Category: Daily Devotions

It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:10-12

The Message for All Seasons

For Christians around the world who annually observe the season of Lent (the 40 days before Easter—reviewing the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus), Isaiah’s amazing chapter 53 prophecy is, at that time, a common reading. But now it’s mid-fall! Many thoughts are trending toward mission festivals, the Reformation, and Thanksgiving! Yet, Isaiah’s Spirit-inspired prophecy continues to be “The Message for All Seasons.” It is a message that foretells the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ!

At first reading, or first hearing, today’s lesson seems complex and even confusing. That is because of the personal pronouns. Let’s repeat the lesson, identifying the pronouns and descriptive titles. The power of Isaiah’s chapter 53 prophecy lies in its precision. It was exactly fulfilled by Jesus!

“It was the Lord’s (God the Father’s) will to crush him (Jesus, our Savior) and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord (God the Father) makes his (Jesus’) life a guilt offering, he (the Father) will see his offspring (Jesus) and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his (Jesus’) hand. After the suffering of his (Jesus’) soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my (the Father’s) righteous servant (Jesus) will justify many (i.e. the great mass—all sinners), and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I (the Father) will give him (Jesus) a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.”

That’s “The Message for All Seasons” and for all people! Think about it, and if you can, yet today, read Philippians 2:6-11 as a glorious post log to Isaiah’s precious prophecy.

Prayer:
Lord, when a portion of your Word seems very deep to me, grant me the Spirit’s help to understand, and/or give me courage to ask a pastor about it. The message of salvation, foretold and fulfilled, is my peace and joy. Amen.

Since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 4:14-16

Our Perfect Substitute

I remember being a teenager and believing, “my parents just don’t understand. They don’t know what it’s like to be me. They don’t understand the pressure to be popular, the pain of gossip, and the shame of being left out.” I didn’t realize that my parents still remembered what it was like to be a teenager.

I have young children and the cycle continues. They just can’t believe that I can remember how hard it is to be a kid. But I do. I do know what they are going through.

On a much higher level, we struggle to believe that the almighty God knows what it’s like to be human. So, we struggle to pray to God with transparency because it’s difficult to understand how he can relate to our pain.

That is why we love these words from Hebrews chapter four. The writer says that Jesus is our High Priest. That means Jesus is the mediator between us and our heavenly Father. But he is not a high priest that is out-of-touch with our feelings. Jesus came into this world and experienced everything we do. He was tempted in every way that we are.

The only difference: Jesus did not sin.

The writer reminds us of Jesus’ holiness, not to shame us, but to encourage us. Jesus is our perfect substitute and Savior. Jesus gives us his perfect record as a gift. Therefore, we can approach God with absolute confidence. We can tell him what we struggle with and all our guilt and pain. He hears us and even empathizes with us. And most of all, he forgives us.

Prayer:
Lord God, you know what it’s like to be misunderstood, even hated. You know what it’s like to be tempted. I pray that you would both forgive my sins and lead me to walk in your ways. And I will give you all the glory. Amen.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to [Jesus]. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask. … Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” … When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:35,37,41-45

Saved to Serve

James and John were ambitious. They knew that great things were in store for Jesus and those who followed him. They wanted to be rewarded and recognized as Jesus’ closest disciples.

We are ambitious. We like to be acknowledged. We want God to bless and prosper us right here, right now. We want mom and dad’s approval. We want classmates to envy us. We want the corner office at work. We want to be the Joneses in our neighborhood. But because of our sin, we all fall short. We fall short of other’s expectations, of personal goals, of God’s glory.

Jesus had ambitions too, and he did not fall short. He did not come to earth to push people around. He had his sights set on saving humanity from the damning consequence of sin. He came to serve the world by offering his holy life as a payment for all sin. And God gave his approval of Jesus’ work by raising him from the dead.

By faith in Jesus, we have God’s full acceptance. We are his beloved children in whom he is well-pleased. Since we already have God’s full recognition, we don’t need to seek it from the world. Motivated by the Son of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are free to use our energy to serve others. Our ambition is that others see Jesus in us and hear about him from us, so they become God’s children too.

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, forgive me for my selfish ambition. Grant me a spirit of humility and a heart that looks out for the needs of others. Amen.

