Devotionals

Intro: Do you ever feel timid about sharing the gospel message—God’s love given through the Christ—with others? Remember, we share the gospel through our witness in word and action. If you feel timid at times, you can relate to Timothy a young believer who was like a son to Paul. Even though Paul had a rather intense personality, young Timothy was actually reserved, as well as hesitant to take on the important responsibilities of caring for God’s people.

Timothy may have felt inadequate to lead others, but Paul understood what Christ had done in his own life, so he was able to see the potential in Timothy. Being around Paul may have been incredibly uncomfortable at times, but God connects us with one another to help us grow in faith and develop in the Truth of God’s merciful love. So, in teaching Timothy, Paul instructs all of us about the mercy of God to bring us a “new life” in Christ.

In our passage today, Paul humbly lays out his past in order to witness to Timothy and the Church—Body of Christ—about the merciful love of God he received but did not deserve due to his actions. Paul describes himself as the worst of “sinners” who essentially made God practice patience! Quite frankly, we all fit into that category of sinners with whom God has been patient.

So, never diminish yourself because of your sinful past. Instead, give your past to Jesus and choose to live in the “new life” of grace God has provided. We have not been saved by grace through faith, so we can continue to test the patience of God. We have been given a new way to live in Christ that lifts us out of dead living and into eternal life. Let’s keep our focus on living with our faith fixed on Jesus and where He wants to lead us now. Blessings for your weekend!

1 Timothy 1:12-20 NLT Paul’s Gratitude for God’s Mercy
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, 13 even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. 16 But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the humble candor of the Apostle Paul. He does not try to take any credit for being an effective minister of the gospel. He does not try to diminish those who are different in personality. Instead, Paul gives You all the credit and reveals the mercy we have all been given because of Christ. This has been such a great reminder today for our souls, Lord, and the unfathomable patience You extend to all of us who reach for You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: For Christmas, a dear friend gave me an essential oil defuser. When heated, the oils release a delicate and pleasant fragrance that fills the room. When I walk into the house, a beautiful fragrance is there to greet me. It makes me breathe deeply and smile.

Scripture teaches when the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached or lived out in human lives, it releases a beautiful fragrance. Honestly, not everyone likes the odor that follows the gospel; in fact, some find the truth repulsive. But, for believers, the gospel is the life-giving fragrance of our Savior and we find it so sweet!

In our passage today, the Apostle Paul reminds Christ’s followers they are servants who are to spread the fragrance of Christ everywhere they go. Like incense or oils, we leave a fragrance behind with our lives. That fragrance should be pleasant as it lingers; it should encourage people to join as we follow the Source. Christ has made us all ministers of the gospel message, so may we release a beautiful fragrance by how we live, because this allows Christ to draw others to himself.

2 Corinthians 2:14-17 NLT Ministers of the New Covenant
14 But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters [like merchants] who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the power of the gospel message. When people allow the truth to live in their hearts, they produce the fragrance of life. If people refuse the truth, Christ’s fragrance reminds them of death and they are repulsed. Please keep us mindful of this, but help us choose to proclaim your message and be the fragrance of life, anyway. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: In our psalter passage today, this patriot laments over his country’s sorrows and the people’s miseries as exiles; a people overwhelmed with trouble. The psalmist has faith in God and he looks for the resurrection and restoration of the nation even as he walks through the remaining ruins of Jerusalem/Zion. From the writings of this psalmist, we can gain a better perspective of the calamity that comes for the nations that dishonor God and rebels against His Word.

Even today, if the nations would just turn to God, call on the name of the Lord, and cry out for freedom and deliverance from evil, the divine deeds of grace would pardon national sin and help humanity to become the children of Light who magnify the Lord! May we pay attention to the history of Israel and realize the cost of rebellion against God. May we pray for Jesus to be exalted as the righteous Ruler of human hearts, because the problem is not politics, it is sin against God.

Psalm 102:12-20 NLT
12
But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.
    Your fame will endure to every generation.
13 
You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem [Zion]—
    and now is the time to pity her,
    now is the time you promised to help.
14 
For your people love every stone in her walls
    and cherish even the dust in her streets.
15 
Then the nations will tremble before the Lord.
    The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.
16 
For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem.
    He will appear in his glory.
17 
He will listen to the prayers of the destitute.
    He will not reject their pleas.
18 
Let this be recorded for future generations,
    so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord.
19 
Tell them the Lord looked down
    from his heavenly sanctuary.
He looked down to earth from heaven
20 
    to hear the groans of the prisoners,
    to release those condemned to die.

