The One Minute Devotion: Recent Episodes
Pastor Richard Exley
It may be helpful to remind ourselves that even the heroes of faith did not go through life unscathed. Normally we like to remember their proudest moments, but it may be equally beneficial to recall their devastating failures. Not as a way of excusing our sins, but only as a way of reminding ourselves that God’s grace is always greater than our sins. The apostle Paul said,
“…God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.”
— 1 Timothy 1:16 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, thank You for not giving up on me, for not casting me out on the scrap heap of life. Because of Your great mercy I am redeemed. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
A revelation of God’s holiness inevitably leads to a realization of personal sin. Once we see God in all His glory we cannot help but be undone. Like Isaiah we will cry, “Woe is me!” Thankfully the Lord does not leave us overwhelmed by our sin. Instead, He takes our guilt away and makes atonement for our sin.
“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar…He touched my lips with it and said…‘Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’”
— Isaiah 6:7
Lord Jesus, we are a people of unclean lips. Remove our guilt and forgive our sins. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
How do we recover a holy fear (reverence) of God without falling back into legalism? We must have a revelation of God’s awesome holiness. Not simply an intellectual appreciation for the doctrine of His holiness, but an encounter with the One who is altogether holy beyond anything we can imagine. An encounter like the one Isaiah had when he entered the temple following King Uzziah’s death. He saw the
“… Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple… Angelic beings were crying, “‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty …’”
— Isaiah 6:1, 3-4
Lord God almighty, show us Your holiness that we may worship and fear You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
For the most part the strict legalistic culture in which I was reared no longer exists. Being free from the constant condemnation is a good thing, but in the process, it appears we have lost our fear (reverence) of God. Many postmodern believers have little or no sense of sin. Everyone does what is right in his or her own eyes without fear of the consequences. So where do we go from here? How do we recover a holy fear (reverence) of God without falling back into legalism?
“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
— Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, give us a revelation of Your holiness that we might fear (reverence) You as we should. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Some misguided believers think they can live a sinful life without suffering the consequences. Not hardly. Hebrews 10 makes our fate clear: “For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy…Just think how much worse the punishment will be for us
“…if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, (all that remains is) …a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
— Hebrews 10:26-27 (ESB)
Lord Jesus, help us to live a godly life even as we trust only in Your finished work for our eternal salvation. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
God loves us unconditionally, but that does not mean He overlooks our sin. Hebrews 10:26 says, “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left…” God turned His pockets inside out, He bankrupted heaven, when He poured out His love through the gift of His dear son. He has nothing left to give. If His love doesn’t win our hearts nothing will!
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life..”
— John 3:16 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus, help us to embrace Your love until every desire for sin and self is swallowed up in Your love. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
When compliments come my way, I’m always careful to pass them on to the One to whom all praise belongs. It’s a discipline I learned from Corrie ten Boom. When she received a compliment she would say, “Thank you. I’ll put that in my bouquet.” When asked to explain she said, “I think of every compliment as a flower. At the end of the day, I arrange them into a bouquet and present them to Jesus.”
“The melting-pot is for silver and the fire for gold, and a man is tested by the praise he receives.”
— Proverbs 27:21 (NLV)
Lord Jesus, we all need life giving affirmation but don’t let us get the big head. In your holy name we pray. Amen.
There have been seasons in my life when I was so full of myself that there was no room in my world for anyone else. Still, the Lord refused to give up on me. Patiently He worked with me, chipping away at my self-centered pride. Year, after year, after year, until, at last, something of His likeness began to be formed in me. Now I can truly rejoice with those who rejoice even if their achievements dwarf my own.
“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory…”
— 1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, help us to walk humbly before You all the days of our life. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?” When you have that painful memory fixed in your mind let me ask you another question. “What are you going to do?” Will you trust the Lord to heal your hurts, to redeem your troubles, or will you take matters into your own hands? How you answer that question is critically important for it will determine both your spiritual and emotional wholeness, as well as your destiny so choose wisely.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
— Romans 8:31 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, help us to realize that You can take the worst thing that ever happened to us and redeem it. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
I recently read about a psychiatrist who asks each new client three questions. 1) What is the worst thing you have ever done? 2) What is the worst thing that ever happened to you? 3) What is the proudest moment of your life? If you are like me, you would probably like to go directly to the third question. All of us like to remember our achievements, yet, for many of us, even those highlights are tainted with the shame of past sins. Maybe that’s why he wants his clients to remember the worst thing they have ever done. Maybe he realizes we can’t really accept our achievements until we have made peace with our past.
“Overlook my youthful sins, O Lord! Look at me instead through eyes of mercy and forgiveness, through eyes of everlasting love and kindness.”
— Psalm 25:6-7 (TLB)
Lord Jesus, help us to make peace with our past by accepting Your love and forgiveness. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Maybe you are in a difficult place right now. If so, you are in good company. Those God intends to use in special ways usually experience the greatest challenges. Joseph went to prison, Moses spent forty years on the backside of the desert, David was a fugitive hunted by King Saul, Daniel went to the lion’s den, and Paul had a thorn in his flesh. God uses adversity to develop our character and our faith. Out of the deepest trials come the most faithful servants. God is preparing you for something special!
“‘You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God’”
— Isaiah 41:9-10
Lord Jesus I pray for that person who is hanging on by a thread. Strengthen them and deliver them. May they come out of this fiery trial equipped for special service. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
She was guilty. The religious leaders had caught her in the very act of adultery. They urged Jesus to condemn…
Keeping the Ten Commandments can’t atone for a single sin so what is their purpose? To show us our sins.…
God wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18). The first four commandments deal…
The Bible records three messages written by the finger of God. Three messages containing a summary of the salvation story—holy…
No matter how grievous your sins may be you need not despair. Jesus can and will forgive your sins! He…
By nature, demons are evil and depraved. The Bible often refers to them as unclean spirits (Mark 1:27). Consider the…
Not only does Jesus have authority over sickness but He also has authority over demons. Every time He confronted a…
What can you do to receive your healing? First, fill your mind with the miracles of Jesus. Read them again…
In Mark chapter 5 we have the account a woman who had suffered with a hemorrhage for twelve years. She…
In my limited experience I have witnessed a number of medically documented healings—a six year old boy was healed of…
Jesus not only has authority over nature but over all manner of sickness and disease as well. He cleansed lepers,…
Once we were driving on a narrow two-lane highway in heavy traffic when an oncoming automobile suddenly tried to pass…
Jesus repeatedly demonstrated His authority over nature. At the wedding in Cana of Galilee, He turned water into wine (Jn.…
Sooner or later we all find ourselves in a storm that threatens to destroy us. Maybe you’re in one right…
During His earthly ministry Jesus demonstrated His power over nature on numerous occasions. Once the disciples were caught in a…
In Luke 8:25 the disciples ask, “Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him” (TLB)? Allow…
In Luke 8:25 the disciples ask, “Who is this man, that even the winds and waves obey him” (TLB)? Allow…
In Matthew 28 Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew chapter 9…
Peyton Jones entered the hospital for a minor surgical procedure. Suddenly he went into cardiac arrest. For twenty minutes his…
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6 KJV). I love those words…
For nine long years the record time for running one mile hovered just above four minutes. Many people said the…
According to Phillip Keller, parasites often attack the sheep especially around their heads. In extreme cases these parasites can cause…
The Psalmist says the Lord prepares a table for us “…in the presence of (our) enemies” (Psalm 23:5). So who…
Phillip Keller says the shepherd endures great hardship as he prepares the summer range for his sheep. In the same…
Before God created Adam and Eve, He created a planet capable of sustaining human life. Before they fell prey to…
Forty miles above the earth’s surface there is a thin layer of ozone. Without it, life could not exist. The…
The earth stands as irrefutable evidence of God’s careful design. If it were 10% larger or 10% smaller human life…
On this day, 250 years ago, the Declaration of Independence was adopted. Each of the fifty-six men who signed it…
On this the eve of our nations 250th birthday I believe this prayer broadcast by the late Paul Harvey, is…
Before God created the first human being, He anticipated everything we would need. Knowing we couldn’t live in the dark…
Psalm 23:5 declares, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies….” That short phrase contains three…
When the early missionaries sailed for Africa, shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, many of them packed their…
The famous violinist, Fritz Krezler said, “Straight and narrow and hard is the way that leads to a life of…
Most often God speaks to us through the Scriptures. It is the revelation of His character, the declaration of His…
According to Phillip Keller, the shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to…
In the 23rd Psalm David tells us to fear no evil because the shepherd is with us. I take great…
When I was a boy, I had a vivid imagination. One night I awoke and thought I saw an intruder…
When the Psalmist speaks of the valley of the shadow of death, he’s alluding to every difficult experience we face…
While in the valley of failure—that place where our self-image dies—the great shepherd not only sustained Ira Stanphill but also…
Maybe you are in the valley of despair right now. Perhaps it seems your life is shattered and your dreams…
When we read the Bible devotionally, we do so in order to answer three questions. First, “What is the historical setting?” The second question is, “What does this passage say about God?” The third question is more personal: “What does this passage say to me about my spiritual condition, about my life and my standing with God?” When we read the Scriptures, we need to act on what we are learning. As Richard Foster says, “When we come to the Scripture we come to be changed, not to amass information.”
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
— Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus, use the Word to shape us, to conform us to Your very own image. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
As a young man I considered prayer an obligation, something Christians had to do. As I matured in the Lord, I came to understand that it was a discipline that would one day become a delight. Now I realize that prayer is a privilege. Try to get an audience with some earthly dignitary and what do you think your chances are? Probably not every good, but every time we whisper a prayer in Jesus’ name, God promises to meet us there. Now that’s a privilege!
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
— 2 Chronicles 7:14
Lord Jesus, thank You for always being there when we call upon You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Journaling has been an important part of my devotional praying for years. It is a historical spiritual discipline and the keeping of prayer journals has played a significant role in the history of the Church. From St. Augustine to Pascal to the Society of Friends, some form of the spiritual journal has been used for spiritual discipline and growth. It is a wise person who learns from those who have gone before him and puts this ancient discipline into practice in his own life.
“The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man,
it searches out his inmost being.”— Proverbs 20:27
Lord Jesus, guide our thoughts as we reflect upon our daily walk. Reveal things we would not ordinarily see. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Devotional praying helps us become the people God has called us to be. It focuses on matters of the heart and causes us to examine ourselves and our relationships in light of God’s Holy Word. We are not talking about morbid introspection but the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Early in our walk with the Lord, our temptations are generally the more obvious temptations of the flesh – lust, ambition and materialism, but as we grow in the Lord, they become the more subtle temptations of the heart. These are temptations that only the Word and the Spirit can root out.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart…See if there is any
offensive way in me.”— Psalm 139:23-24
Lord Jesus, help us to take responsibility for our attitudes so we can be changed by Your Holy Spirit. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
In prayer, Jesus experienced fellowship with the Father that nourished His soul. He received guidance to direct Him in His life’s work and anointing to accomplish His ministry. It was the single most important discipline of His earthly existence and the source of His strength. If prayer was critical to the life and ministry of our Lord – and obviously it was – how much more critical is it for those of us who would be Christ followers today?
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
— Luke 18:1
Lord Jesus, forgive us when we get too busy to pray. Slow us down and call us into a quiet place where we can fellowship with You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Although believers do not normally give fasting the same attention they give prayer and Bible reading, the Scriptures put it in the same category. Arthur Wallis writes in God’s Chosen Fast, “Neither did Jesus say if you as though fasting were something the disciples might or might not be led to do…He stated unambiguously and without qualification, ‘When you fast…’ He left us in no doubt that He took it for granted that His disciples would be obeying the leading of the Spirit in this matter of fasting.”
“When you fast….your Father, who sees what is done is secret,
will reward you.”— Matthew 6:17-18
Lord Jesus, give us the discipline to fast regularly as part of our devotional life. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
To the subjective discipline of prayer we add the objective discipline of study, especially the study of God’s Word. Even as we study the Word we remind ourselves that it is bread to be eaten, not literature to be admired. We are continually putting it into practice and letting it change our life. For our devotional life to be complete we need to read devotional classics and other books that deal with the inner life. It is enormously beneficial to learn from the experience of those who have walked this way before us.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
— 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
Lord Jesus, help us to hide Your Word in our hearts that we might be transformed until we are conformed to Your likeness. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The devotional life is multidimensional but the three most critical disciplines are prayer, study, and fasting. What breath is to the body, prayer is to the soul. It restores our spiritual vitality. It shapes us into God’s image. It brings our thoughts and feelings into perfect accord with the Father’s desires. It enlarges our vision and enables us to think God’s thoughts after Him. It puts all of life into perspective and brings eternity into focus.
“Jesus…went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed.”
— Luke 9:28-29
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray the kinds of prayers that transform us. Change not only our appearance but also our character. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
No one can do everything and the sooner we realize this, the better off everyone will be. It is not weakness but wisdom that prompts the leader to surround himself with a highly effective team. To be a competent leader does not mean you have to master the multiplicity of tasks required to lead a highly successful organization, but only that you are wise enough to build a team that is able to effectively manage those tasks.
“Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’”
— Acts 6:2-4
Lord Jesus, give us the self-confidence and the wisdom to build an effective team. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
One of the keys to success is to recognize your strengths – that is your God given abilities – and build on them. Many of us are tempted to focus on our weaknesses in order to improve in those areas where we are less gifted. As a result, we fail to maximize our areas of giftedness and limit our effectiveness. We also experience a diminishing return. Instead of renewing us, our work exhausts us.
“‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out.’”
— Exodus 18:17-18
Lord Jesus, help us to focus on our strengths and not our weaknesses that we may accomplish all You have called us to do. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
To be a person of character is not complicated. You live modestly, love your neighbor as yourself, turn the other…
When I think of a man of character my thoughts always turn to my Uncle Ernie. He was not a…
Character and competence are two sides of the same coin. Character focuses on who we are. Competence focuses on what…
Reflected giving refers to the power one person’s generosity has to inspire others. Take Lizzie Johnson for instance. At thirteen…
The third level of giving is revelation giving. This is how the Macedonian churches gave. Paul describes it, “In the…
The second level of giving is “reasoned giving.” This is beyond the tithe and in the scriptures, it is called…
The first level of giving is “regular giving.” Your offering is given regularly, and the amount is based on your…
Years ago, my friend Jack Strom, taught me the four levels of giving. 1) Regular giving. “Every Sunday each of…
Some years ago, we were experiencing some financial difficulties in the ministry. We had prayed and prayed but nothing changed.…
Are you walking through a difficult time right now? Are you dealing with disappointment or coping with loss? Perhaps you…
At first glance it may seem David and Svea Flood went to Africa in vain. It may seem Svea died…
In 1921 David and Svea Flood went as missionaries to what was then the Belgian Congo. A short time later…
As a rule, farmers plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. In between is the growing season. So,…
Someone said, “You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the apples in a seed.” So…
The soil in which you plant your seed is critical. That’s the second law of the harvest. If you plant…
According to my friend, Owen Carr, the first law of the harvest is, “You must plant the seed before you…
Owen Carr identifies five laws of the harvest. 1) Nothing happens until the seed is planted. 2) Where you plant…
Is there anyone in your life who gets on your nerves? Maybe it’s their constant chatter, or the way they…
The ultimate purpose of a covenant relationship is not accountability, but nurture. As a spiritual friend your responsibility is not…
In our early days in ministry, we lived in a parsonage right next to the church. This made us an…
As I look back over my life, I realize that I have missed several opportunities—opportunities to be forgiving, to speak…
Yesterday I told you a friend of mine has been doing random acts of kindness anonymously for more than twenty-five…
For more than twenty-five years a friend of mine has been performing random acts of kindness. Sometimes he buys a…
Benjamin West tells how he first became aware of his artistic skills. One day his mother went out, leaving him…
The late Professor Leo Buscaglia tells the story of a young lady in one of his classes who took her…
I don’t like to think of myself as a judgmental person. You probably don’t either but if the truth be…
I want to begin today’s devotion with a confession. I have always been quick to honor those whom I considered…
To be a Christian in the workplace is not always easy. Not infrequently it is filled with tension and office…
As a young pastor I inadvertently offended several parishioners. After seeking the Lord’s guidance, I felt directed to accept responsibility…
Several years ago when my wife underwent brain surgery to clip an aneurysm my brother, two nieces, a close friend,…
Do you know there are 100 “one another” commands in the New Testament? Things like: “Bear one another’s burdens.” “Love…
I’m constantly amazed at the Lord’s patience. Consider Peter. No matter how many times he failed, God refused to give…
As I consider Peter’s life and ministry the first thing that stands out to me is God’s ability to use…
When the Scriptures speak of the heart they are referring to the core of an individual’s being, who he is…
Those who pass the test of praise usually do so because they refuse to take themselves or their achievements too…
Adversity tests a man’s character, his ability to hang in there when the going gets tough. Success, on the other…
Although the ant is tiny, and of primitive intelligence, it still has the good sense to work hard and plan…
Have you allowed anything—the fear of failure, what others think, self-imposed limits, lack of education—to lock you in a self-made…
Studies show that most bad investments are made out of greed. A man sees an opportunity to get rich quick…
Although the Bible is not a textbook on financial matters, it does have a considerable amount to say on the…
I want to be a critical thinker without becoming a critical person. So, what’s the difference.
A critical thinker examines all the facts, weighs all evidence, before coming to a conclusion.
A critical person is not looking for the truth, rather he is on a fault-finding mission. He has already made up his mind and now he is just searching for anything to confirm his predetermined conclusions. Critical thinkers help us discover the truth while critical people simply attack those they disagree with.
Are you a critical thinker or a critical person?
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.”
— Ephesians 5:6 (NIV)
Lord, help us become critical thinkers without becoming critical people. Amen.
Consider the widow of Zarephath. Pay careful attention to the sequence of events. First God spoke through Elijah. “‘Don’t be afraid…The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry…’” (1 Kings 17:13-14). The word of the Lord birthed faith in her heart producing obedience—”She went away and did as Elijah had told her…” (1 Kings 17:15). Faith and obedience opened the windows of heaven. “So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. (1 Kings 17:15-16).
What step of faith is the Lord asking you to take? Remember faith and obedience open the windows of heaven.
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
— James 2:17 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help me to be willing to give what I have in order to receive what I so desperately need. Amen.
Yesterday I told you about a young couple who gave every cent they had even though their rent was due, and their cupboards were bare. Two days later a businessman stopped by my office. “Pastor,” he said, “is there someone in our congregation who has a desperate financial need?” I told him about that young couple. He took out his checkbook and wrote out a check to cover all their expenses for the coming month. I will never forget the joy that flooded their hearts when I handed them that check. They had obeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit and God had proven Himself faithful to supply their needs.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:19 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, give me the faith to be obedient when You ask me to give all that I have in my bank account, especially if I don’t know where my next paycheck is coming from. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
I have no idea how Elijah felt asking that poor widow for her last morsel of food (1 Kings 17:13), but I know how I felt when a young couple handed me a handful of coins at the conclusion of service one Sunday morning. I was scared. I was afraid their faith was misplaced, and I felt like it was my fault for preaching on Elijah and the widow. They were in Bible College, and this was all the money they had—just over $3 in change. Their rent and utilities were due, and their cupboards were bare. They gave all they had, every last penny, trusting the Lord to supernaturally supply their needs.
“Don’t be afraid…For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: “the jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry…””
— 1 Kings 17:13
Lord Jesus, I am praying for those in financial need right now. Increase their faith and supply all their needs. Amen.
When Elijah arrived in Zarephath the first person he saw was a poor widow—what we might call a bag lady. When he asked her for a drink of water and a piece of bread, she broke down weeping. “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die” (1 Kings 17:12).
Little did she know that she was about to receive a lesson in the economy of the Kingdom. What we keep never grows but what we give away never runs out!
Lord Jesus, give us faith to be obedient no matter the risk. Amen.
When I’m comfortable and well fed I want to stay put. Maybe Elijah was like that too. Maybe that’s why God allowed the brook to dry up (1 Kings 17:7). Maybe that was the only way Elijah would have been willing to go to a widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:9), considering it was a 100-mile hike through a blistering wasteland.
Take a look at your situation. Are you continuing to flourish or is the brook drying up. If things are changing, ask yourself “Is this an attack of the enemy or is God trying to get my attention? Is God prompting me to make a change or is it time to dig in and hold steady through this difficult season?” The key to your future is to hear and obey.
“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says.”
— Revelation 2:7 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, speak the Word so that we might hear and obey. Amen.
Is your brook drying up? Have the ravens stopped delivering? Of course, I’m speaking metaphorically of those times when God’s promised provision fails to materialize. My remarks are based on the story of Elijah the prophet. When his life was threatened God told him to “…hide in the Kerith Ravine…You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there” (1 Kings 17:3-4). Elijah obeyed and things went well for a time.
Then the brook dried up!
So what happened? Did God’s promises fail? Is the bone-dry brook God’s punishment? No! A thousand times no! There was a widow that the Lord wanted to feed and He could only do so if she obeyed Elijah.
“Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘Go at once to Zarephath…I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.’”
— 1 Kings 17:8-10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to hear and obey. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God has a long history of using the insignificant to accomplish the impossible! He used a woman delivered of seven demons as the first missionary of the resurrection. He used unknown and uneducated men as the heralds of the gospel. He used a former blasphemer and persecutor of church to write much of the New Testament and He can use you. Are you ordinary? Are you unknown? Are you insignificant? If you are, you’re just the kind of person God is looking for.
What the world thinks disqualifies you—your insignificance—is what qualifies you.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
— Acts 4:13 (NIV)
Lord, help us to trust only in Your anointing. Amen.
I have been privileged to preach a number of conferences for ministers. I often begin the first session by asking the attendees to take a couple of minutes and look around. After they have had a chance to survey the crowd I ask, “How would you like to be God, and this is all you have to work with—us?” That usually gets a good laugh but after a moment they realize I’m serious. The truth be told most of us are not top-drawer material. Paul writes:
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are…”
— 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 (NIV)
Thank you, Lord, for choosing us. Amen.
No matter how many times Peter failed, God refused to give up on him. The Lord had a plan for Peter’s life, and He refused to allow Peter’s repeated failures to compromise His divine purposes. In the end God redeemed Peter’s mistakes. He touched them with His redeeming grace and turned them into material for ministry. If God did not reject Peter because of his mistakes, He will not reject us either. In truth, “God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
“God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
— Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
Lord, thank you for never giving up on us. Complete Your work in us and turn our mistakes into material for ministry. Amen.
As I consider Peter’s life and ministry two things stand out above all the rest. First, God’s ability to use…
Many of God’s promises seem almost too good to be true. Things like forgiveness, a new life, fellowship with Him,…
Are you struggling with doubt and staggering at the promises of God? Don’t be too hard on yourself. Doubt is…
On July 4, 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim the 26 miles from Catalina Island to Long Beach, California. The…
Not long ago I read a story (author unknown) about two horses. Although one horse was blind his owner had…
A young woman told her grandmother how difficult her life was and that she felt like giving up. Without a…
CS Lewis said “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung…
You may find life overwhelming, not because of the past, but because you fear the future. Frightful projections and fearful…
If ever you are tempted to doubt the love of God, to think that your repeated failures have driven you…
So great is the love of God that there are times when I am tempted to make light of sin,…
By becoming one of us and living a sinless life, Jesus fully satisfied the holy demands of a righteous God,…
The time to prepare for temptation is before it strikes. Only a fool would try to dig a storm cellar…
Factors that increase your vulnerability to temptation include isolation, a major loss such as death, divorce, or unemployment. Other factors…
There are several similarities between a tornado and temptation. Both occur with little or no warning and both can be…
If you are serious about overcoming temptation you will not put yourself in tempting situations. You will not flirt with…
Only when we embrace our propensity for sin we will we take the steps necessary to escape it. If we…
If you make the accumulation of wealth, or the pursuit of happiness, or any other personal benefit, the goal of…
Whatever your job, it is more than just a way to make a living. It is an opportunity to be…
When Christopher Wren, the English architect, was directing the construction of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, he stopped to talk…
If pure motives were a requirement for Kingdom work, then most of us would be disqualified. Our motives are a…
Have you noticed that the things that once brought you so much satisfaction—your marriage, your family, your friends and your…
Think about it. Job’s wife lost everything—her children, her wealth, her prestige and now her once influential husband is an…
When calamity struck Job and his family his wife encouraged him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). Don’t be…
Ruth’s father was a bi-vocational pastor. He served faithfully well into his eighties. As he lay dying, he took Ruth’s…
Some of you are probably reading today’s devotion while dealing with an aching heart. You may hide your hurt behind…
If you are like me, you probably pay lip service to eternal things—God, marriage, and family—while paying life service to…
Is the Lord asking you to take a leap of faith and make a major mid-life change? That’s exactly what…
Faithful obedience requires us step out even when we don’t know what the future holds. It is the ultimate act…
Are you like the blind man who saw men as trees walking? I am. I seldom see things clearly. For…
Often what separates faith from presumption is timing. The person who is operating in faith does not act until the…
During worship on August 17, 2003, I found myself wrestling with the Lord. I sensed He wanted me to leave…
The hardest thing the Lord may ever ask you to do is wait. Joseph had to wait at least thirteen…
Let me ask you a question. Are you a called person or a driven person? To help you decide let…
We are complex beings, and our belonging needs can be met only through fellowship with God and a network of…
Bruce Larson suggests that the “…neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to…
It is comforting to think of God as our heavenly Father, good and merciful, gracious and kind, but it is not enough. Given the troubles many of us face, we need not only a heavenly Father who cares but also one who has the power to do something about our situation. One who can speak to the storms that are threatening to overwhelm us and command them to cease. One who can make every situation work for our eternal good.
