Choose a Devotional Below:
Amazing Grace Bitter Medicine Bottled Water In Search of Inside and Out Its On Me Paintings The First Step Twinkies
Loading…
Reload document 
Open in new tab
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Loading…
Amazing Grace
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1-2, ESV)
Many people have the wrong idea of grace. Some embrace it entirely and use it as an excuse to continue in their sinful lifestyle, while others almost disregard it completely in an attempt to live according to a list of dos and don’ts. This lends itself to a significant question: When one comes to Christ and partakes of the grace that is imputed through His ultimate sacrifice, does sin suddenly become no big deal? Does the cross of Christ give us carte blanche to live a sinful lifestyle? Absolutely not! It is impossible for us to remain in a sinful lifestyle if we are regenerated and born again. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. (1 John 3:9, NIV) So, how do we live a life free from impossible pharisaical ceremonies of “religion” while guarding against the complete casting off of all moral restraint? To answer that question, we must look at how grace impacts the believer in light of the Law of God.
In the book of Romans, Paul reiterated what Jesus had taught: the Law shows that God wants holiness, and it is grace that gives us the desire and the ability to be holy. There is no conflict between grace and the Law. Christ fulfilled the Law and He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit, who motivates us to live in obedience to Him. Remember, a grace that has the power to save also has the power to motivate a sinful heart toward godliness. It is that simple.
We are saved, as a gift by His grace through faith in Jesus Christ. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV) Keeping the Law cannot save anyone. In fact, those who claim righteousness on the basis of their keeping of the Law only think they’re keeping the Law. For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. (James 2:10, NLT) The purpose of the Law was to bring us to Christ- to show us that we are in desperate need of a Savior. Once we come to Christ and accept His grace, He actually begins to glorify Himself through our good works which are a product of His grace in our life. Good works always follow salvation, they never precede it.
Conflict will arise between grace and the Law every time someone misunderstands the purpose of the Law, or when someone attempts to redefine grace as anything other than, “God’s benevolence on the undeserving- completely unmerited favor.” When the Holy Spirit guides us, we discover the beauty of a grace that produces good works. God desires us to be holy and He gives us the grace to do so, through Him. Where there is impulse to be godly there is saving faith. That is what is so amazing: grace.
Bitter Medicine
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16, ESV)
No one likes to take bitter tasting medicine. I remember as a kid I would throw the biggest tantrum in an attempt to avoid taking medicine that I did not care for. Sometimes, I would work myself up so much that I would actually throw up over the thought of taking that medicine. It stinks, it has a terrible aftertaste, and it actually burns as it goes down. But it is only after you knuckle under and take your medicine that you finally start feeling better.
As we progress in our walk with the Lord, we will continue to make mistakes and wound others, and others will wound us. And the best medicine in a personal relationship that has been under-the-weather is to confess our faults to each other and ask for forgiveness. Even if you feel the other was “more in the wrong” than you, confession and repentance is essential for everyone to heal from the damage that has been done. Maybe you need to take some bitter medicine, or maybe you need to give the medicine. Either way, confess your sins to one another, pray for one another, and allow God’s medicine to heal. If you don’t, you’ll just stay sick and become more bitter.
Bottled Water
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” (John 4:13-15, ESV)
If you were thirsty and I gave you a bottle of water, but you never opened it, would you still be thirsty? Even though the water had been made available to you and you have everything you would need to quench your thirst, but you never did your part to open the bottled water, your thirst would never be quenched. The same can be said of receiving salvation through Christ’s sacrifice.
Jesus died for everyone- the entire world, He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2, NIV) but not everyone accepts Him. There are many thirsty people in the world that refuse to drink eternal water. Salvation has been made available to anyone that will accept it- to drink from the well of the grace of God, but if you never ask Jesus Christ to save you from your sins and allow Him to change your heart you will never be saved. You will die of thirst with a bottle of water in your hand.
The sacrifice of Jesus was for the entire world and the gift of grace is there for all that will repent and come to Christ. The love of God, His mercy, grace, and forgiveness, is there for everyone that would be willing to accept it. Jesus is willing to satisfy the deep longing of the human soul and fulfill the deepest of droughts, but if you never drink the water you will always be thirsty. Open the bottled water He has already given you and make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life.
In Search Of
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8, NIV)
It seems as though the whole world is on a continual search. From one generation to the next, the story remains the same: humans are searching for something, someone, some purpose, bigger than themselves. We inherently know that there is something, or some One, out there, pulling us, drawing us. This need to search is not random, nor is it learned behavior. It is the way we have been designed. God has made us to long for Him, to search for Him, to desire Him; and God reveals to us in His Word that, although we may not realize it at times, He has been right there with us the entire time.