Prayer: Lord, whether the nations of the world honor you or not, does not change your power or authority to govern your creation. However, we pray for humble hearts to turn toward you, because each individual and every generation is a new creation with the potential to honor you. Holy Spirit, we pray for nations and leaders to tremble before Almighty God in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: We can all find ourselves in situations that push us to make an appeal and take a matter to a higher source of authority. Through that appeal process, we may pray to receive mercy and justice. Presently, I am making an appeal to the SSA, because of miscalculated earnings. In its present state, it is a very unfair situation. So, I am appealing it and praying for God to protect me and restore that which is rightfully mine. It has been under consideration for almost two months now so, I am still waiting in faith…
In our passage today, we are reunited with the Shunammite widow and her son. To refresh your memory, the prophet Elisha received hospitality from the Shunammite woman and her husband. They were godly people who wanted a son but could not have one, so God miraculously blessed them with a son. Later the son died; however, through the prayers and faith of the prophet Elisha, the son was resurrected back to life.

The woman, now a widow, already knew Elisha was a man of God, so when he encouraged her to leave Shunem because it would be experiencing a famine [due to the judgment of God], she and her son left home and moved to the land of the Philistines. At the end of seven years, the Shunammite widow returned to Israel but realized, by her choice to do what Elisha had instructed, she forfeited her claim to her ancestral lands. So, at God’s appointed time, she made an appeal to the new king and her land was restored to her [as well as all the proceeds from the land during her absence].

I cannot help but look at this Old Testament lesson through the eyes of the New Testament gospel. God has promised to restore to His people what the enemy has stolen and we see it coming true for this woman in our lesson. God is no respecter of persons, so he will do the same for you and me. Thank you, Jesus!

2 Kings 8:1-6 NLT The Woman from Shunem Returns Home
8 Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “Take your family and move to some other place, for the Lord has called for a famine on Israel that will last for seven years.” 2 So the woman did as the man of God instructed. She took her family and settled in the land of the Philistines for seven years.
3 After the famine ended she returned from the land of the Philistines, and she went to see the king about getting back her house and land. 4 As she came in, the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had just said, “Tell me some stories about the great things Elisha has done.” 5 And Gehazi was telling the king about the time Elisha had brought a boy back to life. At that very moment, the mother of the boy walked in to make her appeal to the king about her house and land.
“Look, my lord the king!” Gehazi exclaimed. “Here is the woman now, and this is her son—the very one Elisha brought back to life!”
6 “Is this true?” the king asked her. And she told him the story. So he directed one of his officials to see that everything she had lost was restored to her, including the value of any crops that had been harvested during her absence.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this lesson from the Shunammite woman. You provided for her needs in so many ways, because she was faithful and generous. You are faithful to do the same for each one of your children who live for your honor. Please be with us today and help us to come to you for protection, mercy, and justice. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

When I decided to welcome Jesus into my heart and began to walk in a faithful relationship with Him, I noticed there was a lot of talk about God’s grace. Initially my mind thought it meant that God was being courteous, maybe even polite, or it had something to do with His good manners, because that is what I knew about the “word” grace, from a dictionary standpoint – to be courteous, polite, or to have good manners. Honestly, it was confusing to me, and I kept wondering what exactly is God’s grace? Then I heard Pastor Mary use grace as an acronym: G.R.A.C.E = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. At the time, I thought maybe grace isn’t about God being “courteous, polite, or using good manners”, but rather He has something of great value for me and it is directly connected to Jesus dying on the cross. As I continued to grow in my faith walk (connecting more in relationship with Jesus) I kept learning from Pastor Mary, many other Christians, and most importantly more and more from God, Himself, by spending time with Him in His Word. I started to realize when I welcomed Jesus into my heart, I was saved (my salvation came) by God’s grace through the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross so that my sins could be forgiven. I am no different from any other person, none of us deserve God’s grace (it is His favor, His forgiveness of our sins, and His acceptance of us), and there was (and remains) absolutely nothing I could have done in my own strength or by my own means to have gained it, or to have earned it, and I certainly was not entitled to it.

I believe the Word of God, the Bible, God’s Testimony, the Good News, the Gospel Message of Christ…whatever you want to say because it is all One in the same, is a message of God’s grace. His grace is the most priceless gift you and I will ever receive, and it was made possible because Jesus gave His life for us, and by welcoming Him into our hearts, asking for His forgiveness of our sinful ways, we are humbling bowing before Almighty God and recognizing that we were and are lost without Him. We desperately need His grace to cover us as He bestows His favor, forgiveness, acceptance, and guidance to us, and that happens because we gave our lives (really “back”) to Him as our Creator, on the day we asked Jesus into our hearts.

