Promise for Today - Choosing Up

He has planted eternity in the human heart. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

Heaven and hell are real. God wants you to understand this eternal reality, along with the realities of life that are found in His Word.

The first reality of life is that God made you so He could love you, and he wants you to learn to love him back. The Great Commandment says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NIV).

The second reality of life is this: You were made to last forever. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has planted eternity in the human heart” (NLT). No matter how good things are on this planet, at some point in your life, you’ll think, “There’s got to be more than this.”

And there is! You’re going to spend far more time on the other side of death than on this side. This life is preparation for your life in eternity.

Because of that, you have the third reality of life: God has prepared two eternal places, heaven and hell.

God has been preparing heaven since the foundation of the world. Jesus says in Matthew 25:34, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (NLT). You don’t have to stay forever on a planet broken by sin. You can choose to go to a place of perfection and be in God’s presence forever.

But hell is also a real place. Jesus goes on to say, “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons’” (Matthew 25:41 NLT). Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, who rebelled against God. But now it is a reality for anyone who chooses to rebel against God.

When I spend time talking about the reality of hell, it’s not because I want you to be scared and depressed. I want you to understand the truth about hell so that you can fully embrace the fourth reality of life: You get to choose where you’ll spend eternity.

Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God’s blessing and God’s curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Choose life” (GNT).

God wants you to choose life and to spend eternity with him. He’s opened the door to heaven through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus promised, “Anyone who believes me and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe me will be condemned” (Mark 16:16 CEV).

When you choose to believe in Jesus, you’re guaranteed everlasting life with God in heaven. What a promise!

Talk It Over

Why do you think God gives you the choice of whether or not to love him?

How does understanding the reality of hell help you better understand God’s love?

In what ways is God preparing you now for eternity?
- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Everything we've experienced and everything we have learned has brought us to this place of choosing. We realize it's not as easy as the childhood question of "What do you want to be when you grow up?" We now know it's about making a decisive choice to follow Jesus. We realize it means living with eternity in mind, aligning our actions with Your Truth, practicing forgiveness, and seeking Your guidance in all matters. Father, we need Your ever-present wisdom and guidance to know that eternal life choices are about making the conscious, ongoing. daily decision to follow in the footsteps of truth, to accept Your forgiveness, and to live in obedience — knowing that these choices have lasting consequences beyond this life. Father, we choose You and Your Way. Help us to walk uprightly in it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - If We So Choose

 He [God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 

2nd Corinthians 1:4 NLT

Short and to the point. This is not a ministry of apologetics. I am a firm believer that God does not need nor does He want anyone to apologize for anything He does or anything He allows to touch our lives. 

I most definitely believe that God can and will use everything that happens to us - good or bad - to create and/or strengthen Christ-like character in us... IF we allow Him to work in us. IF we choose to forgive. IF we choose the counsel of His Word over what we want to do in the flesh. 

You've been through a bad time? Did God get you through? Share it! You've been an addict and God delivered you? Share it! You've been abused? Molested? Held captive - literally or spiritually? Lost it all? God healed you and set you free?!? Share it! Or maybe you didn't get healed, but God has given you the grace to walk through it. I can't list everything here - but you get the picture.

God has comforted you and now you are to comfort others with the comfort He gave you!

And if you are NOW going through these things - I can put you in touch with people who have a testimony - those who know the way God will get you through because He did it for them! And I guarantee He will do it for you. That should be a comfort!

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for always sending someone to light our way with the oil of Your grace and to lighten our load with the comfort of Your Word for us and to us. Thank You, Father, for loving us beyond our expectation and even our ability to comprehend the depth of it. Thank You for every hard place we've ever been in that worked a measure of compassion and grace in us to be able to comfort others. Open our eyes to the opportunities around us to share those comforts to hurting hearts and souls in our sphere of influence and beyond. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Lent - Day Thirty-Four - Two Paths?

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 
John 14:1-3

In Robert Frost’s poem, “The Road Not Taken,” a person is presented with the dilemma of two paths of equal possibility. He takes one, leaving the other for another day, then adds, “Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.”1 Reflecting on this, he concludes that he chose the better road: the one less traveled.