All you must do is look up to the sky and you will see that there is an almighty God that created it all. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:20, NLT) We don’t need to be told that there is a Creator because we feel it deep within us and see evidence of His everywhere. One of the great quotes of Augustine underscores this point: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Our hearts desire is to know God.
Some people will spend their entire lives attempting to find their purpose, all the while avoiding what they know to be true in their heart: there is a God, and He loves us. His name is Jesus Christ- Immanuel (God with us)- and He has been always been with us. The one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. For all who are in search of.
Twinkies
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everyword that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV)
The typical modern-day American diet is filled with processed and refined junk foods. We have pumped ourselves up with the unnatural and have stripped away almost everything that is natural. I think we also may have a propensity to do the same thing to God’s Word.
Many people stuff themselves on junk that they know is bad for them because it appeals to their immediate desire for what they think they want. You grab for what looks like an appealing snack to satisfy your hunger, but it just leaves you wanting more- unsatisfied and lethargic. And if you continue to fill yourself with this unhealthy snack food, you will inevitably develop a spiritual cancer that will eat at you from the inside out.
Snack foods are half-truths, or excuses, that reject, water down, compromise, or distort the full council of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) in any way. They should be avoided at all costs. But the Word of God satisfies and fills every need we may have. In it we find an answer to the questions that we all have in this life, and we find God’s will and purpose for our lives. God reveals Himself to us through His Word and shares with us His very heart. God wants to give us answers, and He is faithful- He will answer us- but most of the time we don’t diligently seek God for the answers. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13, ESV)
If you are actually hungry, there is enough food in one verse of Scripture to fill you up for days. You don’t need to read the entire book of Romans or every Psalm or Proverb to be filled; just start reading. God wants us to read His Word, memorize it, and meditate on it so that He can speak to us effectively. But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. (Psalm 1:2, NLT) You will also find that, the more you read God’s Word, the more it reads you. The more of God’s Word you take in, the healthier and happier you are. But, you won’t get that from a Twinkie.
Inside and Out
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)
One Sunday morning a boy accompanied his family to church. The Pastor stepped toward the pulpit and the congregation slowly began to take their seats. Soon, everyone was seated in their pews except the little boy. The boy’s mother gently instructed the boy to sit, but he just shook his head in disobedience. The mother repeated herself, but the boy shook his head again, this time with a deep scowl on his face and crossing his arms in defiance. The mother repeated herself for the last time, much more sternly, and promised a spanking if he disobeyed again. The boy finally sat down in the pew but angrily announced, “I may be sitting down on the outside but I’m standing up on the inside!”
We cannot fool God. He knows us from the inside out. He knows if we are standing up or sitting down on the inside. He knows what is in our hearts, our minds, and our actions. “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10, ESV) He knows whether we do things out of obligation or out of joy and thanksgiving. He knows every dirty little secret and terrible thing that we have done, but He still loves us. God calls to us and is ready to embrace us and forgive us, but that requires a changed heart (repentance). It requires a heart that wants to sit when we are asked to sit and stand when we are asked to stand. It requires a heart that wants to obey because it’s the right thing to do and because we want to make our Heavenly Father proud.
God owns everything that has ever been created, except for the heart of a man- a man’s will- and He gave us the deed of ownership to that. His glorious victory has never been about intervening and restricting man’s free will or forcing man to complete a long list of tasks. Neither is God’s victory produced from the fear of a spanking or timeout. God’s victory is in changing the desire of a man’s heart, from the inside out. That’s the miracle.
It’s On Me
“I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” (Genesis 22:16-18, NIV)
In the ancient days of the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) a promise was a pledge, or solemn oath, made between two or more people. This promise was a commitment that was unchangeable and unbreakable until it was either fulfilled or one or more parties died. This promise also carried with it a sacrifice, the “cutting” of the sacrifice, and a curse, especially for one of great importance and value. The participant(s) would split the sacrifice in two and walk through the blood together as a way of declaring, “Let what has been done to this animal be done to the one that breaks this covenant.” This was called “cutting a covenant” and it is a very big deal.
God made a covenant with Abraham to bless the entire world through his descends (Genesis 12) and to give them a vast stretch of land from Egypt all the way to the Euphrates River (Genesis 15:18-21). For this covenant, God instructed Abraham to bring Him a three-year-old heifer, female goat, and ram, a turtledove and a pigeon. Abraham killed the animals and split the heifer, goat, and ram down the middle and set the halves opposite each other before falling asleep. When the sun went down, Abraham woke up to see God, in the form of a smoking firepot (or oven) and a flaming torch, passing between the sacrificed animals all by Himself. He went through the spilled blood and bore the entirety of the covenant alone- the pledge, the sacrifice, and the curse. This event telegraphed God’s own spilled blood and sacrifice in order to bless the entire world through His curse on a tree.
