Devotionals

Romans 8:31-39 New Life Version (NLV)

Every day I think about Jesus Christ and how God’s life and love within me has grown stronger over the years. Salvation is such a gift and miracle! As believers, we face nothing alone and we will never be found guilty. It is the truth of God’s love based on the cross; it is the truth of eternal life based on the resurrection. Believers—those who live in and practice the Truth—are seated with Christ. If you belong to Jesus, you are buckled up with Truth; snuggly held in place and protected by his love.

Many people in the world have experienced abandonment from others who promised to love them, but God will never abandon his children in Christ. Sure, we will experience challenges in life; we will be wronged by others and we may taste all kinds of needs. Yet, Christ will NEVER allow anything to come between us and his loving presence. It is impossible to be separated from Christ. It is for this very reason, we are compelled to praise the Lord. Upon this Word or promise, we place our confidence; not in ourselves, but in the love of Christ for us to bring us into glory. This great love extended to us is what motivates us to live the Word or Truth and repent when we fail.

Romans 8:31-39
31 What can we say about all these things? Since God is for us, who can be against us? 32 God did not keep His own Son for Himself but gave Him for us all. Then with His Son, will He not give us all things? 33 Who can say anything against the people God has chosen? It is God Who says they are right with Himself. 34 Who then can say we are guilty? It was Christ Jesus Who died. He was raised from the dead. He is on the right side of God praying to Him for us. 35 Who can keep us away from the love of Christ? Can trouble or problems? Can suffering wrong from others or having no food? Can it be because of no clothes or because of danger or war? 36 The Holy Writings say, “Because of belonging to Jesus, we are in danger of being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed.” 37 But we have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much. 38 For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your abiding love; thank you for never allowing anything to separate me from your love. I place my confidence in you, so keep me in your embrace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Romans 3:1-8 The Message (MSG)

During our recent vacation, we rented an RV. On the day we were to receive the RV, it became abundantly clear the company had said one thing days before and was actually practicing something quite different that day. In other words, we were lied to on multiple occasions by multiple people. The world lives this way. Here’s an example of a common worldly mindset: tell people what they want to hear even if you have to lie to convince them and if you get caught flip the conversation to make them feel ignorant because unfortunately they misunderstood. I don’t care if the whole world does it, lying portrays an absolute lack of integrity—it is serving the father of lies!

Lying has no place in the life of God’s children. We are connected to Truth—Jesus Christ—so we become hypocrites when we mislead or lie to people about things. Will God forgive us when we lie? Of course, if we repent. But, repentance is more than saying over and over again, “God, I’m sorry.” Repentance is turning away from sin and turning toward the Truth. How strongly do you feel about living out the Truth and making it a practice in your life? Practice every day what you say you believe, so you do not violate your conscience or tarnish the reputation of the Lord.

Romans 3:1-8
1-2 So what difference does it make who’s a Jew and who isn’t, who has been trained in God’s ways and who hasn’t? As it turns out, it makes a lot of difference—but not the difference so many have assumed.

2-6 First, there’s the matter of being put in charge of writing down and caring for God’s revelation, these Holy Scriptures. So, what if, in the course of doing that, some of those Jews abandoned their post? God didn’t abandon them. Do you think their faithlessness cancels out his faithfulness? Not on your life! Depend on it: God keeps his word even when the whole world is lying through its teeth.

Scripture says the same:
Your words stand fast and true;
Rejection doesn’t faze you.

But if our wrongdoing only underlines and confirms God’s rightdoing, shouldn’t we be commended for helping out? Since our bad words don’t even make a dent in his good words, isn’t it wrong of God to back us to the wall and hold us to our word? These questions come up. The answer to such questions is no, a most emphatic No! How else would things ever get straightened out if God didn’t do the straightening?