Theologian Bo Giertz notes that our self-righteous and self-sufficient nature would have us “go the way of obedience to the very end in order to find peace with God. But the way of obedience has no end. It lies endlessly before you, bringing continually severer demands and constantly growing indebtedness.”2 We may work to take stock of our deeds, examine our hearts, and amend our lives. It seems like the right way, but it never ends, leading on and on, steeper and steeper. This way can never bring us to peace with God.

In contrast, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Here is a road that is simply wonderful. God has driven us toward this road all along. This is the road where, with eyes opened to see our sinful state, we look up to see Jesus standing in its midst. This is the road where his righteousness is offered to everyone who believes. Only in Jesus do we find rest for our anguished souls. Here peace is offered and we are led to the Father.

Prayer: 

Lord, 

        Lead me in Your way of truth that I may always rest in Your unchanging grace. Amen.

1 Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken.”

2 Bo Giertz, “The Hammer of God” Augsburg Fortress, 2005 p.173.

Reading Further - John 14:1-14

1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Intentional Choices

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2 NKJV

When we face the hard times in life, times that include inflation, pandemics, wars, rumors of wars, etc, we have the choice of trusting God or being afraid and worried. Which will you choose? Do we stand on the Word of God - His Truth - and trust Him in it or do we say, "Yeah, but..." and spout off all the circumstances that we see that are in opposition to His Word?
2nd Corinthians 5:7 tells us ...we walk by faith, not by sight.

It IS a choice. Our choice.

And choosing to trust God is always the right choice. He is our salvation. What does that mean? According to Merriam-Webster, salvation is defined as 1: the saving of a person from sin or evil. 2: something that saves from danger or difficulty.

Yes, both sound exactly like our God. Will we choose to trust Him?

Prayer:

Father,
           In all things, in all situations, in all circumstances, we actively, intentionally choose to trust You. According to Your Word, we believe, Father, help our unbelief. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

No Other Choice

But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:38-41 NKJV

In our text for today, it’s important to know that when Jesus got in the boat, He told the disciples they were going to the other side. When the wind kicked up and the waves threatened them, the disciples forgot what He said. Yet He spoke one time to the wind and the waves, and they instantly obeyed His voice. There was no other choice. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...  

God spoke the world into existence. His words created light and life. He took the dust of the Earth He had created and breathed life into it and formed mankind in His own image...and I personally think that was the first and last time God didn't get an argument from somebody about what He was doing and the way He chose to do it. Up to that point, there was no other choice. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...

When God speaks into our lives - when He speaks to our hearts - if we claim to be His - what makes us think we have the right to offer and choose alternative options for how WE think HE should do it?

There is no other choice. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven...

Prayer:

Our Father,
                   Which art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. THY will be done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Power of Choice

"Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. 
1st Samuel 1:18 NLT

In spite of Eli's first false assumption about her, piled on top of Peninnah's derision, and the judgment of others regarding her childlessness that hadn't changed - once she gave it to the Lord, Hannah chose to be grateful, rather than continue in being offended.

It hit me like the old hymn, Leave It There... when we bring our burdens to the Lord, we need to leave them there and CHOOSE to believe His Word. CHOOSE to trust Him. CHOOSE to live in God's Truth that He IS sovereign and He has the plan and that ALL the parts of it work together for our good!

♪♫ Leave it there! Leave it there! Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there! If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out! Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there! ♪♫ 

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for Your Word to guide us in the hard times. Thank You for the measure of faith that You give to all of us. We choose to trust You. We choose to be grateful. We choose to give thanks IN all things, according to Your Word and not according to our flesh and how we feel... Help us, O Lord! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Lie

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;
Deuteronomy 30:19-20a NKJV

I watched a movie the other day about a young woman looking to fulfill her purpose in life. She had a plan. Then she got a job that turned out to be life-changing for her. At first, it was just a job. A means to an end. She didn't even like it all that much. She was just there on her way to being where she wanted to be. But being there every day, being with the people, seeing it all first-hand, she got caught up in all of it and it literally changed her life. She became VERY successful and it changed all the lives she touched, as well.

She worked her way up, fought hard, performed well, moved into a position of importance and travelled the world over. Sounds pretty good, hunh? However, it was not a change for the good. And throughout the course of it, she would say, "I have no choice. I have to work." "I have no choice - she's the boss." "I have no choice - I have to do what she says." All the while, climbing the ladder, feeding the frenzy of her ego and competitiveness and desire to win. "I didn't choose to do that - it's part of my job. I have to. I have no choice." She bought the lie. Hook, line and sinker... and because of it, she lost the truth of her life. She had no true confidant, no one that knew her for herself, let alone loved her for who she was.