“They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.”— Psalms 112:7-8
Lord Jesus, help us to remain strong until You deliver us from all our troubles. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Tough times are here, make no mistake about it. Millions are unemployed, businesses are failing, marriages are in trouble, and terminal illness stalks us all. I’m not being negative. I’m a realist and I’ve lived long enough to know that sooner or later tough times come to everyone. But that is not the end of the story. God is greater than any storm we will ever face and His grace is sufficient. We can live with meaning and purpose no matter our lot in life.
“‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,(AB) for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’ ”
— Joshua 1:9
Lord Jesus, help me to trust You even if I cannot understand Your ways, for You are my only hope, my only help. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Recently a high profile minister resigned after confessing to having an inappropriate relationship with a member of the opposite sex. Unfortunately, he is just the latest in a long line of colleagues who have fallen prey to temptation and disqualified themselves for ministry, at least for a time. Of course it is not just ministers who are susceptible to sexual temptation, we all are. And no one is more vulnerable than the person who thinks it could never happen to him.
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”
— 1 Corinthians 10:12
Lord Jesus, temptation is never more alluring than when we keep our struggle secret. Give us the courage to make ourselves accountable. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Scripture teaches us that children are a heritage of the Lord and when we become parents, God entrusts us with a sacred charge. Should we fail here, all of our other achievements will be somehow diminished; but with God’s help we need not fail. With God’s help we can love our children unconditionally, discipline them consistently and train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
“Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.”— Proverbs 22:6
Lord, thank You for the gift of children. Empower us to teach them Your ways that they may grow up to become men and women of God. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Life hasn’t been easy. Bank failures, home foreclosures, and unemployment tempt us to despair. If history is any indication, we are in for even tougher times before things get better. In the difficult days ahead, disappointment and difficulty will tempt us to focus on the negative but we dare not. Only hope will sustain us and gratitude is the fuel that feeds it.
“Put [your] hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
— 1 Timothy 6:17
Lord Jesus, forgive us for trusting in riches and other material things for our security. Teach us to trust only You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Are you one of the millions incarcerated in the penitentiary of pain? Do you suffer in solitary confinement, isolated by hurts you can’t even talk about? There is only one way out and it won’t be easy. You will have to forgive the very person who has ravished your soul. Only forgiveness can unlock the door of your prison.
“Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
— Colossians 3:13
Lord Jesus, we do not have the strength or the desire to forgive those who have wrecked our lives. Help us I pray. Empower us to do what we cannot do in our own strength. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Most of us think of life as a race to run, a mountain to climb, a challenge to meet or an obstacle to overcome. With grim determination we set out to do battle with the forces arrayed against us. Given that mindset, is it any wonder that while we may achieve success, we seldom experience fulfillment? To live with meaning, life must be seen as a gift from God to be received with thanksgiving and lived with joy.
“…to accept his lot and be happy in his work – this is a gift of God.”
— Ecclesiastes 5:19
Lord Jesus don’t let the world system and the hectic demands of living blind us to life’s best. Remind us that life is found not in the accumulation of things but in the riches of our relationships with family and friends and most especially in our relationship with You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Music is a powerful medium often bypassing the intellect to touch the heart. Having once touched the heart, however, it returns to capture the mind, infusing it with images that are nearly unforgettable. Years later it only takes a few bars of that nearly forgotten refrain to bring it all rushing back, nearly as real as the first time. That is what makes worship songs so powerful – they touch both the heart and mind and enable us to embrace God with both our emotions and our intellect.
“Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.”
— Psalm 103:1
Lord Jesus, thank You for music that touches me in the deepest part of my being, enabling me to worship You with my whole being. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Have you found yourself overreacting to the situations in your life, becoming angry or bursting into tears? The world is full of people just like you – people whose emotional responses are disproportionate to the events that triggered them. As embarrassing and painful as these outbursts may be, they can be redemptive too. The key is to invite the Holy Spirit to show you why such insignificant issues trigger so much emotion. Once He has revealed the root cause, invite the Lord Jesus to heal your wounded soul.
“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”
— Psalm 118:14
Lord Jesus, deliver us from yesterday’s hurts lest they ruin today. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Few things in life are more painful than a broken relationship. If you’ve lived for any length of time, I need say nothing more. It is a universal pain; an inevitable consequence of our fallen condition. Yet by the same token, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can compare with the unspeakable gift of a friend restored. When he forgives me, I realize all is not lost. I have not ruined everything – wounded it, yes; but forgiveness gives us another chance. It is the kiss of God that makes all things new.
“The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.”
— Psalm 6:9
Lord Jesus, thank You for healing my broken relationship and for restoring my friend. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The guests varied from week to week but we almost never ate Sunday dinner alone. We might scrimp all week,…
Although it is nearly impossible for us to admit it, most of the trouble in our lives is of our…
The ministry of comfort is especially hard for men. It’s hard for a man to sit and wait; to watch,…
Tenderness is the touch of a mother’s hand on the fevered brow of a sick child. It’s her husband’s quiet…
Failure hurts! It’s disappointing, embarrassing, humiliating. Say anything you want about its benefits, say it builds character, say it teaches…
David Hogg taught a small Sunday school class of young boys. Out from that class went a young man, David…
After more than five decades in active ministry, my enthusiasm is undiminished. I’m not tired or burned out or discouraged.…
I once ministered to a tragically tormented young woman. Although she was strikingly attractive and gifted, she lived with an…
Childhood memories, whether good or bad, shape who we become as adults. For instance, my father was an avid reader…
“Self-knowledge,” according to John Gardener, “is ruled out for most people by the increasingly effective self-deception they practice as they…
A relationship seldom achieves its full potential without confrontation; but confrontation is almost always doomed to failure unless it grows…
All of us have things in our past that we are ashamed of. “Things,” that according to Paul Tournier, “we…
For eighteen months, John and his wife lived with death as their seven-year-old daughter battled leukemia. It was a roller…
Ben’s sister needed a kidney transplant and he was a possible donor. After much prayer he concluded that he had…
The Lord has given each of us gifts, special abilities. We can take no credit for them. It’s like being…
The tempter’s ultimate goal is not simply to solicit our disobedience, but to discredit the character of God. Satan is…
The late Dr. Karl Menninger of the Menninger Clinic concluded that most of his patients were hospitalized because they had not loved or been loved, or both. As a result, he called in his staff and told them that above all else they were to love. Every contact with patients was to be a love contact. From the top psychiatrists down to the electricians and window-cleaners, all were directed to express love toward the patients. Six months later, Dr. Menninger discovered that the expected hospitalization time of his patients had been cut by 50 percent.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13
Lord Jesus, help us to receive Your unconditional love so we can love others unconditionally. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Sometimes the most significant thing we can do for the Kingdom of God is simply to encourage others. Only God knows how far-reaching our investment in their lives may be. When Barnabas took time to encourage Paul, I doubt he ever imagined that his kindness would affect believers for twenty-one centuries and beyond, but it did. Never make the mistake of belittling the eternal value of the encouragement and kindness you invest in another.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
— Proverbs 27:17
Lord Jesus, thank You for those You have used to encourage me in my hour of weakness. Make me an encourager. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
When the Scriptures speak of the heart they are referring to the core of an individual’s being, who he is as a person. In biblical language, the heart is the source of emotions, the fountainhead of thoughts and desires, the motivating force in life. All that a man does, whether good or evil, originates in his heart. Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35 NKJV).
“Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.”— Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, purify my heart. Create in me a right spirit. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Those who pass the test of praise usually do so because they refuse to take themselves or their achievements too seriously. They see success not as a plum to be picked, but as a responsibility to be fulfilled toward God and their fellow man. Like Daniel of old they “…are neither corrupt nor negligent” (Daniel 6:4). And even their enemies are forced to conclude: “…‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man…’” (Daniel 6:5).
“Do you see any truly competent workers?
They will serve kings
rather than working for ordinary people.”— Proverbs 22:29 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, help me think of whatever personal accolades I might receive as compliments to be passed on to You for only You are truly worthy of praise. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Adversity tests a man’s character, his ability to hang in there when the going gets tough. Success, on the other hand, tests a man’s integrity, his ability to remain true to himself, to remain morally and ethically pure. “When adversity strikes,” as Chuck Swindoll points out, “life becomes rather simple. Our need is to survive. But when prosperity occurs, life gets complicated. And our needs are numerous, often extremely complex. Invariably, our integrity is put to the test.”
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise he receives.”
— Proverbs 27:21 (NIV 1984)
Lord, prepare me for whatever the future may bring. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Although the ant is tiny, and of primitive intelligence, it still has the good sense to work hard and plan ahead. Because it gathers and stores its provisions in the summer it has plenty when winter comes. The lazy person, on the other hand, can find a hundred excuses for not working. “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside!’ or, ‘I will be murdered in the streets!'” (Proverbs 22:13). He justifies his laziness and suffers the inevitable consequences. God will not prosper a lazy person. He blesses the work of our hands, not our idleness.
“The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.”
— Proverbs 13:4
Lord, bless now the work of our hands this day and every day. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Have you allowed anything—the fear of failure, what others think, self-imposed limits, lack of education—to lock you in a self-made prison?
If you have, identify those things that are keeping you from becoming the person God has called you to be. Determine that with God’s help you are not going to allow past failures or present circumstances or fear of the future to imprison you one minute more.
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
— Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
Lord, make me fearless in obedience to You. May I never be afraid to do anything You call me to do. And when I am afraid, enable me to overcome my fear by doing what is right no matter the risks. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Studies show that most bad investments are made out of greed. A man sees an opportunity to get rich quick and it blinds him to the risks involved. The wise man put it this way: “A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies has no sense” (Proverbs 12:11 NLT). Inevitably his family suffers the consequences. Proverbs 15:27 (NIV 1984) says, “A greedy man brings trouble to his family…” A wise man makes himself knowledgeable in these matters and conducts business accordingly.
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
— Proverbs 21:5 (NIV 1984)
Lord, help us to be content without being complacent, to be industrious without being greedy, to be prudent without being obsessively cautious. Above all else give us a thankful heart and a generous spirit. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Although the Bible is not a textbook on financial matters, it does have a considerable amount to say on the subject. He who manages his business or his personal affairs accordingly will prosper. The first principle is a warning against seeking wealth and the second is a warning against materialism. He who ignores these biblical principles does so to his own harm.
“…people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.”
— 1 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, help us to guard our hearts. Give us the wisdom to discern between diligence in business and the love of money. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Yesterday I told you Aron Ralston suffered a freak accident while mountain climbing alone. A huge boulder shifted and trapped his hand. The only way to save his life was to cut off his hand. I’ve known men trapped just like Aron Ralston—not in some remote canyon in Utah, but in the habits of the flesh. When you get in that deep, getting out requires drastic action. For Aron, it was his arm or his life. What will it be for you? Will you cut off every addictive behavior and live, or will you continue in your bondage and die?
“So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Better to enter heaven crippled than to be in hell with both of your hands and feet.”
— Matthew 18:8 (TLB)
Lord Jesus, help us to cut off every addictive behavior. Amen.
Aron Ralston was mountain climbing alone in a remote area of southeastern Utah when he suffered a freak accident. While working his way through a narrow opening, he put his right hand on a nearby boulder to brace himself. Suddenly the huge boulder shifted, trapping his hand. Try as he might he could neither move the boulder nor wrest his hand free. After four days without food or water and with no hope of being rescued he knew what he had to do. Steeling his mind, he positioned the tourniquet and picked up his pocketknife. He had no other choice. It was his arm or his life.
“If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.”
— Matthew 18:8 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to cut off all contact with those things that war against our souls. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Since much of the damage caused by our hurtful actions is of an emotional or spiritual nature there may be little we can do to make restitution beyond a heartfelt apology. When apologizing we should be especially sensitive to the feelings of the injured person and his/her family. Our apology must never cause the wounded person further pain or embarrassment. Only God can undo the damage we have done but our sincere apology may be the instrument He uses to heal and restore.
“This is how I want you to conduct yourself in these matters. If you enter your place of worship and, about to make an offering, you suddenly remember a grudge a friend has against you, abandon your offering, leave immediately, go to this friend and make things right. Then and only then, come back and work things out with God.’”
— Matthew 5:23, 24 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, forgive us for we have sinned. We have wounded our brothers and sisters with our words and our actions. Heal the wounds we have so carelessly inflicted. Now set a watch over our lips lest we sin again with the words of our mouth. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
I am convinced that moral integrity requires us, not only to confront the damage our sinful choices have produced, but to go a step farther. Now we must do everything within our power to right those wrongs, to heal those hurts, and to restore those relationships. I agree with Pastor Keith Boyer who says, “Integrity is doing the right thing after you have done the wrong thing even when it is the hardest thing.”
“Look, Lord! …if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house…”
— Luke 19:8-9 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, help us to identify the wrongs we have done. Show us the damage we have caused and how we can make things right. Give us the grace to act in love and with integrity. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Bible doctrine—especially what we believe about God—is vitally important but, as Thielicke, the great German theologian and pastor, pointed out, it can be undermined by a life characterized by “small fibs” and other compromises. Maybe this is what James had in mind when he wrote, “Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?” (James 2:17 MSG).
“Talk and act like a person expecting to be judged…”
— James 2:12 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, help us to be as conscientious about our behavior as we are about our theology. Empower us to live truly spiritual lives even as we strive to adhere to pure doctrine. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Author John Killinger writes, “When I was in a foreign country once, I had to undergo an operation. I felt terribly alone, entering a hospital in another land to be served by a physician who did not speak my language. On the morning of the day I was to enter the hospital, my wife attended church. She saw a friend of ours who said `Tell John that I am holding him in my prayers.’ The impact of her words was overpowering, and I burst into tears. To think he was praying for me. Somehow I was no longer alone. “
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…always keep praying for all the saints. Pray also for me….”
— Ephesians 6:18-19 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, help those who are suffering. Comfort and strengthen them with Your presence. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
If you see a turtle on a fence post you can be sure he didn’t get there by himself. Natural ability, self-discipline and hard work will only take you so far. To fulfill your ultimate destiny, you will need some help along the way. David had his mighty men (2 Samuel 23:8-39) and the apostle Paul had a host of co-works who enabled him to accomplish his vision (see Romans 16:1-15). God will bring the people you need into your life, but it is up to you to recognize them and respond accordingly.
“Be sure to welcome our friend Phoebe…She deserves anything you can do for her. She’s helped many a person, including me.”
— Romans 16:1-2 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, thank you for all the Godly people who helped this “turtle” get on the fence post. My fence post may not be very tall, but I would have never gotten here without them. Bless them I pray. Amen.
Several years ago, more than thirty now, I was passing through a difficult time in my life. Part of it was my fault, but at the time I couldn’t see that. I simply felt wounded and misunderstood by my peers. Suffice it to say that were it not for some special friends I probably would not be in the ministry today.
That’s the heart of things isn’t it—special friends? In times of sorrow, they comfort us; in times of weakness, they strengthen us; and in times of success, they celebrate with us. Well it has been said,
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
— Proverbs 17:17 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, help me to be that kind of friend. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Dr. James Dobson writes, “The Bible offers a consistent foundation on which to build an effective philosophy of parent-child relationships. Self-control, human kindness, respect, and peacefulness can again be manifest in America if we will return to this ultimate resource in our homes and schools.”
“Don’t be afraid to correct your young ones;
a spanking won’t kill them.
A good spanking, in fact, might save them
from something worse than death.”— Proverbs 23:13-14 (MSG)
Lord, being a parent isn’t easy. We constantly find ourselves reacting instead of responding. We’re too busy, too tired, too preoccupied, too something…. Forgive us Lord. Our children deserve better. Help us to become the parents they need. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Discipline without love is tyrannical and produces children who will grow up to be both hostile and afraid. Love without discipline is permissive and trains children to be selfish and obnoxious. But when unconditional love and consistent discipline are combined, they produce children who are emotionally healthy and well adjusted.
“Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
— Proverbs 22:6 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, parenting is relatively simple—love your children unconditionally, discipline them consistently, and train them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—but it is not easy. Help me I pray. Amen.
If we are to fulfill our responsibilities as parents, we must commit to the biblical principles of child rearing, including discipline. Biblical discipline is consistent, the rules are clearly defined, and the consequences for misbehaving are appropriate. Children need to know that every time they are disobedient, they will be punished. That is not cruelty but love, tough love. True biblical discipline is always an expression of love, not anger, and has the child’s best interest at heart.
“Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children.
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them.”— Proverbs 13:24 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, forgive us for being inconsistent in disciplining our children. Give us the wisdom and the strength to do what’s best for them regardless of how we feel. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
As parents, our primary responsibility is the nurture and discipline of our children. When discipline is administered consistently, and balanced with unconditional love, it teaches children respect for God’s authority and for the authority of those He has placed over them. When parents refuse to discipline their children for disrespectful and destructive behavior, they teach them to disregard authority and the rights of others.
“The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.”
— Proverbs 29:15 (NIV 1984)
Lord, parenting isn’t easy and balancing love and discipline is a constant challenge. Grant us special wisdom and strength. Help us to be the kind of parents our children need. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Is there anything worse than being torn between two loyalties? I think not, especially if it means being torn between pleasing God and pleasing those whose opinion we value. The closest thing to that is the medieval practice of quartering. The victim’s ankles and wrists were hitched to four horses that galloped off in opposite directions literally tearing him limb from limb!
Our absolute allegiance belongs to Christ and Christ alone. Once that is settled, we will have the strength to do what is required of us regardless of the cost.
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
— Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus, deliver me from the seductive voices of our culture that tell me to take care of myself first. Help me to lay down my life in loving service to You and others. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Faced with the choice of pleasing God or others we must be obedient to God. If Christ and His kingdom are not worthy of our absolute allegiance and our uncompromising obedience, how can we ever expect others to choose Him? Commitment, not compromise, is what brings those we love to God. It doesn’t work every time. I’ll be the first to admit that, but if it doesn’t work, nothing else will either.
“Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.”
— Matthew 10:36-37 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, deliver us from our obsession to please people rather than You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
I agree with Oswald Chambers who says, “The golden rule of understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience. If a man wants scientific knowledge, intellectual curiosity is his guide; but if he wants insight into what Jesus Christ teaches, he can only get it by obedience. Intellectual darkness comes through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey.”
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,”
— 1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus, if there is any area of disobedience in my life show me that I may repent and be delivered. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The “old man”—that is our carnal nature—is a killer. He is selfish, blindly ambitious, critical and cruel. He destroys relationships, breaks up marriages and wrecks homes. Our best intentions are undermined by our pride, by our gluttonous need for recognition and by our insatiable ambition. Left to our own devices we inevitably self-destruct. No wonder Paul writes, “For to be carnally minded is death…” (Romans 8:6 KJV).
How, you may be asking, can you escape the tyranny of your destructive self-will? Honestly confess those areas where greed and lust control your life. Ask Jesus to break their power for only He can. Finally,
“…count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
— Romans 6:11(KJV)
Almighty God, break my stubborn will. Be ruthless in Your love as you deal with my carnal self. Show no mercy to the “old man.” Crucify him. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Ours is a society built by pride, materialism, and dedication to the status quo. In a world built on free will instead of God’s will, we must not conform to the world. While we may not be called to martyr our lives, we must martyr our way of life. We must put our selfish ways to death and march to a different beat.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
— Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus, we surrender ourselves to You. Conform us to Your very own image. May Your wish be our command. May Your will be done in and through us as it is done in heaven. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
In his book of prayers, Michel Quoist writes:
“I am afraid of saying ‘Yes,’ Lord.
Where will you take me?
I am afraid of drawing the long straw,
I am afraid of signing my name to an unread agreement,
I am afraid of the ‘yes’ that entails other ‘yeses.’
“O Lord, I am afraid of your demands, but who can resist you?
That your Kingdom may come and not mine,
That your will may be done and not mine,
Help me to say ‘Yes.'”
May the Lord help all of us to say “Yes” today.
“Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”
— Matthew 26:39 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, I’ve experienced enough of life to know Your will is better than my own. Help us to pray, “Not my will but Your will. Amen.
David could never have imagined himself capable of adultery and murder, not in his wildest imaginings. Then he seduced Bathsheba and arranged for her husband’s death, setting in motion a series of tragic events that would haunt him the rest of his life. So how could David—a man after God’s own heart—do such a thing? Maybe a more important question is “How can we make sure we don’t fall prey to something similar?”
“Don’t be so naive and self-confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:12 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, guard our hearts lest we succumb to temptation and do something we will regret the rest of our lives. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
If David, a man after God’s own heart, could succumb to sexual temptation then it could happen to anyone. So what made David susceptible? There is probably any number of factors, but the thing I want to focus on is David’s emotional state. It’s quite possible he was having a midlife crisis. He had achieved more success than he ever imagined possible, but it wasn’t enough. Emotional needs make all of us vulnerable to temptation. If we are not careful, we will try to meet legitimate emotional needs in inappropriate or even sinful ways. That may be what happened to David.
“Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
— Matthew 26:41 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, lay Your healing hands upon our wounded spirits. Heal our wounds I and renew a right spirit within us. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
On at least two occasions David could have ended King Saul’s life and seized the throne, but he refused to do so (1 Samuel 24:1-7 and 1 Samuel 26:1-11). As far as he was concerned, his life and his destiny were in the Lord’s hands, far be it from him to try and make something happen. If God didn’t do it he wanted no part of it.
What about you? Are you trusting the Lord to direct your steps or are you taking matters into your own hands?
“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me…”
— Psalm 138:8 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, root out all personal ambition from our lives. Help us to trust You and You only with our future. Fulfill Your purposes in our lives. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The first time the Provances had dinner with my wife and me we retired to my study after the meal. I read aloud a story called “Beautiful Dreamer,” by Arthur Gordon, in which he told of encountering the generosity of friendship in a most unexpected place. The symbol of that generosity was a battered old music box that played only one tune—Stephen Foster’s haunting melody, “Beautiful Dreamer.”
Three years later, Keith presented me with a music box that played that tune and a letter in which he wrote: “Three years ago your friendship dawned a new era in my life. May this small gift, which is a symbol of its beginning, become a treasured possession as your friendship has become to me.”
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
— Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)
Lord Jesus help me to become a friend like that. Amen.
While writing “East of Eden,” John Steinbeck began each day’s work with a letter to Pascal Covici, his friend and editor. His letters served to warm him up for his day’s work and became a kind of commentary on the novel itself. I can distinctly remember hoping that someday I might have a relationship like that—a friend who shared my love for books and my passion for writing.
God gave me such a friend—Keith Provance, my publisher.
That was 37 years ago and today our friendship is stronger than ever. Why? Because it is built on our shared faith in Jesus Christ, and our mutual appreciation for the written word.
“Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.”
— 1 Samuel 18:1 (NIV 1984)
Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein were starving artists. In desperation, they decided to cast lots. The winner would go to art school and the other would continue working to support him. Albrecht won the toss and became a famous artist. Franz ruined his hands doing hard manual labor. He forfeited his own artistic future out of loyalty to his friend.
One day, Albrecht found Franz on his knees, his gnarled hands clasped in prayer. Hurriedly, he sketched the moment and produced his famous etching, “Praying Hands.”
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
— John 15:13 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help me be willing to sacrifice my goals to help my friend accomplish his. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Have you filled your life with the urgent instead of the important, the good instead of the best, the insignificant instead of the eternal? If so, it’s time to make some changes. Reordering your life won’t be easy. People may misunderstand and that can be painful, but you can’t allow the expectations of others to shape your life; not if you want to please God rather than man.
“Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.”— Ecclesiastes 12:13
Lord Jesus, give us a discerning heart that we may order our steps according to Your ways. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
I suspect that many of you are in the same place I am – your plate is too full and as a result, life has lost its zest. It’s time to take control of your life! Make a list of all of your responsibilities. Now decide what to delegate and what to let go undone. Finally, focus on those things only you can do – you are the only husband/wife your spouse has. You are the only father/mother your children have. You are….
“The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.”
— Ecclesiastes 7:18
Lord Jesus, forgive us for trying to do it all. We think we are being responsible but in reality, it’s pride that drives us. Forgive us for acting as if we are indispensable. In Your Holy name we pray. Amen.
I don’t like to think of myself as a materialistic person but driving away from the Highway 12 East storage complex, I could hardly come to any other conclusion. For nine years, I paid $37 a month to store things I hadn’t used in nearly a decade. Add it up – nine years at $444 a year comes to $3,996. Now that’s hardly what I would call good stewardship.
“Then he [Jesus] said to them, ‘Watch out!
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”— Luke 12:15
Lord Jesus, save us from our greedy selves before we drown in all this stuff. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The images of the last days I spent with my father have been forever etched upon my heart. I will never forget the love and devotion heaped upon him by his family and friends. It was a rare and special thing and I can only conclude that the man or woman who goes into eternity loved like that is rich indeed.
“They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.
What grieved them the most was his statement that they would never see his face again.”— Acts 20:37-38
Lord Jesus, help me to live selflessly and to die a beloved man. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Have you given up on your God-given dreams? You may feel that you simply do not have the wherewithal to see them become reality or you may feel that your willful disobedience has disqualified you. Either way, you will be tempted to give up. Don’t! Instead look to God, for He is the author and finisher of our faith, and He who began this good work in you will be faithful to bring it to completion.
“Let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”— Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
Lord Jesus, give us the strength to persevere so You can fulfill Your purposes in our lives. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Most of my life is behind me now and I find myself introspective from time to time. Do I have any regrets? A few. I wish I had been less full of myself. I wish I had invited people to receive Jesus every time I preached. I wish I had prayed for my family more faithfully. I wish I had been a better friend. I wish I had been a more Godly man. Yet I’m thankful too, especially for God’s amazing grace.
“Rejoice in the Lord always….Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:4, 6-7
Lord Jesus, teach me to trust You more. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
God never gives us grace in advance. It always comes just when we need it. That’s why people often say, “I could never bear something like that.” Yet when it comes, they not only bear it but they do so with remarkable grace. Truly God’s grace is sufficient, but it does not make things easy, just possible.
“I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations…At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, ‘My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.’”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9
Lord Jesus, help us to live one day at a time, trusting in Your grace minute by minute. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
No one goes through life unscathed. Sooner or later someone you trust will betray you, a business deal will go south leaving you in a financial crisis, illness will strike, or someone you love will die. When you have been wounded, it is critical to make peace with your pain, to turn it into an ally. Embrace it and learn from it. Remember, God has a long history of turning life’s tragedies into opportunities for personal growth and development.
“…but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
— Romans 5:3-5
Lord Jesus, help us to make peace with our pain, to turn it into an ally instead of an enemy so the works of God may be displayed in our lives. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Don’t confuse rashness with boldness. Rashness is recklessness without reason. Boldness, on the other hand, is a calculated risk based on the best possible information. While bold decisions don’t always pan out, bold thinkers invariably win the day, so dare to do bold things for God.
“Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”— Joshua 1:9
Lord Jesus, help us to be bold thinkers willing to do daring things in Your service. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Grandma Miller has been dead for nearly fifty years now, but she lives on in my memory and her influence shapes me still. She was tenacious, and from her example I learned to “hang tough” and finish what I started. She believed in me and taught me to believe in myself. I am who I am today, at least in part, because of the investment she made in me.
“I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
— 2 Timothy 1:5
Lord Jesus, I want to thank You for my godly heritage. Help me to pass it on to my children and grandchildren. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The longer I live, the more I realize just how blessed I am. In addition to a very positive relationship with my parents and siblings, I was blessed with an extended family of loving grandparents, aunts and uncles. As a result, I never doubted my worth as a person. Within the extended family circle I knew I had a place. I was loved. I was somebody.
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.”
— Proverbs 3:1-2
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of family and the loving support they have provided. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
When you take a child fishing or to a ball game, it’s not about the event, it’s about building relationships…
Mother has been gone several years now, but I remember her last days as if they just happened. While maintaining…
Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” was a grand idea that failed. Why? Because our relationship to the poor must be guided not only by compassion, but also by Scripture. When we give people a handout rather than a hand up, we create dependency and a sense of entitlement. Rather than helping them achieve personal independence, we have locked them into a cycle of poverty.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field…Leave them for the poor and the alien.”
— Leviticus 23:22
Lord Jesus, grant us both wisdom and compassion that we may help the less fortunate without belittling them. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Even as we celebrate the joys of life, there is another part of us that grieves for those who suffer. It is this spiritual sorrow that is our rite of passage into ministry. Thus it was with Jesus. His experience teaches us that it is not only possible to experience joy and sorrow simultaneously, but that it is mandatory if we are to live as authentic human beings.
“He was…a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.”
— Isaiah 53:3
Lord Jesus, teach us to live experiencing both joy and sorrow so we can be emotionally present in each ministry encounter. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Without Christ we are all faceless people, lacking distinction and detail. But when we turn to Him, He covers the canvas of our lives with the bright colors and intricate details of abundant life. He touches our mistakes, even our sins, with His grace and they become part of the finished product – a portrait of love.
“Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
— Psalm 51:2, 10
Lord Jesus, fill the flat emptiness of my life with the colors and details of Your choosing. Let the finished me be more Yours than mine. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Years ago, I opened the door to Mom’s room and found her kneeling in prayer. Her face was full of feeling as she poured out her heart to the Lord she so dearly loved. The intensity of her intercession humbled me, and I listened in awe as she bombarded heaven on behalf of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Who, I wondered, will pray for us when she is gone?
“Her children arise and call her blessed…Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”
— Proverbs 31:28, 31
Lord Jesus, I thank You for godly mothers whose prayers have shaped their children and protected them. Bless them Lord and give them their reward. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Truth telling is seldom easy, but it is the key that unlocks the door to spiritual victory. As long as we deny our struggles and pretend to be something we are not, we will never be free. The person who is trapped in secret sin lives a double life. He appears to be a godly man, a faithful husband and father, but in secret, he is something else entirely. Now it is not just his sin that traps him, but his reputation as well. By pretending to have it all together, he cuts himself off from the help he so desperately needs.
“When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.”— Psalm 32:3-4
Lord Jesus, pride tempts me to pretend I’m something I’m not. Deliver me, I pray, from my “spiritual reputation” so I can experience the freedom that comes through honest confession. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
It is not weakness that causes us to sin, but willfulness. Yet, even in our sin we are tempted to rationalize rather than repent, but we must not succumb. Rationalization is deadly and must be avoided at all cost. It is a lie we tell ourselves that leads to self-deception and self-deception leads to death. Only true repentance produces life.
“In the past God overlooked such ignorance,
but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”— Acts 17:30
Lord Jesus, I repent of my stubborn willfulness. Forgive my sinful disobedience and turn me around. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Our only defense against the lies of the deceiver is the truth of God’s Word. Nothing else will sustain us in the hour of temptation. Not reason, or logic, or even conscience. These are no match for the evil one. God’s Word is our only defense.
“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”— Psalm 119:9, 11
Lord Jesus, We love Your Word. We meditate on it all day long. Your statutes are our heritage forever; they are the joy of our hearts. May Your Word keep us pure. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The root cause of virtually all spiritual failure is disobedience in the little things. Over a period of time your spiritual strength is compromised and then when a crisis of temptation arises, you simply do not have the will to resist. To the undiscerning it may appear that you were brought down by that final crisis, but in reality, it was the dry rot of disobedience that did you in.
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
— John 14:15
Lord Jesus, teach us to be obedient in all things, both large and small, that we may have the strength to stand in the hour of temptation. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Few things in life are more important than our choice of friends. They will influence our values, help shape our character, and determine to no little degree what we make of ourselves. Choose them wisely and they will prove to be an invaluable asset. By the same token, the wrong friends can cause you more grief than you can imagine.
“He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.”— Proverbs 13:20
Lord Jesus, give us a discerning spirit. Help us to choose our friends wisely. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God always stands ready to forgive our sinful mistakes, but not even forgiveness can change the past. What’s done is done. Forgiveness does, however, do something better. It changes us and it unlocks the future.
“I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ –
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”— Psalm 32:5
Lord Jesus, forgive us. Cleanse us from all our sins and change us. Make us truly Your people. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
We do not remember David as an adulterer and a murderer, but as a man after God’s own heart. Why is that? Because no matter how grievously he sinned, he knew how to find forgiveness. He never blamed anyone but himself. And because he took responsibility for his sin, God was able to forgive and restore him.
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.”
— Psalm 32:1
Lord Jesus, hear our confession and forgive our sins. Make us truly men and women who, like David, have a heart for God. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
You can’t be close friends with everyone, none of us can. We simply do not have the time or emotional energy. No matter how much we would like to be friends with everyone, it’s simply not possible. So what can we do? We can strive to be emotionally present, to be “real” each time we interact with someone. The gift of our presence will affirm their personhood.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
— Romans 12:15
Lord Jesus, forgive our “all or nothing” thinking. Teach us to give what we can when we can and to trust You to use others to make up the difference. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
If you are facing spiritual or emotional burnout, you probably don’t need a power encounter with the Holy Spirit. What you need is time alone with the savior – His gentle whisper assuring you of your value, of your place in God’s Kingdom, His “still small voice” telling you of His love.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28
Lord Jesus, I am praying for every person who is spiritually and emotionally exhausted by life’s unrelenting demands. Be very near to them. Give them rest and restore their strength. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Do you love God simply for self’s sake, for what you can get out of it? Or do you love God for God’s sake, because He is truly worthy to be worshipped and loved? Initially almost everyone comes to God for what they can get out of the relationship. Only as we grow in grace do we learn to love God for His sake, because He is worthy to be loved.
“We love [Him] because he first loved us.”
— 1 John 4:19
Lord Jesus, I truly want to love You just because You are worthy to be loved, but I fear that I love You for what I can get out of it. Purify my love and help me to love You more. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Are there things in your past so painful that you have repressed them in order function day to day. That may work for a while, but it is not a long-term solution. If you pretend all is well when it is not you cut yourself off from God’s grace. As long as you try to repress the painful experiences of your past you condemn yourself to a self-made purgatory. Come clean with God and He will set you free.
“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”— Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to face the things we have so long denied. Hear our confession and deliver us. In Your holy name we pray.
Have you suffered hurts and disappointments so painful that you can’t bear to remember them? If that’s the case, you may have tried to repress them. Unfortunately, that which we repress is beyond the reach of God’s grace, and thus it lives on to torment us and to undermine our relationships. It’s only as we “own” our past and bring it to God in honest confession that His grace can truly make us new. That’s what Jesus did for the woman at the well. He confronted her with her past in order to transform her.
“Jesus said, ‘You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now.'”
— John 4:17-18 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to own our past so You can set us free. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Prayer is multidimensional. It includes petition, confession, intercession and praise, but its highest purpose is fellowship with the Father. In prayer we share our needs with God, but more importantly we spend time with the Father. Relationship takes precedence over everything else. Remember, the primary purpose of prayer is not petition but fellowship. It’s about spending time with the Lord.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you,
O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”— Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, my heart hungers for You. Not for what You can do for me, but for You personally. I want to commune with You as friend with friend. I want to spend so much time with You that I become like You. Grant this I pray in Your holy name. Amen.
Never is the heart more deceitful than when we attempt to justify our sinful actions by citing the evil done by others, as if our transgressions will be excused because they are not as great as someone else’s. God will not judge us based on what others have done but by His holy law. And since we can never live up to God’s righteous requirements, our only hope is to trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ – His sinless life, His sacrificial death and His glorious resurrection.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, You are our only hope and we thank You for being made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
A trysting place is where we meet with God. It may be a physical place like an empty sanctuary or a park bench, or it may be a state of mind and heart. When we lived in a cabin on Beaver Lake, my trysting place was a wooden rocker situated by the pot-bellied stove; now it’s the small study in my home. Wherever your trysting place, it will be a place to which you retreat for spiritual renewal.
“I love the house where you live, O LORD,
the place where your glory dwells.”— Psalm 26:8 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, don’t allow anything – not the pressing demands of my busy life or the clamoring of others – to keep me from our appointed time. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
By trying to give our children everything – music lessons, ballet, drama classes, gymnastics, soccer, swimming, little league, ad infinitum – we end up depriving them of the thing they need most: time to be a child. Wouldn’t it be better to teach our children how to choose what is most important to them? Learning to make value decisions at an early age will prepare them to make wise choices later in life.
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
— Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to give our children spiritual values rather than cultural conformity that they may grow up to make wise decisions. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When we approach God with less than complete honesty, we become actors playing a role – what the Bible calls a hypocrite. As a consequence, we can have only the most superficial relationship with Him because the self we bring to the relationship is a false self. When we pretend to be something we are not, our spiritual life lacks vitality and our relationships are shallow and unfulfilling.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
— Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, wrestle with us in the dark night of our duplicity until, like Jacob of old, we own up to who we really are. Force us to confess and claim our identity, believing such honest confession births the intimacy that makes us new. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
It’s terribly painful to admit that the problem we face is our sinfulness. It’s not circumstances, nor temperament, nor personality, not even the sinful thing we have done, but it is us – our sinfulness. Painful? Yes. But it is also good to have called it by its rightful name – sin – because having fearlessly owned our own sinfulness; we can now be forgiven and transformed.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
— 1 John 1:8-10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, I have no excuse, no self-justifying explanation. I am a sinner and You are my only hope. Forgive me and change me. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
A true friend encourages you when you are struggling. He corrects you, gently and with love, when you have gone astray. He forgives you when you fail. He prods you to personal growth, stretches you to your full potential, and most amazing of all, he celebrates your successes as if they were his own.
“If someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently…Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:1-2
Lord Jesus, I thank You for the special friends who have celebrated my small successes as if they were their own and who have strengthened and encouraged me in the time of trouble. Bless them I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Loneliness is a universal human phenomenon. Sooner or later we all experience it. Just as the body expresses its need for food through hunger, so the soul expresses its need for relationships through feelings of loneliness. Relationships are to the soul what breath is to the body; without them we cannot truly experience life.
“Two are better than one…If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!”
— Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, don’t let us wallow in our loneliness. Instead let it motivate us to reach out to others who may be just as lonely as we are. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Every relationship goes through periods of testing, times of boredom, times when those involved in the relationship must decide whether they are going to develop it to its fullest potential or slide off sideways and begin a new one. Developing a true friendship means digging deep. The stuff of which true friendship is made comes from the depth of our souls. Those who dare to make the commitment discover not only the treasure of a true friend, but the truth about themselves as well.
“Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.”
— 1 Samuel 18:1 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, give us the strength to remain faithful no matter how severely our relationships are tested. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
If you cannot talk about past hurts and betrayals without experiencing strong emotions, then you are probably still dealing with a measure of unforgiveness. When we have truly forgiven those who have sinned against us, we can remember the betrayal without reliving the pain.
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
— Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, by an act of our will we choose to forgive those who have sinned against us. Make our obedient act of faith real in our spirit and in our emotions. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The ultimate purpose of friendship is not accountability but nurture. True friends hold each other accountable, to be sure. Yet if that becomes the primary function of the relationship, the friendship will not long survive. The bread that nourishes friendship is acceptance not accountability. True friends strengthen each other in the Lord.
“And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God…. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘…You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.'”
— 1 Samuel 23:16-17 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, teach us to be true friends who accept each other and help each other find strength in God. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
What Jacob experienced the night that he wrestled with God, in the dark, on the muddy bank of the Jabbok, was true prayer – life-changing prayer. We used to have prayer meetings like that. We called it, “praying through,” which meant that we weren’t leaving the place of prayer until God had touched us, cleansed us, made us new! Like Jacob, we determined, “…‘I will not let you go unless you bless me’” (Genesis 32:26).
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”
— Luke 18:1 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, make our prayers passionate. Empower us to pray with tears and fervent cries and never give up, even as we submit to Your will. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God-centered thinking does not deny the reality of our present situation, but it does put things into eternal perspective. Seen in the light of God’s awesome power the challenges we face no longer intimidate us. With God’s help we will overcome. What at first appears to be obstacles will prove to be opportunities.
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
— Isaiah 43:2-3 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to focus on You and Your sufficiency rather than on our circumstances. In Your Holy name we pray. Amen.
Do you sometimes feel that your life is out of control, that God is conspicuously absent, that you have been left alone to figure things out for yourself? God has not abandoned you, even if it seems He has. Experience has shown me that His great faithfulness is best seen in retrospect. It is only as we look back over our lives that we realize God was ever-present, ever faithful.
“If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.”
— Exodus 33:13 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, forgive us for the times we doubt Your trustworthiness. In the heat of the moment, we are tempted to look at our circumstances rather than Your promises. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When we seek for life’s deepest meaning and fulfillment in God and God alone, He allows us to experience joy in our work, our friends and our families. Now these “things” no longer betray us, for they have ceased to be substitutes for God and have become the gifts of God. Well did Francis Tompson say, “All which I took from thee I did but take, not for thy harms but just that thou might’st seek it in my arms.”
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.”— Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, You are my only security, my only source of fulfillment. Help me to seek for my life’s meaning in You and You alone. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Nothing is more dangerous than an unexamined life. Studies indicate that by midlife most of us are strangers to ourselves. We no longer know who we are. Learn to ask yourself, “Why am I feeling this way? What does this say about me? What is God trying to tell me?”
Self-questioning is the water of God’s grace that keeps the modeling clay of our lives from hardening into something rigid and unchanging.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.”— Psalm 139:23 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help me to face the truth about myself that I might become the person You have called me to be. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Silence is not an enemy to be avoided, but a friend to be embraced. It is the language of the soul, the language of intimacy. God often speaks to us through silence. In silence He teaches us the deep mysteries of the Spirit, the things that can never be communicated with mere words.
“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble…
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.”— Psalms 46:1 and 10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, silence is foreign to us, noise being such an integral part of our world. Teach us to turn off our iPods and cell phones and embrace the silence that we may truly hear Your voice. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Isolation and solitude are not the same thing. They look alike – that is both are characterized by aloneness – but they are not the same. When we choose to be alone, that is solitude, but when we are forced to be alone, that is isolation. Even then we can choose to make peace with our loneliness, thus transforming isolation into solitude. And in solitude – alone with the Lord – our spiritual and emotional energies are renewed.
“For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.”— Isaiah 40:30-31 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, teach us to embrace our loneliness, to turn our solitude into intimacy with You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The essence of prayer is fellowship, communication, intimacy – the pure pleasure of God’s presence. Intercession is critical and petition is vital, but they pale in comparison to the heart of prayer, which is relationship with the Father. In prayer we commune with God as friend with friend, as a beloved child with his Father. Paul wrote:
“You received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”
— Romans 8:15-16 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, I long to commune with You as friend with friend. Bind our hearts together until I am truly one with You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Nothing is more important to a vibrant spiritual life than prayer. What breath is to our body, prayer is to our soul. In prayer we experience fellowship with the Father to nurture our soul, guidance to direct us, and anointing to accomplish our life’s work. Prayer is the single most important spiritual discipline and the source of our strength.
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
— Matthew 6:6 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. Teach us to wait in Your holy presence until we have received strength from on high. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
For thirteen years Joseph was a slave and/or a prisoner but he prevailed because the Lord was with him. In prison he remembered his God-given dreams and they sustained him. Let Joseph be your example. No matter what you are facing, you can overcome if you don’t lose heart. The Lord is with you, and He will fulfill His purposes in your life.
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life…The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever.”
— Psalm 138:7-8 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, strengthen us in the hour of our trial. Give us the faith to persevere no matter how dark the night or how severe the storm. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Are you at odds with a friend or colleague? Have you allowed an offense, real or imagined, to wound a relationship? If that is the case, do everything in your power to restore that relationship, for a broken relationship is like a pebble in your shoe. You may ignore it for a while, but in time it will cripple you.
“An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.”
— Proverbs 18:19 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to swallow our pride and do whatever it takes to restore our broken relationships. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
We’ve all made mistakes, some worse than others, but we dare not allow regret to paralyze us. Don’t live in the past. Learn from it, but don’t become its prisoner. A wise man once said that failure is a teacher, a harsh one perhaps, but the best. You can be discouraged by failure, or you can learn from it. The choice is yours.
“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.”— Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, don’t let us waste our failures. Let us learn from the past without becoming imprisoned by it. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Are you struggling to hear God’s voice? Be careful. If you strain to hear His voice, you will probably imagine you have heard Him even when He has not spoken. Relax. Be still. The Father wants you to hear His voice even more than you want to hear it and He will make His will known to you. Of that you may be sure.
“For God does speak – now one way, now another…In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds.”
— Job 33:14-15 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, give us ears to hear Your voice, a heart to receive Your Word, a will to obey Your command and faith to act. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Recently, I was asked why we invite Jesus to be present in our services. “Hasn’t He promised to be in your midst any time two or three of you gather in His name?” I responded by explaining that the abiding presence of the Lord is always present (Matthew 28:20), but we are praying for His manifest presence (Acts 16:22-26). His abiding presence sustains us until His manifest presence delivers us!
“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
— Acts 4:31 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, we thank You for the promise of Your presence. Now manifest Your power that we may speak the word of God boldly. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
As you look back over your spiritual journey, it is probably the hard times you remember most clearly, at least that is how it is for me. No one in their right mind seeks for hard times, but having experienced them we recognize their value and cherish their benefits. It is in the hard times that the Lord reveals Himself in truly life changing ways, howbeit His presence is seldom easy to discern except in retrospect.
“But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves, but on God… On him we have set our hope.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, be with us in the midst of the storm. Reveal Yourself to us, no matter how dark the night, and in our weakness may we find Your perfect strength. Amen.
Have you wounded a trusted friend or colleague? Do you even now grieve over the spiritual or emotional harm you caused them? Regret is not enough. Reconciliation requires something more. Have you sought their forgiveness? Have you made restitution? While God does not require us to make restitution in order to receive salvation, our long-term spiritual and emotional wholeness may very well depend upon it.
“If…your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
— Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to do everything in our power to heal the hurts and repair the damage we have done in order to restore the broken relationships in our lives. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Has life been unkind to you? Have you been disappointed, even betrayed, by a trusted friend or a family member? Don’t despair! God can take the very worst the enemy brings against us and use it for our eternal good if we will give it to Him. Name your disappointment, identify your hurt; now surrender it to the Father and ask Him to redeem it.
“But Joseph said to them, ‘…You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’”
— Genesis 50:19-20
Lord Jesus, I choose to trust You with the wounds my soul has suffered. Instead of becoming bitter I make peace with my pain. Redeem it; turn it into material for ministry. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Are you haunted by past failures? Don’t despair! So was Moses. So was Peter. So was Paul. Yet God redeemed their sinful mistakes and turned their failures into material for ministry and He will do the same for you. No matter how great your disappointment, God can turn your heartbreak into hope. Your past does not have to determine your destiny. God is making all things new.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
— Romans 8:28 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, we’ve all made bad decisions, done things we are ashamed of, yet we do not lose hope. Instead, we take hope because You have a long history of redeeming our mistakes and turning them into material for ministry. Amen.
Having once been lost in a smothering fog while fishing in the Gulf of Alaska, I know the importance of a reliable compass. Therefore, I choose to trust God’s Word at all times, especially when disappointment and loss make it impossible for me to understand His ways. And like an unerring compass, His Word guides me safely through the fog of my pain and confusion.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
— Psalm 119:105 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to memorize Your Word and always hide it in our hearts against the day when disappointment and despair tempt us to lose our way. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Character and competence are two sides of the same coin. Character focuses on who we are. Competence focuses on what we do. Character is about being – being God’s person in every situation. Competence is about doing God’s work in every situation. Character is what God is doing in us – i.e. conforming us to the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29). Competence is about what God is doing through us – i.e. ministry.
But select capable men from all the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain – and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
— Exodus 18:21 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, develop our character as we spend time with You. Develop our competency as we are doing ministry. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Holy Spirit conviction makes us painfully aware of our sinfulness, yet even as it does, we are motivated to confess our sins and try again. It draws us to God. Condemnation, on the other hand, makes us feel like giving up. It tells us that we will never be any different, that God is sick of our repeated failures and ready to wash His hands of us. It drives us into hiding, away from God. Remember:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
— Romans 8:1 (KJV)
Lord Jesus, we confess our sins and receive Your forgiveness. Now let us walk in holy freedom, free from all condemnation. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The Holy Spirit is always very specific when He convicts us of sin. He puts His finger on it, identifies it so we can bring it to God and receive forgiveness. Condemnation is vague, general; it leaves us feeling guilty, unworthy, but not really sure why. It does not identify a particular sin, lest we deal with it and be forgiven. In fact, the only time condemnation is specific is when it condemns us of sins we’ve already confessed.
“Godly sorrow [conviction] brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow [condemnation] brings death.”
— 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us discern between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy that we may walk in victory. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Jesus was both the Son of God and the Son of Man. As a man, He became so physically exhausted that He slept through a life-threatening storm, yet as the Son of God, He commanded the storm to cease. As a man, He was so deeply grieved by the death of His friend Lazarus that He wept. As the Son of God, He raised Lazarus from the dead! As the Son of Man, he empathizes with us; as the Son of God, He intervenes on our behalf.
“The Word became flesh…We have seen his glory…full of grace and truth.”
— John 1:1, 14 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, we approach You with confidence. You not only know what we are feeling, but you can also deliver us. Help us we pray in Your holy name. Amen.
While Jesus lived on earth, He was both the Son of God and the Son of Man. In His public ministry we see Christ – the glory of the One who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In the private moments He spent with the disciples, we see Jesus, Mary’s son. The One who was made like us in every way (see Hebrews 2:17). We worship the glorified Son of God, but we love Jesus, the One who shared our humanity.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
— Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, thank You for becoming the Son of Man that we may be made the sons of God. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
If you are suffering from a choric illness, you may be wondering what you can do to receive your healing. First, fill your mind with the miracles of Jesus. Think on them. By faith, see yourself healed. Second, get rid of all hurt and bitterness. Nothing poisons our spirit faster than unforgiveness. Finally, step out in faith. Get out of your comfort zone. Attend a meeting where they pray for the sick and ask for prayer.
“It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing.”
— Acts 3:16 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, we believe all things are possible, even the healing of incurable diseases. Help us to believe more. Intervene on our behalf. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When we are tempted God is not only faithful to provide a way of escape, but He often uses the very temptation the enemy intended for our destruction to produce spiritual maturity in us. I best understand how God does this when I compare it to the way an expert in self-defense uses his opponent’s weight and momentum against him. In the same way, God turns the enemy’s attack to our advantage.
“Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience…that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
— James 1:2-4 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus, we thank You for redeeming every situation we face, for turning each one to our eternal advantage. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
No one is immune to the storms of life, not even believers, no matter how strong their faith. The real difference then, between the believer and the unbeliever, is not that one is spared from life’s inevitable storms while the other is not, but that in Christ the believer has resources to overcome the storm, regardless of how severe it may be. Listen to the counsel the apostle Paul gave his shipmates during a horrific life-threatening storm.
“But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost…I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”
— Acts 27:22 and 25 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, teach us to trust You no matter how violent the storm. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Worry tempts us to try and solve problems that have not yet happened and may never happen. When we worry, we are on our own because God does not give us wisdom for imaginary problems or grace for imaginary trials. So what can we do? The apostle Paul says:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to pray when we are tempted to worry. Help us to focus on Your sufficiency, not our imaginary problems. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
To make wise decisions we must know our core values – the values that shape our lives. For instance, my core values are: 1) Absolute obedience to Jesus Christ; 2) A commitment to empowering others to be all God has called them to be; and 3) A commitment to excellence in everything I do. Every decision you make should honor your core values. Any decision that compromises them creates internal conflict and undermines your effectiveness.
“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
— 2 Timothy 1:14 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to be true to the eternal values You have given us. May we always make wise decisions that fulfill Your purposes. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Are you constantly reliving the painful experiences in your past, trying to understand why those things happened to you? The truth you seek won’t be found in the past. Knowing “how” or “what” or “why” won’t change anything. There’s only one thing that will heal your troubled heart – not answers or even understanding, but only unconditional trust in the wisdom and sovereignty of God.
“Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him…
Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance.”— Job 13:15-16 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to stop fixating on the past, to stop trying to figure it out. Even if we could, it wouldn’t change a thing. Instead give us the grace to trust You with both our past and our future. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Nothing can change the past. Not even God. But with God’s help you can change how you look at the past and even how you feel about it. What happened in the past isn’t what is destroying you; it’s what you’re doing to yourself because of the past. Stop punishing yourself. Stop blaming others, or even God. Embrace the future with faith and you will be amazed at what God will do.
“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind…I press on toward the goal…for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to forget the past with its hurts and disappointments. Don’t let them imprison us. Set us free to become all You have called us to be. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Are you having difficulty hearing God’s voice? Relax. Be still. Hearing His voice grows out of relationship with Him. Sometimes He speaks as we linger in His presence. At other times He speaks to us in the stress and busyness of our lives. And sometimes He speaks to us out of the storm. But of this one thing you may be sure, God wants you to hear His voice even more than you want to hear it.
“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
— John 10:4 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, there are many voices clamoring for our attention, but it is Your voice we long to hear. Help us to recognize it, despite all the distractions. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
As you discipline yourself to wait quietly in the Lord’s presence, you will feel the tensions slip away. Even the discordant voices within will grow quiet. Out of the silence God will speak to you in a still small voice that renews your soul. You will remember who you are – a child of God. You will remember who He is – your Heavenly Father. You will remember and be blessed.
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
— Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)
Lord Jesus, it is hard for me to wait quietly in Your presence. A half a hundred thoughts clamor for my attention and the demands of the day press in upon me. Still I wait, for only Your still small voice can renew me. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The sacrifice of praise may not alter our painful circumstances, but it does put them into eternal perspective. Seen through the lens of loss or disappointment, God seems small and far away – it’s like looking at Him through the wrong end of a telescope. Praise reverses the telescope. Now God is very near and greater than all our troubles.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.”
— Psalm 86:6-7 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, teach us to remember all You have done for us and to pray God-centered prayers rather than need-centered prayers. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
I don’t want to admit it, but I am my own worst enemy. Most of us are. Left to our own desires we will destroy ourselves. We will sacrifice those we love on the altar of ambition. Pride will lead us astray, causing us to compromise our integrity in a misguided attempt to prove ourselves. Well it has been said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”— Matthew 16:25 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, teach me to be obedient rather than ambitious. Help me to seek to please only You; not my selfish self or even others, simply You. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Loving service, humble service, in a place where nobody sees and nobody knows, is what transforms personal power into redemptive ministry. Only in serving others are we saved from our selfish selves and from the perils of power.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 2:3-5 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to lay aside the trappings of power and take up a basin of water and a towel and go forth in loving service. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
To truly worship the Lord we must bare our souls before Him, holding nothing back – not the good, the bad, or the ugly. The reality of who He is and how He loves us is so totally disarming that we come into His presence without fear or pretense, but not without reverence, which is to say that when we approach the Lord we should be fully ourselves, totally transparent and wonderfully alive.
“Jacob…said, ‘I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.'”
— Genesis 32:20 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your unconditional love that welcomes us and for Your holy fire that cleanses and makes us new. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
If you really want to know what a person is like, put him under pressure. As heat and light emanate from fire, so is a person’s character revealed when things get tough. In the crucible of interpersonal relationships, the nature of our heart is made known. In moments of pressure or confrontation, our true self is revealed.
“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
— Matthew 12:34-35 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, make us men and women of character. Create in us a heart filled with compassion and integrity. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
To be effective in life and ministry, we need both vision and relationships. Vision expands our horizons and energizes us, while relationships nurture us and keep us grounded. Vision without relationships exposes us to unholy ambition. Relationships without vision tempt us to become self-centered and complacent. But when vision and relationship merge, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished for the Lord.
“He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.”
— Mark 3:14-15 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, teach us to spend time with You so that You can send us out to minister for You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God is not only a heavenly Father who cares about us, but also One who has the power to intervene on our behalf. When life comes crashing down around us it is good to know that God cares, but we need more than that. We need to know that God is greater than any storm we face and that He can turn our situation around!
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”— Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your great compassion and Your unfailing love. We’re especially thankful that with You, all things are possible. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God has given every believer the gift of abundant life – that is, the potential for abundant life – but it is up to us to exercise the spiritual disciplines that will make it a reality in our life. For me, that means practicing the rhythm of life – that delicate balance between work, rest, worship and play. Let me ignore the rhythm God has woven into the very fabric of creation and my life soon loses its spiritual and emotional vitality.
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”— Isaiah 40:31
Lord Jesus, deliver us from our frantic busyness and teach us to live in rhythm with You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God invites us to bring our heartfelt emotions to Him, even the ones we think we shouldn’t have. As we pour out our deepest feelings in honest confession and sincere prayer, He helps us move from hurt and confusion to acceptance, and finally, to unconditional trust. The only things beyond the reach of God’s healing grace are those things we refuse to acknowledge and bring to Him.
“The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.”
— Psalm 33:18; 32:10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to trust Your unfailing love and to pour out our hearts to You without holding anything back. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Life is hectic and our best intentions frequently fall prey to a relentless busyness. Sadly, one of the first things to go for many of us is our devotional life. As a result, we feel like a spiritual failure. We love the Lord, so we vow to do better, but our guilt lingers and like a low-grade fever, it drains our life of its vitality. Maybe the answer is to live conscious of God each moment, no matter how busy we are.
“Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.”— Psalm 119:37 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, let our first thought each morning be of You and our last thought each night. May we be ever conscious of Your presence. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Fasting is hard for me. Not only do I crave food, but I also hunger for the fellowship of mealtime – the camaraderie, the conversation. That’s one of the reasons we are called to fast – so we can learn to satisfy our deepest belonging needs in relationship with the Lord. In truth, meaning and fulfillment are found only in relationship with Him.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
— Psalm 42:1-2
Lord Jesus, give me the strength to fast, the strength to satisfy my deepest belonging needs in relationship with You and You alone. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
May we always have the courage to be obedient to the One who called us, no matter the cost. Yet in our faithful obedience may we be humble not proud, gentle not overbearing, and loving not manipulative. May others see the Spirit of Christ in us and be drawn to Him. May the fragrance of His presence permeate every encounter we have.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
— Acts 4:13 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, fill us with Your holy presence that the power of Your life may permeate all our relationships. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Have you ever gotten ahead of God? That’s called misguided zeal and it always tempts us to do things God has not called us to do. These are usually not bad things; in fact they are often “good” things but they are not “God” things. The key to resisting this temptation is to have a clear understanding of your call and an uncompromising commitment to the One who called you.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.”
— 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, may we always be obedient rather than ambitious and ever faithful to Your call. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Do you want a ministry?
Look around you. What do you see?
Probably needy people within arm’s reach—a spouse you’ve been too busy to love, a child who hardly knows you, a teenager you’ve never taken time to understand. Or maybe it’s the person you work with. The one you’ve written off as antisocial, the troublemaker. Do you have any idea why she’s so angry, so defensive? You can start by loving that person. That can be your ministry!
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to love those who are not easy to love. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Steve had just returned from a long trip. He was tired, wanting to rest. The telephone rang. It was Hector. Would he meet him for coffee? Steve knew Hector needed a friend so he went, even though he didn’t want to. There in a secluded booth sat Hector—a lonely man, feeling little worth, bruised and hurt by life. Steve gave him the gift of his presence in Jesus’ name and slowly Hector began to hope again, to feel like his life might have meaning. Steve returned home exhausted in body, but exhilarated in my spirit.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2
Lord Jesus, help us lay down our lives in loving service for others. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
What does Christian love look like? It’s caring enough to get involved. It takes a chance on getting hurt or being let down, knowing that taking the risk is better than playing it safe and maybe never knowing either the pain or joy of really loving. Unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to limit our Christian service to safe things without running the risk of getting our hands dirty.
“For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
— Galatians 5:14 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, teach us to get our hands dirty caring for each other and the world. When we get hurt in love’s service, bind up our wounds and send us back into this messiness we call life. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When asked, “What does love look like?” St. Augustine replied, “It has hands to help others. It has feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrow of men. That is what love looks like.” I call that ‘blue-collar Christianity,’ the Gospel in shoe leather, love with its sleeves rolled up, caring enough to get involved.
“We ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters…let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”
— 1 John 3:16, 18 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, help us to roll up our sleeves and wade into life’s messiness, dispensing love no matter the risk. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The fourth group of people the leader must deal with are the VDPs—the very draining people. They tend to be insecure people with a history of rejection. If the leader is a compassionate person, they will be drawn to him. Once he gives them his attention they will want more and more. If he is not careful their neediness will consume him. So what can he do. He must be available to minister to them, but he must also guard himself lest their neediness devour him.
“Then [Jesus] will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'”
— Matthew 25:45 (NKJV)
Lord, help us to minister to all people including the VDPs. Amen.
The third group of people the leader has to deal with are the VNPs—very nice people. They like to be seen with the leader and count him as their friend. Being generous by nature, they make things like their lake house or the condo in the mountains available for the leader’s personal use. Their kindness is both a blessing and a burden. Even as it refreshes him, it also tempts him. They are fun to be with and make few demands, but, by the same token, they seldom make a significant contribution to the Kingdom.
Let me ask you a question. Who are you investing in? The VIPs, the VTPs, or the VNPs?
“But you, O man of God, Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.”
— 1 Timothy 6:11, 12 (NKJV)
Lord, help us to invest our lives where they will make the biggest difference. Amen.
The second group of people the leader has to deal with are the VTPs—the very trainable people. They are like the VIPs in talent and temperament, but they lack their experience and maturity. To achieve their full potential as godly leaders, they must be trained and discipled. Although their training requires a considerable amount of the leader’s time and energy, it is time well spent. Timothy and John Mark are good examples. Both were disciples of the apostle Paul and went on to become vital leaders in the New Testament church.
“I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly… you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.”
— Philippians 2:19, 22 (NKJV)
Lord, help us to invest ourselves in tomorrow’s leaders. Amen.
The first group of people the leader has to deal with are the VIPs—the very important people. They are today’s leaders, and they help the primary leader accomplish his goals. By and large they are self-sufficient people who require little of the leader other than direction, plus his respect and trust. From them he often receives strength and encouragement. A great example of these kind of people are the apostle Paul’s co-workers Priscilla and Aquila.
“Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.”
— Romans 16:3-4 (NKJV)
Lord, we give You thanks for the special people in our lives. Amen.
According to Pastor Gordon MacDonald a leader has to deal with four types of people. First there are the VIPs—the very important people. They are today’s leaders. The second group are VTPs—very trainable people. These are tomorrow’s leaders. The third group are the VNPs—very nice people. They are fun to be with but seldom make a significant contribution to the accomplishment of the vision. The fourth group are the VDPs—very draining people. As leaders we must monitor our time and energy to make sure we are investing ourselves where it will produce the greatest return for the Kingdom.
“Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.”
— Proverbs 9:9 (NIV 1984)
Lord, give us both wisdom and compassion. Amen.
Maybe one of the most important leadership lessons we can glean from Moses is the importance of preparing our successor. The Lord directed Moses to select Joshua. From the time they left Egypt until they entered the promise land Joshua was like Moses’ shadow. He was with him on holy mountain (Exodus 24:13) and he was with him when he went into the tent of meeting (Exodus 33:7-11) and he was with him as Moses prepared to die. At the end Moses laid his hand upon him and anointed him as his successor (Numbers 27:12-22).
Who are you training to carry on the work the Lord has entrusted to?
“Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him.”
— Deuteronomy 34:9 (NKJV)
Lord, help us to prepare those who will come after us. Amen.
Another leadership principle gleaned from Moses is what I call the principle of shared ministry. Moses selected capable men, honest God-fearing men, to serve with him (see Exodus 18:21). We see the same principle in the New Testament when seven deacons were selected to oversee the distribution of food to the widows. When selecting your team, you are looking for individuals who demonstrate spiritual maturity, sterling character, and competence. One word of caution. Be careful not to be seduced by a person’s competence. Without spiritual maturity and character competency is of little value.
“Select able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you.”
— Exodus 18:21-22 (NKJV)
Lord, give us wisdom and discernment as we select our team. Amen.
Another leadership lesson we can learn from Moses is to receive wise counsel. When Moses’ father-in-law saw how overwhelmed Moses was because of the demands of leadership (see Exodus 18) he said, “‘This is not good! You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you.’ Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions” (Exodus 18:17-19, 24).
Do you have anyone in your life who can give you wise counsel? Are you seeking their guidance?
“For whoever finds [wisdom] finds life and receives favor from the Lord.”
— Proverbs 8:35 (NIV 1984)
Lord, give us a discerning heart to make wise decisions. Amen.
“Then Moses went back to the LORD and protested, ‘Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Ever since I came to Pharaoh, he has been even more brutal to your people. And you have done nothing to rescue them!’” That’s the question isn’t it. It’s the same question we face when things don’t work out the way we planned. In retrospect however it’s obvious. The Israelites never would have been willing to leave Egypt if Pharaoh hadn’t made their lives intolerable. We are seldom willing to risk change until the pain of our present situation forces us to change.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.”
— Isaiah 55:8 (KJV)
Lord, do whatever it takes to make us willing to change. Amen.
the way we expected. When Moses confronted Pharaoh instead of releasing the Israelites Pharaoh punished them. “But Pharaoh shouted, ‘You’re just lazy! Lazy! That’s why you’re saying, “Let us go and offer sacrifices to the Lord.” ‘Now get back to work! No straw will be given to you, but you must still produce the full quota of bricks.’ Then the Israelites confronted Moses and Aaron, ‘May the Lord judge and punish you for making us stink before Pharaoh…You have put a sword into their hands, an excuse to kill us’” (Exodus 4:17-18, 20-21)!
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
— Job 13:15 (NKJV)
Lord, help us to trust You even when it seems things aren’t working out. Amen.
Never waste your failures. Learn from them. That’s what Moses did. The first thing he did when he returned to Egypt after forty years of exile in the desert was to call the leaders of the Israelites together. “Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel. And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. Then he did the signs in the sight of the people. So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel and that He had looked on their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.” That’s Exodus 4:29-31.
“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.”
— Proverbs 24:16 (NLT)
Lord, help us to see our failures as steppingstones rather than stumbling blocks. Amen.
Although Moses’ first attempt to deliver the Israelites was an unmitigated failure the Lord did not give up on him. “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai” (Acts 7:30). “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’ “This is the same Moses they had rejected with the words, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’ He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself…” (Acts 7:33-35). You may have failed but the Lord hasn’t given up on you. He didn’t give up on Moses and He won’t give up on you.
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
— Romans 11:29 (NKJV)
Thank you, Lord, for never giving up on us. Amen.
When leaders make poor decisions there are consequences for both the leader and those he is leading. Moses’ premature attempt to emancipate the Israelites resulted in forty more years of bondage for them. At forty years of age, he was so convinced that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had called him to deliver them that he was willing to risk everything. When they refused to follow him, he lost faith, not only in God, but in himself as well. He fled to Midian where he married the daughter of a priest and became a shepherd. From a prince in Pharaoh’s place to sheep herder on the backside of the desert. Quite a fall!
“A man’s wisdom gives him patience.”
— Proverbs 19:11 (NIV 1984)
Lord, deliver us from the consequences of our poor decisions. Amen.
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There is no biblical record to indicate that Barabbas ever realized the full extent of what Jesus did for him.…
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Satan attempts to poison our minds against God. Once our mind is poisoned all our thoughts are polluted. Let misfortune…
The tempter’s ultimate goal is not simply to solicit our disobedience, but to discredit the character of God. Satan is…
In this life trouble and hardship are inevitable. The enemy wants to use those things to undermine our faith in…
Franklin Pierce is the only president of the United States to refuse to place his hand on the Bible while…
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Now that I have reached the autumn of my life, I find myself thinking about the people I have met,…
When Moses was meeting with God on mount Saini, he asked the Lord to show him His glory. The Lord…
If the Lord was with Moses, he would tackle anything—Pharoah, the Red Sea, the armies of Egypt, even the barren…
In Exodus 33 and 34 Moses asks three things of the Lord. 1) He asked the Lord to teach him…
When Moses met with the Lord his countenance changed. Exodus 34:29 says, “…his face was radiant.” When we spend time…
Do you have a special place where you meet with the Lord? Moses did. Exodus 33:7 says, “Now Moses used…
On at least one occasion Moses spent forty days and nights alone with God. When he descended the mountain and…
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It is easier to build a healthy marriage than it is to restore a broken one so let me suggest…
God hates miserable marriages almost as much as He hates divorce. If your marriage is struggling or even on the…
Although the scriptures allow for divorce in the case of adultery (see Matthew 19:9) that should never be the first…
If you divorced your spouse without having Biblical grounds for divorce you committed sin. Nonetheless I want to assure you…
The Bible allows divorce for only three reasons. 1) Adultery. In Matthew 19:9 Jesus said, “I tell you that anyone…
Let me begin today’s devotion with a question. Why are Christians who believe in the sanctity of marriage divorcing at…
David Hogg taught a small Sunday school class of young boys. Out from that class went a young man, David…
After more than five decades in active ministry, my enthusiasm is undiminished. I’m not tired or burned out or discouraged.…
I once ministered to a tragically tormented young woman. Although she was strikingly attractive and gifted, she lived with an…
Childhood memories, whether good or bad, shape who we become as adults. For instance, my father was an avid reader…
“Self-knowledge,” according to John Gardener, “is ruled out for most people by the increasingly effective self-deception they practice as they…
A relationship seldom achieves its full potential without confrontation; but confrontation is almost always doomed to failure unless it grows out of a deep trust built on honest communication. Even then, it must be handled with sensitivity. If your friend is not convinced of your genuine concern, if he is not certain that you have his best interests at heart, he will likely become defensive, rejecting your correction.
“Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”— Proverbs 12:18
Lord Jesus, give me grace to bring correction when it is needed. Let my words be richly seasoned with love. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
All of us have things in our past that we are ashamed of. “Things,” that according to Paul Tournier, “we should like to blot out, things for which we feel ourselves responsible.” Yet our only hope, our only path to freedom, is not in denying our past, shameful though it may be, but in honest confession. Although it is potentially a frightening experience, it is also liberating. Freed from the need to pretend to be someone we are not, we can finally be our real selves.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other
and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”— James 5:16
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to own our past and in this owning up, let us find forgiveness and freedom. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
For eighteen months, John and his wife lived with death as their seven-year-old daughter battled leukemia. It was a roller coaster ride of highs and lows: periods of remission when hope was as exhilarating as the first barefoot day of spring, followed by a major relapse when hope was shattered on the rocks of reality. Finally death won, or so it seemed. Laura Lue died in her own bed, in her own room as the snow fell softly outside her window.
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”— John 11:25
Lord Jesus, I pray for all the children who are battling life-threatening diseases and for their parents. Be very near to them, hold them close to Your heart. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
Ben’s sister needed a kidney transplant and he was a possible donor. After much prayer he concluded that he had no right to live with two kidneys when his sister was facing death unless she had a transplant. He could have opted to let someone else serve as donor. He could have encouraged her to seek a cadaver kidney. But he didn’t. Love wouldn’t allow it – his love for his sister and his love for God.
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it,
when it is in your power to act.”— Proverbs 3:27
Lord Jesus, give us a self-sacrificing love for others, a hurting family member, a brother or sister in Christ, or even the homeless stranger on the street. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The Lord has given each of us gifts, special abilities. We can take no credit for them. It’s like being seven feet tall – it isn’t something over which we have any control. It’s God’s doing! While we cannot take credit for our gifts, we are responsible for them. We must discipline ourselves to fully develop our talents and we must use them responsibly to advance the Kingdom rather than just for our own benefit.
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;
and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”— Luke 12:48
Lord Jesus, forgive us when we arrogantly flaunt our giftedness, taking credit for it and using it to draw attention to ourselves. Forgive us when we act irresponsibly, not using our gifts for the Kingdom. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The tempter’s ultimate goal is not simply to solicit our disobedience, but to discredit the character of God. Satan is pleased when he can lead us into sin, but that is a small thing compared to discrediting God. Sins can be forgiven, the wandering soul restored to fellowship, but if Satan can poison our hearts against God, we may be lost forever. To that end, he applies all of his evil genius.
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us:
for we are not ignorant of his devices.”— 2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV)
Lord Jesus, protect us from the lies of the devil lest he distort the truth about God and poison our hearts and minds. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The late Dr. Karl Menninger of the Menninger Clinic concluded that most of his patients were hospitalized because they had not loved or been loved, or both. As a result, he called in his staff and told them that above all else they were to love. Every contact with patients was to be a love contact. From the top psychiatrists down to the electricians and window-cleaners, all were directed to express love toward the patients. Six months later, Dr. Menninger discovered that the expected hospitalization time of his patients had been cut by 50 percent.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13
Lord Jesus, help us to receive Your unconditional love so we can love others unconditionally. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Sometimes the most significant thing we can do for the Kingdom of God is simply to encourage others. Only God knows how far-reaching our investment in their lives may be. When Barnabas took time to encourage Paul, I doubt he ever imagined that his kindness would affect believers for twenty-one centuries and beyond, but it did. Never make the mistake of belittling the eternal value of the encouragement and kindness you invest in another.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
— Proverbs 27:17
Lord Jesus, thank You for those You have used to encourage me in my hour of weakness. Make me an encourager. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
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In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, there’s a turbulent scene in which a whaleboat pursues the great white whale. The sailors…
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Speaking at our father’s funeral my brother said, “When Daddy took his last breath I knew I had lost an…
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In Old Testament times, Sabbath-breakers were executed. Exodus 35:2 says, “Whoever does any work on it [the Sabbath] must be…
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Are you facing a huge challenge in your life right now, some situation that feels overwhelming? Take it to the…
Initially it is easy to see the hand of God at work in your life in answer to prayer, but…
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Do you struggle to pray? Me too. In fact, prayer is often a source of frustration for me; nevertheless, I…
Do you ever struggle with prayer? I do. Although I’ve received many remarkable answers to prayer, I still grow weary…
Do you feel like you can never measure up, that no matter what you do it is never good enough?…
Are we called to live a godly life and abstain from fleshly lust that wars against our soul (1 Peter…
The security of our salvation is not dependent on living a sinless life but on our faith in the finished…
I have to confess that I find it impossible to live a sinless life. As I have matured in the…
Lust had a stronghold in my friend’s life. Since he traveled a lot for his business, he had numerous opportunities…
Since anger was once a stronghold in my life, I must always be on my guard against it. Experience has…
There’s a spiritual principle that governs all of life. What we feed grows while what we starve withers and dies. Feed the lusts of your flesh—i.e., selfishness, pride, self-will, materialism, anger, and sensuality—and your sinful nature will become a powerful giant running roughshod over you. Deny the lusts of your flesh and the old man of sin will become more and more emaciated. Feed the new man by walking in the Spirit—hide the Word in your heart, meditate on it, pray always, serve others, worship passionately—and the spiritual part of you will be strengthened and built up.
“Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith.”
— Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)
Lord strengthen us by the Spirit and the Word. Amen.
To be delivered from a sinful stronghold requires both divine intervention and daily spiritual discipline. Only divine intervention can break the stronghold but once it’s broken daily spiritual discipline is required to walk in freedom. Before the stronghold is broken the “strong man” sits on the throne of your life dictating your actions, but once it is broken, he is kicked out and the new spiritual man is in control. Now the “strong man” is a beggar but if we give him so much as a crust of bread, he will retake control. That’s why he must be denied at every turn, hence the need for daily spiritual disciplines.
“Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
— Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
Lord empower us to walk in the Spirit. Amen.
When I was a young man anger was a stronghold in my life, although I didn’t think it was a big deal. I had a rude awakening when my wife told me that my anger had killed her love. As painful as her words were they were my salvation. For the first time, I realized how sinful my anger was and how destructive. It had killed Brenda’s love and threatened our marriage. I vowed to change but to my dismay, I realized I was powerless against the stronghold of anger. The Lord was my only hope, and I threw myself on His mercies. Desperately I prayed…
“Take control of what I say, O Lord,
and guard my lips.”— Psalm 141:3 (NLT)
By the power of His Spirit the stronghold of anger was broken, and I was delivered. What He did for me He will do for you.
Secret sin is not your problem. Of course, you’ve sinned, everyone has, but what’s troubling you are the sins that were committed against you. Some are so grievous they have left freezer burns on your soul. You know you are supposed to forgive, but for the life of you, you can’t do it. You’re trapped in a prison of unforgiveness and it’s sucking the very life out of you. So what can you do? Go through the motions of forgiving if that is all you can do, believing that Jesus will make your “act” of forgiveness the real thing in time. Ask the Lord to help you do what you cannot do.
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
— Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
Lord forgive us as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Amen.
If you are trapped in secret sin you are living in a nightmare world of shame and guilt. You are not the person your family and friends think you are. You live in constant fear that your duplicity will be discovered. Where once there burned a holy fire now there is only ashes. Well did David say, “When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder…The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up” (Psalm 32:3-4 MSG). Is there any hope for you? Yes, but only if you will do what David did.
“[He] said, “I’ll come clean about my failures to God.”
Suddenly the pressure was gone—
my guilt dissolved,
my sin disappeared.”— Psalm 32:5 (MSG)
Forgive us, Lord, and change us. Amen.
In a recent broadcast Dr. James Dobson said he fears that 70 to 80% of all Christian men view pornography on daily basis. If that’s the case, we have a spiritual plague of unprecedented proportion. Pornography makes you a slave to your passions. It locks you in a shame filled world of secrecy and guilt. You hate what you are doing but you feel powerless to stop. You live in fear of being found out. You fear losing the respect of your Christian friends and most of all your fear losing your marriage. Sexual sin thrives in secret, and you will never be free until you expose it to the light.
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another…the prayer of a righteous person has great power.”
— James 5:16 (ESV)
Lord forgive our sins and deliver us we pray. Amen.
Recently I was scheduled to speak at a men’s event. A few days before the event the Lord awakened me at 3 am and impressed upon my heart that I was to preach a message on breaking strongholds. 1) The stronghold of pornography and sexual addition. 2) The stronghold of shame and guilt. 3) The stronghold of bitterness and unforgiveness. 4) The stronghold of anger. Is there a stronghold in your life? If there is the Lord wants to set you free. Jesus declared:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and…to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”— Luke 4:18 (ESV)
Lord do what You were anointed to do. Break every stronghold. Liberate the captives and set at liberty the oppressed. Amen.
According to Ralph Waldo Emmerson, “A man is what he thinks all day long.” But that idea was not original with him. Markus Aurelias, consider one of the wisest men in ancient Rome, said, “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” But long before Aurelias, Solomon wrote, “…as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 KJV). All of which is to say that it is critically important to guard our thoughts for they will determine our emotions and our emotions will strongly influence our actions.
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
— Romans 8:6 (NIV)
Lord renew our minds by the truth of Scripture. Help our thinking to be governed by the Holy Spirit. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Do you struggle with a besetting sin? If so, you are probably tempted to berate yourself. You may even be tempted to think you will never be any different, that God is ready to wash His hands of you. Those kinds of “carnal” thoughts lead to despair. Before long you may even be tempted to give up, to simply forsake your faith. Replace your guilty thoughts with the truth of scripture. Psalm 32:5 says, “I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
“Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven… Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them.”— Psalms 32:1-2 (NIV)
Thank you, Lord, for setting us free from sin and guilt. Amen.
Some people try to repress their negative thoughts but that’s hardly effective. Instead of repressing your carnal thoughts you need to replace them with scriptural thoughts. For instance, if you are struggling with guilt over some past sin, you will likely feel unworthy and maybe even wonder if God is sick of your repeated failures. Replace that guilty thought with Romans 8:1, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” and you will feel forgiven and accepted by the Lord.
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
— Romans 8:6 (NIV)
Lord help us to understand that our thoughts produce feelings both good and bad. Teach us to replace our negative thoughts with the truth of Scripture. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Your thoughts don’t have to be based in reality to produce powerful feelings. Let me illustrate. A couple attending a conference where I was preaching couldn’t find their ten-year-old daughter. She was supposed to be in their hotel room, but she wasn’t. After a frantic search of the Hotel grounds, they were convinced she had been kidnapped. They were nearly beside themselves thinking she might be raped and murdered. In reality she was in no danger. She had just gone to the wrong room by mistake, but that reality did nothing to alleviate their fears as long as they were convinced she had been kidnapped.
“For the weapons of our warfare are…mighty in God for…bringing every thought into captivity to…Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NKJV)
Lord help us to bring every thought into obedience to Christ lest fear overwhelm us. Amen.
What are you feeling right this moment? Excited or anxious? Peace or anxiety? Stimulated or bored? Now examine your thoughts. What are you thinking? If you are on your way to get a root canal you are probably feeling anxious. If you are contemplating a long weekend at some restful place in the country, you are probably feeling relaxed. I could continue but I’m sure you get the point. Control your thinking and you will control your emotions. Isaiah 26:3 says,
“[God] will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in [Him],
all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him]!”— Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
Lord help us to replace our negative, fearful thoughts with positive faith filled thoughts. In your holy name we pray. Amen.
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Only God can heal the deep self-doubt that haunts the human race. Only He can make us feel like persons…
Nearly everyone struggles with self-doubt to some degree, even those we consider spiritual giants. Take Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian…
The enemy tailors his temptations to exploit our self-doubts. Do you struggle with fear? Perhaps he tempts you to take…
Although I possess a reasonably healthy self-esteem, as a young man I felt the need to prove my significance. It wore many faces—the egomaniac who talked too much; the proud presumptuous me; the pseudo-spiritual me; and the critical, cutting me. It was my way of shouting to the world, “Look at me. Notice me. Make me feel important.” Such behavior often alienated the very people whose affirmation I craved. Even if I experienced a significant achievement the accompanying sense of well-being was fleeting. There simply was never enough success to still the troubling voices within. Only Jesus can heal our self-doubts.
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
— Hebrews 10:14 (NIV)
Lord help us to realize we do not have to strive for significance for You have made us perfect. Amen.
Most of us are born with deep-seated self-doubts that are exacerbated by the emotional wounds we suffer while growing up. Consequently, we question our value as persons. We question our place in our family circle. We question our value to our spouse, to our friends, to our employer, to our church, and to our pastor. And most of all we question our value to God. As a result, we spend much of our life trying to prove our worth. Yet our significance cannot be based on what we do but only on the Word of the Father.
“…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
— Hebrews 10:10 (NIV)
Lord Jesus help us to realize that You established our value when You died for us. Amen.
In the first wilderness temptation everything that Jesus believed about Himself was challenged by the enemy. “And the devil said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread'” (Luke 4:3). Although Jesus was physically and emotionally wasted, He did not fall prey to the enemy’s trap. Instead of being baited into turning stones into bread to “prove” He was divine, He says, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God'” (Luke 4:4). Personal achievements will pass away but the Word of the Father is established forever.
“Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven [standing firm and unchangeable].”— Psalm 119:89 (AMP)
Lord, help us to establish our identity only on Your word. Amen.
To one degree or another every human being has had to deal with the issue of significance including Jesus. If you base your personal significance on how others perceive you, you will be forced to live your entire life on tiptoe. Everything you do will be an attempt to measure up, to please someone else. If you perceive that your self-worth is based on personal achievement you can never stop trying to prove yourself. No matter what you accomplish it will never be enough. Is there another way, a solution, to this age-old question of self-worth? Yes! Our significance cannot be based on what we do but only on the Word of the Father.
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”
— Luke 4:4 (NKJV)
Lord help us to trust only the word of the Father for our self-image. Amen.
When you find yourself struggling with feelings of worthlessness you may be tempted to think it is only the spiritually weak or emotionally wounded who battle with self-doubt. Such faulty thinking simply reinforces your belief that you are a person of little worth which tempts you to try all the harder to prove you are a person of significance. It is a vicious cycle. Instead of attempting to prove your worth by your accomplishments simple trust the word of the Father. He says,
“Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
Lord help us to realize we are persons of significance not because of what we do, but because we are a new creation in Christ. Amen.
The psychological wounds we suffer as children leave us haunted with self-doubt. Your father teases you about having knobby knees or being overweight. You are repeatedly thumped on the head for eating with your mouth open. You are told time and again that you will never amount to anything. Soon you begin to see yourself as unworthy and no amount of success in later life can totally free you from the long shadow of inferiority. No matter what you accomplish it will never be enough. Your only hope of escaping this trap is to build your self-image on your identity in Christ.
“You are in Christ Jesus, who has become…our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
— 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NIV)
Lord help us to build our self-image only on our identity in Christ. Amen.
Although Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread let there be no mistake. This temptation was not about turning stones into bread. At its core this temptation challenged the very foundations of who Jesus was. It was designed to cast doubt on both His personhood and His mission. As such it tempted Him to prove Himself, to use His divine power for purely personal gain, rather than trust the word of the Father. Are you attempting to build your self-image on your accomplishments or are you trusting your identity in Christ?
“And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”
— Mark 1:11 (ESV)
Lord help us to build our self-image only on our identity in Christ rather than on our accomplishments. Amen.
Although Jesus was divine, He was also fully human when He lived among us—not carnal but human. Having been supernaturally conceived (see Luke 1:34 & 35) and born of a virgin (see Matthew 1:18-25) He was not tainted by original sin. He had no inherent sin nature, no predisposition to do evil. Still, as a full-fledged participate in our humanity (see Hebrews 2:14-18) Jesus did battle with the same temptations that torment us (see Hebrews 4:15). Chief among them was the temptation to prove His value as a person by His accomplishments. Luke describes it:
“…the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ (emphasis mine).”
— Luke 4:3 (NKJV)
Lord deliver us from the temptation to prove our worth by what we do. Amen.
Are you in a difficult place right now? I am. Seven months ago my wife of fifty-six years went to be with the Lord. Her death rocked my world, left me reeling. Friends often ask me how I am doing. I’m tempted to tell them I’m doing fine. Instead, I tell them my heart is breaking, my emotions are all over the place, but my faith is strong. I am grieving deeply but my grief is richly seasoned with the promise of His presence, the hope of eternal life, and the memories of the rich life Brenda and I shared.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
— Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)
Lord make Your presence known and help us to fear no evil. Amen.
When you think of surrendering your life and future to the Lord Jesus Christ how does that make you feel? Excited? Afraid? Thrilled? If it makes you feel afraid ask yourself what you are afraid of. Are you afraid He may ask you to do something you are not qualified to do? Not to worry. He doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called. Are you afraid He will send you somewhere you don’t want to go, ask you to do something you don’t want to do?
“Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.“
— Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, we are only afraid when we trust ourselves rather than trusting You. Help us to trust You more. Amen.
The Lord doesn’t ask us to surrender to an assignment. He asks us to unconditionally surrender to Him, to trust our future to Him without knowing our assignment. That feels a little like signing a blank contract, or one I haven’t read, but I know I can trust Him. Once we surrender to Him, once we say “Yes,” to Him, saying “yes” to whatever assignment He gives us is almost automatic. The big “Yes” to Him takes care of all the little “yeses.”
“I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
— Acts 20:24 (NIV)
Lord Jesus we surrender to You praying, “Not our will but Your will be done.” Amen.
For the past five years I have devoted my life to caring for Brenda and her mother. Now they are both with Jesus and I am trying to figure out what the rest of my life is going to look like. Will there be a place for me in active ministry or has that time passed? Will I be able to resume my preaching ministry or does the Lord have something else for me to do? Of course, I plan to continue writing but I would also like to preach. In many ways it feels like I am right back where I was more than fifty years ago when I was just entering the ministry.
“Then Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”
— 1 Samuel 3:10 (NIV)
Like Samuel we pray, “Speak, Lord, for we are listening. Amen.
When Jesus staggered up the Via Dolorosa toward Golgotha, He was carrying the cross—the instrument of His execution. In His mind, He was already a dead man. In Gethsemane He died to His own will. Now His only passion was to do the will of the Father. So what does it mean to take up our cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23)? Does it mean we have to be willing to die to our own will? I think so, and that’s not something we do just once, but daily.
“If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
— Luke 9:23 (NKJV)
Lord teach us to pray not our will, but Your will be done. Amen.
If you need a word from the Lord, you must be attentive. Open the Word and let it speak to you. Brenda was sixty-two years old when we accepted the call to serve a church in crisis. As the enormity of the task became increasingly apparent, she began to feel overwhelmed. She couldn’t help but wonder if we had made a mistake. In desperation she cried to the Lord and searched His word. As she did the Lord directed her attention to 1 Chronicles 28:10: “The LORD has chosen you to build a Temple as his sanctuary. Be strong, and do the work.” The challenges were still overwhelming but now she was at peace. The Lord had spoken.
“Serve [the Lord] with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind…If you seek him, he will be found by you.”
— 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV 1984)
Lord speak to us from the Word and by the Spirit. Amen.
To discern the Lord’s voice, you must be in relationship with Him. Job says, “God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night…He whispers in their ears” (Job 33:14-16). Did you get that? God isn’t silent. He speaks in any number of ways. If we’re not hearing His voice the problem lies with us. Perhaps we don’t recognize His voice because we don’t know Him as well as we should. Recognition grows out of relationship. Rather than simply trying to discern the Lord’s voice we need to press into Him then we will know His voice.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
— John 10:27 (NIV)
Lord Jesus help us to know You so we can listen to your voice and follow you. Amen.
Does it seem you can’t get a word from the Lord no matter how hard you try? Does it feel like the heavens have turned to brass or that God has turned a deaf hear to your prayers? Maybe that’s because He wants you to seek Him, to press into Him and truly know His heart. The Message Bible says, “Let God work his will in you…Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out…Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet” (James 4:7-10 MSG).
“I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.”— Psalm 119:58 (NIV)
Lord Jesus teach us to seek Your face with all our heart. Amen.
If you are struggling to discern the Lord’s will the first thing you must do is still your anxious thoughts and quiet your noisy heart. Stop struggling. You don’t have to twist God’s arm to get Him to reveal the plans He has for you. Simply be still before the Lord and wait patiently, and He will reveal His will. Don’t be in a hurry. God can’t be rushed. One final thought: You must walk in the light you have received before He will give you further direction.
“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.”
— Hebrews 11:8 (NLT)
Lord, help us to quiet our anxious thoughts and be still before You. Amen.
Do you need a word from the Lord? Are you struggling to discern His will for your future? In her book, “Waymaker” Ann Voskamp suggests some practical steps to help us quiet our hearts so we can hear when God speaks. 1) Stillness—be still and know God (Psalms 46:10). 2) Attentiveness—pay attention and hear God (1 Samuel 3:9). 3) Cruciformity—cross bearing—surrender to God (Luke 9:23). 4) Revelation—look into the Word—what is God’s word revealing to you (Luke 24:30-32). 5) Examine—search your heart (Psalm 139:23)—what are you afraid of? 6) Doxology—praise the Lord with a thankful heart—(Psalm 100:4).
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
— Revelation 2:17 (NIV 1984)
Lord, give us an ear to hear Your voice and a heart to receive Your word. Amen.
Are you walking through a difficult time right now? Are you dealing with disappointment or coping with loss? Do you feel overwhelmed, as if the Lord has forsaken you? I’ve been there, and I know how it feels. There have been times when the pain was nearly more than I could bear, times when I was tempted to give up, but always God sustained me. He is no respecter of persons, and what He has done for me He will do for you.
“Praise be to the God…the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, be very near to those of us who are hurting. Hold us close to Your heart and comfort us. Amen.
Return with me once again to Francis Thompson’s classic poem “The Hound of Heaven.” He writes:
“All which I took from thee I did but take.”
So what does God take from us? Does He take security, self-sufficiency, independence, peace of mind … things like that? Why?
“Not for thy harms,
“But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.”
Not simply to make us miserable, but that in our misery we would turn to Him. Maybe God lets us hurt until our pain finally brings us back to Him. I call that God’s severe mercy!
“For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.”
— Psalm 116:8 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, forgive us when we seek fulfillment and security in the things of this world. Help us to put our hope in You and in You alone. Amen.
Do you see suffering, adversity, and feelings of abandonment as proof that God doesn’t care what happens to you? Many people do. Francis Thompson turned that kind of thinking upside down. He contended that God loves us too much to ever let us experience long-term happiness and fulfillment apart from a relationship with Him. In his classic poem “The Hound of Heaven,” he speaks for God:
All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might’st seek it in My arms.
Let whatever pain or disappointment you are experiencing call you to find healing and hope in God alone.
“We were under great pressure so that we despaired of life itself. . . . This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God.”
— 2 Corinthians 1:8–9 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, I choose to see hurt and disappointment as proof of Your great love, as an invitation calling me to rely only on You. Amen.
When David Wilkerson went to New York City in 1958 to launch what would become Teen Challenge—an international ministry with drug-rehabilitation centers around the world—he was a country preacher with hardly more than gas money in his pocket. The fact that he never allowed his resources to determine his destiny was a major factor in his success. When God spoke to his heart he stepped out in obedience, believing that the needed resources would follow. All of us have limited resources. If we focus on our resources we will limit our vision, but if we focus on God’s unlimited sufficiency, we are free to believe God for the impossible!
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
— Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, may we never allow our limited resources to determine our destiny. Amen.
A third factor in the early church’s effectiveness was the manifest power of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). While apologetics is important, it becomes less effective in an age of relativism when truth becomes subjective. This is where power evangelism comes in. Unbelievers who cannot be convinced by reason may be converted by “a demonstration of the Spirit’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:4).
“The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and. . . more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord.”
— Acts 5:12, 14 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, baptize Your church with the Holy Spirit and power. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.
The second factor in the early church’s effectiveness is the transformed character and biblical compassion of believers. Those traits continue to this day and remain the hallmark of true Christ followers. People like Mark and Huldah Buntain, Paul Brand, Charles Colson, and Mother Teresa immediately come to mind. But as remarkable as their lives and ministries were, there are millions of people whose lives will never be touched with the love and compassion of Jesus unless you and I do it.
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
— James 1:27 (NLT)
Father God, give us eyes to see the suffering of others, hands to reach out and touch them with Your love, and a compassionate heart. Amen.
A vital factor in the early Church’s effectiveness was its ability to engage in persuasive apologetics. Whether it was the Jewish elders and teachers of the law or the pagans on Mars Hill, they were simply no match for the apostles.
Truth matters. It is objective, and the apostle’s refused to compromise their message even at the risk of their lives! The baton has been passed, and now it is up to us to preserve the truth that has been entrusted to us!
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
— 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, give us the discipline to study Your Word, that we might persuade others. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
In his book Evangelism in the Early Church, Michael Green highlights three factors central to the church’s explosive success in her first four centuries:
1) The church’s ability to engage in persuasive apologetics and outthink her critics.
2) The transformed character and biblical compassion of believers.
3) The manifest power of the Spirit through healings, demonic deliverance, and prophetic ability.
That’s the church’s birthright, and the contemporary church must always be on guard lest she exchange her spiritual heritage for clever techniques.
“Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears.”
— Hebrews 12:16–17 (MSG)
Lord Jesus help us to guard our spiritual birthright. Amen.
Many of America’s fastest-growing churches have gone to great lengths to reach the millennial generation. I commend them for their creativity and boldness in developing new strategies to reach a new generation. Still, I feel compelled to raise one word of caution. In our efforts to be relevant, we must be careful not to forsake the DNA of the New Testament Church. We must always be on guard lest we exchange the Church’s spiritual heritage for clever techniques, regardless of how effective they may be in building a crowd.
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.”
— 2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, help us to never sell our spiritual birthright in an attempt to be politically correct or “woke” or even successful. In Your holy name I pray, amen.
Thanks be to God; the Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact confirmed by more than five hundred eyewitnesses. It is also a present reality. The risen Christ is alive and well in our world today. How else can you explain the transformed lives of those who have put their faith in Him? As surely as His resurrection transformed the despairing disciples into fearless evangelists, so His living presence enables believers today to live with meaning in all circumstances and to face death without fear.
“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, I thank You for making Your resurrection a reality in our lives. In Your holy name we pray, amen.
Only in Christianity does God become one of us (the Incarnation). Only in Christianity does God, in the person of Jesus, pay the penalty for our sins (the Crucifixion). And the big one—only Jesus was resurrected! The entirety of Christianity hinges on the Resurrection; it rises or falls depending on whether Jesus was literally resurrected. If He was physically, bodily resurrected, then Christianity is valid, as is your faith. If He was not resurrected, then Christianity is a hoax.
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins… But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:17, 20 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, I thank You for transforming us and empowering us to live victoriously and to face death without fear. Amen.
Following the crucifixion of Jesus His followers were completely disillusioned. When he died, their hopes and dreams died. Even after Peter and John visited the empty tomb and Mary Magdalene claimed to have spoken with the risen Lord, they continued to cower behind locked doors in hopelessness and fear. So, what turned those despairing disciples into fearless witnesses of the Resurrection who were willing to lay down their lives rather than deny Jesus? Only one thing could have done that—the literal, bodily resurrection of Jesus!
“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead. . . . We are witnesses of these things.”
— Acts 5:30–32 (NIV)
Father God, help us to always remember that Jesus has overcome death, hell, and the grave, and through Him we are more than a conquerors. Amen.
The final punishment for sin is separation from God, and that is what Jesus suffered during the darkness which enveloped the cross from the sixth hour until the nineth hour. Mark says He cried out in a loud voice—“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani” (Mark 15:34). That is, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” Father God was now dealing with Him as a righteous judge with an evildoer. In that moment God regarded Jesus as the greatest sinner beneath the sun and discharged on Him the whole weight of His wrath.
“It was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer…to make his life a guilt offering.”
— Isaiah 53:10 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, thank You for suffering the judgment that was rightfully mine, making it possible for me to be reconciled to God. Amen.
Jesus suffered verbal abuse and physical violence at the hands of the religious leaders. The High Priest and the Sanhedrin charged Him with blasphemy and condemned Him to death. They incited the Jewish mob to scream for His blood, demanding that Pilate crucify Him. Pilate ordered Him scourged, and He was beaten nearly to death. Then the Romans crucified him. On the cross He suffered hours of unspeakable pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, then a deep, crushing pain deep in His chest as the pericardium filled with serum and began to compress His heart. All this the Bible records with the simple words, “And they crucified him” (Mark 15:24).
“Christ suffered for our sins once for all time.”
— 1 Peter 3:18 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for us. Remember us when You come into Your kingdom. Amen.
In Gethsemane, when Jesus desperately needed their prayer support, his closest disciples couldn’t stay awake. Instead of praying, they slept, oblivious to the agony of His soul. When Judas betrayed him and the temple guards arrested Him, they all forsook Him and fled. Even Peter denied him. Jesus suffered all this and more, as the prophet says, “In the house of (His) friends” (Zechariah 13:6).
Whatever you are suffering, Jesus understands. He’s experienced it, He’s been there. He knows what it is like, and He stands ready to intervene on your behalf.
“Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.”
— Hebrews 2:18 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, we pray for those who have been sorely wounded by their family or close friends. Heal their wounded souls. Amen.
Isaiah 53 is pregnant with pain. The prophet’s words reach out and grip our hearts. When Isaiah says Jesus was despised, we feel it. When he says Jesus was rejected, we hurt with Him. When he describes Jesus as a man of sorrows, we grieve. When he says Jesus was familiar with suffering, afflicted, pierced, wounded, and even crushed, we can hardly bear it. It would be presumptuous to think we can fully comprehend His sufferings, but we would be derelict if we didn’t try. How else can we fully appreciate what He did for us?
“He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole.”
— Isaiah 53:5 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, help us to give our lives in loving service to You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The glorious praise of Palm Sunday soon morphed into betrayal, denial, and ultimately crucifixion. That is not to say that those who shouted His praise on Palm Sunday were the same people who screamed for His crucifixion on Friday, but only to say God’s ways are not our ways. The beleaguered worshippers of Palm Sunday longed for deliverance from the tyranny of their enemies. God had something better in mind—deliverance from the tyranny of sin and death!
“’My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord.
‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.'”— Isaiah 55:8 (NLT)
Lord Jesus deliver us from our misconceptions. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
On Palm Sunday the worshippers were delirious with joy. At last, their hopes and dreams of deliverance were about to be realized. After hundreds of years of cruel mistreatment and devastating disappointments—hundreds of years in which foreign armies invaded their land, occupied their cities, and led their best and brightest young men into exile—they were about to be delivered or so they thought. They were dancing in the streets because they believed Jesus was about to fulfill Daniel’s prophecy.
“He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
— Daniel 7:14 (NIV)
Lord Jesus may Your kingdom come and may Your will be done in us. Amen.
It was Passover week and Jerusalem was alive with anticipation. There were people everywhere. The noise was constant—the cries of street vendors hawking their wares, shouted greetings between old friends, the running laughter of children, the bleating of sheep, and the cooing of doves. Add to that the wild cacophony of praise as Jesus descended on the road leading from the Mount of Olives into the Holy City and you have Palm Sunday. Luke described it this way:
“The whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices… ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’”
Luke 19:37-38 (NIV)
Lord Jesus fill our hearts with joy and let our praise break forth. Amen.
A friend was having difficulty with her leg, so her doctor scheduled an ultrasound to make sure there was no blood clot. The technician doing the ultrasound was suffering from severe laryngitis and could hardly speak. My friend offered to pray for her, and the technician gladly accepted, sobbing as my friend prayed. When she had composed herself, she said, “Thank you. My mother used to pray for me like.”
There was no blood clot and my friend concluded that her real purpose in being at the hospital was to pray for that young lady. Amazing isn’t it what lengths the Lord will go to in order to minister to someone who is hurting.
“Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
— James 5:16 (NLT)
Lord Jesus help us be obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Yesterday I told you one of the worst things I ever did and yet the Lord forgave me and allowed me to remain in ministry. What about you? What is the worst thing you ever did? What is the one thing you hope no one ever discovers about you? Whatever it is—God’s grace is greater still. God doesn’t want to punish you. He doesn’t want to reject you. More than anything, He wants to hear your confession, forgive your most grievous transgression, and give you another chance. No matter what you’ve done. No matter how insidious your sin, God’s grace is greater still.
“As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”— Psalm 103:12 (NIV)
Jesus hear our confession, forgive our sins, and restore us. Amen.
As a young pastor I grievously wounded a new believer. With unspeakable sorrow I fear I may have destroyed his faith, maybe causing him to lose his soul for eternity. The Lord would have been well justified in casting me out on the scrapheap of life, but He didn’t. Instead, He allowed me to remain in ministry. Unbelievably, He continued to trust me to care for the souls of His people. Now you know the worst thing I ever did, but more importantly you know the best thing God ever did for me. He forgave me and gave me another chance!
Thank God, “. . . he (the Lord) does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”
— Psalm 103:10 (NIV)
Thank you, Lord, for second chances. Amen.
It may be helpful to remind ourselves that even the heroes of faith did not go through life unscathed. Normally we like to remember their proudest moments, but it may be equally beneficial to recall their devastating sins. Not as a way of excusing the evil we have done, but as a way of reminding ourselves that God’s grace is always greater than our sin. If God could forgive them, if He could use them in spite of their blatant carnality, then there’s hope for us no matter what we have done. The apostle says:
“For that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience…”
— 1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV)
Lord continue to remind us that Your grace is always greater than our sin. Amen.
When you are dealing with a sinful failure it is critical to differentiate between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the enemy. Second Corinthians 7:10 says, “Godly sorrow [conviction] brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow [condemnation] brings death.” Holy Spirit conviction makes us painfully aware of our sinfulness, but even as it does, we are motivated to confess our sins and try again. Condemnation drives us to despair. It tells us God is sick of our repeated failures and ready to wash His hands of us.
“Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”— Psalm 51:11-12 (NIV)
Lord do Your holy sanctifying work in us. Amen.
Several years ago, a desperate man came to my office for counseling. Hardly had I closed the office door before he fell to his knees sobbing. He was a good man, a Christian, and he never intended to become trapped in sexual sin, but he had. Overcoming a transgression of that magnitude isn’t easy, and he spent months battling guilt and depression. He couldn’t forgive himself, so why should he believe God would forgive him? He wanted to believe, but he didn’t dare. Forgiveness seemed too good to be true.
What about you? Are you battling a secret sin?
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.— Psalm 32:5 (IV)
Lord help us to trust Your love and forgiveness. Amen.
God loves us unconditionally but that will not save us from eternal judgement if we reject Jesus and continue to sin willfully (Heb. 10:26-31). People do not go to hell because God doesn’t love them but because they have rejected His love. Many think only a sadistic and cruel God would send anyone to hell. I beg to differ. It breaks God’s heart, but He has no other option. It is the only thing He can do considering humanity’s determined sinfulness. If He did not those infected with sin would infect the inhabitants of the new heaven and the new earth and history would repeat itself.
“As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.”
— Ezekiel 33:11(NIV)
Lord forgive us for sinning against Your love. Amen.
God loves us unconditionally, but He will not fellowship with us unless we walk in the light. 1 John 1:6-7 says, “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” Nothing we can do will every cause God to stop loving us but if we sin deliberately and habitually, He will not fellowship with us.
“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire.”
— Hebrews 10:26-27 (NIV)
Lord help us to walk in truth that we might have fellowship with You. Amen.
The security of our salvation rests on what Jesus has done for us. In her book “The Broken Way,” Ann Voskamp writes, “Believers in Christ are seen by God exactly as Christ is seen by God. I am crucified with Christ, identified with Christ. I am who He is. I am not the mistakes I have made; I am the righteousness He has made. I am not the plans I have failed; I am the perfectness He has finished. I am not the wrongs I have done; I am the faultlessness He has been. I am not the sins I have chosen; I am chosen, accepted, justified, anointed, sealed, forgiven, redeemed, complete, free, Christ’s friend, God’s child, Spirit’s home.”
“Your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
— Colossians 3:3 (NIV)
Lord help us to trust only in Christ and Him alone. Amen.
God’s love is unconditional, but salvation is not. To be saved we must repent of our sins and call on the name of Jesus. He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but only if we call on His name believing in our heart that He died for our sins and God raised Him from the dead. He is our only hope. We cannot save ourselves but what we cannot do for ourselves Jesus does for us.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
— Romans 10:9 (NIV)
God, we declare Jesus is Lord and our only savior. We believe You raised Him from the dead. Save us from our sins. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
God’s love is unconditional. There is nothing we can do to cause Him to love us more, nor is there anything we can do to cause Him to love us less. His love is not based on our performance, either good or bad, but on who He is. He doesn’t love us because we deserve it but because of who He is. Yet not even His unconditional love can save us unless we repent and call on His name for the forgiveness of our sins.
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter…“What shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
— Acts 2:37-38 (NIV)
Lord Jesus we repent of our sins and call on Your name. Save us we pray. Amen.
God’s love is unconditional (John 3:16, Rom. 5:8-10, Rom. 8:35-39) but salvation is not (John 3:17-18, Acts 2:38 and Acts 16:30-31). The security of our salvation rests on what Jesus has done for us. The proof of our salvation is the righteous life we live in obedience to Christ (Eph. 2:8-10). God loves us unconditionally, but He will not fellowship with us unless we walk in the light (1 John 1:6-7). And God’s unconditional love will not save us from eternal judgement if we reject Jesus and continue to sin willfully (Heb. 10:26-31).
“God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.”
— Romans 5:8 (MSG)
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
A friend of mine bought a set of bunk beds for his three boys. They were nearly ecstatic with excitement as they watch him assembly them and they could hardly wait for bedtime. The oldest boy chose the top bunk and started up the latter. About halfway up he froze. He was afraid to go any higher. Nothing his father said seemed to help but finally he took a deep breath and flung himself up the ladder and into bed. Turning to his father he said, “I’m still afraid but I’m more excited than afraid.”
That’s the key isn’t it. We may be afraid, but we must choose obedience over fear.
“Do not be afraid; for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Lord help us to choose obedience over fear. Amen.
Since my wife died some months ago, I’ve told several people that I don’t know what my future looks like. Will I serve as the pastor of a small church somewhere? Will I resume my itinerant ministry? Will I continue to write, another novel perhaps? Will I continue to live alone on Emerald Pointe, twenty-five miles from town? Will I relocate near family? The questions seem endless, and I have no answers. So why doesn’t God show me my future? Because He knows I couldn’t handle it. Because He gives us only enough grace and strength for one day at a time. I will have grace enough to handle the future, whatever it holds, when it comes but not before.
Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
— Matthew 6:34 (MSG)
Lord help us to trust our future to You. Amen.
Yesterday I told you that my friend John begins everyday by telling the Lord he’s available for any and every assignment. Since my wife died some months ago, I’ve thought about praying that prayer, but I’m hesitant. Praying that prayer is kind of like signing an unread document. You don’t know what you’re signing up for. I don’t know why I’m hesitant. I know I can trust the One who calls me. Still, I hesitate. I want more information before I sign up. But that’s not the way God works. He’s not asking you to say “yes” to an assignment. He’s asking you to say “yes” to Him.
“‘You must go to everyone I send you to…Do not be afraid… for I am with you…’ declares the LORD.”
— Jeremiah 1:7-8 (NIV)
Lord help us to be willing to go even if we don’t know where You’re taking us. Amen.
My friend John is a “retired” missionary who everyday tells the Lord he is available. The assignments the Lord sends his way are amazing. He’s taken Bibles and other supplies to missionaries working on our southern border. He’s worked with Afghan refugees, helping them find housing and jobs, languages classes and places to live. He serves on his church’s missions committee and has lead teams on short term mission trips. Did I mention he leads a prayer ministry and is a small group leader? If you tell God you’re available there’s no telling what He may ask you to do.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’
And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!'”— Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
Lord, we’re available. Send us. Amen.
I’ve always known the valley of the shadow of death was a dark and lonely place, but what I knew intellectually became a reality following my wife’s death a few months ago. Yet, even in my deepest grief I found comfort in the 23rd Psalm, particularly verses 4 and 5. The Lord promises to be with us and to prepare a table for us in the presence of our greatest enemy–death. Even in the lurking presence of death Jesus prepares a table of grace, a table of comfort, and a table of presence, therefore I will fear no evil.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”
— Psalm 23:4-5 (KJV)
Lord be very near those who are grieving. Amen.
The ultimate purpose of friendship is not accountability but nurture. True friends are committed to protecting each other, to be sure. You must protect me from myself even as I must protect you from yourself. Yet, if that becomes the primary function of the relationship our friendship will not long survive. The bread which nourishes our soul is acceptance and communication, not accountability. Heed the counsel of the wise man who wrote:
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.
Proverbs 10:11 (NIV 1984)
The lips of the righteous nourish many.
Proverbs 10:21 (NIV 1984)
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom.
Proverbs 10:31 (NIV 1984)
The tongue of the wise brings healing,
Proverbs 12:18 (NIV 1984)
Truthful lips endure forever.
Proverbs 12:19 (NIV 1984)
“He who guards his lips guards his life.”
— Proverbs 13:3 (NIV 1984)
Lord help us to nourishes our relationships with life giving words. Amen.
Every relationship goes through periods of testing, times of boredom, times when those involved in it must decide whether they are going to develop it to its fullest potential or slide off sideways and begin a new relationship. Developing a true friendship means digging deep. The stuff of which it is made comes from the depth of our souls. Those who dare to make the commitment discover not only the treasure of a true friend, but a depth of self-knowledge heretofore unknown.
“A friend loves at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.”— Proverbs 17:17 (NIV 1984)
Lord You made us for relationship, You said it is not good for us to be alone. Give us the courage to pay the price to develop true friendships. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Brenda was weeping as we drove away from our home on Beaver Lake to assume our duties at a church in Louisiana. Looking over at me she asked, “Why am I weeping and you’re not?” Quick as a flash I replied, “You’re looking back at what were leaving. I’m looking forward to where the Lord is taking us.”
What are you looking at? Are you looking back at where you’ve been or are you looking forward to where the Lord is leading you?
“When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Don’t look back”…But Lot’s wife looked back and she turned into a pillar of salt.”
— Genesis 19:17, 26 (NLT)
Lord Jesus make our dreams larger than our memories. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
It seems logical to think that as we grow older our faith should increase making it easier to take risks. Unfortunately, that is seldom the case. As we grow older, most of us become more security conscious. We have more to lose than when we were younger and less opportunity to recover should we fail. If we are not careful our memories will become greater than our dreams tempting us to live in the past. But we can’t live in the past or we will die.
“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out!”— Isaiah 43:18-10 (MSG)
Lord make us risk takers for Jesus. Amen.
Today I want to talk to you about moving from crisis mode to vision mode. In crisis mode survival is the focus. The first question is always, “How much will it cost?” followed closely by “How are we going to pay for it?” In vision mode developing effective ministries and future expansion are the focus. The first question is “What is the Lord directing us to do?” At some point how much it costs and how we are going to pay for it will have to be addressed but those concerns are of no consequence until the vision is clear. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, declared, “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack for God’s supply.”
“It is he who will supply all your needs from his riches in glory because of what Christ Jesus has done for us.”
— Philippians 4:19 (TLB)
Lord help us move from crisis mode to vision mode. Amen.
If you wait until you have the financial resources to pursue your God-given dreams you will probably never get started. In my experience resources always follow vision. God speaks. We obey, stepping out in faith, without knowing where the resources will come from, and God provides. I remember when the Lord gave us a vision for a missionary in residence program. The church I served was in a financial crisis, yet we felt compelled to move forward. In short order a piece of undeveloped land sold, a parishioner donated a brand new 2200 sq. ft. house for missionaries to live in rent free, and eight months later we received an unexpected donation totaling $430,000. We obeyed and God provided!
“You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need.”
— Philippians 4:19 (MSG)
Lord Jesus give us faith to pursue our God-given dreams. Amen.
What God given dreams has the Lord placed in your heart? I’m not talking about personal ambitions, but dreams birthed by the Spirit. Don’t look at your circumstances or you may despair. You may feel that you simply do not have the wherewithal to see your God given dreams become reality or you may feel that your willful disobedience has disqualified you, either way you will be tempted to discard your dreams. Instead, look to God for He is the author and finisher of our faith and He who has begun this good work in you is faithful to bring it to completion.
“I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished.”
— Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
Lord Jesus fulfill Your holy purpose in our lives. Amen.
When Dr. George Flattery was a student at Central Bible College, he dreamed of founding an International Correspondence Institute for education, evangelism, and discipleship. While still a student he launched ICI in his single car garage. Undoubtedly some of his peers thought he was just kidding himself. He had no financial backing and no contacts, but he refused to be discouraged and now ICI is a worldwide study program found in over 178 countries and in 145 languages. It is a Christian Distance Education provider bringing tools for Evangelism, Discipleship, and Ministerial Training to anyone, anywhere.
One final thought. Don’t let your resources determine your destiny.
“I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”
— Jeremiah 32:27 (NLT)
Lord help us to live by faith believing nothing is too hard for you. Amen.
Babies are born thinking the world revolves around them and some children never grow out of it, not even as adults. Everything is about them – “I, me, my, and mine.”
Years ago, I heard a pastor say “I enjoy nurturing new believers and seeing them grow into mature Christ followers. I don’t mind their immature attitudes and mistakes because that’s to be expected but what I hate is dealing with those people who never grow up, who are never weaned off the bottle. I hate parting the whiskers to get the nipple in!”
Put away childish things. Stop thinking only of yourself. Think of others. Get committed to a cause greater than yourself!
“When I grew up, I put away childish things.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:11(NLT)
Lord deliver us from our childish ways. Amen.
To Peter, Jesus was a merciful friend who knew the worst about him and still believed the best. Undoubtedly you know the story. Peter promised to die with Jesus rather deny Him. Yet he denied Jesus three times in the space of just a few hours. His shame was so great that he went out into the night and wept bitterly. As far as he was concerned his sinful failure was past forgiving. Surely the Lord would throw him out on the scrapheap of life. But Jesus had a better plan. He forgave him and restored him to ministry. What Jesus did for Peter He will do for you.
“Be strong and take heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.”— Psalm 31:24 (NIV 1984)
Lord forgive our sinful failures and restore us to ministry. Amen.
To the woman with the issue of blood Jesus was the most compassionate man in the world.
The daughter of Jairus the leader of the synagogue was deathly ill, yet Jesus took time to minister to this nameless woman instead of rushing to her. That tells me if you are in desperate need, you can be sure that your needs are Jesus’ highest concern. Do what this desperate woman did. Lay aside your pride and press through the crowd to touch Him.
“She thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”
— Mark 5:28-29
Lord Jesus we are praying for those who have desperate needs. Intervene on their behalf. Amen.
To the woman taken in adultery Jesus was the bravest man in all the world (John 8:2-11). He risked the wrath of the religious zealots to rescue her. There was no question of her guilt. They caught her in the very act. The law of Moses was clear—take her outside the city gates and stone her. But Jesus wasn’t interested in judging her. Instead of allowing the religious zealots to coerce him into condemning her He called their bluff.
Jesus said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
— John 8:10-11 (NLT)
Lord help us to extend Your mercy to those who become trapped in sin. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Isaiah described Jesus as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3), yet He was also a gregarious person whose name was at the top of every guest list. If he was present, the host need not worry; the party would be a success. His winsome smile and contagious laughter transcended all social barriers turning a roomful of strangers into friends. He was a captivating conversationalist, entertaining hearers with penetrating insights and humorous antidotes. Yet beneath His outgoing personality His heart ached, always ached, for those who were hurting. He carried humanities pain in his bosom even when he was enjoying a meal with friends, or laughing with children, or celebrating at a wedding.
“He was…a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.”
— Isaiah 53:3 (NLT)
Lord help us become authentic human beings who share both the joy and the sorrow of others. Amen.
I want to encourage you to take a moment and see Jesus—not the flannel graph Jesus of your Sunday School days or the stained-glass Jesus of later years, but the real Jesus. Notice the way He gives his undivided attention to the person He’s talking to no matter who they are lunatic or leper, Samaritans, or street people, or even a fallen woman caught in the very act of adultery. Notice the way the children flock around him, how easily He’s moved to tears by the suffering of others, and how gentle He is toward those who have been battered and broken by life.
“When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.”
— Matthew 9:36 (MSG)
Lord help us be gentle with those who have been battered by life. Amen.
In the play “The Rain Maker,” Lizzie, the daughter, says, “Some nights I am in the kitchen washing dishes, and Pop is playing poker with the boys. Well, I watch him real close, and at first, I’ll just see an ordinary, middle-aged man. And then, minute by minute, I’ll see little things I never saw before—good things and bad things, little habits I never noticed he had, ways of talking I’d never paid any mind to. Suddenly I know who he is, and I love him so much I could cry, and I thank God I took time to see him real.”
“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?”
— John 14:9 (KJV)
Lord help us to take time to know You. Amen.
Mary and Joseph traveled for an entire day without realizing that twelve-year-old Jesus wasn’t with them. They simply who assumed He was somewhere in the mob of travelers crowding around them. Before we start pointing fingers, we need to realize that if we’re not careful we can get so caught up in the day-to-day business of living that we lose touch with Him. We assume He is with us and are startled to discover that He’s no longer a real part of our life. Or if He is with us, we pay Him no mind, thinking we know all there is to know about Him.
“Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day.”
— Luke 2:44 (NIV)
Lord forgive us when we take Your presence for granted. Amen.
Receive, with glad and thankful hearts, the love and mercy our Lord has provided through the gift of Himself but learn from it as well. Determine that you will love each other as the Lord has loved you and that you will graciously forgive each other just as the Lord has forgiven you. Do this all the days of your lives and the church will be all God intends it to be.
“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
— John 13:15-17 (NIV)
Lord Jesus empower us to follow Your example. Amen.
Holy Communion provides a picture of the kind of selfless love that the Christian life requires. When Jesus took the bread and broke it, He was demonstrating the kind of love that willingly lays down its life for others. The cup also symbolizes the high cost of forgiveness. Jesus said, “‘This is my blood which is shed for the remission of your sins’” (Mt. 26:28). In the fellowship of believers, each of us will have to lay down our lives for each other. Without this kind of sacrificial love, the church can never become all God intends it to be.
“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
— John 15:13 (NLT)
Lord Jesus make us willing to lay down our lives. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When Jesus broke the bread (1 Cor. 11:24) He was depicting the physical sufferings He would endure at the hands of sinful men. In short order He would be brutally beaten, not only as punishment for our sins, but for our physical healing as well. Isaiah declares, “…he was wounded for our transgressions…and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5 KJV). The cup reminds us that He not only suffered for our sins, but that He died for us as well, pouring out His very life’s blood for “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22).
“It was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…but with the precious blood of Christ.”
— 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)
Lord we thank You for allowing Your body to be broken and Your blood shed for our salvation. Amen.
When the apostle tells us a person “…ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:28) he means we must make sure we approach the Lord’s Table in faith recognizing that we are about to partake of the Lord’s body. Once we have discerned the Lord’s body then we should examine our life to see if there is any sin that is not under the blood. Communion is a wonderful means of grace and therefore a great time to confess our sins and receive forgiveness. Remember,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
— 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Lord help us to discern the truth of communion and give us the grace to receive. Amen.
The Bible highlights three special meals, the Passover (Exodus 12:21-28), the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-29 and 1 Corinthians 11:20), and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:5-9). Today we are focusing on the Lord’s Supper or what many of us call Holy Communion. When we receive the bread and the cup, we appropriate both the spiritual and physical benefits of our Lord’s suffering, His death, and His resurrection. These benefits include the forgiveness of our sins and peace with God, as well as physical healing for our bodies.
“So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.”
— John 6:53 (NIV)
Lord it is with glad and thankful hearts that we receive Your broken body and Your shed blood. Amen.
As the mourners filed past my mother’s casket at the conclusion of her funeral almost everyone stopped to console my sister. Many of them wept with her, holding her close. I couldn’t help thinking how precious friends are in the hour of our loss. The love that was heaped upon my sister didn’t just happen. It was fruit of years of friendship. If you want friends to support you in your time of crisis now is the time to build those relationships. Open your heart and your home. Don’t wait for someone else to take the lead. You do it.
“But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus. His presence was a joy.”
— 2 Corinthians 7:6 and 7 (NLT)
Lord help us to be encouragers to those in crisis. Amen.
Having grown up with a mother who was known for her hospitality our daughter yearns for the dinner parties of her childhood. She bemoans the fact that no one entertains at home anymore. She and her husband tried hosting small dinner parties in their home a few times, but when several guests canceled at the last minute, and no one returned their invitation they were forced to conclude that dinner parties are a thing of the past. “No one has time to be friends anymore,” Leah says wistfully. “I know my generation is into social networking—Facebook and twitter and all that—but sending emails and instant messages isn’t the same as eating together!”
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NLT)
Lord help us keep reaching out even if no one responds. Amen.
As a boy growing up, we seldom ate Sunday dinner alone. The guests varied from week to week, usually kin folk or friends from the church. We might scrimp all week, as Mom used to say, but on Sunday we had a feast. When we couldn’t eat another bite, us kids disappeared outdoors, while the adults lingered around the table talking for an hour or two. That’s all they did—just talked. It seemed like such a waste to me. Now, I know better. Few things in life are more important than deep sharing with good friends. That kind of talking nourishes the soul and reaffirms our place in the world.
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God”
— 1 John 4:7 (NIV)
Lord help us to love and encourage one another. Amen.
Come with me to Bangladesh. Take a bus to the Ganges River. Get on a ferry and travel 3 more hours. Get on another bus and travel 4 or 5 hours until you come to the end of the road. Now board a dugout canoe and go 8 hours upriver to a village. Each day we ate curry and rice from stained bowls with our fingers. It was meager fare, but the fellowship was rich. I’ve eaten grander meals, but I’ve never experienced warmer hospitality or such sacrificial generosity. It was the closest thing to New Testament hospitality I’ve ever experienced.
“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”
— Acts 2:46
Lord help us to open our hearts and our homes, not only to family and friends, but to the newcomer as well. Amen.
Recently I saw a picture of a smart phone. The caption underneath said, “This remarkable devise enables you to stay in touch with friends all over the world. Unfortunately, it alienates you from those who are nearby.” Sad but true. Social media, for all its convenience and promise, hasn’t brought us together. If anything, it has crippled our ability to communicate and build authentic relationships. That’s the exact opposite of New Testament Christianity. At its core Christianity is about relationships—first with the Lord and then with each other. In our culture that’s a daunting challenge.
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
— Romans 12:10 (NIV)
Lord help us to overcome our inhibitions. Teach us to love and honor each other. Amen.
In his book, “Three Cups of Tea” Greg Mortenson relates a life changing experience he had while building schools in the remote areas of Pakistan. Although the Baltis loved his generosity, his hard driving manner was threatening to alienate them. Finally, the presiding elder took him aside and over bowls of scalding butter tea he said, “If you want to thrive in Baltistan, you must respect our ways. The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die.” Laying his hand warmly on Mortenson’s own, he continued, “Doctor Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea.”
“They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.”
— Acts 2:42 (MSG)
Lord teach us to slow down and build relationships. Amen.
Faith is not a noun. It is a verb. Faith is not what you think. Faith is not what you feel. Faith is not a carefully worded doctrinal statement. Faith is what you do in obedience to the Holy Spirit. By faith Noah built an ark. By faith Abraham went out not knowing where he was going. By faith Sarah bore a son even though she was past the age of childbearing. By faith Moses chose to suffer with the people of God. By faith he left Egypt. By faith he kept the Passover. By faith…
“Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did…You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”
— James 2:21-22 (NIV)
Lord help us to live our faith. Amen.
We pray for a miracle, but we do not put our hope in a miracle. Our hope is in Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith and in Him in alone. If we put our hope in a miracle, we may be disappointed but if we put our hope in Jesus, we will never be disappointed. He will always be with us in any and every situation!
“The God we serve is able to deliver us…But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
— Daniel 3:17-18 (NIV)
Lord Jesus give us the strength to remain faithful even if you do not deliver us. Amen.
God gives every person a measure of faith; faith to live by. Act on it. In special moments, He may give us a gift of faith to provide a miraculous deliverance. That is He will put His faith in you, and it will produce a miracle. On other occasions, He grants us the fruit of the Spirit faith—that is faithfulness—so we can persevere, so we can endure, so we can trust Him without recourse to understanding or reason. Under the most extreme circumstances, we have utmost confidence because we know He’s in control. That’s faithfulness.
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.”
— Job 13:15 (KJV)
Lord help us to trust Your character even when we cannot understand Your ways. Amen.
The third type of faith identified in the New Testament is the fruit of the Spirit. In Galatians 5:22 the New International Version translate “faith” as “faithfulness.” The gift of the Spirit “faith” is a supernatural faith that produces miracles and supernatural deliverances. Faithfulness is unconditional trust in God without recourse to reason or understanding. The gift of the Spirit faith changes our circumstances. Faithfulness changes us, enabling us to live with joy and victory regardless of our circumstances.
“I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances…Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.”
— Philippians 4:11 and 13 (MSG)
Lord help us to be faithful whatever our circumstances. Amen.
The gift of faith is sovereignly given by the Holy Spirit. It is a special faith, a miracle-working faith. It is not possible for the “measure of faith” we are each given to ever grow into the “gift of faith” any more than a person can give a message in tongues by learning a foreign language. Although the Holy Spirit decides who receives each gift we are encouraged to “Earnestly desire the best gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31).
May I ask you a question? Are you earnestly desiring the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
— Matthew 7:8 (ESV)
Lord Jesus create in us a hunger and thirst for the gifts of the Spirit. Amen.
The second type of faith identified in the New Testament is the gift of faith. Unlike common faith it is not given to everyone but only to certain people who have been selected by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12 declares, “To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge…to another faith by the same Spirit.” The gift of faith is miracle working faith.
“Who through faith conquered kingdoms…and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”
— Hebrews 11:33-34 (NIV)
Holy Spirit give us the gift of faith. Amen.
Today we are looking at common faith or what the Bible refers to as “a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3 says God gives this kind of faith to every person on the face of the earth. It’s saving faith. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). You can increase this kind of faith by hearing and meditating on the Word of God. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Jude verse 20 says:
“Building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”
— Jude 20 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus help us to increase our faith by praying in the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Bible we see three types of faith. 1) Common faith. Romans 12:3 says, “… God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” 2) The gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9). Unlike common faith, the gift of faith is not given to everyone. It is only given to certain people selected by the Holy Spirit. 3) The fruit of the Spirit faith (Galatians 5:22). The fruit of the spirit “faith” manifests itself as “faithfulness” and enables us to live with joy and victory regardless of the circumstances of our lives. In the days ahead we will explore each one of these in greater depth.
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
— Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
Lord help us to live in Your word that our faith might increase. Amen.
Attempting to define faith is a little like asking a blind man to describe an elephant. If he takes hold of the elephant’s trunk, he may describe an elephant as a huge snake. If he takes hold of the elephant’s tail, he may think an elephant resembles a rope. If he wraps his arms around the elephant’s huge leg, he might describe him as a tree. Each description is accurate but incomplete. So it is when we try to define faith. Most times our attempts are accurate as far as they go but faith is too complex to be defined by a single statement.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”
— Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
Lord Jesus increase our faith so we can trust You more. Amen.
No one goes through life unscathed. Sooner or later someone you trust is going to betray you. When that happens choose to forgive. By forgiving the people who betrayed you refuse to allow this tragedy to destroy you or your family. Determine that you are not going to waste your pain. Ask the Lord to help you learn from this tragic experience. Don’t ever forgetting the lessons it taught you. Remember you can be part of the solution or part of the problem. The choice is yours.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
— Genesis 50:20 (NIV 1984)
Lord help us believe You will redeem this tragedy. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When you have been betrayed grief is a proper response. Only as you grieve can you be comforted and healed. God will visit you in special ways during the grieving process restoring your joy. Even when God has intervened in a special healing way you still must choose to walk in your healing every day. The enemy will continue to attack your mind and emotions. With the help of the Holy Spirit discipline yourself to bring every thought into captivity to Jesus Christ.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
— 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)
Lord help us to bring every negative thought into obedience to Christ. Amen.
If you have been betrayed by someone you loved and trusted I would like to suggest some things you will need to do if you hope to be healed and restored. 1) Refuse to define your relationship by this one tragic event. It is a part of your relationship but that is all—just a part. 2) Choose to protect those you love—parents, siblings, and friends—who would be hurt by this information. There is nothing to be gained by telling them so why make them suffer? 3) Consciously choose to set aside the “why” questions. Even if you could understand “why” everything happened as it did it would not change one thing.
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
— 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)
Lord help us to focus on restoring the relationship rather than punishing the betrayer. Amen.
If you have been betrayed by someone you loved and trusted, you are probably reeling from the emotional fall out. I urge you to immediately contact a trusted friend or pastor for counsel and prayer. Remain faithful to your devotional life and public worship. Jesus is the healer and spending time in His presence facilitates your healing. Refuse to define your life by this tragedy. You may never get over it—that is it will always be a part of your life experience—but you can choose, by God’s grace, to get past it.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
— Psalm 55:22 (NIV 1984)
Lord, we trust You. Heal our wounded hearts and restore our lives. Amen.
The thing that makes betrayal so devastating is because it is someone we love and trust who betrays us. It could not be otherwise, or it would not be betrayal. And no one can wound us like those we know and love. Maybe you were betrayed by an unfaithful spouse, or a parent who stole your innocence, or a friend who let you down. Whatever the case my heart goes out to you. You have lived with the knowledge that your spouse, or your parent, or friend is not the person you thought they were, not the person they pretended to be.
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
has lifted up his heel against me.”— Psalm 41:9 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus heal those who have been betrayed. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Experience teaches me that forgiveness is more a process than a single event. Each time we experience the hurtful feelings we experienced initially we must choose to forgive again. And we must be specific in the things we forgive, naming them and releasing them. At times we may have to do this every day to keep from falling back into the trap of unforgiveness. The work of forgiving those who have betrayed us is complete when we can remember the hurtful things they did without experiencing the painful emotions those hurtful things initially produced.
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
— Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Lord we confess that we need to keep forgiving. Help us. Amen.
Many people cannot bring themselves to forgive those who have wronged them because they have confused forgiveness with trust. Somewhere they picked up the idea that if they truly forgive, they will have to reenter the same destructive relationship. Not true! Although David loved Saul and forgave him, he knew better than to trust him. It wasn’t anger or unforgiveness that kept him from returning to Saul’s service, but wisdom. Until Saul produced fruits of repentance David refused to reenter a relationship with him. We are commanded to forgive regardless of what the offending person does, but we are not commanded to trust them until they have proven trustworthy.
“Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in time of trouble.”
— Proverbs 25:19 (NIV 1984)
Lord help us to always be forgiving but also discerning regarding whom we trust. Amen.
If you have been betrayed by someone you loved and trusted, you are probably reeling from the emotional fall out. I urge you to immediately contact a trusted friend or pastor for counsel and prayer. Remain faithful to your devotional life and public worship. Jesus is the healer and spending time in His presence facilitates your healing. Just being in the presence of the Healer brings healing even if you are not consciously aware of it. Refuse to define your life by this tragedy. You will never get over it—that is it will always be a part of your life experience—but you can choose, by God’s grace, to get past it.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”
— Psalm 55:22 (NIV 1984)
Lord we trust in You. Heal our wounded hurt and restore our life. Amen.
Having counseled with several people who have been betrayed by those they loved most, I believe the Lord has enabled me to identify several choices that are necessary if you hope to be healed and restored. Refuse to define your life by this one tragic event. It is a real part of your life but that is all—just a part. Choose to protect those you love—parents, siblings, and friends—who would be hurt by this information. There is nothing to be gained by telling them so why make them suffer? Consciously choose to set aside the “why” questions. Even if you could understand “why” everything happened as it did it would not change one thing.
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”
— 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)
Lord help us to focus on restoring the relationship rather than punishing the betrayer. Amen.
The thing that makes betrayal so devastating is because someone we love, and trust always perpetrates it. It could not be otherwise, or it would not be betrayal. And no one can wound us like those we know and love. Maybe you were betrayed by an unfaithful spouse, or a parent that stole your innocence, or a friend who let you down. Whatever the case my heart goes out to you. You have to live with the knowledge that your spouse, or your parent, or friend is not the person you thought they were, not the person they pretended to be.
“Even my close friend, whom I trusted,
he who shared my bread,
has lifted up his heel against me.”— Psalm 41:9 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus heal those who have been betrayed. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Experience teaches us that forgiveness is more a process than a single event. Each time we experience the hurtful feelings we experienced initially we must choose to forgive again. And we must be specific in the things we forgive. Sometimes we may have to do this repeatedly to keep from falling back into the trap of unforgiveness. We know forgiveness has done its healing work when we can remember the hurtful things we suffered without experiencing the painful emotions those hurtful things initially produced.
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
— Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Lord we confess that we need to keep forgiving. Help us. Amen.
Many people cannot bring themselves to forgive those who have wronged them because they have confused forgiveness with trust. Somewhere they picked up the idea that if they truly forgive, they will have to reenter the same destructive relationship. Not true! Although David loved Saul and forgave him, he knew better than to trust him. It wasn’t anger or unforgiveness that kept him from returning to Saul’s service, but wisdom. Until Saul produced fruits of repentance David refused to reenter a relationship with him. We are commanded to forgive regardless of what the offending person does, but we are not commanded to trust them until they have proven trustworthy.
“Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in time of trouble.”
— Proverbs 25:19 (NIV 1984)
Lord help to always be forgiving but also discerning in whom we trust. Amen.
Sometimes it is hard for us to forgive those who have hurt us because they have never apologized, never acknowledged any wrongdoing, and never sought our forgiveness. The fact that they have never apologized or sought our forgiveness should never keep us from forgiving them. It may also be hard to forgive them because it feels like we are letting them off the hook. It feels like they will never have to give an account for the hurtful things they have done. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? Didn’t He forgive us and let us off the hook?
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger…forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
— Ephesians 4:30-32 (NIV)
Lord forgive us for demanding an apology before we forgive those who have wronged us. Amen.
If you’ve been betrayed let me ask you how you feel when you think of interacting with the person who betrayed you? Do you see it as an opportunity to put the past behind you? Do you see it as an opportunity to restore broken relationships? Or do you feel uneasy, hurt, resentful, bitter, or even angry? If you feel any of those negative emotions or something similar it may mean you have not completely forgiven those who hurt you. You probably still have some work to do.
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
— Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Lord I want to forgive those who have wounded me, but I’m stuck. I can’t seem to let go of the hurt and anger. Help me to forgive them as freely as you have forgiven me. Amen.
Several years ago, I was called to serve a church in crisis. The congregation had suffered an unspeakable tragedy. Their pastor resigned in anger taking more than half the congregation with him. He went down the street and started another church. The congregants felt betrayed, not only by the pastor, but also by people who had been their friends for years. They were angry. How could friends do that? They feared the church wouldn’t survive. Would they be able to pay the mortgage? Would they be able to call another pastor? And they were tempted to hold a grudge!
“Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God…Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”
— Romans 12:19, 21 (NLT)
Lord, help us release our hurt and anger and forgive those who wronged us. Amen.
The evil servant in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 18:21-35) makes Bernie Madoff look like a petty thief. Yet we haven’t even touched on his real sin. I don’t mean to belittle the seriousness of embezzling $29,850,000 but it pales in comparison to what he does next. “He went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment” (Matthew 18:17). The king graciously forgave that evil servant the millions he owed him. What he would not forgive was his refusal to forgive his fellow servant.
“Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
— Matthew 18:34-35 (NLT)
Lord give us a forgiving heart. Amen.
To better understand our sin debt from God’s perspective, let’s take a closer look at the ten thousand talents the unmerciful servant owed. According to Bible scholar Finis Dake, a talent of gold, was worth $29,850, making ten thousand talents worth $29,850,000. David A. Redding gives a much more conservative figure, about two million dollars, still a staggering sum since the “total annual taxes of Judea, Idumea, Samaria, Galilee, and Perea, all together, amounted to only 800 talents.
“Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,
who, O Lord, could ever survive?”— Psalm 130:3 (NLT)
Lord, we thank You for forgiving our staggering sin debt. Amen.
I owed God a sin debt I could never pay. I had sinned against Him more times than I can count, transgressed His holy law again and again, betrayed His trust and broken our relationship repeatedly over the course of my lifetime. And yet He forgave me again and again! You would think I would be the most merciful of all people considering what God has done for me. But I’m not. I can be petty and unforgiving, carefully hoarding my grievances, making a shrine out of my hurts. You’ve probably done the same thing. God forgives us an incalculable sin debt and yet we won’t forgive those who have wronged us. What are we thinking?
“If you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
— Matthew 6:15 (NIV 1984)
Lord forgive us for not forgiving those who sin against us. Amen.
In Matthew 18 Jesus tells the story of a man who had been forgiven a debt totaling millions of dollars and yet he wouldn’t forgive a man who owed him a few thousand dollars. How he could do such a thing is beyond me, yet that’s exactly what he did. But then again, maybe it’s not beyond me. I’ve done the same thing. You probably have too. God forgives me an incalculable sin debt and yet I won’t forgive those who have wronged me. What am I thinking?
“He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.” But he refused.”
— Matthew 18:28-30 (NIV)
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Amen.
What we believe about Jesus is critical, for it will determine our eternal destiny. John 3:18 declares, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
In light of that, let me ask you one final question: Have you surrendered your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Is He your personal Savior?
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
— Romans 10:9 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God and the only Savior of the world. You are my Savior, and my faith is in You and You alone. Forgive my sins and make me born again. In Your holy name I pray, amen.
Some may argue that the fulfillment of the 109 Messianic prophecies was mere coincident. Not a very credible argument if you consider the mathematics. “‘Someone did the math and figured out that the probability of just eight prophecies (not all 109 prophecies) being fulfilled in a single life is one chance in one hundred million billion. That number is millions of times greater than the total number of people who’ve ever walked on the planet!’” No thinking person can seriously consider the evidence of fulfilled prophecy and then refute the claims of Christ.
“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention.”
— 2 Peter 2:19 (ESV)
Lord Jesus give us faith to believe. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Regarding Jesus being the promised Messiah, the Son of the living God and the savior of mankind there is no evidence more convincing than the fulfilled prophecies. The Bible contains 109 Messianic prophecies all recorded at least 600 years before Jesus was born. Some of them are dated as early as 1500 years before his birth. These prophecies are far ranging, dealing with both the momentous and the mundane. They range from His virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), to the place of His birth (Micah 5:2), to a description of His earthly ministry (Isaiah 61:1, 2), to His betrayal (Psalm 41:9 and Luke 22:47, 48), and death (Deuteronomy 21:22-23, Galatians 3:13 and Zechariah 13:6).
“For no prophecy recorded in Scripture was ever thought up by the prophet himself. It was the Holy Spirit within these godly men who gave them true messages from God.”
— 2 Peter 1:20-21 (TLB)
Lord Jesus give us faith to believe. Amen.
When Jesus comes the second time He is coming as a conquering King who is going to judge both the living and the dead. Peter told Cornelius, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he (Jesus) is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead…Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:42-43). Let me ask you a question. Have you believed in Jesus and received forgiveness?
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
— John 3:18 (NIV)
Lord Jesus we believe, and we receive the forgiveness of our sins. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
The first time Jesus came to earth He can as a baby born to peasant parents. He came to die on the cross for our sins. The angel commanded Joseph to “give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). When Jesus comes the second time He is coming as a conquering King to judge the inhabitants of the earth and set up His Kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14). It will be a terrifying moment for those who have rejected Him.
“They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’ For the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand?”
— Revelation 6:16-17 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus may Your Kingdom come and may You will be done. Amen.
When we speak of the trinity, we are referring to one God manifest in three persons—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Any attempt to explain the Trinity using human analogies will ultimately breakdown, nonetheless, let me use the analogy of H2O to help you understand. H2O exists in three forms. Between 32 degrees and 212 degrees Fahrenheit it is a liquid. We call it water. Above 212 degrees Fahrenheit it is a gas. We call it steam and below 32 degrees Fahrenheit it is a solid. We call it ice. But in whatever form it is still H2O! So it is with God. He reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—different manifestations but identical “DNA.”
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
— Colossians 2:9 (NIV)
Lord renew our minds so we can grasp these truths. Amen.
Although the term “trinity” does not appear anywhere in Scripture the concept is present in both the Old and New Testament. When we speak of the trinity, we are not referring to three Gods, but one God manifest in three persons. Jesus is a coequal member of the Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We call that the trinity—one God manifest in three persons. How this can be is beyond our limited human intellect. We cannot fully explain it, but we accept it by faith.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
— Matthew 28:19
Lord, renew our minds and increase our faith. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Jesus was given all authority in heaven and in earth. By that authority He healed the sick, cast out demons, forgave sins, fed the multitudes, commanded the forces of nature, and raised the dead! As the song writer so aptly put it, “It is no secret what God can do. What He’s done for others He will do for you.”
Are you facing an impossible situation? Take it to the Lord in prayer. It only takes a word from Jesus to turn your situation around.
“Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, ‘What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!’”
— Matthew 8:26-27 (KJV)
Jesus deliver those who are facing impossible situations. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
By living a sinless life, Jesus justified us, fully satisfying the requirements of God’s holy law. On the cross he died a sacrificial death suffering the justice of a holy God, thus redeeming us. Ephesians 3:13 declares, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a (tree).” Through His resurrection from the dead, he has regenerated us making us a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
Lord Jesus You are our only savior. We put our faith in You and we are saved. Amen.
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the only savior of mankind. He is our only hope. There are not many paths to heaven, there is only one way. Jesus plainly declared, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV). Acts 4:12 says, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Do not allow political correctness or so called “wokeness” intimidate you. We must boldly declare Jesus is the only savior and our only hope.
“But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
— Matthew 7:14 (NIV)
Lord Jesus, help us to be bold in declaring You are the only savior. Amen.
As a man, Jesus became exhausted by the demands of ministry and fell into such a deep sleep that not even a life-threatening storm could wake Him. Yet, as the Son of God, He commanded the wind and waves to cease, and they obeyed Him (Mark 4:35-41). After forty days of fasting He was literally starving, still He refused to turn stones into bread to feed himself, but on another occasion, He multiplied a boy’s small lunch of five loaves and two fish to feed five thousand (see Matthew 14:15). Although He was omnipotent, He refused to exercise His divine power on His own behalf. He only used it for the benefit of others.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.”
— Philippians 2:5 and 7 (NIV 1984)
Jesus, help us to think of others before we think of ourselves. Amen.
Throughout the gospels we see a contrast between the deity of Jesus and His humanity. As the Son of man, He was baptized by John in the Jordan River. As the Son of God, He baptized others in the Holy Spirit. As the Son of man, He prayed to the Father. As the Son of God, He heard the prayers of others and forgave their sins. As the Son of man, He wept with Mary following the death of her brother. As the Son of God, He raised Lazarus from the dead. As the Son of man, He died on the cross and was buried. As the Son of God, He conquered death, hell and the grave!
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
— John 1:14 (NIV)
Jesus, thank you for becoming one of us so we might become the sons of God. Amen.
When Jesus lived here on earth, He was fully human, He was fully tempted, and He was fully triumphant! When He became a man, He laid aside every advantage of His divine nature and lived as a full-fledged human being. As a human being He was tempted just like we are, but He did not sin. Because He was tempted, He understands our struggles and because He was fully triumphant, He has the power to help us when we are tempted.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
— Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)
Lord, deliver us from evil for we are bombarded with temptation. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
When the apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2 that Jesus emptied Himself to become fully human, he is not saying Jesus emptied Himself of His divine nature. Rather, as the Phillips Modern English translation states, He “…stripped himself of every advantage….” (Philippians 2:7). He was still divine, but He freely choose to live life as a man to fully identify with our human condition and fulfill the righteous requirements of the Father’s holy law.
“His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross.”
— Philippians 2:6-8 (Jerusalem Bible)
Jesus we are in awe of Your holy love and we worship You. Amen.
Liberal theologians often struggle to accept the deity of Jesus while Evangelical believers are hard pressed to come to terms with His humanity. The scriptures are emphatically clear regarding both. Although Jesus was divine, He was also fully human. When He lived on this earth, He was not God in a human disguise, rather he was fully human. He voluntarily relinquished every advantage of His divine nature to become a full-fledged human being. Hebrews 2:17 says, “…in all things He had to be made like His brethren…”
“His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are…”
— Philippians 2:6-7 (Jerusalem Bible)
Lord renew our minds so we can fully grasp all You have done for us. Amen.
Not only does the Bible declare that Jesus is the Son of God, but it also declares He is the Son of Man. Isaiah affirms both His deity and His humanity when he writes, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given…(Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV). The child—the son of man—was born. The Son—the eternal preexistent Son of God—was given. Because Jesus was human, He can empathize with us. Because Jesus is divine, He intervenes for us.
“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood… Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.”
— Hebrews 2:14, 18 (NLT)
Lord Jesus, intervene on our behave and deliver us from all the power of the evil one. Amen.
If I am stricken with a serious or life-threatening condition, I will trust the Lord to heal me but if…
I praise the Lord for my health! I can take no credit for my good health. It is a gift…
After my salvation nothing is more precious to me than my family. I’m eternally grateful to God for my wife,…
Thank God that He did not deal with us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.…
After sorting through all the things I have to be thankful for, I realized that one thing stands out above…
Spiritual battles are exhausting. They suck the very life out of you, often leaving you angry, lonely and tired. Consider…
The people opposing you are not your real enemy. Sometimes they are willing accomplices of the enemy but more often…
While in the middle of one of his most challenging spiritual battles Charles Stanley was invited to the home of…
Another key to victory is to “find your strength in God.”5 Let me suggest two ways we can do that.…
The spiritual leader’s counselors must be men of integrity. They must be strong enough to speak the truth in love…
The spiritual leader who wants to keep his own ambition in check will submit his plans and visions to the…
My experience suggests that God most often speaks in extraordinary ways when we are going to face unusual challenges in…
As I review the way the Lord has guided me through the years, three things stand out. 1) Obedience is…
How, you may be wondering, can an ordinary person like myself hear God’s voice? Both Scripture and experience suggest that…
The best way to hear the voice of God is simply to be attentive when you pray. Pay attention when…
God seldom makes His will known simply to satisfy our curiosity. More often than not, His word comes as marching…
Keeping a prayer journal is important because we often have only a dim understanding of an experience or situation until…
By utilizing the discipline of journaling, I was finally able to understand why I was such an angry man. Some…
Do you struggle with a besetting sin? Don’t despair, God is greater than any stronghold in your life. For years…
The account of Mary and Martha teaches us that nothing is more important than our relationship with the Lord. The…
Only God knows how many books He has used to touch me, change me, and make me more the person…
The books that appeal to you will likely vary depending on the season of life in which you find yourself.…
If you are not a reader, you are depriving yourself of one of God’s best gifts. A good book renews…
A third factor that makes a person especially vulnerable to certain temptations is their personal history—those experiences that have shaped…
A second factor that makes us vulnerable to temptation is our personality, our temperament. By nature, certain temptations appeal to…
There are several factors that determine your vulnerability to temptation. The most obvious, of course, is circumstance. By allowing yourself…
All of us have areas where we are particularly susceptible to temptation. Once you acknowledge your weakness you can take…
The person who is serious about overcoming temptation will not put himself in tempting situations. He will not flirt with…
Because temptation flourishes in secret it is important to have a trusted spiritual friend in whom you can confide. Your…
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) and one of his favorite targets is marriage. Let me…
The third level of giving is revelation giving. This is how the Macedonian churches gave. Paul describes it, “In the…
The second level of giving is “reasoned giving.” This is beyond the tithe and in the scriptures, it is called…
For more than twenty-five years a friend of mine has been performing random acts of kindness. Sometimes he buys a…
Benjamin West tells how he first became aware of his artistic skills. One day his mother went out, leaving him…
The late Professor Leo Buscaglia tells the story of a young lady in one of his classes who took her…
I don’t like to think of myself as a judgmental person. You probably don’t either but if the truth be…
I want to begin today’s devotion with a confession. I have always been quick to honor those whom I considered…
To be a Christian in the workplace is not always easy. Not infrequently it is filled with tension and office…
As a young pastor I inadvertently offended several parishioners. After seeking the Lord’s guidance, I felt directed to accept responsibility…
When my wife underwent brain surgery to clip an aneurysm my brother, two nieces, a close friend, and my pastor…
Do you know there are 100 “one another” commands in the New Testament? Things like: “Bear one another’s burdens.” “Love…
I’m constantly amazed at the Lord’s patience. Consider Peter. No matter how many times he failed, God refused to give…
Through the discipline of prayer and the Word Jesus was able to resist every temptation. We know that He was…
When I was a young pastor, I was tempted to steal a pair of scissors. I resisted that temptation, but…
The first thing you need to know about temptation is that being tempted is not a sin no matter how…
How do you feel when you have narrowly escaped the tempter’s snare? Do you feel victorious, or do you feel…
There is absolutely nothing in the realm of human experience that is more powerful than prayer. If we truly want…
After a lifetime of ministry, I still feel I am in the kindergarten of prayer. I only know a little…
Nobody knows how to pray naturally. And no one learns how to pray by hearing someone preach about prayer, or…
Sometimes prayer takes on a life of its own and we find ourselves praying fervently and for extended periods of…
There are times during intercessory prayer when God’s holy presence descends upon us, and prayer takes on a life of…
From an early age I heard various people referred to as intercessors. I knew that was a high compliment, but…
We are living in what the apostle Paul called “perilous times” and prayer is more critical than ever if we…
If you’re like me, anytime you find yourself judging others you are brought face to face with your own faults.…
If you are struggling with a broken relationship, I bring you a word of hope. Hurts can be healed, betrayals…
Relationships are a mixed bag—richly rewarding and at times extremely stressful. Often there are hurt feelings, disappointments, and misunderstandings. When…
Have you ever struggled to find time to spend with the Lord? I have and here’s a prayer I wrote…
With your permission I would like to share a prayer from my personal journal. “Jesus,Who was Your friend?I know you…
I have hurt and been hurt by those I love, and you probably have too. As a result, I am…
We have all been hurt by those we love; some of us more than others, but we can’t afford to…
The security of our salvation rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. The proof of our salvation is…
The choices we make have consequences. 1 Peter 3:12 says, “The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do…
If we want a life blessed by the Lord Peter commands us to “Search for peace, and work to maintain…
If we want to have a blessed life Peter tells us to “Turn away from evil and do good” (1…
Lies take many shapes and are often based on half-truths. No lie is more insidious than that which uses the…
In today’s culture lies are as common as the grains of sand on the seashore. Sometimes lying is called spin,…
Before you repeat something you’ve heard ask yourself three questions. 1) Have I checked it out to make sure it…
Do you want the Lord to bless your life? You’re probably thinking that’s a dumb question. Who doesn’t want to…
My wife is battling uterine cancer and my emotions are all over the place, but my faith is rock solid!…
I’m thinking of a childless couple who had been prayed for scores of times and nothing happened. Yet when I…
When it comes to divine healing, I will admit my faith is never what I would like it to be.…
These devotions on divine healing have triggered a hodgepodge of memories—a young woman instantly healed of an incurable bone disease…
I am thinking of a boy whose cancerous tumor was healed, and a woman whose dead thyroid was restored, and…
Jesus defeated death when he rose from the grave, but He has not yet destroyed it. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 says,…
Shelly is an overcomer. She writes, “Don’t waste time and energy in being bitter over the bad deal you got…
Have you ever considered the healing power of a touch? A woman suffering from the ravishes of cancer said, “The…
Even though the people we pour our lives into may let us down, our acts of mercy are never wasted.…
One of the reasons we find it hard to truly listen to the doubts and fears being expressed by a…
Has the Lord ever surprised you with an unexpected encounter in the midst of your hectic day? It happened to…
Living with a thankful heart means taking the time to express our gratitude, not only to the Lord, but also…
There is often a lengthy wait between a promise given and a promise fulfilled. For instance, Abraham was 85 years…
Take a moment to examine your life. Remember the dreams the Lord has placed in your heart. Don’t look at…
As I look back over my life, I cannot help but marvel at God’s faithfulness. Given our humble beginnings, I…
When Brenda and I were just starting out in the ministry we spent hours in the car, driving from one…
If you have never been terrified in the Lord’s presence, then you have never truly experienced His glory. When Isaiah…
Do I fear the Lord? Absolutely if you mean do I revere Him and honor Him. Am I afraid of…
Have you ever noticed that when you spend time with someone you admire that you begin to adopt their mannerisms?…
Some of us resist the Spirit’s transforming power because we see God as a schoolteacher with a giant eraser. We…
Prayer is the primary way we connect with God. All prayer is transformative, but the most transformative prayer is meditative…
If you want to be conformed to the image of Christ, you will have to follow Him. When He called…
Being born again (John 3:3) is instantaneous! Being conformed to the image of Christ is a lifelong process (Romans 8:29).…
God’s highest purpose is to conform us to the image of Christ (see Romans 8:29) and that’s no little task.…
Have you ever considered what God wants to make of you? Not what you want to become, not what dreams…
The choices we make today will determine the kind of people we become. Daniel refused to defile himself with the…
The third disciple that enabled Daniel to become a man of moral strength and spiritual integrity was prayer. He ordered…
The second discipline that enabled Daniel to be a man of spiritual integrity was his humility. Although the Lord used…
Daniel grew up during Judah’s darkest days and he was taken into exile by the Babylonians, yet he became a…
Although he lived in evil times Daniel became a man of impeccable character, moral strength, and spiritual integrity. How did…
When Daniel was growing up the times were evil. Apostasy was a way of life. Judah had forsaken the Lord…
We are living in parlous times. The war in Ukraine is producing hundreds of thousands of refugees, while pushing us…
A grieving friend confided: “The thing I hate most is that I have become such a negative person. I guess…
When tragedy strikes, we are not only tempted to blame God but also to despair. Death is so final. There…
It isn’t easy to worship when your heart is breaking, but it’s mandatory. It’s the only thing that can sustain…
Life on our fallen planet is richly seasoned with sorrow or as one theologian said, “There’s enough sorrow in the…
If you’ve been betrayed don’t waste your pain. Don’t make a shire out of your suffering but don’t deny it…
Betrayal is painful especially if there seems to be no way to restore the relationship. It is important to realize…
A wounded spirit is fertile soil for the enemy, and he will waste no time in trying to poison your…
If you want to move beyond betrayal, you must stop punishing your betrayer. You cannot punish the people who betrayed…
The images of the last days I spent with my father have been forever etched upon my heart. I will…
The fourth thing my father taught me was how to be a husband and a father. Although he was raised…
As a young pastor I spent several afternoons with a wonderful old woman named Pearl Anderson who was dying of…
Due to my father’s example, I entered the ministry with a commitment to practical Christianity. What I call “blue collar”…
The third thing my father taught me was to be resilient—where there is a will there is a way. As…
The second thing my father taught me was to love people and use things. Love, according to my father, is…
The first thing my father taught me was to love the house of God. When I was born on December…
Whatever I am today as a man, a minister, a husband, a father, and a friend, I owe in large…
If you have ever been betrayed I need say no more. You know full well what betrayal feels like! What…
The thing that makes betrayal so devastating is because it is always someone we love and trust who betrays us.…
Yesterday I told you of a young woman who was emotionally scarred when her father hurled her into the path…
I’m thinking of a desperately wounded young woman. She was barely three years old when, in a fit of rage,…
If you did not receive your father’s blessing, there is no amount of success later in life that can still…
In biblical times a father would lay his hands upon his oldest son and imparted God’s blessing to him. As…
Nothing wounds a child more than his or her father’s rejection. I’m thinking of Ishmael, Abraham’s first-born son by Hagar,…
Few believers realize how dangerous emotional wounds can be. Hurt turns into anger, anger turns into unforgiveness and unforgiveness turns…
Many believers leave the doorway of relationships unguarded and the enemy slips in. In their naiveite they build friendships with…
Victory over sin was accomplished when Jesus died on the cross. It becomes a present reality in our lives as…
If you are battling with sexual sin, you know how easy it is to become discouraged. You have prayed and…
Pornography is a multi-billion dollar business and is readily available on the internet, easily accessed by our smart phones and…
Disobedience leaves the door into our lives unguarded giving the enemy free access. Though it may not seem significant at…
Prayer locks the door against the thief who comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). It neutralizes his tempting…
On the night Jesus was betrayed He told the disciples to watch and pray lest they fall into temptation (Matthew…
After the church where I was serving was robbed, we realized we had been negligent in securing the church facilities.…
Yesterday I told you that the church I was serving was robbed. Through that painful experience God taught us some…
Some years ago, a church where I was serving as the lead pastor was robbed. Not once but three times…
Before we were born God’s plan for our life was written in His book. Psalm 139:16 says, “All the days…
Few things in life are more important than the friends we choose. Hall of Famer Micky Mantle is a case…
We buy things never realizing that if we are not careful, they will end up owning us. Sometimes it gets…
If you have the right attitude there is no obstacle you cannot overcome, no challenge you cannot meet, no disappoint…
I wish someone had told me that happiness was a consequence not a goal. Happiness is like a butterfly, it’s…
Whatever your age, whether you are preparing to graduate from High School or College, launching your career, or making a…
As I prepare to write today’s devotional I’m thinking of the lady who said, “I couldn’t wait to graduate from…
Am I the only one who is tempted to judge those who stand on the street corner with signs asking…
Even though Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (see Acts 20:35) I had a difficult…
You probably don’t have to look very far to see someone in dire financial straits. Often it is not only…
I am profoundly grieved when I see friends and loved ones battling depression or filled with fear and anxiety. I’m…
Think of those you know who are ill. Now ask the Lord to remove every trace of sickness and disease…
When you pray for your family and friends begin by focusing on their spiritual needs. Ask the Lord to give…
The Bible teaches us to pray for each other (James 5:16). So how should we pray? I would like to…
May I encourage you to join me in praying the prayer Moses prayed in Exodus 33:13? “[O Lord] If you…
I can identify with the song writer who wrote, “O the pure delight of a single hour that before they…
The abiding presence of God is always with us whether we sense it or not (see Matthew 28:20). At other…
In Exodus 33:18 Moses asked the Lord to show him His glory. I don’t know what Moses was expecting but…
One of the things I am most thankful for is God’s faithfulness. We can depend on Him. He will never…
Aren’t you glad God is not temperamental? You never have to worry about what kind of mood He is going…
As I look back over my life I am amazed at the Lord’s patience and His perseverance. Countless times He…
I was somewhat trouble when I attended the memorial service for an acquaintance. Although I had not interacted with him…
The only thing that even comes close to God’s unconditional love is His amazing grace. Grace can never be earned.…
Someone has said, “Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. And grace is getting…
As I meditate on God’s unconditional love, I realize there is no way I can ever repay Him. With gratefulness…
As I reflect on God’s unconditional love I am overcome with gratefulness. I find myself praying with great fervor, “Lord,…
Take a moment and focus on God’s unconditional love. We don’t have to earn it and we couldn’t earn it…
During my prayer time recently, I found myself meditating on the character of God and reflecting on what I love…
God’s grace is absolutely free. His forgiveness costs you nothing, but it cost Him everything. The cup of forgiveness can…
This devotion is especially for those of you who are struggling with your past. Even though God has forgiven you,…
Let me encourage you to focus on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, the Alpha and Omega, the…
Like murder, adultery is committed in the heart and mind before it ever becomes a physical act. Here’s how Jesus…
All of us have known friendships destroyed by anger, as well as parent/child relationships, not to mention marriages. I am…
On February 12, 2010, University of Alabama Professor Amy Bishop shot and killed three professors at a faculty meeting at…
I have never seen so much anger. Road rage is rampant. Domestic violence is out of control. Social media is…
By faith, see yourself kneeling before the Father in humble submission. Take the cup from His hand and drink it.…
Throughout your crisis you have undoubtedly been praying very specific prayers. You know exactly how things need to work out…
When Jesus prayed, “…not as I will, but as you will.” (Mt. 26:39) He was surrendering His desires and expectations…
I would like to suggest that even as you pray with faith for specific answers, you also humbly submit to…
When your world is falling apart you have three choices. You can curse life, or you can grit your teeth…
I’ve heard all the explanations of why God doesn’t intervene on our behalf: God makes decisions based on the big…
Herein lies the tension in which we live. On one hand we have the clear teaching of Scripture portraying God…
The third thing Jesus did when His world was falling apart was surrender to the Father’s will. As long as…
In Gethsemane Jesus’ world was falling apart. He told His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point…
Today we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. His resurrection is a historical fact witnessed by more than 500 eyewitnesses.…
Death is very near now, and in the gloom the prince of darkness, the keeper of the dead, gloats as…
With the last of His swiftly ebbing strength Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The foul cup is finally…
Only once did Jesus think of Himself during the excruciating hours He spent on the cross and only after the…
At the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’”…
Every word Jesus spoke from the cross was filled with emotion but none more so than the words He spoke…
After praying for His executioners Jesus promised a dying criminal a place with Him in paradise. Like His intercession for…
As we enter Holy Week, I invite you to join me as I reflect on Jesus ‘seven words from the…
I can’t help asking myself what Jesus was thinking when he asked Peter, James, and John to stay with Him…
From a human perspective Jesus’ world was falling apart as He made His way into Gethsemane that fateful Thursday night.…
God often uses the enemy’s evil devises to advance the cause of Christ. When the authorities imprisoned Paul, they thought…
Sooner or later, we will find ourselves facing conditions that are simply beyond us, problems that we cannot solve regardless…
I believe it was Charles Swindoll who said something to the effect that, “God gives us great opportunities cleverly disguised…
The second principal we learn from this account in 2 Kings 6 is that spiritual perception puts physical reality into…
We have not been given the spirit of fear and we do not live in fear. Nonetheless there are times…
We are living in perilous times and Peter exhorts us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil…
The Old Testament contains numerous stories filled with life lessons for those of us living in the 21st century. 1…
Recently my wife was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store. The woman in front of her seemed…
We are living in dangerous times. Never in my lifetime have I seen the level of anger and animosity that…
The only weapons which the Christian can use against any kind of persecution are the demonstration of the Christian life,…
We should not be surprised when we are despised by the world. To their way of thinking we are judgmental…
According to William Barclay, “one of the most illuminating facts about the language of the early Church is that before…
Of all the beatitudes the hardest one for me to understand is this last one. “Blessed are those who are…
How would the Lord describe you? Abraham was called the friend of God (James 2:23) and David was described as…
Are you a peacemaker or a troublemaker? Peacemakers build up. Troublemakers tear down. As you look over your life do you see a trail of conflict and broken relationships or peace and harmony? On our fallen planet conflict is inevitable therefore it behooves us to learn to be peacemakers. To be a peacemaker you must keep your ego in submission to the Holy Spirit. Instead of trying to win every argument look for win win solutions. Asking, “How can we resolve this issue?” focuses on finding a solution rather than focusing on the conflict.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.”
— Matthew 5:9
Lord help us to be peacemakers reconciling those who are estranged. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
If only the pure in heart shall see God, it behooves us to ask, “How can we purify our hearts?” The bad news is there’s nothing we can do. There’s no amount of penitence or good deeds that can make our sinful heart clean. But the good news is that God does for us what we can never do for ourselves! He creates in us a pure heart and He renews in us a right spirit (Psalm 51:10). 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
— 1 John 1:7
Lord Jesus, do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Amen.
To see God is the fulfillment of the heart’s deepest desire. Nothing else can compare with it—not wealth or fame…
William Barclay writes, “As a man judges, so he will be judged; as a man acted towards his fellow-men, so…
Are you a merciful person by nature? Probably not unless you have allowed the Holy Spirit to do a deep…
Do you have any idea what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness? Probably not. Few of us have…
Do you know anyone whose goal is to be meek? Probably not even though Jesus said the meek were blessed…
I know a lady who refuses to read a book or watch a movie that makes her cry. Who can blame her? She has suffered unspeakably and shed more tears than most of us will shed in a lifetime. Still, I fear she is missing something precious—the comfort that comes to those who mourn—the comfort that comes from God Himself. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
If your heart is breaking, go ahead and grieve. Jesus grieves with you, and He will comfort you.
“When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled [and he] wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’”
— John 11:33, 35-36 (NIV 1984)
Lord comfort those of us who grieve. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Do you want to be poor in spirit? Probably not. Never mind that Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). To be poor in spirit is to realize Christ is our only hope, that we are completely dependent on Him. Jesus told a story about a self-righteous Pharisee and a crooked tax collector that illustrates this truth.
“The Pharisee prayed, ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like…that tax collector! The tax collector beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ Jesus said, I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
— Luke 18:13-14 (NLT)
Lord, be merciful and deliver us from self-righteousness. Amen.
Jesus’ most famous sermon is known as “The Sermon on the Mount” and it is recorded in Matthew chapters 5-7. It contains both the beatitudes and the Lord’s prayer, plus teachings regarding murder, adultery, judging others, loving your enemies, giving to the needy, fasting and much more. Matthew says, “When Jesus had finished saying these things the crowds were amazed at his teaching” (Matthew 7:28). If you want to be truly Christlike you will incorporate these transforming truths into your own life.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man.”
— Matthew 7:24 (NIV 1984)
Lord give us an ear to hear your words, a heart to receive, a will to obey and faith to act. In your holy name we pray. Amen.
Few things in life are more painful than a broken relationship. If you have lived for any length of time, I need say nothing more. It is a universal pain. An inevitable consequence of our fallen condition. Yet, by the same token, there is nothing that can compare with the gift of forgiveness! It restores that which was lost. It heals that which was wounded unto death. It is an act of God breathing the breath of life into that which was dead. It is the kiss of God that make all things new!
“We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”
— Luke 15:32 (NIV 1984)
Thank You Lord for forgiving our relational failures and for restoring those we love. Amen.
The most important relationships of my life are whole through the miracle of forgiveness. As a teenager I had a smart mouth and a quick temper. My angry words often wounded my parents, but they forgave me every time, and our relationship was restored. Brenda has forgiven me more times that I can count. Leah, too. And the special friends who have stood the test of time have all been generous in forgiving my relational failures. By giving and receiving forgiveness I have been given the best of all gifts—a relationship restored.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
— Matthew 5:7 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your great mercy and for the grace You have poured out upon us through our family and friends. Amen.
I remember a scene from “Amos ‘n Andy” that illustrates the danger of bitterness. There was a big man who was always slapping Andy on the chest. Finally, Andy had had enough, and he told Amos, “I’m gonna fix him. I’ve put a stick of dynamite in my vest pocket and the next time he slaps me, he’s gonna get his hand blown off!” Unfortunately, Andy failed to consider one relevant fact. While the dynamite was blowing that man’s hand off, it would also be blowing a hole in his own heart.
The dynamite of bitterness may indeed hurt the person against whom it is directed, but only at a terrible cost to the one who is bitter.
“Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”
— Hebrews 12:15
Lord purge us of all bitterness lest it destroy us. Amen.
Has your spouse wounded you? Has a trusted friend let you down? Are you harboring unforgiveness in your heart? Paul warns, “Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many” (Hebrews 12:15).
Unforgiveness gives birth to bitterness, and bitterness is not an isolated emotion directed toward one individual or one situation. It is an infection that spreads throughout the entire human psyche. It distorts your personality, colors your perception of people and events, and even affects your perception of God. Untreated, it will ravish you, leaving you old and empty, just a shell of your former self.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.”
— Ephesians 4:31 (NLT)
Lord, weed our lives tearing out bitterness by its roots. Amen.
I must confess that I have “sinned” in some way against nearly all the relationships of my life. That admission pains me more than you can know, and I wish it were not so. I’ve “sinned” against Brenda the love of my life, the last person I would ever want to hurt. I have “sinned” against Leah, my only child, my own flesh and blood. And I have “sinned” against nearly all my friends at one time or another. I don’t want to admit this, but I must for only then can you see how pervasive sin really is. Only then can you understand how desperately we need the gift of forgiveness.
“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves.”
— 1 John 1:8 (NLT)
Lord help us forgive those who have sinned against us. Amen.
Without the selfless act of forgiveness, no relationship can long survive. Because we are fallen people we are destined to “sin” against those we love, and, in turn, they are destined to “sin” against us. Sometimes we sin hastily in a moment of anger. Sometimes we sin thoughtlessly, never considering the consequences. Sometimes we sin selfishly, deliberately, because we are thinking only of ourselves. And, rarely, we sin cruelly, premeditatedly. The tragic truth is, sin is a part of our relationships and, therefore, so must be forgiveness.
“At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, ‘Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?’ Jesus replied, ‘Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.’”
— Matthew 18:21-22 (MSG)
Lord, help us to forgive those who hurt us no matter how many times they do it. Amen.
Most of us can probably identify with Bruce Larson who writes, “My life is filled with broken and painful relationships. And if not broken relationships, at least disappointing and unfulfilling ones. The truth of the matter is, we are just not very good at that sort of thing. Although our hearts hunger for it, we can’t seem to get the knack of how to sustain our relationships. We keep hurting those we love and ruining the very thing that is nearest to our hearts. And as we examine our lives, it is probably these relational failures that grieve us the most, especially as we grow older.”
“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?”— Psalm 13:2 (NIV)
Lord forgive our relational failures and heal those we have wounded. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
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“And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.”
— Exodus 14:31 (NIV 1984)
Lord let us see Your mighty hand displayed that we might put our trust in You. Amen.
Moses’ second attempt to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage hardly went the way he expected. Instead of a miraculous deliverance things seemed to go from bad to worse.
So why did the Lord not intervene and immediately rescue His people? May I suggest two things? 1) If Pharaoh had not made their lives so miserable, they would have never been willing to leave Egypt. 2) Each time Pharaoh hardened his heart Moses performed another miracle and each succeeding miracle more firmly established him as God’s chosen one in the eyes of the Hebrews.
“But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
— Exodus 9:16 (NIV 1984)
Lord Jesus help us to submit to Your ways even when we don’t understand what You are doing. Amen.
Moses first attempt to fulfill God’s call was a disaster and he ended up as a fugitive for the next forty years! When he was eighty years old the Lord appeared to him a second time. The Lord said, “The cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:9-10).
Moses has many things to teach us, but none is more important than this. No matter how miserably you may have failed the Lord isn’t finished with you.
“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.”
— Psalms 102:17 (NIV 1984)
Lord, thank You for second chances. Amen.
For all of God’s careful preparation Moses’ first attempt to deliver Israel ended in a mess. In a fit of temper, he killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew (Exodus 2:12). Acts 7:25 declares, “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.” When Pharaoh discovered what Moses had done, he tried to kill him, but Moses fled to Midian where he lived as a fugitive on the backside of the desert for the next forty years (Exodus 2:15). To our way of thinking that should have been the end of the story, but God was just getting started!
“He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel.”
— Psalm 103:7 (NIV 1984)
Lord, grant us the faith to believe You can redeem our worst mistakes. Amen.
Moses should have been put to death at birth, but his parents defied the King’s decree and spared his life. When it was no longer possible for them to hide him, they put him in a papyrus basket and placed it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile where Pharaoh’s daughter found him. She felt sorry for him and adopted him as her own son (see Exodus 2). As a result, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22) preparing him to be the deliverer of Israel.
“The LORD will work out his plans for my life—
for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.”— Psalm 138:8 (NLT)
Lord give us eyes to see Your fingerprints all over our lives. Amen.
Recently Canada passed Bill C-4, a broadly worded bill that could ban biblical teaching on sexual ethics. According to Liberty Coalition Canada the bill’s wording is broad enough to allow for “The criminal prosecution of Christians who would speak biblical truth into the lives of those in bondage to homosexuality and transgenderism.” Don’t think it couldn’t happen here. Recently YouTube removed Pastor John MacArthur’s sermon on the subject labeling it “hate speech.”
“Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there’s no getting around it…As long as (unscrupulous people) are out there, things can only get worse.”
— 2 Timothy 3:10-13 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, give us the courage to speak the truth in love no matter the cost. Amen.
Do you believe in anything enough to risk your life for it? The Hebrew midwives mentioned in Exodus 1 did. At risk of their own lives, they allowed the male children to live although Pharaoh had commanded them to kill every male child born to the Hebrews. Exodus 1:17 says, “The midwives, however feared God and did not do what the King of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.” We have long enjoyed religious freedom in the United States, but it appears those days may be coming to an end. We may soon have to choose whether we are going to obey God or the government.
“Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than men!”
— Acts 5:29 (NIV 1984)
Lord, give us the courage to do what is right no matter the cost. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
We are living in stressful times. We are facing political turmoil, international tensions, cultural wars, and a pandemic medical science seems powerless to overcome. On top of that we have school shootings and mass murder, smash and grab robberies, and there seems to be no end in sight. Then there’s job pressures, family conflict and domestic violence. Beyond praying there seems to be little we can do as individuals to reduce the stress we are living under, but we can ask the Lord to strengthen our internal supports. As long as our internal spiritual supports are greater than the external stress, we will have peace.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches [the Lord] may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.”
— Ephesians 3:16 (NIV)
Holy Spirit, strengthen our internal spiritual supports that we may stand in this hour. Amen.
The greatest defense against temptation is the Word of God and prayer. Ignore either one of these spiritual disciplines and you are tempting fate. On the night Jesus was betrayed He counseled his disciples to, “Watch and pray” (Mt. 26:41) lest they fall into temptation. Because they did not heed His admonition, they succumbed to temptation. Peter denied him three times and the other disciples all forsook Him and fled. Knowing how important prayer is in spiritual warfare Jesus teaches us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Mt. 6:13).
“All you need to remember is that God will never let you down…he’ll always be there to help you come through it.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG)
Lord Jesus, strengthen us in the hour of temptation and deliver us from the evil one. Amen.
Forgiving those who have sinned against us should not be too difficult if we realize how much the Lord has forgiven us. No matter what injustice or betrayal we have suffered it pales in comparison to the sins we have committed against our Lord. At some time in our life, we have all trampled the Son of God under foot. We have treated the blood of the covenant that sanctified us as an unholy thing, and we have insulted the Spirit of grace. Yet the Lord “does not treat us as our sins deserve…as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:10 & 12).
“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
— Colossians 3:13 (NIV 1984)
Lord enable us to do what we cannot do ourselves. Empower us to forgive those who have sinned against us. Amen.
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