7-8 It’s simply perverse to say, “If my lies serve to show off God’s truth all the more gloriously, why blame me? I’m doing God a favor.” Some people are actually trying to put such words in our mouths, claiming that we go around saying, “The more evil we do, the more good God does, so let’s just do it!” That’s pure slander, as I’m sure you’ll agree.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for sharing mercy with me and helping me share mercy with others. Keep me focused on the Truth; keep my lips from speaking anything false. I want to represent you the way you really are Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Job 42:1-6

As I mentioned yesterday, I truly needed the change of environment our recent vacation provided. As a result of being “unplugged” from electronics, social media, and TV, I found myself rather ignorant of last week’s current events and media highlights. I am slowly gaining insight. But, a greater blessing is I am learning to simply trust that God knows all things in its purest form of Truth and he can reveal it to me at any time. I make myself available to receive from the Lord. I care less and less about listening to people babble about things far beyond them. I have no desire to be a partial truth babbler. lol! How arrogant can any human be thinking he or she has things figured out. Life is complicated, so our greatest quest in life must be to know the heart of the Lord, follow the Father’s commands, and await revelation.

In our passage today, Job teaches us this very lesson. It is liberating to walk by faith and not by fear. I do not put my faith or trust in what I hear on the news. I refuse to hang onto the crumbs of truth that people share. I want the whole Truth; I want Jesus! If you do not trust the Lord with your life, you will find yourself exhausted and confused in this world. Simply go to the Lord and ask him for help and understanding; then, do what he says. It’s called worship.

Job 42:1-6 Job Worships God
I Babbled On About Things Far Beyond Me

42 1-6 Job answered God:
“I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything.
Nothing and no one can upset your plans.
You asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water,
ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’
I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me,
made small talk about wonders way over my head.
You told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking.
Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’
I admit I once lived by rumors of you;
now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!
I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise!
I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing me that some things about your plan and power in this world are just too high for me to understand and comprehend. When things look negative, I will turn to you for Truth. Please keep me moving forward. I am going to love you and love people and make that my daily mission. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 94:12-19 The Message

One of the most precious gifts our recent California Tahoe/Yosemite vacation provided involved quiet times. Do you require or crave quiet time? I practice quiet time each day by limiting some interruptions. Yet, occasionally, I just need to disconnect from the ongoing influence and pressure of my daily routine—step into a new environment—in order to gain a fresh sense of God reality. I always think about this type of quiet time as a huge gift from God. During the quiet times God provided on our trip (beginning Day 2 lol), I felt encircled in his love and somewhat shielded from anything negative or worldly. Everywhere I looked, I could see beauty and the presence of God. The world was still spinning, people were still being people, and evil was still trying to make dents into my time, but I could look above the distractions and witness the hand of God working things out for my good.

In our passage today, the psalmist teaches about how blessed we are to be taught this way by God. Some translations refer to these quiet times as taking a form of discipline or a time of instruction. I find quite times instructional for sure, but also full of revelation and truth of God’s tangible presence and limitless love. If you are struggling with anything today, take some time to be quiet. Let God provide a circle of quiet for you. Close you eyes, take deep breaths, and meditate on experiencing God’s loving presence. God will affirm you and help you look at things a little differently. During quiet times, God truly ministers grace and healing to his children.

Psalm 94:12-19
How blessed the man you train, God,
the woman you instruct in your Word,
Providing a circle of quiet within the clamor of evil,
while a jail is being built for the wicked.
God will never walk away from his people,
never desert his precious people.
Rest assured that justice is on its way
and every good heart put right.
Who stood up for me against the wicked?
Who took my side against evil workers?
If God hadn’t been there for me,
I never would have made it.
The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”
your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
you calmed me down and cheered me up.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the instructional and disciplinary quiet times you provide. As well, thank you for the spiritual revelation I gain during these times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:18-20 The Message (MSG)

As believers, when we are willing to take an honest look at our lives, it is not difficult to see the patience and mercy of Almighty God working to bring us into a greater depth of love. We are on a quest to appropriate and reveal the love of God. Did you know human difficulties can serve as an avenue for God to impart his love to us and reveal love through us? It’s true, God is wanting to be revealed to the world through us and in the midst of difficulties we can represent the Spirit of holy Love or the selfish works of the flesh (sinful humanity). Difficulties bring opportunities for our transformation. Don’t hate difficulties. Grab your faith in God’s love and allow any difficulty you face to exalt Christ in you.

