Month: September 2024

Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
Romans 10:4

A Heart Transformed

Daily Devotion – September 3, 2024

Devotion based on Romans 10:4


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We all set goals in life. We might set goals in stages to make them more realistic. We want to transform our health and habits. We want to grow in our abilities. Yet, we struggle to meet the goals that we set for ourselves. How much more have we struggled to meet the goals God has set?

The goal of God’s law is summed up in this way: Love the Lord and love your neighbor. God’s law set the bar as high as it can go—perfection! Be perfect and follow God’s law of love perfectly. God sets the goal he wants us to aim for, but we’ve missed the mark. God’s goal is for us to live righteous and perfect lives, free from sin, but we haven’t. That’s the law.

Here’s the gospel, the good news: Jesus Christ has met God’s righteous goal as our Savior and substitute! Jesus met the goal that we never could. Jesus hit the mark that we’ve so often missed. Jesus loved the Lord with all his heart. As true God and also true man, he placed himself under his own law and did what his Father asked him to do—to keep the law perfectly and then to die for us who haven’t perfectly kept it. In this, Jesus met the goal of the law and loved God and us. Perfectly.

This good news transforms our hearts. In Jesus, we are finally declared righteous (right with God). It’s as though we’d never sinned because Jesus kept the law and died in our place. Our hearts are transformed, so we no longer have to hide from God in fear. Instead, we can run to him in confidence, knowing that he loves and accepts us through faith in his Son.

We follow Jesus not because he’s like some life coach who helps us set more realistic goals and achieve them. He doesn’t simply show us the way. We follow him because he is the way, the truth, and the life. We follow him with a heart transformed by his love.

Prayer:
Lord, continue to transform my heart with your gospel so that I may follow you eagerly from the heart. Amen.

What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works.
Romans 9:30-32

A Restless Heart

Daily Devotion – September 2, 2024

Devotion based on Romans 9:30-32


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Two children carry out the same chores around the house. They abide by the same rules and curfews. For one child, it’s grueling. From his perspective, it sucks the joy out of life. He can’t wait to move out, but meanwhile, he grins and bears it and does what is expected. The other child enjoys the blessings of a safe home, three square meals, and loving parents. He keeps the same rules, but it doesn’t seem to be a burden. He sees it as a reasonable expectation and a blessing to have parents that care that much.

They keep the same rules, but they have very different attitudes. This illustration really describes Christians just before and after becoming Christians. Before they became a child of God, they knew to some extent the basic rules—don’t murder, don’t steal, be kind, speak positively. However, apart from Jesus, these seem more of a burden than a blessing. Even now, at times, their hearts trend back to a natural way of thinking. If they think it depends on their work of keeping the rules to be right with God (that’s what righteousness means), then it becomes a burden too heavy to carry. Their hearts become restless and ragged. How can they ever know if they’ve done enough? How can they ever do enough? They can’t, but Jesus, our Savior, has!

God, our Father, has forgiven their sins and made them his children not because of their works but because of his great love. This changes everything. God lifted the burden too heavy for any of us to carry. He declared us righteous (right with him) by grace, through faith, and not by works. It’s this love that gives people a new perspective. They follow their Savior from the heart because they see that they are loved and provided for by a gracious God. Their hearts find rest in him!

Prayer:
Lord, my heart was restless until I found my rest in your loving forgiveness. Amen.

Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you. . . Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
Deuteronomy 4:1,2,6

Too Strict?

Daily Devotion – September 1, 2024

Devotion based on Deuteronomy 4:1,2,6


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“Your parents sure are strict.” I remember hearing this often as a child. My parents had simple rules: If they told me to do something, I should do it. If they told me not to do something, then I shouldn’t. Looking back, I don’t know if I’d classify them as strict. I think my parents simply had expectations.

Yet, I was resentful of those expectations sometimes. My parents’ expectations seemed to limit my fun. It was hard for me as a child to see that my parents always had my best interests in mind. It was hard to see the wisdom in their expectations.

We’re tempted to look at God’s laws that way sometimes, aren’t we? We are tempted to subtract those parts that are unpopular or counter cultural. Satan whispers in our ears, “God is restricting your freedom with all these laws!” Except, just the opposite is true.

In our Bible reading for today, we read, “Follow them so that you may live.” Except we can’t follow them perfectly! That’s why God sent his Son, Jesus, to keep all his commands perfectly for us. He came so we can have life, life to the full. Just sit back and think for a minute: When has God ever done anything that wasn’t ultimately for your good? Every command God gives us, even the ones that are unpopular for many, are for our good. Following those commands doesn’t restrict our freedom, it shows our wisdom. Following all of God’s commands is a way to say “thank you” to God for all his blessings.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me life by offering the life of your Son, Jesus, in my place. Help me live according to all of your commands which I know are for my good. Amen.