In today passage, Paul and Barnabas were in Iconium (which is known today as Konya, located in Turkey), and they were preaching boldly the Good News about God’s grace (v. 3). We see that conflict and division arose, because God’s grace provoked, and continues to provoke, an extreme reaction in both directions. Those seeking God’s grace want more of His Truth operating in a through their lives, while those not seeking it struggle to accept it because the darkness of this world blinds them to His Truth. In the previous chapter, Luke reminds us of what God promised in the Old Testament was now fulfilled through the resurrection of Jesus (v. 33). Therefore, in Jesus there is forgiveness of sins (v. 38), and everyone who believes in Him is made right in God’s sight (covered by His grace) and that is not something the Law of Moses could have done (v. 39). So, this Good News of salvation by grace, not by the Law of Moses, was not received well, and continues to not be received well. Not only by non-Christians, but at times by Christians who believe their good works, entitlement, years of church deeds, etc. earn them some type of heavenly reward or grace-pass to the front of the line. Only God knows each one of our hearts and Jesus will one day judge each one of our heart’s motives alone. In the meantime, we need to pray for God’s grace to move within our lives the same way it moved in today’s passage for Paul and Barnabas. God grace carried them away from the mob, from being attached, and stoned to death. He moved them to other regions where they were to preach the Good News (v.7), just as you and I are called to do the same.

Acts 14:1-7 (NLT)

Paul and Barnabas in Iconium

1 The same thing happened in Iconium. Paul and Barnabas went to the Jewish synagogue and preached with such power that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. 2 Some of the Jews, however, spurned God’s message and poisoned the minds of the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas. 3 But the apostles stayed there a long time, preaching boldly about the grace of the Lord. And the Lord proved their message was true by giving them power to do miraculous signs and wonders. 4 But the people of the town were divided in their opinion about them. Some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.

5 Then a mob of Gentiles and Jews, along with their leaders, decided to attack and stone them. 6 When the apostles learned of it, they fled to the region of Lycaonia—to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding area. 7 And there they preached the Good News.

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for laying Your life down so that my sins are forgiven. In my own strength I am weak and unworthy of Your favor, but in You, Jesus, I am made whole, forgiven, and worthy to accept Your most gracious gift of grace. Thank You, Father, for Your eternal love. Help me, Holy Spirit, to walk out a life that reflects Your love, to speak words that are guided by You, bathed in Your love, and filled with Your Truth. Please keep guiding my life and using me for the glory of Your Kingdom. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.

Intro: I enjoy spending time with our granddaughter, Amana, each week. She loves to explore new things, but she also likes to hold my hand while she is doing so. Amana knows I love her and she trust me to make sure she is safe. In some very simplistic ways, it reminds me of how I feel as I spiritually cling to the Hand of the Lord and walk through the unknowns of life.

When we spend time in the Word of God, we begin to understand a bit more about our Lord who knows and loves us, as well as wants to be known and loved in return. Scripture has been given to us by God for a reason—it is His self-testimony—so human beings can know the true nature and character of the Lord. We serve a Creator whose Hand of unfailing love reaches from the spiritual realm into the natural realm for us all the time. Pause and think about that for a moment.

In our passage today, Jesus has an encounter in the synagogue with a man who has a deformed or shriveled hand; this needy soul comes with hope to be seen by God and touched by His goodness. Jesus sees the man and takes the opportunity to connect heaven and earth with God’s powerful and healing love on the Sabbath to reveal God’s merciful nature and desire to restore those who come with faith. Yet, the religious Pharisees who are to be shepherding people and helping them to connect with God, are actually more concerned with honoring rules that leave people ignorant of the truth and powerless to experience change based on their view of the Sabbath.

Jesus proclaims to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” but their hearts are so steeped in their traditions and rules, they have no capability to lead people toward God’s powerful Hand to save. So, to set the Truth out and reveal God’s nature to connect the power of heaven with this man, Jesus violates the rule which infuriates the Pharisees! Please do not ever underestimate humanity’s ability to see God in a diminished capacity and even teach it to others, rather than portray Him as the ever-present Helper who heals the spiritually lame. Hold out your hand, today!

Matthew 12:9-14 NLT Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
9 Then Jesus went over to their synagogue, 10 where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Does the law permit a person to work by healing on the Sabbath?” (They were hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.)
11 And he answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you work to pull it out? Of course you would. 12 And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, the law permits a person to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored, just like the other one! 14 Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.