The Apostle Paul shares his love with Timothy in our passage today. He reminds Timothy about the need to keep a grip on his faith and his flesh. Why is that so important? Because others who are entertaining an understanding of God are watching your life to see how you handle things. After all, God came into the world to save sinners and to transform every willing heart into a greater representative of our holy Father.

1 Timothy 1:18-20
15-19 Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One—of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy. And now he shows me off—evidence of his endless patience—to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.

Deep honor and bright glory
to the King of All Time—
One God, Immortal, Invisible,
ever and always. Oh, yes!

I’m passing this work on to you, my son Timothy. The prophetic word that was directed to you prepared us for this. All those prayers are coming together now so you will do this well, fearless in your struggle, keeping a firm grip on your faith and on yourself. After all, this is a fight we’re in.

19-20 There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith.

Prayer: Father, help me to keep a faithful grip on your love as I live out each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalms 1:1-3 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

When we invite Christ into our lives, we are asking for him to teach us his ways; the godly ways that please the Father. It is the work of the Spirit of the Law to draw us into the Hand of God; the Spirit beckons us to come and receive divine love, healing, and relational connection. Scripture teaches, the Law leads to divine blessing. Think about that for a minute. Blessings are connected to obedience to Christ; we flourish when we connect. The Lord calls us to his love commands, so we will use the extravagant and life-changing love he gives in a righteous way. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Spirit has written its Truth on human hearts. We must follow…the Way.

Psalm 1:1-3 The Way to Blessings
1
God blesses those people
who refuse evil advice
and won’t follow sinners
or join in sneering at God.
2
Instead, the Law of the Lord
makes them happy,
and they think about it
day and night.
3
They are like trees
growing beside a stream,
trees that produce
fruit in season
and always have leaves.
Those people succeed
in everything they do.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the joy I feel when I think about your Laws of love. You fill me with joy because I gain a truer picture of you. I want to love like you, so I will meditate on your Word and invite you into the center of everything that touches my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Genesis 39:1-5 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Yesterday, we read a passage from the gospel of Luke about the feast God has prepared for those who trust him. Jesus is our Feast—the Bread of Life—the One who feeds us and causes us to spiritually flourish in the promises of God.

In our passage from the Old Testament today, Joseph trusts his life to the work of God. He is a good example of one who is spiritually flourishing. Because of his trust in the Lord, Joseph prospers in everything he does. You might say, “Pastor Mary, Joseph was abandoned by his Hebrew brothers, sold into slavery, sent to a foreign country, falsely accused of a crime, and spent years in prison. How is that flourishing?” We must focus on the truth that God had a plan for Joseph’s life and as he trusted God to develop him and reveal Truth—never giving up Hope in God’s salvation even when it made no sense—Joseph became a beacon of the Lord’s love and tasted the promises and provision of God. Joseph humbled himself in obedience to God and at the right time, God raised him up. As we humbly allow Christ—the Word—to feed us Truth that changes our hearts we will prosper, too.

Genesis 39:1-5

1 The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king’s[a] official in charge of the palace guard. 2-3 So Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner.

Soon Potiphar realized that the Lord was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. 4 Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. 5 Because of Joseph, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s family and fields.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your reminder from the life and testimony of Joseph. Trusting is hard because I cannot always see what you are doing in my life, but like Joseph I choose to trust you. I know your promise to guide my path is sure. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Luke 14:15-24 The Passion Translation (TPT)

God has designed the journey we make in this earthly life to be preparation for the eternal life we are invited to enjoy in glory. The Father has invited every “humble” soul to a spiritual feast. Therefore, we must humble ourselves, confess our sin, repent, and connect to Christ. Only when we are humble will we welcome God’s correction in our souls to make us more like Christ.

