Tag: Devotionals

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Live For Today And Look For Eternity

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

When you lose people you love, the holidays become bittersweet. It’s almost as if you can’t wait to enjoy the holidays, but as you do, you just want it to end. Almost like it’s too painful or wrong to enjoy the holidays without them. All of those emotions and feelings you’ve been bottling up all year long seem to come crashing down during the holidays, and it’s easy to feel crushed underneath it all. But even in a dark place, there’s still a light at the end of the tunnel.

I’ve noticed a trend in movies and TV shows that when someone dies, those mourning that person will end their conversation with them with, “wherever you are.” What could be a sadder statement? I miss my loved ones dearly. It’s been almost a decade, and there are still those moments when, just for a second, I go to pick up my phone to call them and tell them what just happened, and then it hits me, they’re no longer there.

A lot of pain fills our hearts in the holiday season, but one thing that we have as an ease of the heart is this: we don’t mourn like those without hope because we know that this time without them is just a short time compared to the eternity we will share with them one day. It can be difficult sometimes, but when we focus on today and look to eternity instead of focusing on the past and what could be, we’ll be able to cherish every moment we have with the loved ones we still have with us.

Dear LORD, please ease the pain in the hearts of all who are mourning the loss of loved ones. We know that grief and pain only last for the night, for Your joy comes in the morning. LORD, please let Your sun rise in each and every heart and let Your peace and love surround them always. Please teach each of us to focus on today and to live for the hope of eternity. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Returning

14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the House of the LORD that He had made holy in Jerusalem. 15 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against His people, until there was no remedy. ~ 2 Chronicles 36:14-16

According to the Scripture, it was not only the people but the officers of the priests who were unfaithful. Actually, it was the officers that were listed first, suggesting that it was them that led the people into following all the abominations of the nations around them. Meaning that they got caught up in idol worship. The worship of false gods. But not only were they unfaithful, but they were exceedingly unfaithful. Thus, they polluted the House of God with their idols.

Yet God was compassionate with them, not wanting wrath and judgment but mercy and grace. But the people would not listen. In fact, they mocked the messengers that God had sent. By scoffing at His prophets, the people despised God’s words. They did this until their time of grace ran out, and there was no more remedy for them. So, God had no choice but to pour out His wrath on them.

Now, understand this. It was not their personal failure that sent the nation into exile, but rather, it was their corporate decision to reject the LORD their God, Who had brought them up out of the land of slavery into a good and spacious land. A land flowing with milk and honey. They chose to reject the goodness and the mercy of their God for the lies and deceit of the enemy.

Therefore, God had no choice but to send them into exile as He had threatened.

How does that affect me? Well, the lesson here, I believe, is that personal failures, not even those done out of your own self-will, will separate you from God if you will do as David did, repent before the LORD, and not do it again. Always remember, we have an advocate in heaven by the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who makes intercessions for us day and night.

But what will permanently separate you from God is your open rebellion and your blatant rejection of Him by choosing other gods and despising His Word. If you have strayed away from God, repent. Ask for forgiveness and come back to Him; the Father is waiting with open arms. He loves you much more than you even know.

Father, I have sinned; please forgive me. I repent before You with a broken heart. I am so sorry for my rebellious actions. Thank You, Jesus, for Your shed blood that cleanses me from all sin and shame. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Count Your Blessings

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the LORD of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever. ~ Psalms 136:1-3

The Psalmist starts out shooting straight from the hip. He boldly states, give thanks to the LORD for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. He continues the theme of God having, or possessing, and showing an everlasting, steadfast love. Then, to back up what he is saying, he reminds them of all the great things that God has done. How He created the heavens and the earth, and all of the stars that we see at night, including the sun and the moon.

Then the Psalmist makes it personal to the Israelites; he reminds them how God judged the Egyptians who had enslaved them for 430 years and how, by His great power, and because of His everlasting, steadfast love, He delivered them out of bondage. He reminds them how God was with them as He led them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land and how He gave them victory over all of their foes.

