Category: Devotionals

In the beginning, not only did God create the heavens and the earth, but He also performed the first surgery. Now that may sound crazy, but think about it. When God created the first woman, Eve, He did so by causing the first man, Adam, to fall into a deep sleep. He then opened up the man’s side, took out a rib, and closed up the opening (Genesis 2:21). God was the first surgeon!

What stands out to me when I read the account of the creation of woman (Genesis 2:20-22) is that God did not create a woman by just speaking her into being, nor did He use clay and breathe life into it to create a woman. God knew that, for this helper that He was creating for man to be the perfect helper, He needed to take a part of the man himself and form woman from it.

It’s interesting that, of all the parts He could have taken from the man, He chose to use a rib. Why not a piece of the man’s heart? Or, a piece of his brain? I believe that He chose a rib because it came from the man’s side and God created the woman to come alongside the man. She would be the perfect helper for the man.

Today, I celebrate the anniversary of the day that I married my beautiful wife, Linda. When I think of her, I see the person who God has brought to my life to come alongside me, to be exactly the right helper for me in my life. She may not have come from a rib taken from my side, but God created her to be the perfect helper for me. Lord, I thank you for giving me the perfect helper!

In a day and age when just about anything can happen instantaneously, we often have a hard time waiting. We want same-day shipping. We download our music and movies so that we can listen to or watch them immediately. We have express lines, one-click shopping, and will someday even have drones delivering our packages in less than half an hour. We really do have a hard time waiting!

I count myself among those who hate to wait. At the start of this year (2017), I received a clear word from the Lord. In that still, small voice, I heard Him say, “This year will be a year of change, a year of growth, a year filled with challenges. It will take you into things outside your comfort zone, things that you can only do with My help.” It was a challenging but exciting message. But, because of my dislike of waiting, my initial response was, “Okay, Lord, let’s get started!” I wanted to move into His plan for me right away. No waiting for this guy!

God’s Word stresses the need for and importance of being patient and waiting on the Lord. Psalm 37:7 tells us that we should rest in the Lord and wait patiently on Him. We should not move until He moves. That is what the Israelites did as they wandered in the wilderness. Any time they made camp and set up the tabernacle, a cloud would come down and rest over the tabernacle. The cloud was God’s presence and, as long as His presence remained in that particular place, they would stay put and wait. It might be for a day, for a week, for a month or more, but as long as the cloud remained, the Israelites waited (Numbers 9:22). They only moved when God moved.

As we walk with the Lord, following the path he has set for us, if we try to move ahead on our own rather than wait for the Lord, we set ourselves up for failure. In our own strength, we will become weary. But, when we wait on Him to move, He gives us all the strength that we need to succeed as we walk in the plans He has for us (Isaiah 40:31). When we try to walk our own path rather than waiting for Him to show us His path, we will inevitably get “stuck in the mud,” unable to move forward. But, when we wait for Him to move and guide us, He sets us on solid ground, on a path that we are able to walk on.

Waiting patiently on the Lord is sometimes hard but, in the end, it is the best thing that we can possibly do.

One beautiful summer morning, I sat in my backyard, worshipping God as I prepared my heart for my time with Him. As I sat there, I was reminded of the majesty and greatness of God and of all He has created, even down to the little sparrow that flew down and perched on my gate post as I reflected on all of this.

I opened my Bible to Genesis and read the story of Creation. As I did, one thing that stood out to me was the number of times that God saw that what He had created was “good.” I counted seven times. God was pleased with His creation. In fact, the seventh time, it says that when God looked over all He had created, He saw that it was not just good, it was VERY good Genesis 1:31).

Since the Creator Himself was that pleased with His creation, it’s no wonder that, as I sat and looked over the grass, the plants, the trees, and the animals right there in front of me, I felt grateful to God and in awe of all He has created.

The church is the body of Christ and it’s members are all parts of the body (1 Corinthians 12:12). We each have a different function in the body, a different part to play, and that function is different for each one of us. But each one of us is necessary to the entire body.

It is no accident that we are placed in the body or even what function we serve as a part of the body. God has placed us there for a purpose, one that is pleasing to Him (12 Corinthians 12:18).

As individual members of the same body, we share in the experiences of the body as a whole. We’re in it together. Just as the individual players on a baseball team share in the wins and losses, the highs and lows of the team as a whole, so it is for each of us as members of the body of Christ. When one of us suffers, we all share in that suffering. When one of us receives honor, we all share in the joy (1 Corinthians 12:26).

It is no mistake that we are placed where we are in the body. God has placed us exactly where He wants us and exactly where we are meant to be.

