Tag: Devotionals

⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? ~ Isaiah 58:7

When we remember what Jesus did for us. And when we recall what happened to Jesus by His own submission and by His own obedience, on our account it is then that we learn to love. Because what happened to Jesus was not happenstance, it did not come as a surprise or against His will, but instead, it was completely and thoroughly planned out before the foundation of the world.

The Godhead knew that man would fall. The Godhead knew that we would rebel against Him. But still … God so loved the world … And Christ so loved the Church … And that is where we take our queues from. That is where we learn what true love is and how to love.

See, True love requires us to give of ourselves. And sometimes, An Acceptable Kind of Love requires us to give even when it hurts… even when pain is in the offering, still we give because that is what love does. That is how love operates.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love Like Christ.

³⁶ For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? ³⁷ Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36–37).

Jesus asks two very pertinent questions here. The first, what benefit is it to you, or what good is it to you to gain, or to own the whole world but lose your soul, or forfeit your soul? The second is, what can anybody give in exchange for their soul? He was simply asking rhetorical questions to show how valuable a person’s soul is. There is nothing more valuable. Because your soul will exist some place forever, and ever, throughout all eternity. I know those words are repetitive. They are redundant, but I was trying to make a point as to how final eternity is. It goes on, and on, and on forever. It will never end.

Now, let me reemphasize this point, your soul will spend that time, eternity, the time that will never end, all a hundred billion years, eternity will still be going on, and your soul will still be there, and you will still be aware of where you are. Jesus knows that and He is trying to get His hears to see and understand that there is nothing in this short, minute space of time that can compare to eternity. And there are only two places that every single soul will be. You will either be in a burning lake of fire, called hell, or on the new earth with Jesus, enjoying peace, love, kindness, no more fear, no more hunger, no more thirst, not even the hot sun will burn down on those who spend eternity with Jesus. Every need will be met.

Jesus is trying to get His hearers to see the dire predicament that mankind is in. We didn’t ask to be born, but yet we are here. Before we even rebelled our own selves, we were born with sin and iniquity in hearts, because of our forefather, Adam. The is only one sentence for that, and that is death. The second death is eternal punishment in the lake of fire. But Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundant. And it is only through Him that we can escape the flames of hell, and He offers us that escape.

Many people will take no account about their own souls. Where will they spend eternity. A young woman I was speaking with told me that she didn’t think it was important enough for her to find out where she would spend eternity. There will never be a second of peace or relief from the tremendous torment of hell. It is not a light thing, so, I ask you, what will you give in exchange for your valuable soul? In other words, where will you spend eternity? Where will your loved ones spend eternity? Jesus was teaching that we need to get our priorities straight when it comes to eternity because eternity is a long, long, time.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins. Thank You Jesus that You were obedient to Your heavenly Father. Help me to prioritize my life so that I am rightly prepared for eternity. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. ~ Ephesians 5:25-27

I want you to think about the connection between adultery and idolatry for a second. Adultery is when one spouse cheats on the other spouse with someone else. Idolatry is the same exact thing, only it is not with your spouse, but adultery against God Himself. Scripture teaches that we are the bride of Christ, so when we commit idolatry, we are, in essence, spiritually cheating on Christ. Think about that for a moment!

Here is how it works. Adultery and Idolatry are both deceptive. They will make you feel like you are in control, but you are not, it’s like playing with death itself. Russian roulette, if you will. And not just any death, but spiritual death, which lasts forever.

Therefore, flee both. Don’t entertain any thoughts that will separate you from the love of Christ. That will separate you from living eternity with Christ forever and ever.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Be Deceived.

⁹ What gain has the worker from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. ¹² I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; ¹³ also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:11-13

Solomon asks a very poignant question “What gain has the worker from his toil?” But this isn’t the first time he has asked this same question in his discourse. That question is splashed throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. Why? Because he wants you to think about it, consider it, and ponder it.

As a matter of fact, he starts his whole discourse with “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3). Jesus puts a spin on the same question, and He asks it this way “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37) It’s basically the same question: What gain has the worker from his toil?

And the answer is… nothing… because it will all soon be gone like the grass that is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire unless, of course, the toil is in the Father’s harvest field. All we do and all that we accomplish will be passed from one generation to the other. From one successor to the next, until eternity comes crashing in.

Our life is like dust in the wind or like the weed that is here today and tomorrow. It is thrown into the fire, but our souls will live on somewhere forever. So, if that is the case, then preparation to meet our LORD and Savior must begin now. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Today is the day of Salvation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For Eternity.

¹³ For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ¹⁴ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ~ Romans 10:13-15

We don’t mention Jesus to coworkers in our workplaces because of fear of “political correctness.” We focus more on conforming to “Political Correctness” than on submitting to “Obedience to God.” We avoid the two most important issues in life, Religion (Because religion affects our eternity) and Politics (Because politics affects our here and now).

