Category: Devotionals

God’s Good News is that, through his mercy, grace, and love, He has given us the gift of salvation. We all need salvation because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But the sacrifice made by His Son, Jesus, paid the price for our sins. This was God’s gift to us and it requires nothing of us but to confess Jesus as Lord and believe with all our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9).

The gift of salvation, and the eternal life it brings, is for all of us. It doesn’t matter who we are, what we do for a living, where we live, or even how much money we have. If we call on the name of Jesus, if we truly believe in Him, we will be saved (Romans 10:13). Jesus told us that, if we believe in Him, we are not condemned. But, He also said that those who don’t believe are already condemned (John 3:18). You may wonder, “What about a person who has never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ? How can they avoid condemnation and receive the gift of salvation?”

A person who has not heard the Good News can’t possibly believe in Jesus or confess Him as Lord. How can anyone believe in or confess as Lord a person that they don’t even know about? But, God has provided a solution to this problem and that solution is you and me. Those of us who have heard the Good News and have believed are charged with spreading that news to others (Mark 16:15). God’s desire is that all people receive the gift of salvation and we are to be His ambassadors to the rest of the world.

Think about it this way. If you knew someone, perhaps a friend or a relative, who was suffering from a terminal illness and you also knew where that person could find a cure for that illness, what would you do? Would you stay quiet? Would you keep the information to yourself and let the illness claim that person’s life? Or, would you give that person the good news about the cure, so that he or she would be healed and live? My guess is that most, if not all of us, would go with the second option. Well, the same holds true with the Good News of salvation. If we know a person has not heard it, we should be telling them about it.

Spreading the Good News is not always easy. It will not be accepted by everyone who hears it. But, our responsibility is not to make others accept the Good News. Our responsibility is just to make sure that others hear it. We are charged with delivering the message. God will take care of the rest. So, as Frank Sinatra sang in the song, New York, New York, “Start spreading the news!”

Galatians 5:16 tells us that we are to walk in the Spirit because, by doing so, we will not give in to the works of the flesh. The works of the flesh, which are outlined in Galatians 5:17-21, are the things that will prevent those who practice them from inheriting the kingdom of God. But, when we instead live and walk in the Spirit, when we sow to the Spirit in our lives, we reap the ultimate harvest–everlasting life (1 John 6:8).

So, how do we live and walk in the Spirit? We do so by striving to become more like Jesus by cultivating the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience or longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness or gentleness, and self-control. The desire of the Holy Spirit is to produce these in every believer.

The fruit of love is divine love, the kind of love that Jesus taught we should have for one another. When we have love like this, the other fruit become that much easier to cultivate in our lives. The fruit of joy is not the same as happiness. It is the joy that exists even in trials and tribulations. In that sense, it is much like the joy experienced by a mother when she sees her newborn child after having gone through the pains of labor (John 16:20-21).

Peace is the kind of peace that Jesus promises. It is a peace that surpasses all human understanding. Patience, or longsuffering, does not just mean being patient with others. It means persevering in our times of trouble. The fruit of kindness refers to the type of kindness shown by God, a kindness that is undeserved. We are called to show kindness even to our enemies.

Goodness is shown through integrity and moral living, as well as through doing good for others. Faithfulness, which has been shown to us in Christ’s sacrifice for us, means being true to your word and to your obligations. Meekness, or gentleness, which are regarded as weakness by the world, mean demonstrating an inner strength in the face of difficult circumstances.

Finally, there is self-control. This is the fruit that holds all of the other fruit together. For example, if we love without restraint, it becomes passion. If we have patience without balance, it becomes apathy. Self-control provides the balance, restraint, and moderation needed by the other fruit.

To live and walk in the Spirit, all believers should seek to cultivate all of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. When we do, we become more and more like Jesus, and that is God’s will for all of us.

There are many different gifts imparted to believers by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Romans 12:4-8; Ephesians 4:11). There are gifts of leadership, such as pastors, teachers, and administration. There are gifts of practical assistance, such as generous giving. There are gifts of revelation, such as words of wisdom. There are gifts of power, such as healing faith. And there are gifts of worship, such as prophecy and speaking in tongues.

The Holy Spirit gives these gifts so that we may share them with others. The purpose of each of these gifts is to build up the church, which is the body of Christ. Each of us, as believers, is a member of that body, but not all members receive all of the gifts of the Spirit. Rather, the Holy Spirit gives certain gifts to each one of us as He wills it (1 Corinthians 12:11).

There is good reason why the Holy Spirit does not give each of us all the gifts. Think about your own physical body. If your eyes could see, hear, speak, and smell, what need would you have for your ears, mouth, and nose? If your feet could write and lift things, what need would you have for your hands? Each part of your body serves its own unique purpose that benefits the rest of your body.

