Devotionals

The true gospel message is one that offers us freedom from the enemy and the power to change by God’s grace. There is no greater example of this than in the life and testimony of the Apostle Paul.

In today’s passage, and throughout the book of Galatians, Paul defends his ministry and the message of Christ. He knows that there are false teachers who are twisting God’s Word and presenting it as the true gospel message. Paul’s righteous anger fuels his letter to the churches. He reminds them of his testimony and who he once was before God offered him His grace. Some of the Galatians think that Paul received his gospel message from the Apostles, and that the message might have changed along the way (similar to a game of telephone). But Paul wants to make it very clear that the message he received came down from heaven in the person, Jesus Christ, and was given as a revelation of His grace to Paul and to the Church. Why does this matter? Well, because Paul received his message directly from Jesus, not from man. On Wednesday nights during Curtis’ Bible study, we’ve been growing to understand that while man may change, the Word (which is Jesus) never changes.

We can learn so much from Paul’s heart for the Lord and from all of his many letters and teachings. One major thing that we can take away from today’s passage is that there is power in sharing our testimony. Remember, Paul’s first encounter with Jesus was approximately 4 to 7 years after Jesus was crucified and Paul was Saul at the time, a Jewish Rabbi of Tarsus, who was murdering God’s people. He went from executioner to evangelist. Maybe your story isn’t as dramatic as Paul’s, but it’s still your love story about Jesus and how He saved you by His grace…and that story needs to be shared with someone today, it’s the most loving thing you can do for someone else.

Galatians 1:11-24 NLT
Paul’s Message Comes from Christ

11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. 12 I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

13 You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. 14 I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

15 But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.

When this happened, I did not rush out to consult with any human being. 17 Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to consult with those who were apostles before I was. Instead, I went away into Arabia, and later I returned to the city of Damascus.

18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to get to know Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 The only other apostle I met at that time was James, the Lord’s brother. 20 I declare before God that what I am writing to you is not a lie.

21 After that visit I went north into the provinces of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And still the churches in Christ that are in Judea didn’t know me personally. 23 All they knew was that people were saying, “The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!” 24 And they praised God because of me.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for saving us. We did nothing to deserve Your grace, but You love us beyond measure and shower us with Your grace. Help us to share our testimonies with others. Let us be open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance while we share about Your saving love. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Yesterday, I saw a picture of an apple in front of a mirror. If you look directly at the mirror the apple appears to be ripe, shiny, and beautifully in season. However, if you look at the entire apple, you will notice that from the back side, the apple is withering and rotting away. So often, we want people to think that we are shiny and perfect on the outside, when in fact the full picture is entirely different.

None of us are perfect. Over the last two days we’ve been in scripture that has revealed perfection is only found in Jesus. He is the only perfect and sinless One Who invites us to be cleansed of our sins. We have the opportunity to live in Jesus’s perfect presence through an ongoing relationship with Him. It’s a humble invitation from the bridegroom, that requires our simple acceptance.

When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, the only way it can be successful is through an ongoing commitment of true change. Let’s be honest, change is not easy for most of us. In fact, many of us avoid change, and if we change anything at all it’s our appearance for others to think that we’ve changed. But Jesus knows our hearts, and in today’s passage, He is warning us that we are to be growing and changing for Eternity in our relationship with Him now. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit with me” (Psalm 51:10); help me, O God, to stop wasting time and energy on the past, on fear, anxiety, anger, guilt, shame, and any other feels that the enemy wants to use, with in me and my soul, to take my gaze off of Jesus. I stand firmly again the work of the enemy and I fixate my spiritual eyes on You, Jesus.

Matthew 9:14-17 NLT
A Discussion about Fasting

14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

15 Jesus replied, “Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

16 “Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth? For the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth, leaving an even bigger tear than before.

17 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for our relationship. Help me to seek ways to continue to grow in my part. I also want to keep changing into my new self with You, Jesus. So, please help me to lay down any part of my old self that still needs to go. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Friends, I had no idea when I wrote yesterday’s devotion that there would be a direct connection to today’s devotion, and I have to share it with you! So, today’s passage is from Hebrews 10, in the New Testament, and verses 5-7 are a direct quoted reference of verses 6-8 from Psalm 40, in the Old Testament, which were the first three verses from the passage in yesterday’s devotion. I just love how that divinely worked out!

