Devotions

For 400 years, Israel had been spiritually barren. They hadn’t heard a word from the Lord during that time. Then along comes a man dressed in camel hair, eating locust, and preaching repentance. You would think the people would’ve run from him, but the opposite happened. They were so desperate to hear from God that they traveled great distances to hear him. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus to come.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭3:16

“John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John the Baptist tells everyone what to expect from the coming Messiah. John brought repentance back to Israel through his preaching and water baptism. It was a symbol of dying to the old life and being brought into a new one. Jesus was coming with a different baptism that would empower all of us to live for Him. John was the one who prepared the way for God’s plan of redemption.

What are you known for? Is it your intelligence? Maybe it is a skill you have honed over the years, and people seek you out when they are in need. As a Christian, you should be known for your love for others. Today we see such a person in Philemon. He had a thousand reasons to be known for something else, but Paul commends him on his love for the church.

‭‭Philemon‬ ‭1:5

“because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;”

Philemon was a wealthy man who loved Jesus and the people of the church. He was known for his care of God’s people, and his reputation had reached Paul. This meant a lot to Paul because Philemon could be focusing his attention elsewhere and directing his resources for other causes. He provides an excellent example for all believers.

Fish stories always seem to reach epic proportions. The fisherman tells how he struggled to reel this massive fish, and just as he is about to bring it into the boat, it breaks free from the hook. You can watch videos on YouTube of people showing off their catch only to have a seal pop out of the water and snag it. Whenever I see these, I always think about the verse in Job, which says, “The Lord gives, and He takes away.”

‭‭Job‬ ‭1:21-22

“He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

There were very few people in the Bible as successful in life and as devoted to God as Job. His ranch was big enough for all of his grown children to have their own homes. Satan came to God and made the accusation that Job was only faithful because of his wealth and success. God disagreed but allowed Satan to test Job by destroying everything. Job’s response? “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away.”

Most Christians are model citizens wherever they live. They abide by the laws, pay their taxes, and subject themselves to the country’s leadership. That lines up with Scripture. We are to be more than a good citizen. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are to show His love to others.

‭‭Titus‬ ‭3:1-2

“Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.”

This is quite the list that Paul gives Titus. At first, you would think that he is telling the church to be good citizens, but it is more than that. Paul is telling Titus for the people of the church to be model Christians. When we follow Jesus, these acts should come out of the overflow of what the Holy Spirit is doing in our hearts. If we are following Jesus, then we should desire to subject ourselves to the rulers because that is what Jesus did. Living under Rome’s rule was easy during His time. He just didn’t let it distract Him from His primary purpose.

As I sit and write this devotional, a good portion of California’s forests are on fire. It has turned all of the skies gray from the ashes. It is dark and gloomy, and the air isn’t too great to breathe. It would be easy to get depressed since our summer days have been taken away. God cares for you no matter what the circumstances are, and He is often closer during the most trying times.

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭34:12‬

“As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.”

Ezekiel, the prophet, brings encouraging words that the people of Israel weren’t getting from the priests. God would care for people wherever they were scattered. By the time Ezekiel is writing this, the people of Israel have been scattered all over the known world. First, the ten tribes were taken away by Assyria, never to return. Then Babylon came and took the people of Judah, and they are scattered all over that kingdom. God wanted the people to know that He knows who they are, and He is caring for them during this challenging period.

One of the best exercises for our faith is to read the testimonies of the saints from yesteryear. People like D.L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, Hudson Taylor, and Amy Carmichael have biographies that will move you to tears. To hear how God did the improbable in their lives serves and inspiration for ours today. With God, nothing is impossible.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:37

“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

In context, this verse is about the birth of Jesus Christ and of Mary’s cousin Elizabeth being pregnant at a very old age with John the Baptist. The angel is telling Mary that with God, nothing is impossible. She will conceive the Messiah through supernatural means, and a womb long barren has been opened. If God can do this, then He can accomplish anything that needs to happen in your life. Do you believe?

I had a friend tell me a humorous story the other day of an urgent message he had to get to his boss. It involved climbing several flights of stairs, getting knocked over by someone who wasn’t watching where they were going and tripping over a box someone had left in the walkway. The problem was that he was out of shape, and by the time he got to his boss, he was drenched in sweat and panting so hard he couldn’t talk. When he finally got it out, his boss replied, “Oh yeah, I just heard that.” The most important message ever delivered was brought by the Angel Gabriel to a humble teenage girl.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:30-31

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.”

The story of Christ’s birth never gets old. It all starts with an Angel visiting a humble teenage girl to give her the most important message ever delivered. She had found favor with God. We are not told why she found favor, but Mary was the one that God chose to bear His Son. She was given specific instructions on what to name Him.

As I write this, riots are happening all over the United States. In most big cities, people are destroying property, setting fires to cars, and inflicting bodily harm on police and innocent people. Most of these rioters are young people who are angry at the world. We do a lot of foolish things when we are young, but the Bible encourages us to be a good example.

‭‭Titus‬ ‭2:6-8

“Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”

Everyone has a responsibility in the church. The older men and women are to show self-control and mentor the younger people of the congregation. The younger people are to grow in maturity and show the fruit of that maturity through their actions and words. This benefits not only the person but the community as well. Young people, especially men, are to be a good example to those they come in contact.

In the children’s story Little Red Riding Hood, the antagonist is a wolf that is posing as Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother. Riding Hood’s heart is in the right place. She wants to help her grandma, who was home ill. She is suspicious, and her questions finally expose him. There are a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing in the church. They look innocent, but underneath they are dangerous.

‭‭Titus‬ ‭1:16

“They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.”

Paul has a lot of experience dealing with deceitful people. He has been burned more times that he wants to recount. As he instructs Titus in the church’s leadership, he tells him to avoid those people who profess to know God, but their actions tell you differently. Their deeds are so detestable that they deny God exists. They are worthless because their words and attitude disqualifies them. The tricky part is that they usually have most people fooled.

I heard a story once of a church that split and went to court over who would keep the church building. As the trial progressed, the true meaning as to why the division happened came to light. One of the Elders was upset because, at a church potluck, a boy sitting next to him got a larger piece of ham than he did! This Elder did not have the heart described in Titus. Elders are to be God’s Steward.

‭‭Titus‬ ‭1:7‬

“For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,”

There are two places in the New Testament where you can find the qualifications of an Elder, 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The reason for this is that Paul is writing the two men he poured into during his ministry as they become pastors of their own churches. They needed to know how to identify men who would serve as overseers in the church. They are the guidelines that churches are to use today when it comes to raising up elders.