Promise for Today - Kingdom Living

Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10 NKJV

Right from here, let me assure you this is NOT a political statement. However, to properly reveal how I have been corrected, I have to provide a little American history background.

'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' This sentence - from the Declaration of Independence - is one of the best-known sentences in the English language and has been called "the most potent and consequential words in American history," according to a book titled "American Creation". The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing grievances against the crown, asserting certain so-called “natural rights,” including the right of revolution.

People who are born and raised in the U.S. usually have a different view than most everyone else about the world and the way they think it should be. Unless one has traveled or lived outside of the continental United States, the prevailing mindset is we have our rights - certain 'unalienable Rights' – and that’s all there is to it. (And if you are blessed and highly favored of God enough so that you get to live in Texas – well, I’d say that statement alone is proof that there is a certain – shall we say – convinced attitude – of what rights are natural and unalienable…) And as Americans (whether Texan or not), if anything goes against our grain or “violates” our rights, we’re going to do something about it. (And right up to this point, I’m amen-ing and nodding approval and in 100% agreement with myself…)

However, a few years back, my very Texan, very American pastor poked a great gaping hole in my Texas/American attitude and made me look at myself in the Light of Truth. What am I FIRST– a Lover of Texas? An American? Or a Christian? Where do I pledge my allegiance and faith? By what rules do I live? Where is my heart?!?

Well, I’m a Christian Texas-loving American… However, the Word reads, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." As Christians, we’re no longer in a democracy; we’re in a kingdom. God’s kingdom. He rules… with HIS rules.

Prayer:

Father,
         Forgive me for every time I try to bend the rules to accommodate myself – to try to justify my own wants and my own desires. I want to follow You. I want to live the way You want me to live. Help me, Father. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

Promise for Today Favorite - Living Proof

The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.
Proverbs 20:7 NLT

You may not have children of your own, but most of us have seen babies who are learning to walk, so regardless, you'll have a point of reference. When my children were babies, I could teach them how to pull themselves up to stand. I could even offer them a hand. I could support them under their arms while they bounced and jumped and strengthened their leg muscles. I would hold both hands so they could stay up and not fall, but they had to make their legs and feet move. I would encourage them - even entice them with a toy or treat - but until they decided they wanted to and made up their mind to do it, they did not take one step on their own.

You can't make a baby walk unless he or she is ready to walk - whether it's an actual baby or someone trying to follow Jesus. By the same token, in order for the child to be able to walk on its own, you have to let go. They will totter, and stumble, and trip, and they will fall. And after a few falls, they may even decide just to sit or crawl for a while and try that walking thing a little later. They will get bruised, scraped up - they might even bleed and have scars as a result - but eventually, they will learn to walk because they choose to do so.

And the longer they do it, the better they get at it. You're living proof...so make sure you walk with integrity.

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to be good stewards of who and what You have given us. Continue to give us revelation wisdom so we can teach others about You and how to walk in Your way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Complete Sentence

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

1st John 2:6 NLT

You may not have noticed that our Promise for Today is a complete sentence. There are no qualifying phrases such as "unless they are provoked"; "as long as they're not tired"; or "if they want to or feel like it".

Are we living our lives as Jesus did? In direct, immediate obedience to God? 

No murmuring, no complaining, no excuses, no arguing with God about circumstances or anything? If not, we must repent.

Repentance is sincere regret or remorse. It's a turning away from. It's hating ANYTHING that separates us from God. 2nd Corinthians 7:10 NLT tells us, "For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death." 

True repentance frees us from sin, enabling us to live as Jesus did. Complete.

Prayer:

Father,
           Turn our hearts toward Your way and Your will. Help us to live as Jesus did. Holy and acceptable unto You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today Favorite - What's More Important

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was. Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:32-35 NIV

Jesus was always doing something. He was very hands-on. You know He was busy during the day, and yet here He is in this passage at evening time, after sunset. After the normal day's work. And the people brought Him ALL the sick and demon-possessed. And look! It says the whole town gathered at the door. Now, if you've ever been to a healing service where they called for everyone, you KNOW it goes on for hours. The whole town, and it was already after supper time! So we can just guess that it was very late when He lay down to rest.