It reminds me of the hymn that we used to sing:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done

That is exactly what the Psalmist is doing here. He is counting all of their blessings, and he is naming them one by one and finds that God is the possessor of an enduring, everlasting, steadfast love. A steadfast love that remembers that we are of low estate. That we are but dust, just mere mortals.

So, this Thanksgiving, let us start a new tradition, a tradition of being thankful. Every morning, remind yourself of two or three blessings that you have enjoyed. New ones and blessings from years and years ago. In so doing, you will see that God is indeed good, and His steadfast love endures forever.

Father, thank You for being so kind to me. Thank You for blessing me even when I do not deserve it. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. Help me to have a thankful and grateful heart. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Ungrateful Heart

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ~ 2 Timothy 3:1-5

Paul prophesied that in the last days will come times of difficulty. That people will become arrogant, abusive, brutal, and not loving good, but right in the middle of it all is the statement that people will be ungrateful. They will be thankless. That describes this generation, and this society.

Even the older folks have hardened their hearts. You can hold a door open for them, and they walk right through, young and old, with not so much as a word of thanks. Not even a nod of acknowledgment. No matter what you do for them, it is never good enough. It just seems to all fall on a hard heart.

This is exactly what Paul prophesied 2,000 years ago. Paul compared ungratefulness to the same level of evil as lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, treacherous, and brutal. Imagine that, being ungrateful is the same as being a lover of money, which is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Why? Because having an ungrateful heart is a sign of a hardened heart, and a hardened heart is a sign of a lack of love. Without love, there is no salvation. Love is the one fruit that is mandatory to obtaining and maintaining salvation.

Dear LORD, I’m sorry for every time I have been ungrateful and/or unthankful. Please forgive me and heal my hardened heart. Please help me to love all people the same way You do. Help me to see value in others’ time, actions, and needs. Help me to treat others the way I would like to be treated. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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The Heart of The Leper

11 On the way to Jerusalem He was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When He saw them He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And He said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” ~ Luke 17:11-19

When the Lepers saw Jesus coming, they stood at a distance, as per the law, and cried out to Him. Lepers had to separate themselves to avoid infecting others with the incurable disease of leprosy. In His great compassion, Jesus healed the ten lepers and sent them to the priests so that they could be pronounced clean by them and they would be accepted back into society and return to their families and to their homes.

This was not arbitrary. It was as per the Law of Moses (Leviticus 13:2–14:32). When they heard Jesus’ instructions to them, they all took off running to find the priests. On the way to the priests, the Scripture tells us that the lepers were all cleansed. Meaning that they were all healed of their leprosy.

But one of them, when he saw that he was cleansed, he stopped running, and being overwhelmed with gratefulness and thankfulness, he turned around and ran back to Jesus to say, “Thank You.” Thank you so much, LORD Jesus. His parents raised him well. Raised him with manners. Raised him to have a grateful heart and not take blessings for granted.

Now, let’s think about this for a moment. The Scripture said as they were going to show themselves, they, meaning all ten of them, were all cleansed. That means that they all acted in faith, but it was only one, after seeing that he was cleansed, turned back to say thank you. When you have an ungrateful heart, you don’t see the good that is done to you or the good that’s done for you. It just doesn’t register. It’s all about you and what you want or what you have. You feel like it’s your right. You deserve it. You are entitled to it! Whatever it is.

It’s easy to look at these nine men who didn’t return to Jesus and criticize them, but how many of us take the time out of our day to thank God for His many blessings, mercies, grace, and love? It’s easy to judge others and say what you would’ve done differently when you’re not in that situation, but it’s much harder to pronounce judgment when you look at yourself honestly, without excuse.

Dear LORD, help me to look at myself through the lens of honesty. Please forgive me for all the times I have been ungrateful. Thank You, LORD, for every good and perfect give You have given me. Thank You for every little and great blessing You have poured down upon me. Please soften my heart and humble me, that I might have a thankful and grateful heart and always hold myself to a higher standard than I hold others. Thank You for Your steadfast love and mercy that renews each morning. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Rejoice For Your Sake

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18CSB

Paul said rejoice, but it’s hard to rejoice if your heart is ungrateful. Therefore, he said to pray constantly or continually. Now, that is not to say that we are continually on our knees. That would be absurd to think that because, after all, there is life. Need I say more, job, family, spouse, children, etc. But we are always in an attitude of prayer, continually.

