Devotionals

Daily Reading: 6-9-16

James 4:1-7 New Living Translations (NLT)

I am grateful for every day God gives me breath (ruach or spirit) in my lungs to live in His created world! I believe God is the Giver of all Life. As recipients, humans are given the freedom to choose how we will live that life before the Giver. As Creator, God asks humanity to humbly draw close to Him and choose to live for a God-centric purpose. Scripture teaches how we are to live in God’s Love; we need Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit. God wants only good for humanity, so when we draw near to Him, we are actually opening the Door to our greatest and most fulfilling purpose. The world (now infiltrated by evil) seeks to draw us away from God in order to live and fulfill an egocentric purpose which always leaves a person unsatisfied and misdirected.  A focus on self alone will always produce poor choices.

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Daily Reading: 6-8-16

Luke 8:40-56 New Living Translations (NLT)

The last few days we have been reading Scripture passages on faith; how our faith will be stretched, because our souls need to rise in spiritual maturity.  Since it is impossible to please God without faith, it must be our faith that causes God to move in our behalf. The Word stretches our faith, guides and corrects us, so the Spirit can come and respond to our faith with healing.

Jesus is the Living Word who is filled with the Spirit of Love doing the Father’s will.  Here is another way to say the same thing: Jesus has the heart of the Father for all creation, has obediently and flawlessly applied the Word to his humanity, and is filled with the healing Spirit of Love to go about releasing the goodness of God into the world.  Jesus is the fullness of God to bring salvation.  

Many people claim to know Father God. Do you know the Father’s Son, Jesus, the Living Word in human flesh?  Do you realize the gift and value of Scripture when it comes to your life as a child of the Father who is spiritually growing to look like the Son, so you can be useful in the power of the Spirit for God’s kingdom?  Timothy said it this way, “All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

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Daily Reading: 6-7-16

Galatians 2:11-14 New Living Translations (NLT)

Yesterday, we looked at a passage from Genesis that reminded us our faith will be stretched.  That reminder is necessary so we will always be prepared to protect the joy of our salvation and our trust in the Lord’s Love for us.  He disciplines those He loves; He guides those who welcome renewal. 

Today, we will read a passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  This is a great reminder why our faith needs to be stretched; our souls need a dose of divine healing and renewal to reflect the heart of God.  As Christ’s followers we must be more concerned with pleasing the Lord than pleasing people. Peter is going to experience that love and faith-stretching lesson in a public confrontation.

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Daily Reading: 6-6-16

Genesis 22:1-14  New Living Translations (NLT)

Has the Lord been stretching your faith? For every child of God who calls on the name of the Lord (Here I am, Lord!), he or she will experience salvation.  Please remember salvation of the spirit is instantaneous; because of Grace we become a new (redeemed) spiritual creature. Our spirits are reborn in the righteousness of Christ; the Holy Spirit remains our Companion.  Salvation of the soul (mind, will, emotions) is revealed and learned experientially; the journey for the salvation of the soul is taught by the Spirit.  Not only does the Spirit help us to learn Truth about God’s heart and ourselves through the Word, the Spirit stirs our desire and offers the power for us to bring our minds, wills, and emotions into obedience with God’s plan for us as His children of faith and Love. 

The fear of the Lord is reverence for His authority as our Creator.  God allows experiences to strengthen our faith and secure our devotion to Trust Him; He knows the plans He has for us and He desires to love us into that plan.  When our faith is being tested, we will be tempted to question God’s love.  It is a refining fire that purifies our faith.  God allows the test, but we must always remember God brings the provision for salvation, as well.  The revelation of God’s salvation for us and in us brings us a testimony of His goodness and an increase to our faith. We become greater instruments for God’s plan to redeem the world.

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Daily Reading: 6-3-16

Acts 26:1-11 New Living Translations (NLT)

When we meet Jesus and the Holy Spirit fills us with the ability to know Truth, it changes our perspective of what is truly important in life and drives us to articulate it.  We choose our conversations more carefully, because sharing from an eternal life perspective is exalted above all things.  Why?  Because Christ in us wants others to know Him and the power outflowing His resurrection that is available to everyone.  Christ compels us to share Love and the hope of eternity with God.  Paul is an example of a compelled man with an eternal story.

Paul has made a journey to Jerusalem where he is arrested for preaching the truth about Jesus Christ by sharing the encounter he had on the road to Damascus.  Paul cannot stop speaking a message of Hope—resurrection from the dead—since meeting Jesus.  The Jews listen and become furious with his story, so they beat him and demand his death.  The Romans step in because they do not like the disruption to the peace; they take Paul to the fortress where he awaits sentencing.  

In our passage, Paul is giving his own defense before King Agrippa of the Herodians (Hellenistic Jews).  Agrippa is not sitting as judge in this inquiry, but is there to give his opinion on the matter of how to present accusations against Paul to the emperor in Rome.  Paul seeks to vindicate his character, articulate the facts of what happened in his life to cause a change in his understanding of Jesus, defend his own conversion, and preach a message of hope to everyone listening. 

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Daily Reading: 6-2-16

Acts 22:6-21 New Living Translations (NLT)

Humans were created to love and serve God—the Light of the World—through choice (remember the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil).  The darkness of sin came through a poor personal choice (it still does).  Humanity rejected receiving the Light and Truth of God’s Love and instead chose human effort or power.  Apart from a relationship with God through the Spirit of Love who Lights our path, we can get way off course in how we perceive the goodness of God extended to humanity, as well as how we treat people. 

