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Consider God’s Steadfast Love

May 20, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Psalm 107:43

Throughout this Psalm the Psalmist recalls the merciful work of God to deliver people from trouble and distress. We serve a powerful God who frequently uses his power on behalf of his people. Through his acts of deliverance he demonstrates his love. We are loved by the One who controls all the power of the universe.

But God has not shown us his love so that we can relax and enjoy the feeling of being loved. Nor has God delivered us from trouble so that we can go on about our lives in safety and comfort. All that God does is for this end: to lead us to consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Out of his love, God has created us for himself. We were made to live in constant communion with God. Some people treat this as a curse, insisting that they be allowed to live for money or power or drugs or sex or television or a million other minuscule pleasures. Those things are not even mites of dust compared to the glory of God. We were created to dwell in God’s glory, to worship him in his holiness, to celebrate his love. Anything else is folly.

What is your response to God’s goodness? Do you take his blessings as a call for worship? Do you praise him for his love? Do you celebrate even in times of trouble and distress, knowing he will deliver you? Or do you sit back, turn on the television, and forget the God who has blessed you with his steadfast love?

Christian, consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

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No One Knows When

May 17, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.
Mark 13:32-33

There is a classic storyline about a high school student whose parents have gone on a trip. Knowing they will not return for a few days, he decides to throw a party. To his surprise and dismay, his parents return early and arrive home while the party is in full swing.

You see the parallel with the Scripture above. We frequently act like that high school student, throwing parties with the expectation that our Master will not come. Surely there will be time to clean up the mess! After all, we’ve always had time before, why not now?

Jesus is not looking for followers who will hold on to the world as long as possible. He is calling his disciples to let go of the world, to fix their eyes on him, and to always be ready for his return.

What did you do with your last hour? What will you do with your next hour? What will you do tomorrow? Are you on your guard, awake, watching with your lamp full of oil (Matthew 25:1-13)? When Christ returns, will he find you obeying his commands or following the world?

Be on guard. Be awake. Christ will return. I pray that he finds us about his business.

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The Will of God: Your Rejoicing

April 26, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Do circumstances get the best of you? Is your response to God dictated by events in the world rather than his unfailing promises? Paul tells us to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances. We call him unreasonable but he is being quite reasonable.

No matter how much our immediate circumstances may disappoint or cause hardship, we are able to rejoice. Our hope is not rooted in the things offered by this world but in the unfailing promises of our unchanging God.

If God were to let us down, we might be disappointed. If God were to fail us, we might be devastated. But God will never leave us, never forsake us, and never allow anything to happen to us unless he plans to use it for good. So we rejoice every day. We pray without ceasing. We give thanks no matter what is going on around us. We are not surprised when the world lets us down – did you really think the circumstances of this world would make you truly happy? Instead, we rejoice in the knowledge that our true joy is rooted in the One who promises unending joy.

So rejoice. Pray. Give thanks. After all, this is not just a suggestion. It is not good advice that Christians be people of joy. It is God’s will in Christ Jesus that you find your joy, your hope, your thanksgiving in him.

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Guarding a Pure Walk

April 22, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
Psalm 119:9

We live in a world full of traps and temptations. Around every corner we see another image meant to titillate, another slogan meant to entice, another impurity championed as something casual, acceptable, expected. Throughout your day you will be bombarded with temptation. Right now you are reading this devotion from a device that makes available a world of immorality.

How can a young man keep his way pure? How can a young woman guide her steps? Not by the strength of his right hand or the wisdom of her mind. Only one thing will guide us in righteousness: the Word of God.

If not for the Bible, we would never know what it means to live a righteous life. If not for the Bible, we would never know what God expects of us. If not for the Bible, Jesus would have had no response to Satan during his wilderness temptation. If not for the Bible, we would all go our own way.

When we are filled with Scripture, God makes his Word active in our lives, stirring it in us by the Holy Spirit to guide us. The Bible is the fuel used by the Spirit to give us power to live for Christ each day. So before you step out your door and enter the fierce domain of the world, make sure you have fuel to guard your way. Be filled with the Word of God.

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Making Idols Out Of Gifts

April 20, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).
2 Kings 18:4

What gifts of life have you turned into idols of death? That’s what the Israelites had done with the bronze serpent. Do you remember the story of the serpent? In Numbers 21:4-9 the people of Israel are once more complaining about their circumstances. God sends deadly serpents against the people but has Moses erect a bronze serpent. Any Israelites who were bitten could look on the bronze serpent and be saved.