Prayer: Almighty God, as Lord of the Sabbath, we are invited to rest in your care for us every day. What a blessing it is to know it is always your desire to restore us from the trauma we experience in this fallen world. So, we pray and ask for you to heal not only our woundedness and brokenness, but for all human hearts to find your healing touch. Thank you for always extending your righteous and mighty Hand to us for salvation. We hold out our hand to you, today! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Do you connect evil and demonic influence with the freedom of choice? According to Scripture, we choose what can enter our lives (James 4:7). For example, many people think consulting a tarot card reader, psychic reading, or participating in a séance is harmless, but is it? Curiosity about the power of evil [darkness] is dangerous, because it blindly leads people into empowering evil and destruction. Do not choose to open that door. To gain greater understanding about our lives, we simply need to go to our Creator who will always guide us into the truth.

In our passage today, Jesus and his disciples find themselves confronted by a demon-possessed man; actually he has many demons who have taken dominion of him. The man runs to Jesus and bows; the demons immediately acquiesce to the authority of Christ. Jesus saves this man’s life and you would think the people would be so grateful for the restoration of this man, but instead they are more concerned with their loss of the pigs which reveals the darkness of their hearts, as well. The freedom of choice to pursue an attitude of greed is inviting darkness to have dominion. The freedom of choice to value financial security over spiritual security is the manifestation of darkness. The pigs are considered unclean, but obviously the people are, as well. Otherwise, they would have welcome the cleansing work of Jesus.

Mark 5:1-10 NLT Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man
5 So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. 4 Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

6 When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him. 7 With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!”
8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.”
9 Then Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”
And he replied, “My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man.” 10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.
11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. 12 “Send us into those pigs,” the spirits begged. “Let us enter them.”
13 So Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water.
14 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 16 Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. 17 And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for protecting and delivering us from evil. We know Satan has no control unless we open the door for him. So, please keep us focused on the Light of your amazing presence and continue to make us hungry for righteousness. When we are concerned about our future, help us to trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: The enemy is always busy trying to get people to compromise their moral ethics and integrity in order to draw them away from the righteousness of God. Greed instigates compromise. A greedy person is self-centered; there is little concern for others. Empathy is overshadowed by greed, so relationships become vulnerable as accumulation becomes the goal.

Balaam, a prophetic sorcerer [magician] who would place curses on people for pay, lived near the Euphrates River. He had knowledge of Yahweh, but Balaam was polytheistic—believed there were many gods. Balaam went along with any religious practice, but his heart and actions were only aligned with Yahweh when it would benefit him; he had a mixture of motives—obedience if it would increase his financial wealth and accomplish his goal.

The king of Moab, Balak, wanted to hire Balaam to curse Israel. Balak’s servants were sent to escort him to Moab. The Moabites were afraid of Israel’s power, so the thought was if Balaam would curse Israel, the Moabites might be able to drive the Israelites out of their land. Balak and Balaam underestimated Yahweh’s love for His people. God communicated with Balaam and told him “You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”

God gave Balaam permission to go with the servants of Balak, but he was angry with Balaam’s greedy attitude. The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and started out toward Moab. He did not go far when God rebuked him in a very unusual and inconceivable way…

Numbers 22:22-28 NLT
22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. 27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.
28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

Prayer: Lord, we know when you are correcting us and we thank you for how loving you are when you do. You are so generous with your love; please help us to be people who are empathetic to the needs or challenges of others. Help us to be generous in love and mercy when we deal with the people around us. Open our spiritual eyes to recognize your messengers of Truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There were many times in King David’s life when his fellow associates, friends, and even his own family stood against him. They humiliated him, betrayed him, and some even sought to kill him. It’s not hard for you and me to identify with David’s feelings of loneliness, disappointment, frustration, or even anger. But we need to ask ourselves, how does Jesus want to guide each one of us during these moments?

In today’s Psalm we see initially that David wanted revenge for how he was mistreated. He was asking for God’s help in battle against his enemies. We know that David lived prior to Christ’s birth, and since David was the anointed leader of a nation, he called on God in a revengeful way as he was seeking for God to set things right on his behalf. You and I do not need to call on God for revenge after what Christ accomplished on our behalf. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, you and I are now commanded to pray for our enemies’ salvation (Matt 5:44-48). Just like David, we must trust, by our faith, that God will set things right, but it must be in God’s own time and by God’s own way. You and I are to never repay evil with more evil, rather we are to do things in such a way that everyone can see we are honorable and living like Christ (Rom 12:17).