Years ago, while playing the role of Will Parker in the musical, Oklahoma!, I sang a song called “All Er Nuthin'”. In the song, Will tells his girlfriend, Ado Annie, that if she’s going to love him, it has to be all or nothing. He wants to know that she will be his completely, that she will love him with all of her heart.
That is exactly how we are commanded to love our God. Jesus tells us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart (Matthew 22:37). Not with half of our heart, but with all of it. It’s all or nothing. God does not want us to be half-hearted. And that does not just apply to how we love Him.

Throughout God’s Word, there are commands to do many things with all our heart. We are to seek Him or search for Him with all our heart, for it is then that we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). We are to trust Him with all our heart, for it is then that He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). God requires that we serve Him, keep His commands, and walk in His ways, and He wants us to do all of these things with all our hearts (Joshua 22:5). When we praise God, it should be with all our heart (Psalm 86:12). With all our heart, we should be glad and rejoice in Him (Zephaniah 3:14).

Nothing that we do for the Lord or in His name should be done half-heartedly. When Jeroboam was king of Israel, he did not keep God’s commandments with all his heart, but instead did what he felt was right. Because of Jeroboam’s disobedience, God brought judgment and disaster on Jeroboam and his house (1 Kings 14:7-11). On the other hand, when Hezekiah was king of Judah, he served God, kept His commandments, and sought Him with all his heart (1 Chronicles 31:20-21). The result of this is summed up in the last sentence of verse 21 of 2 Chronicles 31: “So he prospered.”

God’s plan for us is to prosper (Jeremiah 29:11). As we serve and follow the Lord, as we love Him and trust Him, as walk in obedience to Him and give Him praise, we should always be sure to do so with all our heart. This is what God requires but, more importantly, it’s what He deserves.

There are many verses in Scripture in which we are told that we are to forgive those who have hurt us or wronged us. As children of God, we are called to forgive because we have been forgiven by God through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 4:32). In Luke 6:37, Jesus tells us that, if we forgive, we will be forgiven.

The Bible gives us some great examples of forgiveness. Of course, there is the forgiveness that we receive from God through Jesus Christ. And Jesus Himself showed forgiveness for those who persecuted and crucified Him (Luke 23:34). In the Old Testament, forgiveness is demonstrated by Joseph. Despite having been beaten and sold into slavery by his brothers and, as a result, being separated from his father for many years, Joseph was moved to compassion when his brothers came to him in Egypt and he forgave them (Genesis 50:17).

We are to forgive because God requires it, but we should also forgive for another, personal reason. In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus tells the story of a servant who, after his master had forgiven him of his debt, was not willing to forgive the debt that a fellow servant owed to him. When the master learned of this, he became angry and had the unforgiving servant thrown into prison.

When we, who have been forgiven by God for our sins, choose not to forgive someone who has hurt or wronged us, we end up in a prison of unforgiveness. We become bound and shackled by bitterness and it just eats away at us. We are imprisoned by the very things that we are told to stay away from in Ephesians 4:31, things such as bitterness, anger, and wrath.

Are you imprisoned by unforgiveness toward someone? Are you bound and shackled by bitterness? If so, seek the help of our heavenly Father and ask Him to give you a heart of compassion. That is the key to unlock your chains and free you from the prison of unforgiveness.

When troubles surface in our lives, when we are faced with trials, what is the first thing that most of us try to do? We try to solve the problem in our own strength. But, in our most difficult circumstances, our strength is just not enough to overcome the difficulties we are facing. As a result, our troubles continue and our trials still face us.

What we really need in those times of trial and tribulation is the grace of God. The reason for this is simple. God’s power works best in our weakness, when we step out of the way and let Him take over. So, the best solution for us is to step aside, look to God and let his power work in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). At His weakest, God’s strength far surpasses our human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). His ways and His thoughts are far higher than our human thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).

So, the true solution to dealing with our troubles is to let God be God. He is able to do so much more than we could ever ask or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). We must let ourselves be weak, and even take pleasure in our weakness. When we allow ourselves to be weak and let God take over, it is then that we are truly strong. And that strength, which is the strength of God, is something to brag about!

When we have surrendered our lives to God and accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives, we enter into an ongoing battle. This battle is not a battle against flesh and blood. It is a spiritual battle, a war against the enemy of our souls–the devil. He wants nothing more than to separate us from God and cause us to lose faith. Fortunately, our loving and merciful God has provided us with the means to withstand the enemy’s attacks–the full armor of God. This armor consists of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). We need to employ each part of the armor in our battles against the enemy.