Making excuses for not attending to our spiritual lives is a recipe for soul disaster, so wake up! Spiritual formation can only happen as we humbly submit to the work of Christ’s Spirit to bring growth and maturity; partaking of a spiritual feast. Jesus has already told us we are to hold firmly to our relationship with him because he is returning unexpectedly for his followers, “Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief” (Rev. 3:3).

Luke 14:15-24 The Passion Translation (TPT)
15 When they heard this, one of the dinner guests said to Jesus, “Someday God will have a kingdom feast, and how happy and privileged will be the ones who get to share in that joy!”
16 Jesus replied with this parable:

“There was a man who invited many to join him in a great feast. 17 When the day for the feast arrived, the host instructed his servant to notify all the invited guests and tell them, ‘Come, for everything is now ready for you!’ 18 But one by one they all made excuses. One said, ‘I can’t come. I just bought some property and I’m obligated to go and look it over.’ 19 Another said, ‘Please accept my regrets, for I just purchased five teams of oxen and I need to make sure they can pull the plow.’ 20 Another one said, ‘I can’t come because I just got married.’

21 “The servant reported back to the host and told him of all their excuses. So the master became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go at once throughout the city and invite anyone you find—the poor, the blind, the disabled, the hurting, and the lonely—and invite them to my banquet.’
22 “When the servant returned to his master, he said, ‘Sir, I have done what you’ve asked, but there’s still room for more.’

23 “So the master told him, ‘All right. Go out again, and this time bring them all back with you. Persuade the beggars on the streets, the outcasts, even the homeless. Urgently insist that they come in and enjoy the feast so that my house will be full.’

24 “I say to you all, the one who receives an invitation to feast with me and makes excuses will never enjoy my banquet.”

Prayer: Lord, I realize the feast is before me each day; you have prepared the table with spiritual food for my good and I need to follow you. You are the Feast and my Provider. Help me to tell others while there is time. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Isaiah 2:12, 17 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

There is no room for pride in the lives of Christ’s followers; there is no time in which it would be right to put on a smug attitude of superiority. In fact, pride is the root of all sin. We are to think highly of others and clothe ourselves with humility (Phil 2:3; 1 Peter 5:5). God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble, so we must humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God and wait for him to lift us up (James 4:6, 10).

In our lesson, today, from the prophet Isaiah, we are reminded that God knows our hearts and the level of our humility. God monitors how we treat people; he measures our humility and love using Christ as the standard. After all, Christ is the One we say we serve and follow. So, if we are wise we will humble ourselves, because the prideful will take a fall.

Isaiah 2:12, 17
12
The Lord All-Powerful
has chosen a day
when those who are proud
and conceited
will be put down.
17
When that day comes,
everyone who is proud
will be put down.
Only the Lord will be honored.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this lesson about humility. Continue to teach me, so my life with be governed by wisdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Happy Labor Day; may God’s blessings overtake you today. If you are off work, then enjoy your rest for the glory of God. If you find yourself working, then enjoy your work for the glory of God. Whatever you do, today, make sure Jesus is in the center of it and you are faithfully running the race.

Ready, set, go is an idiom that many times signals the start or beginning of a race. As believers and followers of Christ, we are in a faith race and we need to be running to win. We can be assured of our progress as we stay focused on Christ, because he has promised to see us through the finish line.

The book a Hebrews is a call to Christian maturity. Mature Christians are the ones who makes Jesus the beginning and the end of their faith; Lord of all. The writer of Hebrews ends his letter with a prayer for God’s people to pursue peace with God through the blood of Jesus Christ and the work of grace. Jesus makes us ready to obey, set to do what is right, and going in the right direction. Ready, set, go!

Hebrews 13:20-21 Final Prayers and Greetings
20 God gives peace, and he raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death. Now Jesus is like a Great Shepherd whose blood was used to make God’s eternal agreement with his flock. 21 I pray that God will make you ready to obey him and that you will always be eager to do right. May Jesus help you do what pleases God. To Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever! Amen.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for stirring my heart and making me ready to obey your Word. I am grateful for your Word that keeps your heart before me so I may do what is right and pleasing in your sight. May you be glorified in my life, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.