We must realize that within Psalm 35 David is in constant communion, or prayer, and even praise with God. That is an example for you and me. No matter what is happening in our lives, or not happening in our lives, we are to connect with our living God and commune with Him in prayer and praise His Holy Name. Remember, He knows all things, He is in all things, and so why would we attempt to do anything on our own. He is seeking for us to call out to Him so He can take care of all things on our behalf. We cannot forget that Jesus died for us, He is sitting at the right-hand of the Father, and He alone will be the One Who comes for “The Final Judgment”. As our Shepherd, He will gather His sheep to His right to enter into eternal life, but for those who do not call on His Name, the goats, they will be at His left and will go away into eternal punishment (Matt 25:31-46). So, never forget that Jesus will handle EVERYTHING!

Psalm 35:1-10 (NLT)

A psalm of David.

1 O Lord, oppose those who oppose me.
Fight those who fight against me.
2 Put on your armor, and take up your shield.
Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.
3 Lift up your spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Let me hear you say,
“I will give you victory!”
4 Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me;
turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.
5 Blow them away like chaff in the wind—
a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.
6 Make their path dark and slippery,
with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
7 I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.
8 So let sudden ruin come upon them!
Let them be caught in the trap they set for me!
Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.

9 Then I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will be glad because he rescues me.
10 With every bone in my body I will praise him:
“Lord, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?”

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for being in all things and for orchestrating all things for good, even those things that I cannot see. Forgive me when I am lacking in my trust that You are taking care of things. Help to strengthen my faith, to be able to trust in You more quickly, and to constantly be in communion with You. I do not want to have anger within me, so please take that from me, and handle those places as Your ways are the highest and always good. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: Is life fair? Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. As human beings, we want the events and happenings of life on earth to line up with our sense of justice. We will think life is fair when circumstances line up with our desired outcome. This expectation may make sense in our human minds and understanding, but grace is not about fairness. God is faithful to His covenant of grace; only God knows the heart or attitude of each human being and his or her response to saving grace. Is fairness the issue when a person rejects what God is offering?

Grace [favor] isn’t fair even though our God who provides it is perfectly fair. We do not deserve grace, nor can we in any way earn it. Grace is a gift to move us by faith in Christ toward loving God righteously, as well as loving and treating others with the fairness of God’s love for us. Human beings with unredeemed hearts are the source of unfairness…not God.

God is in charge of all things in heaven and on earth; each day His sovereignty, as well as our human weakness toward righteous thinking is revealed. We cannot and will never be able to understand the whole plan and purpose of God, but that does not seem to stop us from the mental gymnastics we go through in our heads wrestling down what is holy and infinite because we want to be able to judge whether or not things are “fair.”

When you are tempted to think life is unfair, please remember believers serve the God of all justice. God never said life would align with our mental image of fairness. He simply reminds us He is good and everything will be used to accomplish His purpose. Therefore, faith in God’s promise is essential, because fairness is not even a possibility in this fallen world that many times rejects the power and authority of God. Believers long for true justice because it has been planted in our hearts by God, but the day of justice still lies ahead. In the meantime, let’s remember justice is about the pure love and mercy of God toward His rebellious creation.

In our passage today from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians [and believers throughout time], we are reminded of God’s perfect ability to know the hearts of people. He knows the ones who will humble themselves, repent, and respect His authority, as well as the ones who will remain hard-hearted and reject the mercy, love, and transformation Christ brings. Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. God desires for the world to come into relationship with Him, so He provides faith, a Savior, and grace and asks for us to choose wisely; this is the justice of God. Is He fair?

Romans 9:6-18 NLT
6 Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people! 7 Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 For God had promised, “I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
10 This son was our ancestor Isaac. When he married Rebekah, she gave birth to twins. 11 But before they were born, before they had done anything good or bad, she received a message from God. (This message shows that God chooses people according to his own purposes; 12 he calls people, but not according to their good or bad works.) She was told, “Your older son will serve your younger son.” 13 In the words of the Scriptures, “I loved Jacob, but I rejected Esau.”
14 Are we saying, then, that God was unfair? Of course not! 15 For God said to Moses,
“I will show mercy to anyone I choose,
    and I will show compassion to anyone I choose.”
16 So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.
17 For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” 18 So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for knowing the things we are incapable of knowing. In this fallen world our understanding needs revelation and guidance. We need you to be our standard and example for living. You know every heart, because you created each person; therefore those who call upon your name for salvation are the chosen. We are always treated fairly by you. Thank you for liberating us in Christ and giving us the Holy Spirit to guide our choices. We praise you for making our freedom clear throughout Scripture and for making a way of salvation through Christ. In Jesus’ name. Amen.