In Genesis 22, God again, uses Abraham to illustrate His redemption story for all of mankind. God tells Abraham to sacrifice “his only son, Isaac, whom he loves” on Mt. Moriah, the very mountain many scholars believe that God’s own Son would be sacrificed and where the Temple of God would be built. God spared Isaac and provided a substitutional sacrifice. Abraham then named that place, Yahweh-Yireh, which means “the Lord will provide.” The significance of these events cannot be overstated.
You see, God made a covenant with Abraham to bless the entire world through his descendants and then He died to fulfill it. He alone bore the pledge, the sacrifice, and the curse, but gave away the blessing. He sacrificed His own Son, killed Him and hung Him on a cross, and gave away the blessing to you and me. That’s how much God loves us: He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, whom He loves, for us. He “cut a covenant” and said, “It’s on Me.”
Paintings
I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3, NLT)
A wealthy father and son had a passion for creating and collecting valuable art. These priceless pieces were unmatched in beauty and were on every wall of their enormous estate. Beauty was everywhere, as far as the eye could see. However, the nation was at war, and the son wanted to serve, so the father consented. Soon after, the father received a telegram informing him of his son’s death. He had been killed in the line of duty. He had been killed protecting His people. All at once the father’s joy was gone. It was buried, along with his one and only son.
One day, there was an unexpected knock at the door that awoke the depressed old man. As he opened the door he saw a soldier with a large package in his hands. The soldier said to the father, “I was a friend of your son. He was rescuing me when he was killed, and I have something I want to give you.” The old man slowly and carefully opened the package with great anticipation. As the package was opened, the image of his son was revealed on this brand-new beautiful work of art. Although the art world would never consider this painting a great work of art, it seemed to capture the very essence of his son in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man pushed everything aside and placed the portrait over the fireplace- the centerpiece and most valuable of his entire collection. The old man sat in his chair and spent his last hours gazing at the gift he had been given- his most prized possession. Content after seeing his son again, the old man died peacefully and happily.
Soon after his death, people came from all over the world with great anticipation for the upcoming auction of the old man’s estate. The auctioneer began with a painting that was not on anyone’s museum list: the painting of the old man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room fell silent. Finally, someone said, “Who cares about that painting? It’s just a crappy amateur picture of his son.” The auctioneer asked, “Who will take the son?” but everyone was silent. “Let’s move on to the good stuff!” someone from the crowd yelled, but the auctioneer responded firmly, “No, the painting of the son goes first! Now, who will take the son?” Finally, someone from the neighborhood offered a few dollars. It wasn’t much but it was all that he had. He said, “I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.” The auctioneer said, “Sold!” and the gavel fell. Then, stunning everyone in the crowd, the auctioneer said, “This auction is now over. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son receives it all.”
In Jesus Christ we find the only things of any value. In Him we receive the most precious of everything that God has, and we receive all of them. Whoever takes the Son gets it all.
The First Step
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. (Colossians 3:12-13, NLT)
When someone does you wrong, who makes it right? When someone offends you and hurts you, or you offend and hurt someone else, who is the one that mends the tear in the relationship? The more mature person always takes the first step.
In almost any argument, either person involved usually views themselves as the injured party. You probably overemphasize the guilt of another while downplaying your own. Maybe you exaggerate someone’s actions or attitude in a way that it was not intended so that you can paint yourself as the victim, or perhaps you are simply sensitive about a particular topic and assume ill intent at the slightest mention of it. Or maybe it really is rarest of occasions when two people are equally guilty of equal offenses with equal intent. Regardless of the particulars, the answer remains the same in every circumstance: the more spiritually mature always puts down the gloves, stops fighting, and forgives first. But none of that can happen without Jesus Christ.
The forgiveness of sins is impossible without Jesus. You see, God the Father could not forgive us without Jesus paying for our sins, and we cannot forgive others without Him either. Jesus did absolutely nothing wrong, yet He chose to take the first step towards repairing the broken relationship between Himself and us. He, of course, is the more spiritually mature and is the example of tenderheartedness, mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience that we all should strive to be. Let’s make allowances for one another’s faults and forgive. Let’s be the example and begin the process of repairing broken relationships. Let’s take the first step.