Month: November 2023
The Price Is Paid – November 3, 2023
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:21-24
The Price Is Paid
Daily Devotion – November 3, 2023
Devotion based on Romans 3:21-24
See series: Devotions
You owe God. God demands perfection. That’s what God’s law clearly states. Jesus said it himself when he summarized the law’s demands, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
God’s law isn’t a manual on how to live a moral life. It’s a demand for perfection. And if you have not been perfect, then you owe God.
Every human comes up short of that perfection because all have sinned. We all have accrued an enormous amount of debt to God. There is no debt consolidation service able to help us. There is no payment plan. We’ve dug a hole of debt so deep there is no way for us to climb out of it. Our sins bury us.
But before your last sin can cover you up for eternity, you see someone walking toward you. He carries something in his hand. It’s a check for the debt you owe to God. With that check, Jesus buys you back and sets you free from your sin. He lifts that enormous burden off you.
Jesus earned the capital to pay your debt by perfectly obeying God’s law and taking the punishment for sin in your place. How do you get this life-changing check that pays your debt to God? You believe in Jesus as your Savior. Jesus gives it to you as an act of pure grace—unearned and undeserved. Jesus declares that you are debt-free; you are sin-free. To God be the glory!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you have paid all that I owe. Thank you for making me yours. Help me to live as your child. Amen.
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Guided by the Holy Spirit – November 2, 2023
[Jesus said] On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Matthew 10:18-20
Guided by the Holy Spirit
Daily Devotion – November 2, 2023
Devotion based on Matthew 10:18-20
See series: Devotions
On April 18, 1521, some of the world’s most powerful political and religious leaders were gathered in a German city called Worms. Three and a half years earlier, a monk sparked a wildfire when he questioned the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. After digging into the Bible, he discovered that many of the doctrines of that church stood contrary to what God said.
Because of the truth of God’s Word, Martin Luther was brought before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. The emperor’s representative demanded that Luther take back his writings, or he would be outlawed and labeled a heretic. But Luther knew what he had written was in accordance with God’s Word, so he famously said, “Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me.”
Jesus predicted to his disciples that this would happen. And it did happen to them and many others in the early Christian church. It happened to Luther and the reformers. But Jesus didn’t just predict it; he also promised to send help. The Holy Spirit would speak through them as they made their witness about Jesus.
While you might not find yourself before governors and kings on account of Jesus, you might still find yourself intimidated when sharing your faith and speaking about Jesus. Questions might race through your head. Will they believe me? Will they make fun of me? Will I lose this relationship?
Jesus gives you the same promise. He is with you. The Holy Spirit will help you find the words to say. Let your words and actions witness to the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me rely on the Spirit’s guidance with unwavering trust. Strengthen me to be a bold witness of your Word, no matter the circumstances I face. Give me the courage to speak truth, love, and grace to a world in desperate need of you. Amen.
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Innocent in His Sight – November 1, 2023
Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.”
Daniel 6:21,22
Innocent in His Sight
Daily Devotion – November 1, 2023
Devotion based on Daniel 6:21,22
See series: Devotions
It was an impossible situation for Daniel. Now eighty years old, he would have to spend the night in a den full of hungry lions. His only crime? Faithfulness to his God and refusing to compromise his devotion to God.
Daniel trusted that the God who had protected him all his eighty years of life would continue to protect him. His faith in God remained unshaken.
In our lives, we face situations that also seem impossible. While we don’t face literal lions, we do face challenges at work, health issues, relationship struggles, and spiritual battles against temptations or doubt. When we face those lions, we can trust in God as Daniel did too.
Just as God shut the mouths of the lions in the den, God is with us in our trials and temptations. Daniel told his king that God preserved him because he was found innocent in God’s sight. God finds Christians innocent in his sight because of the righteousness that Jesus gives to them.
Daniel was blameless before the king, and Christians are found blameless before God because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross. When we place our trust in Jesus, his righteousness covers us and protects us. We are no longer captive in the den of sin and guilt.
God’s protection and his declaration of our innocence don’t mean we will never face problems. But God’s protection and promises comfort and guide us as we face challenges, even ones that seem impossible. Just as the lions did no harm to Daniel, the difficulties we encounter will not ultimately overcome us when we place our trust in the Lord.
God’s angel shut the mouths of the lions, and Jesus has shut the mouth of death. That’s enough for our faith in God to remain unshaken.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, be with me as I face the lions in my life. Guide me and protect me. Cover me in your righteousness so that I can stand innocent and blameless before you. Amen.
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