And yet, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up..." He didn't have 8 hours of sleep. He didn't get a cup of coffee. He didn't grab the morning edition of the Jerusalem Journal to catch up on the news. There was no TV. No radio. It doesn't say He crawled back into bed to catch a few more minutes of sleep because He was so tired. No, He left the house and went off to pray... someplace where He could be alone with God the Father.

Jesus knew the Scriptures because He read from the scrolls of Isaiah (Luke 4), so I believe He knew Isaiah 40:31, "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Jesus knew He had to wait on the Lord. What's more important than time spent with the Lord?

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to be more in tune with who You are than who we are. Drive home the Truth that to renew our strength, we must wait on You. Let us do so with joy and anticipation of what we will hear when we are alone with You and hear You speak to us. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Promise for Today - Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4 NLT

You know it's easy to serve the Lord when everything is going well. It's easy to be kind. It's easy to be loving. It's easy to be patient in the good times. It's really easy to have great joy when everything's good. Would you agree?

We've talked about it before - there are times I still struggle with considering troubles as opportunities for great joy. I can lose sight of the joy when the mountains of obstacles overwhelm me on every side. That is the test of our faith - the opportunity for our endurance to grow. (Some translations read "patience for endurance".) So, how important is that, anyway, to let our endurance grow?

In Matthew 24:13, Jesus tells us just how important: "But the one who endures to the end will be saved." I don't want to have made it this far only to give up when we're so close to the end, do you? As the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in 12:1, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

So let's join with James, and Jesus, and the great cloud of witnesses, and do as Peter says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while." (1st Peter 1:6 NLT)

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for the opportunities for great joy! Thank You for the faith-building endurance training. Thank You for strengthening us to to be able to endure to the end, just as You have said, so that we will be saved. Let us be found faithful to the end. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Learning Who to Rely On - A Reminder

Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.

1st Timothy 4:7 NIV

In The Message, it reads this way, "Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion."

I hope you will read to the end. I'm about to jump all over two statements that some people believe are from Scripture. I've even been asked where they are in the Bible. Remember, my goal is that the Truth will set you free. 

1. God helps those who help themselves.

2. God won't give you (or put on you) more than you can bear.

I grew up hearing those two fallacies preached at me like they were gospel - straight from the Word of God. They are NOT!

I think the first one might remotely hint at 2nd Thessalonians 3:10, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." I guess if you really reach, you might be able to loosely define those who work so they can eat as helping themselves, but that's a real stretch...

And for the second one, people tout 1st Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." This Scripture passage in context (read verses 6-12) is actually about people being tempted to sin and God in His grace providing the way of escape from the temptation. It has nothing to do with bearing a load.

The DANGER in believing those two statements are Scriptural is when life really IS more than we can bear in (and of) our own strength. When we fail because it's not within OUR strength, we blame God because we tried to help ourselves, so why didn't He help us? And believing (the fallacy) that He won't put more on us than we can bear, we get angry and hurt and disappointed and feel betrayed by God because it WAS more than we could bear... on our own. Paul tells us the Truth when he addresses the church in Corinth from his own experience.

In 2nd Corinthians 1:8-9a NLT, Paul writes, "We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die..."
Yes, he said, "We think you ought to know..."

Now here's the treasure! The Truth that will set you free! Continuing in verse 9b - 10, "But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us."

It's always been about us learning to rely on God.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for opening our eyes to the Truth of Your Word. Cause the roots of it to go deep into our hearts. Forgive us for believing silly stories dressed up as religion. Give us the opportunity to spread the Light of Your Truth to all who will listen. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Lent - Day 34 - One Teacher

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025
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Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 

The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.

