How Are You Going to Live
Every human is confronted with thousands of decisions every day. Most go without notice. There are others that cause the blood pressure to rise and bring stress. These decisions often have to do with what we will do with our lives. Paul asks a similar question in today’s devotion, “How are you going to live?”
GALATIANS 5:13
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
The church in Galatia was mired in legalism. There were Jews who were born-again believers trying to force the gentile believers to follow the Old Testament law and get circumcised. Paul wrote the book of Galatians to battle against that spirit. He expounds on the freedom new believers have in Jesus. As he starts to close his letter, he tells the Galatians not to go to the opposite end of the spectrum by using their liberty to satisfy their flesh, focusing instead on serving one another in love.
Lost and Found
My wife used to work as a 6th-grade teacher at a Christian school. Several times a year, the school would hand the “lost and found” on the playground fence for the students and parents to reclaim the sweatshirts and jackets left behind. You would arrive at school to pick your child, and you couldn’t see the playground because the lost items covered the whole fence. By the time the students were picked up, most items were reclaimed. Today we look at another case of Lost and Found. In this case, a father had lost a son but had found him again.
Luke 15:31-32
Son,’ he said to him, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
The parable of the Prodigal Son is one the better known in the Gospels. There are several facets to the story. First, a son demands his inheritance before his father has died. Second, that son goes and blows it all partying and ends up hungry and homeless. Third, the son returns, and the father rejoices, but the brother who remained is bitter. Almost everyone has a prodigal in their family. It’s the person who veered off the path, made some poor choices, and ended up in a proverbial ditch. How to handle them when they return is a challenge. Some are thrilled, and others are resentful. We need to take the father’s posture in this parable because He represents God.
Singing a New Song
When you go through a significant change, it produces a profound impact on almost every area of your life. That change often changes your outlook on life and causes you to speak and act differently. Society calls it “Singing a different tune.” When you let Jesus into your heart, and he comes and cleans house and fills it with His Spirit, you start singing a new song. All those old things are in the past, and new life has sprung forth.
Isaiah 12:2
“Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.”
Isaiah chapter twelve is a short song that God gave to the people. God wanted to be the strength and song for the Israelites. Isaiah recognized that. Sometimes singing it in a song can help people remember better. That is the case here where Isaiah declares God is his salvation and the source of his strength. Because of this, Isaiah will sing about his trust. Do you have the song of salvation in your heart? Are His praises continually on your lips?
Looking for the Lost
There is a funny video floating around on social media with the voice of a comedian talking about how his wife is perfect, never does anything wrong, but can never find her phone. It’s funny because it’s spot on. People looking for their lost cell phone or asking people to call it is a commonplace today. Jesus came to earth looking for the lost. He wanted to share the Gospel with them so that they could be saved.
LUKE 19:10
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Do you realize that Jesus actively seeks you when you are lost and headed towards hell? People don’t look for Jesus; He looks for you. Let that marinate for a second. What other god or religion has the leader looking for their followers? Most require the follower to go on a pilgrimage and inflict great harm on themselves to find what they are looking for. Jesus was in heaven, but came to earth, suffered on the cross, and was resurrected to find you. You do very little work in the salvation process.
Do It Through Faith
The start of a new year brings optimism and a renewed sense of purpose. You want to put away all of the bad stuff of the previous year and replace it with the good habits that will bring needed change. There may be a list in your mind or on paper of all you want to accomplish. It can be easy to treat our faith the same way. You want to do good works for the Lord, and there is nothing wrong with that as long as you do it through faith.
GALATIANS 3:2
“This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?”
Galatia was an area in what we would know as central Turkey today. Several churches were started by Paul and Barnabas that saw both great fruit and brutal persecution. The most difficult challenge wasn’t from the persecution but the infiltration of Judaizers into the church. These men brought heavy requirements like circumcision and following the law. The new converts were starting to abandon Paul’s teaching of being saved by grace and replacing it with works. Paul counters that by asking them if they received the Spirit by anything they have done or faith.
Rebuild Your Life
The word “redeem” in the New Testament is a financial term and means “bill paid in full.” It was often used when it came to slaves debt. When that slave worked off the debt, the creditor would stamp “redeemed” on the invoice, which meant his debts were paid in full. When Jesus died on the cross, he paid the debt of your sin and stamped redeemed on your heart. You’ve been redeemed to rebuild your life.
PSALMS 78:35
“And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.”
Israel had a pattern of forgetting God and then crying out to Him when they were in a hole where they couldn’t get out. It usually started with sin but then devolved into idolatry. God would get angry and be ready to judge them, and Israel would beg for forgiveness. God would forgive them in His infinite mercy and let them start fresh. Sadly, Israel could never break that pattern. They were sent off into captivity as judgment, and only a remnant returned to the Lord.
Live the Crucified Life
There is a leadership quote that applies in many areas of life. It goes, “You will not change until the pain of not changing exceeds the pain of changing.” That is true when it comes to faith in Jesus. As long as your life is fine, you do your own thing. It’s not until things […]
Only One Gave Thanks
Every church has more needs than it can meet. It’s supposed to be that way because our trust and reliance are to be on the Lord. Our hearts are to be filled with compassion for the lost and hurting, and when we can’t meet their needs, we are to cry out to Jesus to meet them. When Jesus encountered ten lepers, He healed them all. Only one gave thanks.
LUKE 17:15-16
“Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.”
Leprosy is a horrible disease. It eats away at your skin and body parts until you die. Modern medicine has created a cure for it today, but it was a death sentence back in Jesus’ day unless God healed you. When Jesus encountered ten lepers along the road to Jerusalem, they begged to be healed. He told them to show themselves to the priest, which was custom for lepers to do when healed. One of the ten returned praising the Lord and thanking Jesus for healing him. Jesus asks why the other nine hadn’t come back and given thanks.
The God Who Works Wonders
Have you heard of the seven wonders of the world? There are two classifications, ancient and modern. The world’s modern wonders include the Great Wall of China, the ancient city of Petra, and the Colosseum in Rome. Millions of tourists visit these attractions each year. Did you know that you follow the God who works wonders? There are no other gods like Him.
PSALMS 77:13-14
“Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples.”
Our God is holy, mighty, and works wonders. He makes His strength known by working wonders among His people. There are no other gods like Him. As a follower of Jesus, you can put your complete trust in Him because He is both holy and strong. You can trust His word because His way is perfect, and you can rest in His power because He will protect you. No one can separate you from His love.
Take Baby Steps
One of the memorable moments is when your child takes their first steps as a parent. Babies don’t come out of the womb walking. They need to learn. Those steps don’t come easily. The baby needs to learn to control their body by rolling over, then crawling, followed by pulling themselves up, and finally taking that first step. There is a spiritual principle to learn in that process. It is being faithful in the little things. Learn how to take baby steps.
LUKE 16:10
“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.”
Jesus lays out one of the essential principles humans need to learn. The principle of “Baby Steps” is vital to spiritual growth and maturity. You have to start small and learn to be faithful with what you have before being trusted with more. If you are impatient with what you have and are expecting more, ask yourself if you are faithful to what you have right now? Getting ahead of yourself will only lead to failure. Ask God what lessons you need to learn to move to the next step.