I’m thinking that God knows there is a need to continue to work on allowing the Holy Spirit to break our religious mindsets so that we may be free in our relationship with Jesus. In complete transparency, I pray often for the Holy Spirit to overtake me and to remove any religious bondage from me. I want Jesus to be able to use me for the good of His Kingdom, and I realize that in order for Him to do that there is no room for my own religious judgement.

For those who are not familiar with the Old Testament Mosaic Law, it is the law which God gave to the Israelites through Moses. It began with the Ten Commandments and includes 613 Jewish commandments (or rules of religious observation) given within the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Mosaic Law was the old system which included animal sacrifices to atone for sin. As we know, Jesus came into the world to put an end to the old system. A system that repeated over and over and over again, as a ritual, because it alone could not take away sin. In fact, it was a systematic reminder of sin, not a removal of sin. Jesus is the only perfect sacrifice, Who was/is/and will forever be The One Who takes away sin and removes the year after year reminder of guilt and shame. In Jesus there is no guilt or shame.

Religion can help us to put a band-aid on sin. It’s a temporary covering to make things appear on the outside like they are perfect. But, if we do not seek a thriving relationship with the Great Physician, Who is Jesus, that sin will never be healed by any religious band-aid. It does not matter what type of religion is used, how often religion is practiced, if the religion is changed, or how good the religion can cover up what is on the outside; all of it is fleeting and will never add up to the One and only relationship, with Jesus, Who came to do God’s will, and that is to save you and me from sin for all eternity! THANK YOU, JESUS!

Hebrews 10:1-7 NLT
Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

1 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

3 But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.
But you have given me a body to offer.

6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings
or other offerings for sin.

7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—
as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for saving us from sin. Help us to break any religious chains that we have so that we can grow closer and closer to You in our relationship. We lay down our sins at Your feet, and we cast away all guilt, because that is not of You. We ask this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

During yesterday’s sermon, we were reminded that we are a part of God’s divine design. We looked back at the very beginning, in Genesis 1, on “The Account of Creation”, where the Holy Trinity (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) as One, created males and females in their image (v.26-27). Then, we moved over to Psalm 139, where King David talked about how God knitted him together in his mother’s womb, and how God saw him before he was born (v.13-16). David praised God for making him so wonderfully complex, it was beyond what his human mind could comprehend; nevertheless, he had a spiritual understanding of the Truth that God knew everything about him because God knew his heart. He even began Psalm 139 with “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.” (v.1)

In today’s passage of Psalm 40, David takes us back to the sacrifices and offerings of the old system that God had set for His people within the Old Testament to atone for their sins. You and I no longer live under the old system, as Jesus was the only sinless sacrifice Who qualified to bear the weight of our sin on the cross as a substitute for the old sacrificial system. Remember, King David lived many generations before Jesus walked the earth, yet David’s heart for the Lord, understood that He did not require burnt offerings or sin offerings. He knew that God’s instructions were written on his heart, and that those instructions of the “Good News” were not meant to be kept hidden in his heart but were meant to be shared. King David a man “after God’s own heart”, had a spiritual awareness of Jesus without human knowledge of him. It was mentioned yesterday that Jesus is within every part of the Bible, and that is because Jesus existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, the Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought Light to everyone. No darkness can ever extinguish the Light of Christ. (John 1:1-5) Friends, as containers of the Light of Christ, and by His unfailing love for us, we must ask the Holy Spirit to empower our faith so that we may share the Good News of Christ with everyone!

Psalm 40:6-10 NLT

6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand
you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.

7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:

8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your instructions are written on my heart.”

9 I have told all your people about your justice.
I have not been afraid to speak out,
as you, O Lord, well know.

10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for creating me. Help to cleanse me, Lord, each day so that Your Word can instruct my heart and bring me closer to You. Open doors so that I can share Your unfailing love with at least one person each day. Keep me growing in Your Word. I ask all of this in Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro: Some stories have predictable endings. However, our lessons and stories in Scripture are always packed with twists, shifts, and surprises. Sometimes when we think we know how something should end, we witness once again that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts and that He is the God of the impossible. I will stop right here and shout out a praise for our miraculous, mysterious, and unfathomable God!

In our passage today, Luke reminds us the disciples thought the death of Jesus was the end; however, the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and he spent 40 days with the disciples. They just got used to having Jesus around again and suddenly he ascends back into heaven. Then, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit and the story continues! So, read your Bible and enjoy the resurrected Christ teaching you as his disciple. Believe in the power he alone can provide you to live as a new creation. Finally, join with your spiritual family in the love of God and be the hands and feet of Jesus for the community. The Holy Spirit will bring you all you need; you have the Father’s promise. Have a blessed weekend.