Matthew 23:1-22

“You have one teacher.” We live in a world filled with many experts on any topic and any issue. But for Christians, there is only one authoritative teacher—Christ. In a time where everyone has an opinion and every opinion is viewed as having personal validity and therefore “truth”, Christians recognize only one authoritative teacher—Christ. In a world where we are bombarded with a confluence of voices and messages, for Christians there is only one authoritative teacher—Christ. As disciples of Jesus, it can be difficult and exhausting to wade through it all in order to cling only to the authoritative teaching of Christ. We are not alone in this struggle. This has been the difficulty for all of Jesus’ disciples. This is exactly why some of those earliest disciples wrote things like, "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope…not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another all the more." (Hebrews 10:23-25) Christ encourages us to be gathered to hear His word so that through the preaching of pastors, the examination of Scripture, and conversations with brothers and sisters in Christ He would be able to teach, instruct, and encourage us in faith.

Prayer:

Christ, 

         Be our teacher in age as in youth, drifting or doubting, for You are the truth. Grant us to trust You; though shifting as sand, doubt cannot daunt us; for in You we stand. Amen.

Prayer adapted from the words of Timothy Dudley-Smith.

Lent - Day 14 - The Greatest Miracle

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025

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Getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. 

When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men. As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Matthew 9:1-13

Matthew chapters 8 and 9 hold an accumulation of at least nine different miracles depending on how exactly you number the accounts. In the midst of all these miracles, Matthew records what he probably considered the greatest miracle of all: That Jesus, the Son of God, would turn to him, a sinner, and say, “Follow me.” For all the miracles that take place, there is no greater miracle than being called to faith, and given the gift of life. Take time today to reflect on that miracle which the Holy Spirit has worked in your life.

Prayer:

Merciful Father, 

                       Through Jesus Christ You have called me from death to life. What a lifesaving miracle that is. Thank You for that gift. Amen.

Lent - Day 13 - He Carried Our Diseases

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025
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When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment. And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave.

Matthew 8:1-34

In the days of Jesus’ ministry, leprosy was a horrible disease that ate away at the very existence of a person. A person with leprosy was considered unclean and therefore separated from the life of the community. Sin acts in much the same way. It eats away at the life that God intended for us. It brings death and destruction to this creation. It separates us from God and isolates us from others because we are unclean. That is why Jesus’s crucifixion is such a gift of mercy. There, “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” He became a man and took on human flesh. He took on our leprous sin. He became our disease in order that we might be made clean.

Prayer:

Lord, 

         Thank You for cleansing us with Your precious blood and for clothing us in Your righteousness. Remove our sin today. Amen.

To Number Our Days

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. 

Psalm 90:12 ESV

Numbering our days in this verse is not about us knowing how many days we will live. Psalm 139:16 tells us that God determined the number of days in each of our lives before we ever breathed one of them. Rather, it is about realizing our days are not to be wasted. 

If we consider how short life truly is then making the most of our days to seek God's plan and purpose would be to gain the heart of wisdom. And by doing so, we can set and accomplish Godly priorities in the time allotted. 

It's been said, 'Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once.' God wastes nothing, and neither should we. 

Prayer:

Father,

           Please forgive us for the time and times we have wasted. We ask that You make the brevity of life sink into our souls so we are convicted and thus compelled to make Godly choices during our short time on this earth. Give us the wisdom and Your strength to do all that You have planned for us, according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Thoughtlessly

"So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."
Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT

We come to Christ for salvation, knowing we are sinners and unable to fix ourselves - knowing He is the only One who can save us. After we receive our salvation from Him (remember, it's a gift), we try to spend the rest of our lives doing things to earn it or prove that we're good enough to have earned it. We are not. Scripture is very clear about that. Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT reads, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

There is a plan behind all of it and we need to understand that God didn't just save us so we could get to heaven. There IS something for us to do - but it's according to HIS plan. If we continue on to verse 10, it explains, "For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Sometimes, we get sidetracked and don't even realize it. However, if we're serious about following God, He will reveal it to us.

I remember having a dream once where I was at some social event with a lot of different people and I kept finding myself in circumstances that seemed okay to start with, but after I was there for a little bit, I would realize the conversations were full of veiled innuendos, things that I knew were not Godly, even though there was nothing blatant about it. I had to keep stepping away. Underlying the whole scenario was a sense of being in a life-threatening position. Although I couldn't actually see anything that appeared life-threatening, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that there was no life, no Light. 

