St. Johns News

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Hebrews 9:27,28

Our Time of Grace

Daily Devotion – November 20, 2024

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:27,28


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No one can escape death. And just as certain as death is the judgment that will come after it. That can be a terrifying thought. No one likes to face judgment.

The thought of being judged at the end of our life for all the things that we have done and have not done sounds excruciatingly painful. We don’t want anyone to judge our life and see the terrible things we’ve done or hear the awful things we’ve said.

The standard of judgment is not about being pretty good or mostly good. It’s not about being better than others. It’s not even about getting better and better as life goes on. No, God’s standard of judgment is perfection. Either you are perfect, or you are not.

Since no one can live up to that standard, God made a plan. His Son, Jesus Christ, came into the world and lived perfectly. He kept every standard God set. He never failed or faltered. He is perfect. More than that, Jesus faced God’s judgment for sin on the cross. His sacrifice satisfied the wrath of God for humanity’s imperfection and sin.

Now, God gives people an opportunity during their life to hear this good news called the gospel. He wants all people to believe that Jesus is their Savior and to receive the forgiveness that Christ offers. God gives each of us a time of grace to put our trust in him, acknowledging that his sacrifice is sufficient so that we can live in the assurance of sins forgiven.

Everyone who puts their faith in Jesus will not have to fear death and judgment. God will judge believers based on the works of Jesus and his perfection. When Jesus comes again, he will bring salvation to all waiting for him.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for enduring judgment in my place. Help me to trust in your finished work and eagerly wait for your second coming. Amen.

Nor did [Christ] enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Hebrews 9:25,26

Sacrificed Once for All

Daily Devotion – November 19, 2024

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:25,26


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Before the time of Jesus, the Israelites gathered around the temple every year for the Day of Atonement. God reminded them that there needed to be amends and reparation for their wrongdoing and sin.

It was one of their most sacred days. The air filled with a solemn silence. They watched the high priest fulfill his duties. Instead of wearing his usual ornate robe and bejeweled breastplate, he wore simple white linen. There was no room for outward glory, only humility before God.

Only on this day could the high priest enter a room in the temple called the Most Holy Place. A veil separated it from the rest of the temple. Inside, the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat. The blood symbolized the atonement of sin, a vivid reminder of the cost of sin.

During the day, a goat was chosen. The priest confessed the sins of the people onto the goat and sent it into the wilderness. The people watched the scapegoat carry their sins far away. God not only forgave the people their sins, but he also removed them far from his people.

This day played out year after year because no animal’s blood could pay for a single sin. No goat was powerful enough to carry sins. All these acts pointed forward to a time when God would send his Messiah, the Christ, to be the Savior. This Savior would make real atonement for the sins of his people.

Jesus Christ acted as both priest and sacrifice, offering his very blood for the eternal atonement of humanity. The blood of Jesus is holy and precious because it is the very blood of God. His one sacrifice was enough to restore humanity’s broken relationship with God caused by our sin. Because of Jesus, God has removed our sins forever.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for paying the terrible cost of my sin. Help me to treasure my restored relationship with you. Amen.

[Jesus said] “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”
John 5:28,29

All Will Rise

Daily Devotion – November 18, 2024

Devotion based on John 5:28,29


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There is a large cemetery near where I live. From the road, you can see headstones for what looks like miles. Driving into the cemetery, you are surrounded by graves. Rows and rows of plots and places where the dead sleep, entombed in a coffin, covered by six feet of dirt.

Every time I accompany families to that cemetery for the burial of a loved one, I have the privilege of assuring them this will not be their loved one’s final resting place. It doesn’t matter how well the coffin is sealed or how much dirt is on top of it. It doesn’t even matter what condition the body is in. That body, that person, will rise when Jesus comes.

Jesus makes it clear that all people will rise when they hear his voice at his second coming. Cemeteries, tombs, and mausoleums will burst open with the once dead who are alive again. No grave will have the power to hold onto its corpses.

At that time, Jesus declares that those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. But who can do good when God defines good as perfection? No one is perfect except for Jesus. But, God promises to credit Jesus’ perfection to all who believe in Jesus as their Savior. Those who believe in Jesus as their Savior rise to eternal glory; those who do not believe rise to eternal condemnation.

All the dead will rise at Jesus’ voice on the Last Day, but believers rise from spiritual death at the voice of Jesus in the gospel. During this life, he invites you to come to him for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He beckons you with his gentle voice to find your rest in him.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, help me to hear and listen to your voice so that I may rest forever with you. Amen.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people.
Hebrews 9:27,28

To Savor Life

Daily Devotion – November 17, 2024

Devotion based on Hebrews 9:27,28


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William Saroyan was a great Twentieth Century American writer. William was known for his extreme zeal for life. He once said, “Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might . . . You will be dead soon enough.”