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. … Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. … When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. … Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back, each of you, to your mother’s home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband.” … Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-by, but Ruth clung to her. … Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.”
Ruth 1:1-19 (selected verses)

God Heals Our Brokenness

What was Ruth thinking? She had married into a family from Israel after they had immigrated into her country of Moab. This family experienced great misfortune. They had left Israel because of a famine. The father of the family died before Ruth married his son. Then both sons died, leaving only Ruth, her mother-in-law Naomi, and a sister-in-law.

When Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem in Israel, Ruth went with her. Why?

If Ruth went back with Naomi, what did her future hold? Ruth would be living in a foreign land far from her parents and siblings. Customs would be different. Ruth’s chances of remarriage were slim. When Ruth swore faithful, unwavering love to her mother-in-law, what was she thinking?

Could Ruth have been thinking about the God her new family had shared with her? This God promised to rescue his people from their guilt and sin. Were his promises more important to Ruth than a comfortable life in Moab?

We can find “spiritual” people who promise to make us prosper, give us a fantastic marriage or career success. God’s promises are different. He doesn’t promise a pain-free life filled with success. He promises to take care of our deepest needs—our brokenness because we have insisted on living our lives on our terms, not God’s. God sent his Son Jesus to heal us of our brokenness and take away our guilt. Jesus suffered in our place to restore us into God’s family. Jesus fills our hearts with joy, peace, contentment no matter how pleasant or painful our life is right now.

Ruth knew God’s forgiveness was far greater than any short-term struggles she faced in Israel. She wanted to stay with the God of undeserved love who healed broken people.

God makes the same promises to us!

Prayer:
Lord, help me look past my current struggles and heartache to see your promises of forgiveness, comfort, rescue, and healing. Strengthen my faith to think about my eternal hope. Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Habakkuk 1:2-3

Justice in Due Time

Was God’s prophet preaching this 2,500 years ago or just last week?

When Habakkuk looked out his front window, he saw violence and injustice. The bad guys just did whatever they wanted to. All of Habakkuk’s neighbors seemed OK with injustice and violence. They took advantage of evil to advance their own cause without any concern for the people getting hurt. Habakkuk could not understand how God allowed all this wrong to happen. Wasn’t he a just God? Wasn’t he a loving God? Habakkuk prayed and prayed the Lord would set things right, but nothing happened.

Sound familiar? Today people abuse their authority to take advantage of others. People disrespect authority to hurt others. People jump to conclusions and ignore facts just to prove their point. No one seems concerned about the people getting hurt. Most people just want to win the argument and advance their personal agenda. Why doesn’t God punish the evil doers? Why does God tolerate all the destruction and violence we see in this world? Why doesn’t he bring an end to conflict and peace to strife-torn hearts?

God answered Habakkuk’s prayer by explaining he would bring justice in his own time and way. God told Habakkuk to be patient and trust that God would do the right thing at the right time–which God did.

Do we really want God to bring justice in our time? Think about it. Have I lost my temper? Have I cut people down with my words? How concerned am I really about people getting hurt by others? What am I doing to help relieve the pain of the suffering? If God pays back people what they deserve, will he be paying me a visit? Do I really want to beg God to bring justice to the world?

Our God already has. On a cross outside of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, God brought justice to this world. He blasted Jesus with all the punishment deserved by all the violence and evil and wrong committed by the human race. God’s Son unjustly suffered in our place. Jesus took that burden because he did not want us condemned. He wanted us forgiven.

On the cross, God’s justice collided with God’s love. On the cross, God punished all wrong-doers by punishing Jesus. On the cross, God forgave all wrong-doers by punishing Jesus. Relying on Jesus as our Savior, we can look forward to meeting God without any fear. Because of Jesus, God will welcome us into heaven.

God will also take care of justice here on earth—in his own time and his own way. Sometimes we will have to wait patiently for God to act. Most importantly for us, we know God has already acted to forgive our sin. We never have to fear that he will punish us. Jesus took our place!

Prayer:
Lord, bring about justice in your own time and way. Give me patience when I am troubled by injustice. Give me a stronger faith that you will never condemn me, despite my sin. Jesus died in my place, for which I am eternally grateful! Amen.

This devotion was selected from the Daily Devotion archive.

Declare [the LORD’s] glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Psalm 96:3

Spread the News

When you see something amazing, you just have to share it: the grandeur of a waterfall or canyon, an astounding play or accomplishment in an athletic contest, an inspiring performance on a stage, or anything else that strikes you as rare and remarkable. You want someone to know what you saw and to share in your excitement and amazement.

The Bible is filled with awe-inspiring scenes and stories, and they are all true. God speaks, and a beautiful world unfolds before him out of nothing. God intervenes, and kingdoms rise and fall according to his plan. God acts, miracles happen, and life is never the same again.

Heaven opens, and the Son of God is born of a woman. Shepherds come from near, wise men come from far, and they return home, telling others about the things they have heard and seen, declaring God’s glory among the nations.

The grave opens, first to receive the Son of God after he is crucified on a cross, and then to reveal that the Son of God has risen from the dead three days later. And friends and followers go out to tell the good news, declaring God’s marvelous deeds among all peoples.

Because people like them shared the good news with you, you know and trust Jesus, the Savior who came to live in your place, to die your death, and to rise again for you.

As you hear and read what the Bible says, you see more of the grandeur of God’s plan to save you and of the heaven that is waiting for you. You witness the awesome way that God won the victory over sin and death for you. You watch an inspiring and flawless performance that changes your life forever!

Thank God for those who have shared Jesus with you. Then go, spread the news! Tell those near and far about the marvelous deeds God has done for you and for them. Invite them to church with you. Share a devotion on social media. Talk to a friend about what you’ve heard, seen, and read. What God has done is too amazing to keep to yourself!

Prayer:
Amazing God, your deeds are marvelous and amazing. Move me to declare your praises wherever I go. Amen.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Romans 10:13-14

Words Are Needed

“You say it best when you say nothing at all.” This 2002 song by Alison Krauss remains popular because most people know someone who shows them love in non-verbal ways. You can enjoy fishing with grandpa all day without saying a word. Conversing with your next-door neighbor may be like pulling teeth, but when you need help, he is the first to show up. “You say it best when you say nothing at all.” That one phrase can probably describe a relationship or two in your life. But that one phrase should not sum up the entire relationship! No one likes to receive “the silent treatment.” Wives appreciate the occasional spoken “I love you” from their husbands. Sometimes, words are needed!

Words are definitely needed in a human being’s relationship with God. Sure, God shows love in non-verbal ways. This time of year, we are reminded how the Almighty shows kindness to all by giving “rain from heaven and crops in their seasons” (Acts 14:17). But what happens when there is too much rain, causing homes to be destroyed and lives to be lost? A word from God is needed! A clear preaching of the truth to make sense of the seemingly contradictory “non-verbal” cues that God is throwing at us.

The apostle Paul reminds us that we have such a word from God in the good news of Jesus Christ the Savior from sin (Romans 10:17). But how can people believe in Jesus if they have never heard of him? How can they hear without a preacher? Think of some of the times when your life seemed like nothing but pain and confusion. The sunsets and gentle breezes that God sent you may have been nice, but better by far is the preacher of good news who was sent by God to tell you that your sins are forgiven! Because of Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross you are right with God. Because of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, you too will one day rise into a beautiful new heaven and new earth. Words are needed to convey these precious, saving truths to people like you and me.

Words are absolutely necessary to convey these beautiful, saving truths to everyone around us. How can they hear without someone preaching to them? Preaching means telling good news with true words from Scripture. These words don’t have to be overly complicated. It can be as simple as the apostle Paul telling a terrified jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Silent love from God is important. But only the spoken word of God’s love saves! (Romans 1:16) Words are needed. God’s Word gives us what we need.

Prayer:
Dearest Jesus, thank you for loving me enough to reveal yourself to me through your word in the Bible. Use my words, simple as they may be, to share you and your saving love with others. Amen.

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Amos 5:14

Godly Advice for Troubled Times

We live in troubled times, but that has been a fact throughout the history of nations. Permanent peace doesn’t exist on earth, although in 765 B.C. the ten northern tribes of Israel thought they had it. Once a part of the great Kingdoms of David and Solomon, Israel was now divided. The ten northern tribes, still known as Israel, had fallen into open idolatry and immorality. Judah, the two tribes to the south, wasn’t doing much better. Injustice was rampant in Israel. One writer describes Israel at that time as “politically secure and spiritually smug.”

Our holy God was justly offended by the sins of Israel, and threatened imminent destruction by the hand of enemy nations, which ultimately did happen. But ironically, at this point Israel still asserted that the Lord God Almighty was with them.

God chose a shepherd/farmer to announce impending judgment. Yet, Amos also offered a message of grace and hope from God: “Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.”

That seems overly simplistic: “Seek good, not evil.” How would you apply this to your life? How would you define those simple words?