After being there for a little while, I grabbed a handful of some snack without even thinking about it, but at the first bite, it was beyond awful, and I was horrified. I immediately spit it out and kept wiping my tongue with the napkin. Finally, I headed to the restroom to brush my teeth to try to rid myself of the taste, only to have someone follow me in - someone who had no business being in there and I told them to get out. Then someone else knocked on the door looking for the person who followed me in, my response was to ask why they thought that person would be in there...

I was appalled and I immediately woke up. When I did, it was with pieces of the chorus to the song, "Undo" running around in my head.  You see, we get caught up in the things of this life and don't realize they're absolutely life-threatening to our life in Christ. Oh, on the surface, they're not bad. We're not out getting drunk or having clandestine affairs, etc, but we do things without thinking - thoughtlessly (like taking the handful of snack in the dream).  Mindlessly, they steal our time. We spend it in trivial pursuit... because it's something to do.

"So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do."

Prayer:

Father,
           In the words of the song, Lord - "Turn us around, pick us up, undo what we've become. Bring us back to the place of forgiveness and grace. We need You, need Your help. We can't do this ourselves. You're the only One who can undo what we've become..." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-oZbBS_OhM

Reminder: Strong and Courageous

But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.Revelation 21:8 NLT

How many times do we NOT do something because we are afraid? Years ago, my pastor taught a series called "ALL IN" based in Joshua - "Be strong and very courageous..."   Today, I read an excerpt that ties in so well with strong and courageous. It's from Max Lucado's "Fearless" and I'm going to share it here with you:
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Fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness.
Happiness complies and leaves.
Do you ever see the two together?
Can one be happy and afraid at the same time?
Clear thinking and afraid?
Confident and afraid?
Merciful and afraid?
No.

Fear never wrote a symphony or poem,
[never] negotiated a peace treaty,
or cured a disease.
Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry.
Fear never saved a marriage or a business.
Courage did that.
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God instructs Joshua, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:7-9 NLT

Prayer:

Father,
           Our hope, our faith, our trust is in You and You alone. You are our strength, our shield, our fortress, our strong tower. We will follow Your command to be strong and courageous, and we choose also to NOT be afraid or discouraged. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Just Because

"You say, 'I am allowed to do anything'—but not everything is good for you. You say, 'I am allowed to do anything'—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others."
1st Corinthians 10:23-24 NLT

Grace. Unmerited favor. That which makes all things lawful. Isn't God's grace absolutely amazing? However, as our text for today so eloquently states, just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should. As Christians - those who profess to follow Christ - it is no longer an option to live only for ourselves with no thought for how it will affect others. And the way we live our lives DOES affect others, whether or not we are intentional about our actions.

Christ led by example. He could have called ten thousand angels to free Himself from the whole process leading up to, and including, the cross at Calvary. He had the authority and the power and the freedom to do that. It would have been much easier on Jesus personally if He had. He would never have had to endure the beatings and the humiliation and the torture. He wouldn't have had to suffer being brutally murdered... It was an option, a choice He could have made. Instead, He chose the Father's will over His own.

He chose to lay down His life to pay the debt for our sins, so we could have eternal life with the Father. He knew it was going to be more pain than you and I can imagine. He knew He would be murdered. He chose to make a way for our salvation knowing full well that there were, and are, many who would reject Him and the provision He made. Did that stop Him? No. Does it make His incredible gift any less valuable because there are those who reject Him? No.

We are to pattern our lives after His. Everything Jesus did while on this earth was about our Father first and then for others. Should we do less just because we can?

Prayer:

Father,
            Bring Godly conviction and true repentance to our lives. Shine Your Light of Truth on our hearts and expose any lies and selfishness. By Your Grace, let us live our lives according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Advent Day 21 - Jesus is a Different Kind of King

This year's Advent devotionals are from A Celebration of Advent:
A 25-Day Devotional by New Spring Church of Anderson, SC
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“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” 

Isaiah 11:1-2

We all have bosses — some good, some not. Jesus is a different kind of King. Imagine a boss who is always wise, patient, gentle, kind, and faithful to keep his promises. What if that leader always had his employees’ best interests at heart? And, what if following this authority led to more peace than you knew was possible?

Isaiah tells us that this type of King will rule the people of God. These verses announced to God’s people that your Savior is coming! This King will be righteous and dispense justice based on obedience, not favoritism. This kingdom would be different than anything we have ever known. This King will ask people to follow Him. He will draw people to Himself through love, not fear.

Jesus is the king Isaiah describes. And when He returns to rule and reign, “the whole earth will be brimming with knowing God-Alive, a living knowledge of God ocean-deep, ocean-wide” Isaiah 11:9, MSG.

Reflect: Read Isaiah 11:1-10

How does Isaiah’s description of the King remind you of Jesus?
How might your relationship with Jesus need to change to reflect that He is both Savior and Ruler?

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Prayer:

Father,

           It is only by faith in You and Your Word that we can even dream of a kingdom where nothing will hurt or destroy each other or anything else. Your Word declares Your love is how we will be identified as Your disciples. Help us do our part as Christ-followers to live in peace and extend Your amazing love to one another. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Advent Day 4 - God Blesses Us Even...

This year's Advent devotionals are from A Celebration of Advent: A 25-Day Devotional
by New Spring Church of Anderson, SC
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“ ... the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord.’” 

Luke 1:13-15 

Though Zechariah and Elizabeth wanted children, all signs pointed to “no.” All their prayers seemed to produce were old age and empty arms. As a priest serving in the temple of the Lord, Zechariah should have been leading out in faith, but he did not believe the words of the angel. Zechariah’s unbelief muted his testimony of God’s faithfulness.

Zechariah’s faith grew even as he sat in silence, watching the child grow in Elizabeth’s belly. After a miraculous nine months, Zechariah and Elizabeth faithfully listened to God and named their baby John (see Luke 1:59-63). Immediately, Zechariah’s tongue was loosed, and he began declaring the faithfulness of God and prophesying over his newborn son.

If we are faithless, God still proves faithful (2 Timothy 2:13). Our wavering uncertainty does not nullify God’s faithfulness. Like Zechariah, our faith can grow, and we can serve God without fear. Despite our doubts, God still blesses us.

REFLECT:   Read Luke 1:5-25, Luke 1:57-66

What does Zechariah’s life show us about God’s patience?

Is there an area in your life where you’re doubting God?

How do you see God working in your situation?

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Prayer:

Father,

           Your Word declares that Your faithfulness, O God, reaches beyond the clouds. David writes in Psalms that when we trust in You and do good, we can feed securely on Your faithfulness. Strengthen us to remain steadfast in Your faithfulness and to not be moved by anything else we see, hear or touch. We want to please You, Father, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

In God’s Presence - Thanksgiving Devotional #6

Written by Rachel Schmoyer. Pastor's wife and mother of 4, she finds simple truths in complex parts of Scripture through her Read the Hard Parts blog and speaking ministry.
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Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 NIV

Thanksgiving is an invitation into God’s presence. On Thanksgiving Day, we are reminded of God’s presence through prayer and by enumerating our blessings. When my grandfather was living, he was the designated person to pray a hearty prayer before our meal. Now my husband usually does it since he is a pastor. But the beautiful thing is that God invites us into His presence with thanksgiving all year long. 

The Psalmist knew the importance of thanksgiving when entering the temple for worship. Psalm 95:2 says “Come into His presence with thanksgiving.” In Philippians 4:6, Paul encourages us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” In this verse, thanksgiving is not just the attitude we are supposed to have when we ask God for our needs, but it is the answer to anxiety in every situation.

Giving thanks in God’s presence is a daily thing. We can do this in a number of ways:
Start each prayer with thanking God for what He has already done for us before we ask for what we need.
Write down our thanks to God to keep us in the habit of it. (I have some friends who have a thankfulness journal and they write down one thing they are thankful for every day.)
Pray a prayer of thanksgiving before you eat every meal. Many of us grew up with this habit, but if you have fallen out of the habit, restart today.