The Apostle Paul served God’s Law as devout as anyone; tenacious for the Law to be fulfilled.  He thought that success make him a light to others as he served God.  However, in his choice to make the keeping of rules his focus he actually ventured into darkness; he mistreated and abused people rather than love them toward God.  The Light of God showed up to help Paul turn toward the Truth of authentic Love: 

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Daily Reading: 6-1-16

Mark 7:24-30 (CEV)

Faith is acting like we believe the Word of God’s Love is Truth; human activated faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).  Scripture teaches, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen” (Hebrews 11:1).   Today’s passage shares the active faith journey of a desperate mother.  Her daughter is inhabited by a demon.  We are not told how the demon gained possession.  Scripture teaches it is possible for us to open our hearts to be ruled by habitual sin and provide an invitation for a demon to enter (e.g. refusal to forgive).  A demon is an angelic entity who opposes God’s sovereign control of Love.  Demons influence people to live in a way that is contrary to God’s intentions.  

News has traveled the area about Jesus; the One who delivers the captives.  This mother does not stop until she finds Jesus and petitions Him to provide the grace she knows He possesses in order to heal and deliver her daughter.  She believes Jesus is the Messiah of Truth sent by God.  Therefore, she stands on the prophesied Word from Isaiah about Messiah, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, and the oppressed will be set free” (61:1).   She does not take “no” for an answer; she does not leave without the Word of the Lord being spoken over her daughter.  Jesus tells this mother He has really come to release the Word of grace in order to “feed” or teach the Jews.  It is not time to reach out for Gentiles or non-Jews.  She accepts that Messiah came first for the Jews, but she begs for the crumbs of grace, because she is convinced that even the crumbs of God’s Love and mercy will bring the miracle she needs.  Jesus is impressed with her statement of reasoning; her Word usage accompanied by faith. 

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Daily Reading: 5-31-16

Romans 12:9-16 The Voice (VOICE)

I trust you had a restful Memorial Day.  It is truly important for us to remember and honor the people who have served and died to defend the freedom God has extended.  When we honor those who have fallen in order to protect freedom; we honor God.  Under God’s authority, we are instructed to despise evil and take a stand against it.  Evil gains power through wrong thoughts and attitudes put to action. 

As humans, we have a tendency to bury all kinds of negative attitudes and mindsets deep within us.  Many times these wrong thoughts are entombed by the stone of self-denial. Some times these wrong thoughts are about ourselves; we can have haughty attitudes.  Some times these wrong thoughts are about others; people we are called to love as much as we love ourselves.  As Christ’s students, we should expect the Savior—the Living Word—to bring attention to what, in our humanity, needs a holy touch.  With that understanding, we need to invite the Holy Spirit to bring us salvation by renewing our minds about others with whom we have issues.  Jesus knows what needs to be made holy (process is called sanctification) in our souls (mind/will/emotions).   In order to enjoy the glory of the Lord, we must recognize our need for salvation in every area of our being and surrender our attitudes and mindsets for the Lord of Love to bring renewal.  Then, holiness can be the exalted action in our lives.  

Paul is writing to the Christ followers in Rome; he is teaching them what it looks like to be true to Christ’s calling in how they love one another.  Let’s read our passage today by keeping in mind each one of us needs a renewal of attitudes and mindsets about other Christians.  Not all of us see things eye to eye, but all of us should pray and ask God to help us love authentically.  Living in unity and harmony is hard work!

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Daily Reading: 5-27-16

2 Corinthians 11:1-6 The Voice (VOICE)

Yesterday, I shared about the work of the Gospel and the necessity for our response. When we choose to respond, the work of the Gospel of Love rises up and begins to teach us to live Christ-oriented rather than self-oriented lives.  A self-oriented life is simply being overly concerned with one’s own desires, needs, or interests.  If we are honest, we can be preoccupied in our minds with ourselves. Jesus Christ brings a new focus to His followers: Loving God with every part of our being (Christ-oriented) and then turning to love others (becoming other-oriented) the way we have loved ourselves.  Jesus loves us and affirms our individual value. He is not trying to diminish us; He is seeking to bring His glory to our lives.   As Truth, He knows more about the work of deception than anyone and He knows our minds need to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, because at the core of our being we really are self-oriented.  If we are serious in our quest to live the Gospel and to be Christ-oriented, our minds will experience a type of battle.  What Christ may speak to our hearts to bring growth can conflict with our own natural inclinations and seem like foolishness.

The Apostle Paul urges the Corinthians to press through what seems foolish to find a deeper life with Christ. Even though they are satisfied in the shallow realms of the Gospel, the Corinthians must get beyond what they want, think, or feel to lay hold of the Christ-oriented life God has promised those who believe. Paul wants more for the Corinthians and the culture is seeking to deceive them.  He writes his letter to remind them of the work of Grace and to give them Hope to rise in the glory of God.

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Daily Reading: 5-26-16

2 Corinthians 5:11-17 The Voice (VOICE)

The biblical word “Gospel” or “Good News” refers to when God’s love descended from heaven, was wrapped with humanity, and given as a one time sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the world.  According to John 3:16-17, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent the Son into the world not to judge the world but to save the world through him.” Sin separates humans from experiencing the divine glory and fellowship with God.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is that divine human creation sent by the Father to reconnect humanity with God.  This is referred to as GRACE (God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense).   The gospel calls for a three-fold response:  1) Believing and trusting Grace; 2) Growing as we journey more deeply into the Gospel of the cross or dying to selfishness; and 3) Hoping in the return of Christ for his followers and the inheritance of heaven.

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