“Evil,” perhaps, is most easily defined, but maybe not so much when our sins include complacency and smugness regarding our relationship with God.

“Good” is a profound word in the context of the holy will of the Lord God Almighty. In his holy eyes nothing short of perfection is good. Yet, the forgiveness of sins won for us by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, his Son, is GOOD NEWS, the gospel of salvation for sinners. Now, as redeemed children of God, “good” includes everything that describes the life of faith to which we are called and to which we are guided by Scriptures. It involves living and growing in faith, eager to share our faith in Jesus with those who need to hear the GOOD NEWS.

How do we “seek” good? Since the Holy Spirit creates faith in us by the gospel, the “seeking” begins there. None of us can be perfect till we are in heaven. Therefore, “seeking good” is a part of humble daily repentance. Trust in Jesus, plus “seeking” the guidance of the Scriptures in Bible study and worship, asking the blessing of the Holy Spirit, define “seeking good” for every facet of our lives.

That’s godly advice from Amos, in troubled times, and all the time!

Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, graciously help me to seek the good of the gospel that I may live now and forever with you, the heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus the one, true “Lord God Almighty!” Amen.

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
Hebrews 3:1

Focus Your Attention on Jesus

Do you ever find it difficult to pay attention? If so, you are not alone. According to a recent study the average American attention span has fallen to 8 seconds. 8 seconds! Professional marketers have noticed this trend and are reacting accordingly. YouTube videos and internet news articles are getting shorter. Twitter and other social media platforms limit the amount of characters users can include in their posts. Everything is sound bites and video clips.

Counter to this fast-moving culture with little or no attention span, these words from Hebrews Chapter 3 tell us: fix your thoughts on Jesus. With these words God is asking us to think very carefully about Jesus, to focus our attention on him. This involves investing more than 8 seconds of our time.

That is easier said than done, isn’t it? It is so easy to lose sight of Jesus, especially as we swipe from page to page on our cell phones in mere seconds and scroll down our social media feeds as hundreds of images flash before our eyes. But even when we put our devices away, we struggle with focus. We are distracted by sin and temptation. We think about so many things during the day that must get done. We dwell on decisions that must be made, and we bounce from one thing to the next in our hectic lives. Somewhere in all the chaos, we lose sight of Jesus. We lose our focus on the One who truly matters.

Thank God that our Savior focused his attention on us. As our Savior lived in our place on earth and journeyed toward the cross, he never lost sight of you and me. His love for us and his dedication to God’s saving plan kept him focused. He did not let himself get distracted. He fixed his eyes on the goal and he laid down his life as our substitute. His death in our place has removed all our sins, even our sin of failing to give him and his Word our attention. We are forgiven and as our verse says, we now share in the heavenly calling. We are going to heaven through faith in Jesus!

In this fast-paced world, Jesus has given us something to focus on: himself. He wants us to reach our heavenly goal. He knows that when we focus our attention on him, we will reach that goal.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for focusing your attention on me. Thank you for going to the cross to pay for all my sins. Help me always to focus my attention on you and your Word, that I may not lose the heavenly home that you have prepared for me. Amen.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:23-27

Money becoming your god

You need money. There’s no way around it. You need a job to make money. You need to perform at your job to keep receiving money. You need to plan and budget to manage your money. And you need to work with your spouse and family to communicate how to spend your money.

You can’t live without money.

So why does Jesus say that being rich is so dangerous? Doesn’t he understand that we need to pay our bills? Why does he say that having a lot of money could keep us from entering the kingdom of God? Wouldn’t life be easier if we just had more money?

Not necessarily.

Money is a good thing. But money becomes a bad thing when we make it our ultimate thing. Money can easily become our functional god.

When we look to money to give us ultimate happiness, money has become our god.

When we look to money to give us a sense of peace and security, money has become our god.

When we give all our time and effort to making money, we are worshiping money like a god.

We have all done this. At one time or another, we have looked to money to give us what only God can. If money has become our god, how then can we possibly be saved?

Jesus said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Jesus did the impossible. He left the riches of heaven to be a poor human. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, you, a poor human, have become spiritually rich. Trusting in Jesus as your Savior, you are a child of God, an heir of the King. Now, instead of worshiping your money, by God’s grace, honor God with your money.

Prayer:
God, my Father, thank you for providing all that I need for my body and life. God, the Son, thank you for giving me the riches of your grace and forgiveness. God, the Holy Spirit, lead me to treasure what is truly valuable in your eyes. Amen.