There is ALWAYS a choice. God said so. He set it before us. We may not like the consequences or the results of the choices. We may have to choose to do without or choose to not go, or - horror of horrors - make a stand where people will think we're weird or call us a goodie-two-shoes. Luke 6:22 says, What blessings await you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you follow the Son of Man. Mark 8:36, And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?

You have a choice. Choose wisely. Choose Truth. Choose life.

Prayer:

Father,
           We want to choose You. You are our life and the length of our days. We want to love You with all our hearts and all our minds and all our strength. We want to obey You. Be our strength. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Believe It or Not

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 NKJV

God the Father has spoken Truth since Day One. He speaks nothing else. He doesn't say we have to believe. He gives us the either or and we're free to choose from that point. We can choose to believe or choose not to - we always have a choice.

Isaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah. They knew He was coming.  They watched for Him. It was written down in Scripture for them to know because that day in the Temple, Jesus stood to take His turn at reading from what Isaiah had written. Luke tells it this way: And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

And that's all it took. It was on from there. He'd no sooner closed the book and the debate began, "Isn't this Joseph's son?" Immediately, the world and its' junk began crowding in. They had a choice - believe it or not.

We all have moments when we have to choose what we believe. Oh, we've all heard people say, "I had no choice."  We've even said it ourselves but the truth is, there's always a choice.

Will we, by faith, choose God's Truth over what we see with our eyes? Faith tells us one thing, but we are tempted to believe what we see and hear in the natural. It's at that point that many times we struggle to believe it or not. I don't say that to point fingers. We're in good company - John the Baptist did the same thing. John - the same John Isaiah wrote about, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord. And yet when John was in prison, awaiting his fate, he sent some of his own disciples to Jesus. Luke 7:20-22 NKJV reads, When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’” And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them." Jesus did not say to John, "Yeah, it's Me. I'm the One. It's all good."

Jesus gave John the Truth. The Truth of His Word - Scripture fulfilled - and it was John's choice to believe it or not.

We've all experienced moments when we question, but when we seek Truth, it is not a fearful thing. Believe it.

Prayer:

Father,
         You are not a man that You would lie. All Your ways are just and true. Help us to know Your Truths  - write them on our hearts and in our minds, O God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Today, I Choose

...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
Joshua 24:15b NKJV

New Year's Day marks the anniversary of the first Promise for Today that I sent to a handful of friends and family members in 1996. When I first started sending out the Promise, I used other people's devotions from books I had and then later, I purchased more. We went through quite a few over the years. Sometimes, I'd take them directly from a book, but I always let people know what book we were using. And sometimes I would elaborate and add my own comments. Those of you who know me know that written words are my passion... but I started with the works of others. 

Then in 2007, my beloved former pastor, Doc (Dr. Howard O. Jameson) challenged me to step up, to make it personal and write from my heart about how God's Word affects me, rather than from someone else's heart and perspective. It has been the most challenged commitment of my life. 

My slogan for this new year is "I need God more in 2-0-1-4." More of God, less (and less and less) of me. By God's grace and with His direction, my life will be changed according to the choices I make in obedience to Christ. As always, it's all about the choices.

The Promise started with the following excerpt from Max Lucado's book, When God Whispers Your Name. Every year, I send it out as the first Promise of the New Year to remind us of our choices.

Max Lucado writes:
It's quiet. It's early. The coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met.

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I am free to choose. And so I choose.

I Choose Love ... No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I Choose Joy ... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical ... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I Choose Peace ... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I Choose Patience ... I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I Choose Kindness ... I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I Choose Goodness ... I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I Choose Faithfulness ... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I Choose Gentleness ... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. 

I Choose Self-Control ... I am a spiritual being ... After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek his grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

Prayer:

Father,
          We choose You. Thank You for the power of Your Word to change our lives and our choices for how we live the life You have given us. Give us the courage to walk in the conviction of Your Word. Father, we ask that You guide us in EACH step of life. I pray Your provision and protection over those You have allowed me to touch with Your Word. Let us be ever mindful of You, Lord, the Author and Finisher of our faith. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen