An open door intrigues me. My curiosity always gets the best of me, and I want to look at what’s behind it. It amounts to nothing most of the time, but sometimes you get a pleasant surprise. God will open a door that he wants us to walk through. He has our best interests at…
Read MoreThere is a lot of selfless giving going on in the world today. People are donating their time and resources to those down and destitute. It warms your heart to see all of the acts of kindness going on. One famous chef provided over three million meals in one week to those who have lost…
Read MoreHave you ever doubted yourself? Did you have to make a decision where you didn’t know the outcome or perform a task you have never done before? It is easy to lose faith in your abilities when it is something new. That is the way the disciples felt being around Jesus. He was going around performing miracles, He spoke like no one they had ever heard, and He treated people with compassion and kindness. When he told them that he was leaving and they were going to lead the church it had to make them feel inadequate. They asked Him to increase their faith. Did you know you can ask Jesus to increase your faith?
Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
Faith is the primary substance of following Jesus. It takes faith to believe in a God you can’t see. It takes faith to step out and do something new for the Lord. This faith isn’t in yourself but Jesus himself. When we put our trust in Him, we are expressing our faith. When we send up a prayer expecting an answer, our faith is in action. You can’t manufacture your own faith. It is something that has to be given.
Read MoreHave you ever been around children who live in poverty? Even in the worst circumstances, they go about having fun with their friends. They find joy wherever they are. Do you realize that Jesus came to give you abundant life? Are you moping around feeling sorry for yourself? That isn’t what God intended when He sent His Son. He came that you would be made alive in the Spirit. That means we can live a life with peace and joy.
1 Peter 3:18
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”
Peter presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ in one of the clearest and straightforward verses in all of the Bible. We have been made alive in the Spirit because Jesus suffered and was put to death. Look at the transaction that was necessary here. The just, which means without sin, did this for the unjust. This is so revolutionary. Have you ever heard of a good person sacrificing himself for the bad? History is full of the unjust suffering for the just, yet Jesus turned that on its ear and suffered for those of us who don’t deserve it.
Read MoreAs the generations pass, children are getting more and more out of control. Parents don’t want to do the hard work of parenting their children when they are young, so they end up with rebellious teenagers. Then they wonder where they have gone wrong. Paul lays it out clearly. You need to have a house under control. If the home is in disorder, the community suffers. If the community is suffering, the country follows suit.
1 TIMOTHY 3:4-5
“He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?),”
This passage is directed toward elders. An elder needs to have his house in order. He needs to keep his kids under control with dignity. That means the children respect and obey their parents instead of fearing and despising them. Elders are church leaders and set the tone and example for the church. If an elder can’t lead his home, he is incapable of leading the church. This goes for pastors as well. Many pastors are great preachers or leaders, but their home is out of control.
Read MoreHave you ever used Google maps for directions, which led you on a goose chase through sides streets and eventually got you to a destination but not where you needed to be? That has happened to me several times. It is proof that all roads don’t lead to where you need to go. I ended up at the service entrance for a cemetery and had to backtrack for twenty minutes to get to the funeral I was officiating. People will tell you all roads lead to heaven, but in reality, Jesus is the only way.
1 TIMOTHY 2:5
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,”
A mediator is someone who goes between two parties and tries to settle the differences. Courts often use a mediator to work out issues that would clog the judicial system. Jesus acts as a mediator between God and us by paying the ransom of our sin. He redeems us from a debt we can’t pay by becoming our substitute. No one can come to God and have a right relationship unless they go through Jesus. He is our mediator before God.
Read MoreNavigating the seasons of life can be at least challenging but also confusing. The uncertainty of what is going on and how to deal with it can leave a person feeling overwhelmed. Peter went through a season like that. He wanted to quit the ministry and go back to fishing, but Jesus gently restored him. Jesus will ask you the same question, “Do you love me?”
JOHN 21:17
“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
Imagine being the Apostle Peter for just a moment. Jesus rebuked him when Peter said he would not allow him to die on the cross. Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan!” In the Garden, he lopped off a guy’s ear, and Jesus had to heal him. Finally, he denied Jesus three times, and the rooster crowed. You could see why he would feel defeated. Jesus restores Peter by asking him three times if he loved Him. Jesus tells him to refocus on what he was called to do, feed my sheep.
Read MoreAs I sit and write this devotional, my daughter is practicing her piano. She has been taking lessons for several years and has gotten good, but what she enjoys the most is playing in the worship band at the church. She was considering quitting lessons, but playing worship music made her want to get better because she knew she would be doing it for the rest of her life. She has developed a heart of worship similar to what we see in today’s passage.
PSALMS 104:33-34
“I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.”
The Psalmist perfectly describes someone who has a heart for worship. “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise God while I’m alive.” This is someone who likes to be full of the presence of the Lord. He would choose this over anything else. Worship is a powerful tool for the disciple in their daily walk with Jesus. It fulfills their innermost desires and gives them a sense of peace. A person with the heart of worship wants to be in close proximity to the Lord.
Read MoreIn America, we have the faces of some of our most outstanding leaders chiseled into the side of a mountain. It’s called Mount Rushmore, and four presidents have their faces memorialized for eternity. All of these men are known for their leadership and eloquent speeches. In the Bible, a leader who surpassed all of those presidents was Moses. Did you know he struggled in front of people? God uses the unlikely.
EXODUS 4:10
“Then Moses said to the LORD, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
It’s incredible to think that the greatest leader in the Bible had a problem communicating. He wasn’t eloquent even though he was educated under Pharaoh. Speaking in front of people was a struggle because he didn’t think quickly on his feet. He would be criticized and overlooked in today’s landscape because he wouldn’t be considered charismatic enough for people to follow. This shows you how God uses the unlikely.
Read MoreGoing for a walk has a way of removing the day’s stress. Sorting through your troubles makes it feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Jesus wants you to walk in peace. He can carry you through the storms and give rest to your worn-out heart. Look to Jesus and ask for his peace that passes all understanding.
John 20:19
“So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
The disciples were hiding away in fear from the Jews. They were shut in the Upper Room and uncertain what to do. At that moment, Jesus stood in the midst, saying, “Peace be with you.” It says the doors were locked, and no one was getting in without a struggle. Jesus appears in the room. He could’ve walked through the walls or just appeared out of thin air. It was a supernatural moment to show the disciples they had nothing to worry about. He reminded them He brought peace to their hearts.
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