Since the church is the body of Christ, if each of us were able to teach, prophesy, or evangelize, we would have no need of anyone else. We would not need the rest of the body. But, God’s intention is for each of us, as members of His church, the body of Christ, to help each other and build each other up (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

We have all been given one or more of the gifts of the Spirit. We need to use those gifts, not for our own edification, but for the benefit of the entire body.

Acts 12:1-19 tells of a time when the apostle Peter was imprisoned by Herod. Herod had already had James the brother of John killed by the sword and, because the people were pleased with Herod’s actions, he decided that he would kill Peter as well. Since Peter was arrested during the Passover, Herod planned to keep him in prison until after the Passover, at which time he would bring him before the people after the Passover and kill him.

In Acts 12:6, we find Peter bound with chains between two soldiers. The prison doors were guarded. It was the night before Peter was to be executed. As he sat there chained with soldiers right by his side in a guarded cell, what was Peter doing? He was sleeping! Talk about having the peace of the Lord!

While Peter slept, suddenly the prison was bathed in light. At that moment, an angel of the Lord appeared beside Peter and woke him up. He didn’t wake the sleeping apostle with a gentle nudge. He did it by striking Peter on the side. Apparently, Peter was so sound asleep that the light shining from the angel did not even cause him to stir. When Peter finally woke up, his chains fell off and he was escorted out of that prison by the angel. Peter was free (Acts 12:7-11).

This is such an amazing story, but the thing that stands out to me when I read it is what it says in Acts 12:5. While Peter was in prison awaiting execution, the rest of the believers knew that there was nothing they could do in their own power to set Peter free. So, they did the one thing that they knew could help. They prayed to God. Constantly! And the result, as we see in the verses that follow, is that Peter was freed from his prison cell.

Now, you may not know anyone who is in a physical prison cell, but it is likely that you do know someone who is in a different kind of prison. It may be the prison of addiction, or the prison of sickness. Perhaps you know someone who is imprisoned by the pain of their past. You may feel helpless because you are not able to help that person to be set free from their prison. If so, follow the example of the early church. Pray for that person to be freed. Constantly! Just as He was able to set Peter free, God has the power to set the person you pray for free from the prisons in which they may find themselves.

There is power in praise. Praise lifted to the Lord has the ability to tear down strongholds, to break chains that bind, and to defeat enemies. The Word of God provides some wonderful examples of just how powerful praise can be.

When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land, they knew there would be battles to be fought. The first battle that they needed to fight was against the people of Jericho, a walled city. In order to secure victory, Joshua and the people of Israel would need to somehow get through the walls of that city. God had promised them victory. The stronghold would be torn down, but it would not be through human efforts. The walls of Jericho, the stronghold standing between the Israelites and victory, were torn down by a shout of praise (Joshua 6:20).

When Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, the Ammonites, Moabites, and other enemies of Judah came to battle against Jehoshaphat. The people of Judah were greatly outnumbered by their enemies and defeat seemed likely. But God had other plans for His people. Jehoshaphat was told that the battle he was about to fight was not his. The battle belonged to the Lord. Believing that God would secure victory, in one of the most unusual strategies of war, Jehoshaphat placed singers ahead of the army. As they headed out to meet the enemy, the singers lifted a song of praise to God. God then created confusion among the enemies of Judah and they destroyed one another, giving victory to Judah. The enemies of God’s people were defeated through praise (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).

When Paul and Silas were arrested while spreading the good news of Jesus Christ and thrown into prison after having been severely beaten, their situation looked bleak. But they did not allow their circumstances to keep them from giving praise to God. While shackled in their prison cell, Paul and Silas lifted their voices in praise. Just as praise tore down the walls of Jericho and defeated the enemies of Judah, the praise lifted by Paul and Silas caused an earthquake and Paul and Silas were freed from the chains that bound them (Acts 16:25-26).

Praise is a powerful weapon. When we offer praise to our God, He is enthroned in that praise. And when God is enthroned in the praises of His people, the enemy is defeated, strongholds in our lives are torn down, and we are freed from the chains that bind us.

“Look up!”

In My quiet time with God this morning, these are the words that I heard in my head. I let these words play in my heart for a while and was soon reminded of the words of Psalm 121:1-3. The Lord was reminding me this morning is that, in our times of trouble, we need to look to Him. We need to look up, lifting our eyes to heaven, for that is where we will find the help that we need. Our help is found in our God, whose throne is in the heavens (Psalm 123:1).

Our God hears our prayers. He hears the cries that we lift up to Him as we turn our eyes and our hearts to look up at Him (Psalm 5:2-3). He is our strength and our shield. When we trust in Him with our hearts, He is there to help us (Psalm 28:7). Psalm 46:1-3 says that God is not just our help sometimes and not just our help in the small things. He is our very present help. He is there to help us all the time and He is there to help even when our world is crumbling down all around us.

When you are faced with trials and tribulations, when you need healing or comfort, look up. God is there listening to your cry and He is ready to help.

Anyone who has experienced a hurricane knows the devastation and destruction a storm like that can bring. Rain, floods, winds, and storm surges. Storms that rise out of a hurricane season have the ability to do tremendous damage. They can literally tear a house from its foundation and sweep it away.

Life has its own hurricane seasons, times when the storms of life bring devastation and destruction to our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Financial problems, job loss, sickness, marital problems. These are things that can tear us from our foundation and sweep us away, unless that foundation is built on the Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus is our foundation, when we abide in Him by listening to His word and doing what it says, there is no storm than sweep us away (Matthew 7:23-25). When our hearts are focused on Him, He is right beside us and we will not be moved (Psalm 16:8). Jesus is our Rock and our salvation. He is our fortress. With Him in our lives, we will never be shaken by the storms of life (Psalm 62:2).

John 3:16 tells us that God’s love for us is so great that He gave His Son, Jesus, to die for us. He did this so that all who believe in Jesus are able to have eternal life with Him in heaven. God has provided the means for our salvation. What is required on our part is to believe and declare.

It is with our hearts and our mouths that we accept God’s gracious gift of salvation (Romans 10:9-10). In our hearts, we must not only believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but also that He died for our sins and was raised from the dead. In doing this, Jesus conquered death and restored us to eternal life. When we truly believe this in our hearts, we are justified in God’s eyes. We must then use our mouths to declare our faith, our belief that Jesus is Lord and that He died and was raised again. When we believe this with our hearts and declare it with our mouths, we will be saved.

After His resurrection and before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave the great commission to His disciples, telling them that they were to go into the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16:15). This commission was not just for the disciples, but also for all believers, then and now. As followers of Christ, we are to spread the good news of salvation through Jesus to anyone who has not heard it. There is a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that says, “Go into the world and preach the Gospel, and if necessary use words.” We need to preach the Gospel not only in words, but also in the way in which we live.

If our lives do not live up to what we are preaching, the message becomes muddled and will likely be received with skepticism by those who hear it. What we are saying will appear as hypocrisy. In order for the message to be received in the way that God intends it to be, we must show ourselves to be true followers of Christ, people who are striving to be like Jesus.

We are in a time in history where this is more important than ever. I believe we are in the time spoken of by Paul in his second letter to Timothy, a time when those who are of the world will turn from sound doctrine and turn to those who teach what they want to hear. In our society, many people turn their ears to false teachers. The opinions and beliefs of celebrities, politicians, and the like–people who do not speak the truth of Christ–are valued more than the Word of God. (2 Timothy 4:2-5)

As believers, we must always be ready to preach the word in any season of life. We should be both students and hearers of the Word but, just as importantly, we must do what the Word says (James 1:22). Only then will the true message of the Gospel be received by a world so greatly in need of it.

Paul ends his second letter to the church in Corinth with a blessing. He prays that the Corinthian believers will experience the grace of Jesus, the love of God, and the communion or fellowship of the Holy Spirit. I have read these words many times but, as I read them today, something stood out to me. This verse is not just a blessing, but it also speaks to community with the Trinity and how we can obtain it.

When God created man, He intended for man to be in a relationship with Him. His desire was that man would enjoy fellowship, or community, with Him. That relationship, that fellowship was broken when sin entered the world through man’s disobedience. But God still desired that man have that fellowship with Him, so He provided a way for it to happen. That is what I see put very simply in the words of 2 Corinthians 13:14.

Our restored fellowship with the triune God begins with Jesus’ grace. In obedience to the Father, Jesus came to earth and gave His life as a ransom for our sins. Although He was without sin, He took upon Himself the punishment that we deserved so that we could have eternal life. He provided for our salvation through His amazing grace (Ephesians 2:18).

The restoration of our fellowship with God also comes from the love of the Father. While God is righteous and just God and He knew that we deserved the punishment for our sin, He is also a loving Father. His love for us is so great that He gave His Son to take our place and pay the penalty for our sin. He did this so that those who believe in His Son may have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Jesus’ grace and the love of God have provided the means for us to have eternal fellowship with God in heaven. But, we can also enjoy that fellowship with God now right here on earth through the Holy Spirit. When we believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior, when we confess our sins and turn away from them, we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us. He comes alongside us and walks with us. He guides us and speaks to us. When we have accepted the grace of Jesus and the love of the Father, we have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Our community with the Trinity is restored.

Lord, thank You for Your great and immeasurable love. Thank You for the amazing grace of Your Son, Jesus. And thank You for the enduring and comforting fellowship of the Holy Spirit. May Jesus’ grace, Your love, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of us. Amen!