Then he ends it with, in everything give thanks. Research has proven that being thankful or grateful has many health benefits, such as an improved immune system, being more positive, and a brighter overall outlook on life. If for no other reason, be thankful for your own well-being. Be thankful for your own good.

Father, give me a thankful and grateful heart so that in all things, I can give thanks with a grateful heart and be able to praise You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Choose Narrow

13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. ~ Matthew 7:13-14NIV

Jesus said there are only two roads you can travel through this life on: the narrow road and the broad road.  So, what is the difference between these two roads, and how do we get on one or the other? I’m glad you asked.

Jesus said wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. It seems to me that the broad road is the default road. In other words, it is where everyone starts from. You don’t have to do anything special, or different, it’s the default road. It is the most beautiful road. It is the easiest road. It is the biggest road. And contrary to what Texas might believe, bigger is not always better. Yes, it might be easier, you don’t even have to look for it, cause it’s just there, but it’s definitely not better.

There are huge lanes you can drive on, making it feel good. But Jesus said at the end of it is destruction. The world will promise you many things in this life that will feel good for the moment, everyone else may be enjoying it, but the end is death. So many people enjoy quoting Mark Twain saying, “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company” not fully realizing what they’re saying. Though many travel the road to Hell, there’s no parties in Hell. There’s no company. It’s loneliness, fear, pain, suffering, and agony. That’s all Hell is. It’s the complete and total separation from God and all that He has for us.

Yes, the road is broad, looks fun, and many travel it, but in the end, it’s just destruction, pain, and suffering. Therefore, choose the road less traveled. Choose the road that may be difficult, few find, but that leads to Eternal Life, joy, peace, and company with the LORD God who created you.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Choose Narrow.

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Finding God

13  And the LORD said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and their fear of Me is a commandment taught by men, 14therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”  ~ Isaiah 29:13-14

Some people read this as a rebuke from God. But if you think about it, it is not a rebuke at all. God is acknowledging their desire for fellowship with Him, though it is a bit skewed or distorted. Listen to what He said, “The people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips …” That is speaking of praise and worship. That is speaking of them seeking Him. They even have a seemingly healthy fear of Him. The problem is, their hearts are far from Him, and their fear is a commandment taught to them by their teachers, or at least their leaders, those who guide them spiritually. They do not know God personally for themselves, nor do they know His commands or even how to truly worship Him.

I heard a testimony from a Muslim who was actually in prison because of his involvement with Jihad. He was so intent on finding truth and making a connection with God to serve Him that he was praying more than 5 times a day and reading the whole Koran 10 times in a week. He was extremely devoted and actually had powers where he knew the conversations in other prison cells without him being there. To make a long story short, Jesus appeared to him in his cell and revealed Himself to this violent and murderous man. This man was not seeking Jesus personally, but he was seeking truth. He wanted to be close to God and had a desire to do His will. That is how it was with those people. They were not on the right track per se, but they had a desire to draw close to Him, and they desired to fear Him. They just did not have the right people in their lives to direct them to the right path.

Jesus told a parable about the Good Shepherd and the one lost sheep. In the parable, the Good Shepherd realized that one of His sheep was missing. He left the 99 other sheep and went in search of the one missing sheep. When He found it, He was happy and placed it on His shoulders and took Him back to the sheep pen to be reunited with the other sheep. That is exactly what is happening here.

Look at what God says, and I will paraphrase, “Because they have done these things, with a desire to know Me, but have no one to teach them, I Myself will show them My wonder upon wonders. And I will take away the false teaching that they have been taught.”

The bottom line is this, if you have a strong desire to know Him, even if you are off course, He will reveal Himself to you. Therefore, let me encourage you today that if you truly want to know God in a personal way, you can. Just start with reading the Bible. Not skimming over the Bible or reading it recreationally. I mean, if you have a true desire to know Him, to know Jesus, He will let Himself be found by you, but you must put in the effort.

