filled with cascading gratitude and joy and sing praises to him because you just can’t hold it back!

Prayer: Lord, I am so grateful for the privilege of worshiping you in the splendor of your holiness with joy. In Jesus name. Amen.

1Thessalonians 5:16 TPT

16 Let joy be your continual feast.[in every season] 17 Make your life a prayer. 18 And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.

In all circumstances it is possible to experience the precious joy of the Lord. That doesn’t mean we understand everything we face or find comfort or happiness in it. It means we press into the Spirit and find the powerful presence of the Lord who comforts and cares for us; in his presence is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11).

Next week we will celebrate Thanksgiving; a day set aside to count our blessings. However, for every other day of the year let’s make our quest to live in the joyous presence of the Lord, make our lives a prayer, and invite the Spirit to help us overflow with praise and thanksgiving to our Creator and Savior!

Prayer: Lord, your joy is so precious to me; help me guard it within my heart and soul! Thank you for the power of prayer and the spirit of gratitude in Jesus name! Amen.

Romans 2:4

The Voice
4 Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path?

Throughout Scripture, the Lord warns the world to be ready for his return; to accept salvation in Christ and be living in the work of the Spirit to deliver us from habitual sin. The Lord wants his Bride, the Church, to be adorned with the eternal fruit of the Spirit: acting from the loving presence of God in us. He reminds us over and over again in the gospels that we must be born from above and live in the Spirit of righteousness to avoid being eternally separated from God; habitual sin is a problem.

The Apostle Paul reminds us today that sin is both the cause and effect of God’s judgment. We are judged for our sin and we are judged by our sin. God encourages us to walk away from sin (the cause) into repentance and salvation, because then the Presence and power of the Lord is with us. When we choose to habitually live in sin, we face the absence of the Lord (the effect). May we continually pray for the salvation of the world (to accept Christ) and for the Church to live in his Presence.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live in your presence and to never take for granted how you really feel about sin. I pray for the blood of Jesus to cover me while the Spirit takes me deeper into the eternal life that brings me endless joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hebrews 11:23-27 TPT

Greetings to you all! I have missed our devotional, Bible study, and worship times together, but I am so grateful for our amazing church leadership, congregation, worship, and safety teams to press on to the high call of God and the advancement of his Kingdom. Every moment we are granted by God to live is an opportunity for growth which brings Kingdom advancement. Please don’t waste a second of your precious moments to grow and advance the Kingdom of righteousness.

The enemy fears devoted disciples of Christ; as he should. If we are allowing Christ to lead and guide us—Christ has all-power in heaven and earth, as well as perfect vision—then the enemy knows that devotion will lead us to defeat Satan in the power of Christ. According to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, “Our spiritual weapons are energized with divine power to effectively dismantle the defenses behind which people hide. 5 We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.” When was the last time you used your words and said, “Satan, I stand on the Word of God and in the anointing and I insist that you bow to Christ—the Living Word?” According to Scripture, this is the makeup of every hero of the faith!

In our passage today, Moses is held up by the Apostle Paul as an example of one who recognizes the call on his life and the power God made ready for him to break through this world’s bondage of wickedness in order to bring freedom to the people of faith. We are all going to find ourselves facing difficulties, but refuse to be afraid of what is going on in the natural and keep your eyes fixed upon Jesus. God has been taking me through a dark valley and I have tasted physical suffering, but I am so grateful for this opportunity to be restored, renewed, and healed, because much more than physical healing is going on in Mary. God is rising up, taking his place in a greater measure of authority within me, and making me even stronger than I was before. Faith’s reward awaits every devoted disciple.

Moses
23 Faith prompted the parents of Moses at his birth to hide him for three months, because they realized their child was exceptional and they refused to be afraid of the king’s edict.

24 Faith enabled Moses to choose God’s will, for although he was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he refused to make that his identity, 25 choosing instead to suffer mistreatment with the people of God. Moses preferred faith’s certainty above the momentary enjoyment of sin’s pleasures. 26 He found his true wealth in suffering abuse for being anointed, more than in anything the world could offer him, for his eyes looked with wonder not on the immediate, but on the ultimate—faith’s great reward! 27 Holding faith’s promise Moses abandoned Egypt and had no fear of Pharaoh’s rage because he persisted in faith as if he had seen God who is unseen.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for revealing your presence as I refuse to be bound by this world and instead reach for a greater connection in Christ. I am looking for “faith’s ultimate reward” which is seeing you visualized to the world you created! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Think about someone within the family of Christ (the church) that drive you absolutely nuts. Maybe you think this person is annoying, you complain about them, you just simply don’t like them, they offended you, or maybe you consider them mean. So, how do you treat this person? If Jesus were to come with you to church this Sunday and observe your interaction, or lack thereof, with this person would He approve? Would Jesus treat this person just as you treat them?

In today’s passage John reminds us of the grave importance to love one another. He compares the opposite of love to murder. Remember, John was once called a “son of thunder” he understood a thing of two about anger; but, after his time with Jesus as he witnessed Him wash his feet and lay down His life for him, John was given the title of the “Apostle of Love”. John knew pure love because he walked with Him (Jesus). So, as John wrote today’s passage, he knew that if a brother or sister within the family of Christ hates another brother or sister, that person is a murderer at heart, and must immediately repent and ask God to change their heart. You might be thinking, well, “hate” is such a strong word and I merely think someone is just annoying, or mean, or sometimes I just don’t like how they act, and that’s much different than “hate”; but John tells us that as the family of believers we must pass from death to life. That means we either are dead living for this world, or we are actively living in eternal life for the Kingdom of God now; there is no grey area and we must make choice, either love like Jesus or hate like the world, it’s one or the other.

