Category: Devotional

No Small Disturbance

There is a story about a man wrongly imprisoned in an eastern European country. The reason the man was being sent to prison? Leading a Bible study. The warden harshly treated him, but each morning he would get up and sing a hymn for all the prisoners to hear. This went on for years, and on the day he was to be executed, he was given his release papers instead and shoved outside the prison gate. His Bible study never stopped meeting nor praying for his release. When he got home, there was no small disturbance.

‭‭ACTS‬ ‭12:18

“Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.”

Peter had a habit of breaking out of prison. I’m joking, of course, but he was broken out of jail on several occasions. Soldiers have a sense of pride in doing their work. Peter was gone. He had escaped, but they couldn’t figure out how it happened. This was hard to accept. God sent several messages through this jailbreak. To Peter, the message was keep preaching the Gospel. No one is going to stop you. The message to the Scribes and Pharisees was, “Don’t mess with me.”

Ready for Good Works

There was a lady who was praying for God to use her. She was grocery shopping, and God told her to buy an extra gallon of milk. She didn’t have the money or the need, but she was obedient. As she drove home, she drove by a home, and God told her to stop and give the gallon of milk to the family. She argued with God for a while. She didn’t know the family, and she was in a hurry. Finally, she relented and walked up to the house. After she knocked on the door, a mother with three small children answered. The lady told her that God told her to give her this gallon of milk. The mother started to cry. They had just run out of food and had no money, and she had cried out to God for help. The milk was just what she needed for young children. This shows you need to be ready for good works.

‭‭TITUS‬ ‭3:14‬

“Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.”

There will always be needs in the church. The people need to be ready to engage in the most pressing needs. Ignoring those needs will cause them to be unfruitful. Why does Paul say this to Titus? First, God designed the church to be self-sustaining. There are enough resources to meet the needs. If there is a shortage, it is because people are not stepping up and using their gifts. Second, unused fruit goes bad. If the Spirit grows fruit in your heart, it must benefit the local church. If you are holding back, the church becomes unfruitful, and you become spoiled.

Rescued from Death

There is a video of a woman on a scooter who gets hit by a car, then slides into a storm drain and disappears. Rescue workers have to pull her out by her boots to get her out. As I watched the video, I was reminded of today’s passage. We are rescued from death just like Israel was from Egypt and Jesus was from the Tomb.

‭‭PSALMS‬ ‭116:8-9

“For You have rescued my soul from death, My eyes from tears, My feet from stumbling. I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.”

The Psalms between 113-118 are known as the Egyptian Hallel Psalms. They recount God rescuing them from slavery and the hands of Pharaoh. Jesus made these Psalms His own as he sang them the night before His crucifixion. These words bring a whole new power if you look at them in that light. Jesus was resurrected from death. Hence we were rescued from death, our eyes from tears, and our feet from stumbling.

Remembered the Words of Jesus

Has someone wise ever given you advice you didn’t listen to, only for those words to ring true in your mind years later? That’s happened to me several times. That is what happened to Peter when he saw the Holy Spirit descend upon the household of Cornelius. Immediately he remembered the words of Jesus.

‭‭ACTS‬ ‭11:16

“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'”

Peter was preaching in Cornelius’ house, and during the middle of the message, the Holy Spirit fell, and they were filled with the Spirit. This left Peter a little bewildered. Gentiles received the Spirit as the Jews did on Pentecost. At the moment, He knew that everything Jesus had promised them was also available to the Gentiles. After the outpouring of the Spirit, Peter was reminded of the words of Jesus when He said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” The prophet Isaiah prophesied that this would happen in Isaiah 44:3.

Deserving of All of Your Praise

If you want to build a building that will last, you start with an architect who will draw you some blueprints that the contractor will use. The church has a blueprint in the Bible that has structured it for success. In the Pastoral epistle, Paul lays out how older men are to provide an example for the younger men to follow to ensure that success.

‭‭TITUS‬ ‭2:2

“Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.”

Paul gave the church a structure that would ensure its success. Older men are to set the example in how they live by being dignified, sensible, and sound in their faith. Older women are to mentor younger women in how to raise their children. If this system is effective, the church will be sustained for generations. If there is a breakdown in any of these areas, you will see the church and families begin to crumble. It is the role of the church leadership to uphold this standard and hold everyone accountable.

God Shows No Partiality

Inclusiveness is a popular word today. People sling it around to include everything from gender to religion. The intention is that no one is excluded, and people can come as they are. Did you know the church should be the same way? God shows no partiality. The Gospel is the solution for everyone’s spiritual ills….

Stand and See the Lord

Ever feel backed into a corner with no way out? Sometimes life can leave you feeling like you are running out of options with nowhere to turn. As a believer in Jesus Christ, this is where you need to stand and see the Lord come through. He knows your predicament. Your situation may be unique to you, but He has handled it many times before. Cry out to Him and watch what He accomplishes you today.

‭‭EXODUS‬ ‭14:13

“But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.”

Israel found itself in a tough spot. They were up against the Red Sea with mountains all around them. There were only two ways to go, into the water or back the way they came, and Pharaoh was charging hard that way. Understandably, the Israelites were full of fear. Moses tells them to Stand firm and see the salvation of the Lord. Egypt may be threatening right now, but tomorrow they will be gone.

Be More Discerning

Not everyone in the church is a good person. Not everyone is saved. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing purposely trying to do damage. The Church leadership needs to be on alert and have systems in place to prevent people from getting hurt. Nothing is fail-proof, but the church needs to be more discerning. If it isn’t, whole families will be swept away and destroyed.

‭‭TITUS‬ ‭1:10-11

“For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

In the early days of the church, there were Jews who were teaching Gentiles that they needed to be circumcised and followed the dietary law. They were leading whole families astray, and worse was that they were doing it for personal gain. You could spot them because they rebelled against the church leadership, were all talk and no action, and told half-truths. Paul was dealing with these people in many of the churches he started. Gentiles who were worshipping in freedom were being put under the bondage of the law by Messianic Jews, and he is warning Titus to watch out for them.

Where Do You Find Your Strength

Last year I battled double pneumonia and blood clots in my legs. It almost wiped out a whole year of my health. I lost all of my strength, where even walking was exhausting. It wasn’t until the start of the summer that I was able to get back into the gym. It was slow at first, and only now do I feel energized and at full strength. The interesting thing is that when I was at my weakest physically, I felt the strongest spiritually and closest to Jesus. Where do you find your strength?

‭‭2 TIMOTHY‬ ‭4:17

“But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.”

These are Paul’s final written words. Soon he will be martyred under Emperor Nero’s reign. Most scholars believe that Paul and Peter were martyred around the same time. In his last words, you will find that hope and strength needed to withstand the persecution. The Lord stood and strengthened him so he could proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles. For someone who had been in prison for years, this was incredible confidence in his Savior.

An Adventure of a Lifetime

I have missionary friends all over the world. One of the things I loved hearing was how they were called to the work they are doing. Most were leading normal lives, and one day they felt a stirring in their hearts. As they began to seek God, they started to see doors open for them to go. Soon their church was sending them, and the life they knew was in the rearview mirror. They were headed on an adventure of a lifetime.

‭‭ACTS‬ ‭13:2-3

“While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

The church in Antioch was mighty in the works of the Spirit and rich in the teaching of the word. During one of their meetings, as they were fasting, the Spirit told them to set apart Saul and Barnabas for a unique work. The elders listened, prayed, laid hands on them, and sent them off on their first missionary journey. The church would expand dramatically during this time. The doors would be flung open to the Gentiles, the old system of Jewish rules would be laid aside, and the world would be turned upside down.