Devotionals

July 12, 2018

Colossians 2:1-5 Living Bible (TLB)

Whether or not we are aware of it, humanity is on a quest for the Truth; God has ordained it.  Like the struggles of our culture today, the Apostle Paul was praying for the early Church to learn the difference between the truth and the rising false doctrines (beliefs) of humanity.  Gnosticism was trying to deceive the Church by claiming: 1) God only imparted spiritual secrets or revelations to certain people; 2) the human body was evil; and 3) Christ was not really human and only seemed human.  

In Paul’s letter, he reassures the people of God every one of those things is made complete through a personal relationship with Christ; Yeshua (Jesus) is the Source.  Christ holds the great mysteries and secrets since the creation of time and he lives in the core of every seeking and surrendered human being.  Christ himself lived in a human body, so the body is not evil; obviously, the human soul (mind/will/emotions) needs transformation through the divine touch of God.  Lastly, Christ was fully divine and fully human. The love of Jesus Christ brought the divine and the human spirits together.  In Christ, we are invited to be made in his image.  The more we listen and follow Christ into every life situation, the more love and blessing we actually stand to inherit or invite into our lives.  Everything belongs to Christ; he offers us the assurance of his love and provision for every human lifetime.  Have you given everything in your life to him so you may know with real certainty and clear understanding the depths of God’s love for you?  That is the pure Christian journey; the Truth of life in Christ. 

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July 11, 2018

John 7:1-11 The Message (MSG)

Embarrassment is an awkward and sometimes uncomfortable feeling, isn’t it?  It can be associated with our personal actions or with the verbalizations and actions of those whom we care about; people with whom we have relationship.  Let’s be real; some people have a way of placing us in socially awkward situations.  How good are you at masking your feelings when you find yourself put in a situation that embarrasses you? Do you try to pretend that you are not bothered by skirting the issue or redirecting the attention? 

In our lesson today, Jesus’ brothers are embarrassed by him, so they try to push him into making more public displays in order to draw attention away from themselves (family) and onto “that man” Jesus.  Yet, Jesus does not allow himself to be pushed to do things in his own strength.  He speaks the truth about his ability and mission to expose evil pretending to be righteous; hypocrisy.

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July 10, 2018

James 5:7-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

God always seems to help me love and deal with all kinds of people.  I encounter so many different personalities each day; so many needs in human lives.  Some days my pray is, “Lord, how can I best love this person into your loving arms?  What do they really need and how can I reveal your presence in the answer?  Whatever I need to say, Lord, give me the words.  Whatever action I need to take, Lord, guide my thoughts, arms, and feet.”  Christ is returning for his Bride and we need to be ready by waiting and living in peace with God and others; this means we must live by the power of grace. 

Our passage the last two days has been focused on loving people; staying the course in the love of Jesus Christ in order to extend mercy and to grow our endurance for handling difficulties.  I still find myself frustrated at times when reaching out to love people who just want a quick fix and not a life change.  So, I have some growing to do and God is bringing me a greater measure of freedom.  I still feel God is wanting to bring a directional change to the lifestyle of the world, but I am only one daughter of millions and my biggest challenge is to face my own Judge with a right heart.  So, as you reach out today to live in the light of Truth with Christ’s Spirit as your Guide, be patient and know that God is helping you grow each time you encounter folks who frustrate you.  He may not be bringing the change in them; his plan for change may be in you.

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July 9, 2018

2 Corinthians 12:2-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Apostle Paul consistently instructs the Corinthian church about staying focused on the path of God; to follow Jesus in spite of the hard places and difficult people. In our passage, today, Paul shares about having a very mysterious encounter with God.  It is off the charts amazing, but even with that mountain top experience he continues to face other human challenges.  When we experience difficult times and people, God is still ready to reveal wonderful mysteries about his love and plans for us.  

Paul calls his difficulty a thorn in the flesh.  Many theologians believe that thorn had something to do with getting along with difficult people. Yet, God used the challenge to keep Paul humble and reliant on grace.  Give God your challenges and ask him for an abundance of grace; it’s more than enough to cover every weakness.  

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July 6, 2018

2 Corinthians 10:7-11 Good News Translation (GNT)

Because we are human, we tend to look at this world first through human eyes, but what would happen if we spiritually saw beyond this temporal world to understand the deeper realities of the growing Kingdom in our midst?  As you walk through each day, please focus on the beauty and positive things around you rather than the negative things that try to possess you.  Scripture teaches God is providing good things every moment.  It may look one way with the natural eye, but is really quite different as we look beyond it to the spiritual realm.   We should not deny the presence of evil nor the difficult places we may find ourselves, but in the midst of those things lies a Kingdom and a God seed of grace that is waiting for the Spirit to multiply by our praise and by our actions.  We say we believe these things with our witness, but we must put action to that which we say or it is meaningless to the advancement of the Kingdom and void of the Spirit’s power.