1 John 3:11-16
Love One Another

11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You so much for being the perfect example of love! Each of us desperately need Your forgiveness because we do not always love as You love. Help us to be more like You. Please open doors of opportunities for us to authentically love those within the family who we haven’t treated as You would treat them. Soften our hearts to love like You. You laid down Your life for us, so guide us so that we can also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Jesus, we ask that you hold the hearts of Americans today as we remember those who lost their lives 19 years ago; and we pray for those who lost loved ones. May their love live on forever. In Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

When you think about the great nation of Israel, isn’t it so amazing to know that it all began with God’s promise to one man, Abraham; and that all of the families on earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:2-3). In our passage today, we are reminded of how many times God has revealed His mighty power over the Israelites, and against Egypt as their oppressor and adversary.

When you think about your oppressor and adversary who comes to mind? Hopefully, you didn’t answer with a person’s name, but rather with Satan.

God delivered Israel from Egypt, even though they did nothing to deserve it. Regardless, God covered them and through His great works He set them free from their bondage. Doesn’t this sound like an all too familiar love story? You and I are part of that love story. God loves us so much that through His Son we are set free from the bondage of sin and covered by His saving grace. We don’t deserve it and it’s not by our own works, but because God wants each of His masterpieces (you and I) to reveal Jesus (the lead character in the love story); as this has been God’s plan since the beginning (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Psalm 114

1 When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—
when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—
2 the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary,
and Israel became his kingdom.
3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!
The water of the Jordan River turned away.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs!
5 What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?
What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?
Why, hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob.
8 He turned the rock into a pool of water;
yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for saving us. We are sinful people who lay down our sins at the foot of Your cross. Please forgive us. Thank You for teaching us about our own faith walk through the lessons we find throughout Your Word. We ask that You continue to guide us through Your Word. Today, we come boldly on behalf of our Pastor and ask that You cover her with your peace, comfort, and healing. Please be with her during her appointment and impart Your wisdom to the doctors. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

As I’m typing this devotion, I’m sitting across from an artificial orchid that’s on the top of my coffee table in our family room. If you were to enter the room, the orchid would be about 12 feet away, and at first sight you might think it’s real. But as you’d get closer, you’d begin to realize that it’s fake.

In today’s passage, Jesus sees a beautiful fig tree full of leaves, which should indicate that it has figs, but as He gets closer there is no fruit on the tree. The tree’s outward appearance was that of being fruitful, but underneath the beautiful foliage was a fruitless tree.

This passage may have been written about the Israelites, who had an outward appearance of a relationship with God, but there was no sign of spiritual fruit within their lives; but, it also applies to Christians today. The Israelites feared illustrating an outward acceptance of Jesus. Do you ever find yourself not wanting to talk about your faith, or fear how your relationship with Christ may be perceived?

Well, our “outside” living for Christ has to be in full alignment with our “inside” living for Christ. Some people like to think these are two different things, but they are truly one in the same. We must get to a point where we do not care what others think, feel, or believe about our relationship with Christ. We can’t worry about that nonsense, because we are called to be bearers of His Fruit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. As we find ourselves in Oneness with Almighty God, living a fruitful life for Him, He calls us to lean on Him in prayer. He truly hears us my friends! Call out to Him today and let Him know how much you love Him, appreciate Him, and truly need Him.

Matthew 21:18-22
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, 19 and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we are so grateful for the work of Your Spirit. Please help us to be fruitful and not fruitless in all that we do. Continue to refine us and allow us to see the power behind prayer. We continue to pray healing over Pastor Mary, please be with her Lord, and fill her family with Your strength. We love You and ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer

Pastor Mary often teaches about lawlessness, which is “a state of disorder due to a disregard of the law”. Lawlessness is an act of this world and it should never be used by God’s people (that’s us, my friends). Today’s passage is from Paul and it addresses how as the followers of Christ we are to have respect for all governing authorities.

When you see or hear hatred towards the men and women who serve to protect us, do you think about those men and women as appointed to their positions by God?

Let’s look at it from the perspective of the Church. We can all agree that Jesus was appointed by God to be the governing authority of our lives, He protects us, and we are called to honor Him by obeying and following His commands. So, how is it that some people can justify doing this for Christ, but they can also condone lawlessness? Today, they finds themselves approving “pieces” of the riots, they standing behind “some” of the politically motivated division and/or violence, they “think” it’s okay to dismantle God’s appointed positions of authority, and they “mumble” hateful words about the leaders of our country. Friends, we can’t have it both way! We either trust God to do what only He can do and we follow His Word, which we see today teaches us to have “Respect for Authority”, or we follow this world which is in heavy pursuit of complete lawlessness. The choice is simple, the Light of Christ or the darkness of this world.

Romans13:1-7
Respect for Authority

13 Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

Prayer: Jesus, we thank You for the men and women who are called by You to govern and protect our country, state, counties, cities, homes, and families. Help us to have faith that Your plans are always far greater than our thoughts and allow us to trust You. Your ways are not our ways, Your thoughts are not our thoughts, and Your time is certainly not our time. So, we must not get distracted by what we believe is right or wrong, we must keep our eyes open for Your return. Help us to do that Lord. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Written By: Jen Auer