On one level, his advice makes sense: Life is short. Death is coming. Savor the time you have.

When you study his later years, however, it appears that William took this to mean that living life is a frantic race against time. As he grew older, he isolated himself in his home to get more words down on paper. He drank gallons of coffee and often worked for up to two days without sleep. And when he did sleep, it was on an army cot next to his typewriter.

One day, relatives found him unconscious. They rushed him to a hospital. Within a short time, William Saroyan was dead.

On the one hand, you and I want to do what William Saroyan advised. During our days on this earth, we want to try as much as possible “to breathe deeply” to taste life fully.

For us as Christians, however, there’s a difference. We savor this life, not because this life is all we have, but because Jesus Christ has made it sweet.

Despite difficulties and disappointments, this life is sweet because full forgiveness through faith in Jesus has made it so. Despite troubles and pain, this life is sweet because God, in Christ, is using us to touch the lives of others. Despite tragedy, illness, old age, and death, this life is sweet because Jesus has turned the end of this life into the door to life eternal.

Because of Jesus, you and I can savor the life he has given us and know that the best is yet to come.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you washed me clean in your blood and covered me in your perfection. Through faith in you my life is sweet. Move me to savor this life as I await the life to come. Amen.

In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
2 Corinthians 8:2

Fly

Daily Devotion – November 16, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:2


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In his book Run with the Horses, author Eugene Peterson describes what he once saw on the shore of a lake. Three young swallows were sitting on a dead branch that stretched out over the water. As Peterson watched, an adult swallow got alongside the chicks and began shoving each one off the branch. The one on the end of the branch fell first. But before it hit the water, its wings came to life, and away it flew. The same thing happened with the next young swallow. The third chick, however, was stubborn. No matter how hard the adult swallow shoved, the chick hung on for dear life. Even when it fell forward and was hanging upside down, the young swallow refused to let go. Finally, the adult began pecking at the little one’s feet until it was too painful to hold on. The chick released its grip and began to fall. And then it started to fly. It finally began to do what it was meant to do.

God calls upon us to be generous givers and lavish in giving to others what he has given to us. But often, you and I can be like that third chick. Whether out of fear, doubt, or stubbornness, it’s easy to cling to what is familiar and hold on to what we think will give us security. But if we are forever clutching the things God intends for us to share—we will always be like a sad, terrified bird clinging for dear life to a dead branch. We will never know the joy of true generosity. We will never fly.

Oh, how vitally important Jesus is for us! He came to this earth and lived a life of unbridled generosity on our behalf. He lives to give us the power to live for him. When necessary, he will shove us off our branch to do so and allow pain and trouble to disrupt our sleepy comfort. And it is often during those unpleasant periods of freefall that Jesus will re-teach us the sweet joy of a generous life. He will refresh us and spread our wings of generosity. And we will fly.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, cleanse me of the many ways I have given in to my selfish impulses. Refresh me with your Spirit. Spread my wings of generosity. Empower me to fly. Amen.

See that you also excel in this grace of giving. . . For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:7,9

The Most Startling Generosity of All

Daily Devotion – November 15, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:7,9


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“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Do you? Grace is an amazing word. Its definitions is “undeserved love.” But another way to remember what grace means is to think of it as an acronym. Grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”

You can see God’s grace most clearly in Christ. Today’s Bible passage says that Jesus was rich, though that’s a bit of an understatement. Jesus is the Son of God. He was so rich that he owned everything in the universe because he made it. He had heaven as his perfect home from all eternity.

Yet he left that perfect home. He gave it up to become poor, which is another understatement. Jesus was born in a barn. And when he grew up, he lived as a wandering rabbi with no place to lay his head. He relied on the generosity of others to supply his daily needs.

The whole time, he was acting as your substitute. He lived a life of obedience to all of God’s laws so that he could give you credit for it. Then, after thirty-three years of sin-free perfection, Jesus took all your sins, made them his own, and died for them on the cross.

Why did he do it? Because he loved you and wanted you to enjoy all of God’s riches at his expense. You couldn’t afford them. You deserved hell, but Christ gives you heaven. You deserved wrath, but Christ shows you his love.

That’s grace, and it begins and ends with the startling generosity of your Lord Jesus Christ. And if Jesus was willing to bankrupt himself to make you his own, doesn’t that change the way you look at the grace of giving? You give not to earn God’s favor but because you have already received the greatest gift in Christ.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, graciously help me to model my generosity after your own. Amen.

For I testify that [the Macedonian churches] gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.
2 Corinthians 8:3,4

Startling Generosity Flows from Gratitude

Daily Devotion – November 14, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:3,4


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Renowned Christian minister John Wesly famously said, “The last part of a man to be converted is his wallet.” He said this because even veteran believers find it difficult to use their money to serve God.

With that in mind, did you catch what today’s Bible passage said? The poor Christians in Macedonia begged the apostle Paul for an opportunity to open their wallets and give. How’s that for startling generosity?

Paul was collecting an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem. And even though the believers in Macedonia had never met their brothers and sisters in that faraway city, they pleaded with Paul for the privilege of supporting them.

Why? Because they didn’t view giving as a burden, but as a privilege. God was doing them a favor by laying this opportunity in front of them. After all, startling generosity is one of the characteristics of God’s people, and participating in the offering lets them show it. Despite their own poverty, they willingly gave far beyond what Paul expected. They recognized that their gifts could help relieve the suffering of fellow believers. Their eagerness to give came from a deep gratitude for what they had received from God.

This dynamic relationship between gratitude and generosity is essential. Like the Macedonians, everything you have is a gift from God. When you struggle to be generous, reflect on the blessings God has given you.

He gave you your body and soul, your mind, and all your abilities, not to mention every other material blessing you cherish. He gave you his only Son, who saved you from sin, death, and the devil and who secured your heavenly home. Then he sent you his Holy Spirit to give you saving faith and keep you in that faith.

The more you reflect on God’s blessings, the more grateful you become. And while you may not be begging for a chance to give, you will generously serve God.

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, help me to cultivate a heart of gratitude that overflows into generosity to those around me. Amen.

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
2 Corinthians 8:1,2

Startling Generosity is Childlike

Daily Devotion – November 13, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 8:1,2


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It’s a scene that plays out, week after week, in church. The ushers walk down the aisle to pass the offering plates to the congregation. A young boy sees them approach and tugs on his mother’s sleeve. She reaches into her purse and gives him a five-dollar bill. His excitement is tangible as he watches the plate approach, and his joy is contagious when he finally puts the money in.

How can he give so enthusiastically? Why doesn’t he pocket his mom’s cash for himself? Because he knows that he doesn’t need the money. The mother who gave it to him will continue to take care of him, so why shouldn’t he be generous?

Amazingly, that was the attitude the Macedonian Christians had. They were extremely poor believers who were under pressure from a severe trial. That doesn’t seem to be a recipe for startling generosity. Does it? But despite their problems, they generously contributed to a humanitarian offering that the apostle Paul was gathering for Christians in Jerusalem.

How could they give so enthusiastically? Why didn’t they ask Paul to collect an offering for them? Because they knew that everything, they had was a gift from God. It was theirs in the same way that the boy’s five dollar bill was his. So, the question was not, “What do we want to do with our money?” The question was, “What does God want us to do with his money?”

They may not have been overflowing with resources, but they were overflowing with joy in the Lord, who was the source of their every blessing. Like the Macedonians, you have a God who has graciously forgiven you for Jesus’ sake. And whether he has given you a little or a lot of material wealth, you get to use it to serve his people. For Christians, one of life’s greatest joys is giving because they know that God joyfully gives them everything they need.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me opportunities to serve you by being generous to others. Amen.

She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.
1 Kings 17:15,16

Startling Generosity is Confident

Daily Devotion – November 12, 2024

Devotion based on 1 Kings 17:15,16


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The drought had been severe for a while now. The fields were parched, and the rivers were dry. She was a poor widow who had enough flour and oil to feed herself and her young son one last time. She was by the town gate, gathering sticks to bake her final meal, when the Prophet Elijah approached her with an outrageous request: “Bring me, please, a piece of bread” (1 Kings 17:11).

Now, she was not one of God’s people—she was a Gentile, not an Israelite. Moreover, she barely had enough food for her family, let alone a stranger. But Elijah had something to offer her – a promise from God: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land” (1 Kings 17:14).

She could have done the sensible thing and said no. But instead, she did what Elijah had asked. Her startling generosity showed her confidence in the Lord’s promise. Imagine her joy when there was enough flour and oil to feed Elijah, herself, and her son! And not just that day, but every day afterward until the drought was over.

It all happened just as the Lord had said. And that’s a key to startling generosity: the Word of God. God’s Word created the universe, and that same Word sustains it. So, when the Word of the Lord promises to give you your daily bread, you can be confident that he will keep that promise.

Moreover, you can also be generous, trusting God to meet your needs, even in ways you don’t expect. He wants to use you to help others in unexpected ways. The Bible says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).

Prayer:
Gracious Lord, thank you for promising to provide all that I need to keep my body and life. Help me to trust that promise as I seek to be generous to others. Amen.