We must gird ourselves with truth, which is referred to in some Bible translations as the belt of truth. A belt provides support, holding up the rest of the armor. In the armor that God provides, that belt is truth. In John 14:6, Jesus tells us that He is the truth. When we accept Jesus as our Lord, when we make Him the center of our lives, He surrounds us with His truth. Our enemy is the father of lies and will seek to deceive us. But, when we surround ourselves with the truth–with Jesus–we have protection against the lies of the enemy.

In a suit of armor, the breastplate is the piece that protects the heart. In God’s armor, we guard our hearts with His righteousness. By making sure that we are spending time with God, listening to His voice and filling our hearts and minds with His Word, and by living according to that Word, we are able to protect our hearts with the righteousness that comes only from Him.

Our feet need to be shod with the gospel of peace. As we walk with Jesus, we receive the peace that He gives, a peace that surpasses our human understanding. We have that peace because Jesus has given it to us. As followers of Christ, we are not exempt from trials and tribulations. In fact, the enemy will look to make sure that we face them. But, through those trials and tribulations that we face in this world, we still have peace, because Jesus has overcome the world.

A suit of armor would not be complete without a shield. In God’s armor, our shield is our faith. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes from hearing the Word of God. When we are in His Word daily, when we allow it to increase our faith, we have the means by which to protect ourselves from anything the enemy throws at us.

As a helmet is used to protect the head, so salvation is the helmet that we need to protect our minds. The enemy will try to convince us that we are no good, that we are condemned because of our sin. But, when Jesus died for us, He took away that condemnation. When we believe in Him, when we believe that He died for our sins, we are saved. When we make Him Lord of our lives, there is no condemnation in us.

The last piece of the armor is the only piece specifically used for offense rather than defense. That piece is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. By wielding this powerful weapon, we are able to fight the battle against our enemy. The enemy may try to twist that Word and use it against it, but if we spend time studying the Word and letting it live in our hearts, we can skillfully use that weapon to secure the victory that God wants us to have.

Several years ago, I was certified as a personal trainer. As such, I was called on to provide clients with help in becoming fit by getting stronger or, perhaps, losing weight. Through exercise instruction, coaching, and encouraging, I served as each client’s advocate in reaping the benefits of physical fitness. In the person of the Holy Spirit, God has provided believers with a “personal trainer” for our spiritual fitness (John 14:26).

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and receive the gift of salvation, we can then become filled with the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus as the Helper or Paraclete. The word Paraclete literally means “one who comes alongside to help.” Just as a personal trainer comes alongside clients to help us to initiate change in their lives to become physically fit, so the Holy Spirit comes alongside us as believers to help initiate change in our lives to become spiritually fit.

A personal trainer uses various types of exercises and equipment in order to help a client develop strong muscles. The Holy Spirit helps us to develop our spiritual “muscles” through the use of the Word and by producing in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). In doing so, He helps us to become more and more like Jesus. The result is that we become spiritually stronger and able to be His witnesses in all the world (Acts 1:8).

Hiring a personal trainer to help with your physical fitness can be an expensive proposition, but receiving the help of the Holy Spirit, our spiritual “personal trainer,” is free to all believers. And the best part is that, while a personal trainer is with you only for the amount of time you paid for in a training session, the Holy Spirit is always with us and will be with us forever (John 14:15).

I love to read. Whether fiction or non-fiction, books have always brought both pleasure and satisfaction to my life. In some cases, they have entertained and in others, they have educated. There have been books that I have read more than once. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one such book. I have read that book many times. So many times, in fact, that I can almost recite it. But, no matter how many times I read it, the words always tell me the same story. Nothing changes. The same holds true for all other books, except one. That book is the Bible, the word of God.

The words of the Bible don’t change, but they can tell me something different each time I read them. That is because, as Hebrews 4:12 tells us, the word of God is alive. As I spend time in the word and in God’s presence, the Holy Spirit reveals to me new meanings in the words I read. The words are the same but the message from God behind those words changes, revealing to me what God wants to speak into my life at that time.

Hebrews 4:12 also tells us that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword. Ephesians 6:17 refers to the word of God as the sword of the Spirit. The word of God is a powerful weapon that God has provided for us to use when we are under attack by the enemy. But, we need the help of the Holy Spirit in wielding that sword. In medieval times, a knight’s weapon of choice was most often his sword. But before a knight could use that sword, he needed to be trained by someone with experience and authority. The same is true for the sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

If we are to use the word effectively in our lives, we must seek the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit. We need to read the word, but we must also seek the Holy Spirit and allow Him to show us how best to use that word in increasing our faith, in learning the ways of God, and in fighting spiritual battles in our lives.