Acts 1:1-5 The Promise of the Holy Spirit
1 In my first book I told you, Theophilus [name means ‘one who loves God’], about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for writing not only every story in the Bible, but for continuing to write your story through every disciple who will follow you, today. You are the Beginning and the End. Help us to embrace your power, Holy Spirit! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: As human beings, we hunger for the Truth because our souls [mind/will/emotions] were created by God to live and dwell in the Truth. The world and sin leaves our souls spiritually empty, but Truth is our supply and abundant Home. If we are open to the possible existence of absolute Truth, we can choose to live according to the Word. Otherwise, we will live by our misdirected worldly cravings and fleshly demands that vie to fill our emptiness. Trying to fill our spiritual emptiness with worldly desires can lead us into all kinds of evil and hard places from which we must find a way of escape. Friends, when we find ourselves lost because of our choices…Jesus is the Way back to God [John 14:6].

Certainly, very few people like the idea of absolute Truth [something is true for all people, at all times, and in all places], but doubting the existence of absolute Truth is faulty reasoning, because Truth is a Person; Christ the Living Word and Creator is the absolute authority for all creation. So, our perspective and interpretation of Truth is the problem; we traverse a world that encourages us to trust lies. God’s nature and character never changes, so if we want to know the Truth about God and His plan for our lives, we must go to Him and wait for guidance.

Our passage today is a song from David sung to glorify his Lord and Shepherd. He sings about his experiences with God. He shares about his failures and need for a Savior. Then, he breaks into praise, because David knows when he places his trust in God and waits patiently, God comes as the Redeeming Rescuer. Real joy comes from knowing the Truth of God’s love for us! If you are struggling today, please pray, ask for God’s help, and wait patiently, because God will faithfully turn to you and lift you out of the spiritual mire of the world’s lies and into a better place for his glory! Embrace Truth!

Psalm 40:1-4a NLT
1 
I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.
3 
He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.
4
Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,

Prayer: Lord, I want to thank you for always being there for me. You patiently wait for me to come to you and patiently wait for me to align myself to the Truth. You work in such amazing ways when I trust you. So, thank you for the joy of my salvation. Like David, I will share the experiences of my faith with others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Whether or not we realize it, we all have a reputation for how we treat other people, animals, and our earth. People are always watching other people and forming opinions. Obviously, we should be consistently taking care of all of these areas of God’s creation, but hypocrisy sneaks into our flesh and we can care a lot more for one and very little for the others.

For example, the Pharisees had a reputation of rescuing injured animals on the Sabbath, while at the same time neglecting the physical and healing needs of their fellow human beings because they believed it violated the Sabbath law. These leaders had a reverence for God, but they had neglected to allow God’s genuine love to connect them in compassionate service to others. These religious leaders fastidiously followed the law, but they failed to rise to the greatest and most important issue—Love.

In our passage today, we can clearly see the compassionate nature of Jesus and the justice he championed. Isaiah prophesied about Messiah’s loving nature. Jesus did not add to people’s burdens, he lightened them in God’s love by offering support, forgiveness, and kindness. Curiously, Jesus did not want the people he helped to tell others, because he did not want others coming to him for the wrong reason. Yes, he came to be humanity’s King; however, the reputation Jesus wanted ascribed to him was one of the Servant King of all creation. May we be mindful of our reputation.

Matthew 12:15-21 NLV Jesus Heals Many People
15 Jesus knew this and went away from there. Many people followed Him and He healed all of them. 16 He told them to tell no one of Him. 17 It happened as the early preacher Isaiah said it would happen, saying, 18 “See! My Servant Whom I have chosen! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit in Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong. 19 He will not fight or speak with a loud voice. No man will hear His voice in the streets. 20 He will not break a broken branch. He will not put out a little fire until He makes things right. 21 In His name the nations will have hope.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the example you always provide about having a Servant’s heart. May we, as your children, be willing to have the same heart as we faithfully care for all of your creation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: God never wastes the suffering of his people; many times he works powerfully through the most painful places. This process may not make sense to our natural minds, but we must always remember God’s power is made perfect in our weakness [2 Cor 12:9]. Sometimes, God is preparing us for a special work in his Kingdom, so he uses pressing situations to draw us closer to himself in order to gain the help we need.

Truthfully, many believers never pray or spend time in the presence of God until they have issues they cannot solve themselves. When we get really uncomfortable, we are more willing to listen, move, and follow Christ. Friends, this tendency to neglect our relationship with God flows from a very wrong perspective and has nothing to do with the Good News of Christ. We all need a SAVIOR!

In our passage today, the early Church believers had been forced from their homes and scattered throughout Jerusalem due to persecution. However, God used this persecution to expand the reach of the Church. Philip, a deacon [not the apostle] was in charge of food distribution while he shared the Good News. The Spirit of God empowered these displaced servants of Christ to accomplish many extraordinary miracles.

Acts 8:4-8 The Living Bible 4 But the believers [the Church] who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus! 5 Philip, for instance, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about Christ. 6 Crowds listened intently to what he had to say because of the miracles he did. 7 Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed, 8 so there was much joy in that city!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for using all things to benefit our lives and the work of your Kingdom. May amazing miracles begin to manifest according to our faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Yesterday’s sermon directly connects with today’s devotion. If you missed it, I included the link to it at the bottom of this devotion, and for those of you who are reading directly from the website, you can find it under the Past Sermons.

So, Pastor Mary gave us this reminder: “if your heart is not right, and you are not saturated with God’s Holy Spirit then you have missed the best part of salvation”! Baptism alone does not save us; baptism is merely an invitation for you and me to live in the salvation that Jesus offers. But how you and I walk out our salvation is up to our own free will. If we are going to live a true Christian life, one that is sold out for Jesus, that requires that you and I willingly submit and allow the Holy Spirit to do a continuous work to transform our hearts each and every day. We need the baptismal water of the Holy Spirit flowing through us at all times, and as Pastor Mary said, “you need to be so saturated with the Holy Spirit that no matter where you go God is just leaking out of you in every direction, and that’s what you need to focus on.”

In today’s passage we find the Holy Spirit being poured out onto the Gentiles. Just prior to this moment, in the previous parts of the chapter, we see the Holy Spirit working on Cornelius and Peter separately and how it then brings them together and continues to work. It seems that the Holy Spirit was steadily working on each of their hearts, and with Peter it appears that it was cutting away the hardness of his heart towards those he had been taught to avoid. I believe God used and blessed both Cornelius and Peter, so that earthly barriers could be torn down and His Word could be heard through them by the ministering of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:44-48 (NLT)
The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

44 Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. 45 The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God.

Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?” 48 So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Afterward Cornelius asked him to stay with them for several days.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Help us, Lord, to not get in the way of what You want to do in and through us with Your Spirit. Forgive us when we quiet Your Spirit. We want Your Spirit to be alive and active in our daily lives. We call for the saturation of Your Holy Spirit within us. We ask for all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.

Intro:  As we enter into a new year, I am praying for the Spirit to help more people come to salvation and step into God’s family.   Wouldn’t it be amazing to experience God leading a revival by pouring his Spirit across the globe?  God longs for his human family to come back into fellowship with him; he loves us all so very much.  I believe a prayer for revival should cross our lips every day.

 It is the work of the gospel to bring all worshipers—Jews and non-Jews—together as One in God’s kingdom and family.  The Apostle Paul—a Jew—was imprisoned for proclaiming this Oneness to non-Jews [Gentiles].  God’s grace was on Paul to minister this truth and he knew that wherever he found himself and whatever situations came his way this was God’s purpose for him.  So whether free or imprisoned, he was a servant of Christ not a victim of his circumstances.  This is a truth each one of us who belong to Christ must accept. 

According to Paul, for the saved—those who believe in the work of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sin—there is to be no racial, social, or spiritual distinctions. In Christ, no one is beyond the work of restoration; all human beings require restoration and can be made whole in Christ.  Together we can all glorify God and display his power and wisdom.  But, we must be willing to step into God’s family in humility, repentance, obedience, and champion a heart for the world’s salvation.  That means things like pride, hatred, and greed for power must be left at the cross before crossing into Kingdom Living and the glorious presence of God.

Ephesians 3:1-12  NLT God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed

3 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . 2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.

6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.  7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. 9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for calling all of humanity into your glorious presence.  May we let go of the petty attitudes and selfish actions that divide us, all bow to the Truth of your Word, and unite as One in Christ for your honor and glory.  Send a revival across the world we pray!  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.