Devotions

One way streets can benefit old cities where there is not enough room for a street where cars can go both ways. It can also be limiting for those trying to get across town in a short amount of time. Jesus made it clear that there is only one way to heaven, through Him. That’s a problem for some people.

‭‭John‬ ‭14:6

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

Jesus has just told the disciples that His Father’s house is a mansion and that He is going there to prepare a place for them. He is going to leave for a while but will return for them. Doubting Thomas asked Jesus how they would know the way, to which Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” The road map is a person, not a path. Jesus was very clear that if you wanted to spend eternity with God, His Father, you would have to put your faith in HIm.

It usually takes someone bigger or better than you to give you a reality check. By that, I mean to put you in your place and show you that you aren’t as good as you think you are. This happens in sports all of the time but stretches across all facets of life. God gave Job a reality check after all the trials Job went through, and He won’t hesitate to do it to you as well.

‭‭Job‬ ‭38:4‬ ‭

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,”

Sometimes we need a reality check. We can get too big for our britches and think we are more important than we really are. Job never had this problem, but God reminded him that He laid the earth’s foundation and Job wasn’t there when it happened. Because that is the case, you don’t know what is happening. God knows what he intended to, and no one else is privy to that information. He is telling everyone to remember that.

You ever seen a movie that was a remake of a classic? How about one of your favorite singers covering a well-known song? Each of those brings a fresh twist on something well known. When Jesus speaks to his disciples, he puts a fresh twist on a well-known commandment. You’ve heard of loving your neighbor as yourself, and now Jesus tells his followers to love each other as He has loved them.

‭‭John‬ ‭13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this, all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””

When Jesus says a new commandment, He isn’t talking about a new revelation but instead a fresh take on something that has been around. Loving one wasn’t new. Jesus had summarized the last six commandments by saying, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Now he was telling his followers to love each other as He loved them. Charles Spurgeon summarizes it perfectly, “We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, but we are to love our fellow-Christians as Christ loved us, and that is far more than we love ourselves.” You are to love those in the church more than you love yourself.

This post is the one-thousandth devotional that I have written on the Daily Walk Devotion. It’s an important milestone for me because it represents following the Lord’s leading to publish what I was reading and journaling during my devotion time. Nothing has changed over the last four years of doing this. The Scriptures I use come from my time in the Word of God that He is speaking to me that day. God has used this in many people’s lives, and it blows me away. Thank you for being part of the Daily Walk Devotion.

‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:20-21

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

I can’t think of better words that summarize what this ministry is all about; build yourselves up in faith, pray in the Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, and wait for the mercy of Jesus’ return. That is discipleship right there. You are a sojourner on a journey towards heaven, and you need to strengthen your faith and draw closer to the Lord. Growing in your faith means increasing your knowledge of God’s Word and trusting Him in everything. That is what devotion entails and what will sustain you on your journey.

The wind is something that has both beneficial and destructive principles. Most of the time, the wind pushes along nature’s cycle that allows for plants to be pollinated and weather systems to move. On occasion, its speeds can form a hurricane or tornado that leave destruction in its path. Hosea uses this as a metaphor when he explains to Israel the impending judgment. It shows you need to be careful what you sow.

‭‭Hosea‬ ‭8:7‬

“For they sow the wind And they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.”

This is a harsh judgment that is being brought against Israel. Hosea uses the principle of reaping and sowing to point out their folly. They have sown the wind, and they reaped the whirlwind. Obviously, you can’t sow the wind, but Hosea uses it to illustrate why they are in the midst of the storm. They have brought this on themselves. Next, he describes how Israel sowed wheat, but there was no grain when it came up. They were useless plants, and if some did produce grain, it was stolen by strangers. This paints a haunting picture of how bad it is for Israel.

One thing that the pandemic has impacted is professional sports. Most leagues have restarted without fans in the stands. Some are pumping in fake crowd applause, but it has been hard to watch as someone who is a lifelong sports fan. The applause of the fans brings so much to the game, and at times it appears that the athletes are going through the motions. One of the dangers that Christians face is living for the approval of man instead of God. Who’s approval are you seeking?

‭‭John‬ ‭12:43

“for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

A large group of Pharisees believed in Jesus while he walked on the earth, but they didn’t voice it out of fear of getting kicked out of the synagogue but at the heart of it was that they loved the approval of man more than God. After Jesus ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost, many of these Pharisees became part of the church. There is a danger when we are more interested in what others will say than what God has already said.