Evidently, the bronze serpent continues to exist throughout Israel’s history, on down to the days of king Hezekiah. By Hezekiah’s day, the bronze serpent has itself become an object of worship. It becomes a totem, an idol, an object of worship, so Hezekiah destroys it to end that particular brand of idolatry.

We are not immune to the sin of the Israelites. God blesses us in many ways and with many things and we turn those things into objects of our chief devotion. They become idols. It may be money, it may be a husband or wife, it may be a new television, it may even be a church, ministry, or church program. We are particularly bad about making idols from that last category. We worship our church building or our musical style, whether traditional or modern; we worship our preacher or other ministry staff; we worship our particular way of doing Sunday school. Somewhere along the way, we take gifts God has given us for good and we worship the gift.

The remedy may or may not be as drastic as Hezekiah’s approach. There may well be things in our lives that need to be destroyed. God would have our undivided devotion. If some vice or possession demands attention from him, it needs to be cast out. But if the idol is a spouse or a church, we need to work within those relationships to reorganize our priorities.

In all things, put God first. Worship and adore him. Celebrate him. Follow and obey him. Let the world see by your obedience that the One you serve is more precious than anything else life has to offer.

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The Lasting City

April 5, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
Hebrews 13:14

We are sojourners, pilgrims passing through a land not our home. We are looking for a better country, the promise ahead of us, straining toward a goal to be received when we are called home to Christ. Called home. Called from this world of travail to a world of eternal peace and joy.

We were made for this world, but we ruined it. Through our sin we have created a place of terrible tribulation. By his grace, God has relocated our home. Though we were made for this world, this world is no longer home. But we do have a home, an eternal home, an incorruptible home, a home found with God.

As you cry out with the suffering people of the world, remember that this world is not your home. We were not created to live in places of sin and suffering; these are intruders, usurpers, and they have already been defeated and will one day be brought to an end.

But as we remember these things, we also remember that experiencing the joys of our eternal home is not a gift automatically applied to all people. There are countless numbers of people who will be eternally cut off from God. experiencing the sufferings of Hell. This means we have work to do. We are not on earth just to endure to the end. We are not on earth to hunker down and survive as best we can until we reach Heaven. We are here to do the work of the Lord – spreading the glory of his name among the nations.

This world offers nothing of lasting value. Lasting value is found only with God. So do not build up treasures on this world. Instead, use your treasures to the glory of God, to spread his name among the nations. One day all the cities of this world will cease to be but the eternal city of God will never pass away. Invest in that city, and live in such a way that you point people to an eternal home with God.

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Looking To Things Above

April 1, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:1-2

There is a tendency in the modern church to keep our eyes fixed on things below. We allow God to enter in at the periphery to help us with human relationships, but human relationships remain the focus of our endeavors. We say, “I don’t want to be too heavenly minded to be of earthly good!” but we end up with Christians who are empty, powerless, and superficial in things of the faith.

Paul tells us to keep our minds fixed above, to be heavenly minded so that we might be of earthly good. The only way to be of value as a Christian is to be so fixed on Christ, so filled with Christ, that we overflow Christ into the world.

Make this your aim today. Even as you deal with all of your daily circumstances, your daily joys and daily trials, keep your mind on Christ. Remember the glories of his grace. Bring to mind portions of his Word. Whisper prayers to him throughout the day. Let all of your actions be guided by the mind of Christ and the goal of glorifying God.

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Refuge in the Lord

March 31, 2010
Filed In Daily Devotionals

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.
Nahum 1:7

Where do you go in your day of trouble? What stronghold provides your comfort? Is it the crumbling and shifting sand of the world, seeking entertainment to distract you from pain or distress? Do you find solace in food, feeding your sorrow? There are many things that call to us in the day of trouble but only one that provides true safety and comfort.

The Lord has promised himself as a stronghold in the day of trouble. Unlike the fortresses offered by the world, his walls cannot be torn down. His defenses are not made of air. His arm is mighty to save and the Lord has bent his arm for the good of his children.

When the world comes calling, offering its wares for comfort and safety, it does not care about those who seek it out. Satan has no interest in the people of this world. His only interest is tearing down the work of God. We are just a means to an end. But God loves his people. He extends himself to us freely and graciously. And he tells us that he knows us. All those who find their rest in him are known by him. He knows your life. He knows your trouble. He knows your sorrow. He knows what stronghold is needed in your life today. He knows you, and he has given himself for you.

Rest, Christian, in the mighty, gracious, generous arms of God. He is our shelter and strength, our stronghold in the day of trouble.

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