Heavenly Father, I love You and desire to know You intimately. Please strengthen my desire and help me to learn to sincerely seek Your face. Hear me when I call, and answer me when I pray, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Don’t Play With The Viper

22 He follows her impulsively like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding toward a trap 23 until an arrow pierces its liver, like a bird darting into a snare  — he doesn’t know it will cost him his life. ~ Proverbs 7:22-23CSB

Early one morning, I had a dream that I was cooking, and the food was smelling good, but then when I moved on of the plates, something started to move on the plate as well. It was a tiny viper. I immediately went to kill it but slithered right onto the floor. I felt so unalarmed that I even made a joke about cooking it up and eating it too, but then when I somehow cut it in half, all of these worms started slithering out of its body and going in all directions, really freaking me out. The head of the snake just kind of slithered away, and I never actually killed it. The fright from the was woke me right up. A lot of us are like me in this dream.

See, according to different sources such as Animal Planet and National Geographic, a viper at a baby stage is more dangerous than a fully grown viper. Why? Because when they bite, they release a lot more of their venom in that bite than an adult. And the person who is bitten will die. In my dream, the snake looked so tiny that the dangers of the snake didn’t even cross my mind, so I didn’t take it seriously. Then the event escalated and no longer was it just the baby viper I had to worry about, but now I had to worry about all of the worms seeking a new host as well.

Sometimes, sin looks extremely innocent and non-threatening. It looks silly and like a joke, causing us to put our guard down and even joke about it. Not at all being concerned with our safety or the safety of those around us. And if we keep joking and playing around with it, it will bite us, and we will spiritually die from the bite.

Therefore, as Paul told us, avoid every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), even if it seems innocent enough that you could get away with. Usually, sin that seems innocent is the most deadly. Why? Because we don’t realize it will cost us our lives.

Therefore, study the Scriptures daily and meditate on them. Pray and seek the LORD so that He might open your eyes to the dangers of the baby vipers around you. Fast and worship so that you might build up your spirit, man, and he might be able to help you overcome your flesh.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Play With The Viper.

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Seek The God of Hope

2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” ~ Mark 2:2-12

Let me start by setting the scene for you. Jesus had been gone for a while; you could say He was on a preaching tour throughout Galilee and had just gotten back home to Capernaum. No doubt, all the people in His hometown had heard about all the great things He had done on His tour. Lepers were cleansed. The sick were all healed. The demons were cast out. The oppressed were set free. All kinds of various diseases were all healed.

At the very least, their curiosity was piqued, so much so that there was no more room left in the house, not even at the door. The crowd pressed against the door and then stretched out into the yard. Everyone was straining to hear what Jesus was saying.

In other words, the yard was filled with eager listeners. They probably crowded around the windows, if for nothing else but to hear and hopefully get a quick glimpse of Jesus. Jesus was preaching the word to them. Explaining Scripture like no one else did or no one else could. For Jesus taught with authority, not like the Scribes and Pharisees, but like one having authority.

When suddenly, a group of people entered the scene, trying to barge their way in carrying a man lying on his bedroll, but to no avail. The crowd was just too many. Everyone was bunched up together, hanging on every word Jesus said. There was simply no way to get in. They could not even get close to the door.

Then, one of them had a harebrained idea. Let us climb up on the roof, remove all the tiles, and let him down in front of Jesus. What? Are you mad? Climb up on the roof, tear the tiles off, and dig a hole through the roof big enough to let him down through it on his stretcher? Yes, came the reply. Okay, sounds good to me. Let’s do it.

There was no back-and-forth discussion about who’s gonna fix the roof. Or whose expense it will be to fix the roof. Their only thought was to get their friend in front of the only one who gave them hope. That was Jesus.

See, these friends understood that even when everything seems completely hopeless, there’s always hope in Jesus. If you can just get to Jesus, hope can be found. Why? Because Jesus is the God of possible. What seems impossible, He makes possible. Where there is no way, He makes a way. Therefore, no matter what is going on in your life or your loved ones’ lives, if you can just get to Jesus, you will have hope.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek The God of Hope.

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