These are the two most important issues that we should be discussing, but yet they are the least discussed… They are the two topics that we try most to avoid. And in so doing, we are kept silent, by our own freewill, and the political boat is not rocked, and thus we conform.

That leaves an open door for the powers-that-be to do whatever they want, whenever they want, to whomever they want. Because nobody can discuss it. Because it’s impolite. It’s rude. It’s disrespectful. It’s offensive. It’s too controversial. It’s politically incorrect.

So, we avoid those two topics like the plague. We keep our distance when the politically incorrect talk starts up. But in so doing, they ensure our silence by us policing our own selves. They don’t even have to do a thing; we do it all for them our own selves…to their delight.

Because, after all, we don’t want to be offensive. LORD forbid. We don’t witness to anyone because that would offend the person. We don’t mention the name of Jesus because someone from another religion might be offended, and we wouldn’t want that. But think about this, would you rather be offended? Or spend eternity in a burning Lake of Fire?

As for me, please offend me and save my soul. And let me spend eternity with Jesus in a place of blissfulness with peace, joy, and pleasures evermore. With all my needs supplied. Listen, no eye has seen, no ear has heard all that God as instore for us who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus has marvelous things in store for us. He has glorious things in eternity for all who love Him and for all who seek Him, but yet we are afraid to tell because we don’t want to offend.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and How Will They Hear?

¹¹ Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. ¹² For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. ~ Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

What is Solomon talking about? Death. No one knows the hour or the day when death will come calling and eternity comes crashing in. The American novelist, short-story writer, and the 1954 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the late Earnest Hemingway, had a fixation with suicide, especially after his father shot himself in 1928. He was reported as saying, “I’ll probably go the same way.”

The Hemingway family is not known for their strong religious beliefs or for their steadfast faith in the LORD Jesus. But instead, they are known, first of all, for Ernest Hemingway’s writings. But they’re also known for alcohol and drug addictions, depression, mental issues, suicide, and sexual molestation.

When that happens, despair sets in because Jesus is the only hope for a future. It’s only through the power of His Name and the cleansing of His blood that can break such family curses.

God said:

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11^NIV

Our hope and our strength are found in the LORD. Beware of despair, it breeds darkness as it did the Hemingway family. A generational curse. Earnest Hemingway committed suicide in 1961 at the age of 61. As did his father before him, Clarence “Ed” Hemingway, in 1928. Ursula Hemingway, his sister, also took her own life. As did his brother, Leicester Hemingway. His other brother, Ernest Hemingway Jr., also died by suicide. His granddaughter, Margaux Hemingway, committed suicide in 1996. Mariel, Margaux’s older sister, contemplated suicide herself.

God has put eternity in the heart of mankind, and we cannot get away from it. Without Jesus, the future is bleak and dark. There is no hope; deep down, we feel hopeless because we are. Whether or not those without Jesus will admit it, there is a longing for stability, hope, something more than what this life can offer. It’s a longing for something to fill the void. And only Jesus can fill the void. Because the void is in the shape of a cross.

The world is trying to fill that cross-shaped void with sex, drugs, music, entertainment, social media, alcohol, and the like. They’re searching for eternity because God has placed eternity in the heart of mankind. They don’t understand the longing, the emptiness, or even the loneliness. The world needs Jesus, and they don’t even realize it.

Dear LORD, please forgive me for all the times I didn’t share Your Gospel of hope with others. Please forgive me for all the times I kept Your Word to myself. Please give me the boldness, wisdom, and love to share Your Word with others. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

¹³ The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. ~ Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

It sounds as if Solomon is saying these temporal things are all going to end in judgment when God calls every secret thing, whether good or evil, into account. Also, did you notice what Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, highlighted in his conclusion?

He said:

… Fear God and keep His commandments … For God will bring every deed into judgment …

Everything is vanity or is meaningless in this life if it is not connected to eternity. Our whole duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. In other words, work for eternal things. Work to store up real treasure that will last forever and ever, safe and secure, far away from inflation and thieves. In other words, it is meaningless, a vanity of vanities to work for treasures that do not last and are not secure.

Solomon is advising young people not to get caught up in things that will not last because not even your youth will last. The days will come when the pleasures of life will no longer yield their bounty for you. Your eyes will grow dim. Your hands will tremble. Your legs will grow weak. Your teeth will fall out. Your taste for good food will fade. And you will no longer desire marital pleasures. Temporal things are like chasing after the wind. It’s all meaningless, utterly meaningless. Unless, of course, you’re working for eternity, which lasts forever. For without Jesus, everything is vanity, meaningless, utterly meaningless.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Flee Vanities.