May this Thanksgiving [Season] remind you to bring thanksgiving into God’s presence all year long.
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Prayer:

Father,

           We pray as King David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  Give us grateful hearts, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen 
(Psalm 139:23-24)

Consultation

"Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile."
Psalm 94:9-11 NIV

We make our plans, plan our lives, and think we're on the right path. Have we consulted with God? Have we even inquired what He might think of them? But then we want to fuss and fume and question God when it all goes awry...  Or worse, blame Him. 

Let's do the consultation FIRST. 

Prayer:

Father,

         Blessed are the ones You discipline, Lord, the ones You teach from Your law; You grant us relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For You will not reject Your people; You will never forsake Your inheritance. We look forward to the day that Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow what You have so faithfully laid before us. We embrace Your Word, Your will, Your way. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Appointed, Anointed, Not Elected

Come, everyone! Clap your hands!
Shout to God with joyful praise!
For the Lord Most High is awesome.
He is the great King of all the earth.
He subdues the nations before us, putting our enemies beneath our feet. He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance, the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves. Interlude

God has ascended with a mighty shout.
The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth.
Praise him with a psalm.
God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne.
The rulers of the world have gathered together with the people of the God of Abraham. For all the kings of the earth belong to God.
He is highly honored everywhere.

Psalm 47 NLT

Prayer:

Father,

          You ARE the Great King of all the Earth! We praise and glorify You. We pray for You to reign over us from Your Holy Throne. We submit to Your will and Your way. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Different Perspective

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT

The Apostle Paul had a different perspective on life than most people. Instead of a bird's eye view, he had a God's eye view. 

Paul was a man who understood suffering and the benefit of it. Yes, the benefit of it! He realized that the results of suffering and hardship wrought a much greater reward of Christ-like character in us when we trust God through it all. Not the least of which are compassion, patience, and understanding. These are things for which we should be grateful. 

James 1:2-4 NLT reads,  "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance [patience] is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

Any opportunity to grow in the Lord is cause for "great joy".  Every time our faith is tested, our "endurance has a chance to grow". So, we can focus on the problems, the issues, the tests, the trials, the suffering... or we can have a different perspective. A God's eye view.

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to not look at the troubles we can see now; but rather, to fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. Help us to see things through the Truth and Light of Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

REMINDER - Stand Up or Fall

[ Judgment for Disobedience ] “My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot out lies. They refuse to stand up for the truth. They only go from bad to worse. They do not know me,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:3 NLT

At the end of August, I'm thinking about Fall. It's my favorite season. However, in Texas, we don't really call it Fall. Here it's known as Lesser Summer... and we are grateful for it. Although lately there hasn't been anything "lesser" about the temperatures.

Nevertheless, people love to mark the seasons. In the U.S., Fall is most appreciated on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The trees are extraordinary with colors you have to see to believe. The photographs - no matter how good they are - just can't quite capture the first-hand experience. It is worth every penny to make that trip at least once in your lifetime.

As the news was abuzz with the change of seasons, I just kept thinking about Fall, which led me to think about The Fall. You know, Mankind's Fall. There's an old song from the 80's we used to sing that part of the lyric is: "If you don't stand up for what is right, you're going to fall for anything." As I contemplated that line, I realized the depth of the Truth in it.

When we make a stand for or against something, there is a determination in our stance. Our feet are planted more squarely, our body braced, our muscles tensed for action to combat the opposition. If we don't stand up for what we know to be right - what we know to be Truth - then we have no courage or strength born of conviction to withstand the onslaught against us and we will fall... again.

I love Ephesians 6:13-14a in the King James or the New King James: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth..." 

We will not fall if we take up the whole armor of God.

It's our choice: Stand up or fall.

Prayer:

Father,
           I don't want to be knocked down to make me look up. I look to You now for strength born of conviction to walk in Your Truth. We know Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and we want to follow Him and worship You in Truth. Help us, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen