Devotions

There is a big debate about Unemployment Insurance here in the United States. When COVID-19 hit, the government approved a $600 a week bonus to those who lost

God made it very clear to the Israelites that they were to keep His laws. If they did, He promised them great blessings. If they didn’t, it was only a matter of time before disaster was on their doorstep. God hasn’t changed His heart. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His message is simple, “Walk in my ways.”

‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭20:19-20

“I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them. Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

Israel had a hard time keeping their eyes on God. They didn’t obey his law or set apart the Sabbath day as holy. Instead, they did what was right in their own eyes and did whatever they wanted on the Sabbath. This leads them to be corrected by God and eventually being led into captivity. If they would’ve obeyed His Word, they would’ve been close to Him.

From time to time I like to recommend a book or resource that I believe can help you in your walk with Jesus Christ. The book “Replicate” by Robby Gallaty and Chris Swain is one of those books. Jesus’ last command to the church was to “Go and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19 I wrote a devotion here) Discipleship is the mission of the church. We are to go and make disciples. The book “Replicate” lays out all of the reasons why you and your church should be doing it and a simple plan on how to implement it.

On our wall, we have several family portraits. They start with our wedding picture to our last one. Each shows our growth in both age and number. When our kids were younger, they would ask why they weren’t in specific pictures. It was hard for them to understand they weren’t born yet. Are you part of the family of God? If there was a family portrait, would you be in it?

‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:32-35

And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus was sitting inside of a house, probably Peter’s in Capernaum, teaching His followers. Mom and His brothers show up, asking for Him. Some have speculated that they were coming to take Him home because rumors were swirling that He was doing crazy things.

It’s mind-boggling how much people spend on self-improvement. From the books, to the online courses, to personal coaching all to change how we are. Most of it fails because people want new improvements but with very little change in their lives. You can’t have both. Jesus makes that clear in that the new work that He wants to do will take some change. The sooner we prepare ourselves, the quicker it will happen.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭2:22

“No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

If you want things to change, you can’t keep doing it the way you’ve done it in the past. For the Jews, it was adhering to the old system of the law. Jesus came to change things, and the old way of doing things according to the law wasn’t going to work. They had gotten into a spiritual rut and didn’t even know the heart of God anymore.

Going to see the doctor today can be an adventure. The fear of catching COVID-19 is keeping people away from hospitals and getting the care they need. Add to that the fact that hundreds of people are filled with fear, sure they have the virus taking their places, and it can be frustrating. It’s the sick who need a doctor. The same can be said for those who are spiritually sick. Pastors are inundated with people with made-up problems while the genuinely needy go ignored.

‭‭Mark‬ ‭2:17

“And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus had multiple confrontations with the religious people in Jerusalem. These were the people who prided themselves on having it all together, spiritually speaking. Jesus tells theses spiritually elite that He came to minister to those who were sick. These people didn’t think they were part of that group. Self-righteous people think that they are okay, but sinners know they are messed up.

When a judge walks into his courtroom, the Bailiff tells everyone to rise. When a high ranking officer in the military enters, everyone ranked underneath him stand up, come to attention, and salute. Why is it we don’t have the same reverence for God’s Word? It deserves the same respect of any judge or general.

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭8:5

“Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.”

The Israelites had a reverence for God’s Word. Even after seventy years of exile for forsaking God, the remnant that came back stood when Ezra opened the Law’s book. While it was being read, they stood, and the scribes read it for several hours. I encourage you to read the whole story in Nehemiah 8. By the time that Ezra was done reading, people were weeping. This shows you that there is power in the written Word of God, and it can change our lives.

Want to know God’s will for your life? Part of it is that you are full of joy and peace. The Apostle Paul tells you how to accomplish God’s will for your life, always rejoice, and pray without ceasing. Focus on this, and you will notice the change.

‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:16-18

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Sometimes we need to be told to do things that produce a positive result in our spirit. It’s too easy to focus on what is wrong or what could happen and then sink into a funk because it seems like everything is caving in. As Christians, we are to walk in joy and peace. Those come from us rejoicing and being in constant prayer. A warning, though, don’t take this verse too literally. I knew someone who walked around doing this. He wouldn’t respond to you if you asked him a question. When it says, “without ceasing,” it means consistently.

Children all over the world dream of being like their heroes. That could be a sports star like Ronaldo or Messi or an entertainer like Adele. They buy

It is difficult saying no sometimes. In our heart, we know its not the right thing to do, but we don’t want to disappoint people, so we go along and regret it later. It’s okay to tell people no. Nehemiah was a busy man, and when someone asked for a meeting that would take him away from his work, he replied, “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

‭‭Nehemiah‬ ‭6:3
“So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

A Full Plate
Nehemiah had a lot of pressure and tree rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. He got halfway done and ran out of materials. There was only rubble to rebuild. There were also organizing all of the tribes and getting them on the same page. The last thing he needed was the distraction of his enemies. His doubters wanted to him to stop the work on the wall and have a meeting with them. Nehemiah’s response? “Can’t you see I’m busy doing the Lord’s work?”

Don’t Get Distracted
We can learn a lot from Nehemiah. Too many times, we let little distractions take us away from what the Lord is doing. People we hope will respect us will often drag us away from what is most important. We must remain focused on where God has us and have the courage to be able to tell people we are busy. If we don’t we will end frustrated.