The Apostle Paul continues to write to the church in Corinth; to give them instruction as to what it takes to belong to Christ and the authority that can be accessed from that spiritual connection.  He explains it clearly to those who profess Christ.  He essentially tells the Corinthians and us to put gospel action to our words and we will access the power to manifest the Kingdom.  God gives His children authority when we have chosen to live, move, and have our being each moment in Christ.  That means there is no hypocrisy between what we say we believe (Christ the Living Word) and how we live each day. This is instruction and truth that can easily offend those who want to profess Christ but live according to the world’s standard.  Have a blessed weekend…

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July 5, 2018

1 Corinthians 4:8-13 The Message (MSG)

If you know Jesus, you have direct access to Almighty God.  You don’t need anyone else to be a go-between.  You have more access to God than you realize; more power at your disposal than you could ever imagine. What are you doing with that access?  That power?

The Apostle Paul tells us we have become Messiah’s misfits; we just live differently than most people because we are driven by the powerful love of Messiah.  Paul and his fellow Christians worked endlessly to bring the gospel of Messiah to the attention of others.   Last night we celebrated our independence as a country.  But, each day we should celebrate our independence as people who have chosen to live for Messiah and work to share divine love with others.  Loving this way is counter cultural.  You will be perceived as culturally odd. But, God will smile!

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June 27, 2018

Psalm 30  The Message

Who gets the credit for your life?  You?  Somebody else?  David knew who should get the credit for the good things in his life and who should get the credit for the mess.  When things are going great, please give God praise; ascribe to him the credit.  When things are not going well, draw close to God and call on Him for help.  He has promised to dry our tears and return the joy of our salvation; to turn our grief into “whirling dance!”  Praise God, today!

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June 27, 2018

Mark 6:45-52 Living Bible (TLB)

Jesus is constantly directing us to trust His Word imparted to our hearts; He is Truth and he cannot lie.  If Jesus (Living Word) imparts it, He will make sure that Word is accomplished in our lives.   In birthing terms, we become spiritually pregnant with the Word and we will deliver or manifest the Word in the appointed time.  It’s a promise.  With that in mind, we must remember, in the midst of the promise, Satan comes to catch us off guard and get us to be filled with fear or doubt and halt the Word.  We must “want” to believe and press on in faith.  May the Word today minister to your heart and make you spiritually stronger.

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June 26, 2018

Acts 27:39-44 Living Bible (TLB)

Today, we continue our reading from yesterday with the Apostle Paul, a raging storm,  and the plight of the ship transporting him and other prisoners to Rome.  Even though Paul told the pilot and crew the ship would go down, they still did not believe.  They lowered the rudders like one digging in his or her heels.  We are a stubborn creation and we are sure we can save ourselves.  They thought they saw a clear way—between the rocks—of escaping the shipwreck prophesied, but they never counted on the sandbar which they could not see.

God has perfect vision and we need to trust him.  Life will carry us into unfamiliar places; things we have never before faced.   We must be comforted that God knows exactly where we are and how to bring salvation.  We need to fall on our knees and ask for God’s help when we are facing the storms of life.   He will bring us into a safe place.  

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June 25, 2018

Acts 27:13-38 Living Bible (TLB)

What begins as a perfect day, does not always end as a perfect day.  In our lesson from the Book of Acts, the Apostle Paul is a prisoner; falsely accused.  As a Roman citizen, he uses his right to appeal to Caesar.  His appeal is granted and plans are made to have him transported to Rome by way of a sailing vessel. Paul encourages the pilot and crew to abort their plans of sailing.  But the ship’s owner does not want to stay in this location for the winter. They set sail anyway.

At first the wind seems favorable for sailing, but in a very sort time a deadly storm arrises. Paul begins to pray for wisdom and guidance.   Satan does not want Paul to reach his destination so he sends a storm; Paul will speak truth to too many influential people if he is able to reach Rome. But Paul is led by the Spirit of God and the Spirit tells Paul he is going to reach Rome and stand before Caesar; he is not to allow fear to overtake him.  God is in charge of this journey; this is the Lord’s battle.  Enough said; Paul believes the word of the Lord.

If you are facing difficulties because you are serving the purposes of Christ, stay strong in the Lord.  Live for Christ and hold fast to His Word.  This spiritual battle you are encountering belongs to the Lord.  He will fulfill his Word to your heart.

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