Category: Devotionals

Turn on the TV these days and you will be bombarded with Christmas themed commercials touting what the manufacturers claim are the perfect gifts for those you care about. Christmas and gifts just seem to be synonymous, don’t they? In the Christmas story, the wise men from the East brought gifts to honor the newborn King of Israel. And, of course, the greatest Christmas gift is the birth of the One for whom the holiday is named, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Two of my favorite Christmas songs, “The Gift” by Garth Brooks, and “The Little Drummer Boy” by the Harry Simeone Chorale, speak of gifts offered to Jesus. “The Gift” tells of a poor orphan girl named Maria who brings a gift to the church on Christmas Eve. That gift is a small bird that she had nursed back to health. And, of course in “The Little Drummer Boy” the title character offers his drum playing to the baby Jesus.

In these two songs, the persons giving the gifts are concerned that their gifts are unworthy or unfit for the King of kings. Maria sees all of the other people bringing lavish gifts to lay by the manger in the church’s Nativity scene, gifts such as gems, gold, and expensive perfume. And the little drummer boy travels to the stable with the wise men and sees that they have brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Compared with these gifts, their gifts seem like nothing. But, in both cases, their gifts were greater than all of the other, expensive and lavish gifts. Why? Because, not only are they giving all they have, but they are also giving from their hearts.

One day, Jesus sat opposite the place where people came to give their money offerings to God. As He sat there, many wealthy people came and placed large sums of money into the collection box. Then, a poor widow came and put two small copper coins into the box, a very small offering. Jesus called His disciples over and told them that, although the widow’s offering was a small one, it was greater than all of the other offerings.

Now, I’m sure that the disciples stood there scratching their heads and thinking, “How could her offering be greater than the others. I think Jesus needs to brush up on His math!” But Jesus explained it this way. All of the other people, those who gave large sums of money, were giving out of their abundance. The widow, on the other hand, was giving out of her poverty. While the others may have given a lot, they likely had plenty to spare. But the widow was giving everything she had, all the money she had to live on. (Mark 12:41-44)

The offerings that please Jesus the most are not the ones that are greatest in worldly value. He is pleased with all that we give Him of course, but what most pleases Jesus is the gift that is a sacrificial gift, one that is not from our abundance, but one that costs us something. The gift that pleases Him most is the gift of our hearts, the gift of a life fully surrendered to Him.

Written in 1857 for a Christmas pageant in New York City, the carol, “We Three Kings” tells the story of the magi, or wise men, who traveled to Jerusalem from the east. Although Scripture does not specifically say that there were three wise men, Christmas tradition, including carols and Nativity scenes, picture three regal looking men who followed a star in search of the newborn King of Israel. This is likely because Scripture says that these wise men brought three gifts to present to this newborn King – gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Although we don’t know the actual number of wise men, we do know that they succeeded in their star-led quest to find the One they were looking for, Jesus. The wise men did not find Jesus lying in a manger in a stable. When they found the place where Jesus was, Scripture refers to Jesus not as a newborn baby, but as a child (Matthew 2:9), which would indicate that Jesus was no longer an infant. And Matthew 2:11 says that the wise men entered a house, not a stable.

However, the number of wise men that followed the star, Jesus’ age when they found Him, and the place in which they found Jesus are not important. What is important is what the wise men did when they found Jesus and the significance of the gifts that they brought Him. The star that the wise men had been following came to rest over the place where Jesus was. When they saw this, the wise men were filled with joy. And when they entered the house and saw the child, they fell to their knees and worshiped Him.

The wise men knew that this small child was the newborn King of Israel and so they gave Him the honor and glory that was due Him. What an example this is for us. When we come to know Jesus and when we are in His presence, our response should be to take a posture of worship, praising Him and giving Him glory and honor. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Savior, and our Deliverer. He is worthy of all the praise that we can give.

After the wise men worshiped Jesus, they offered Him the gifts that they had brought, gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There is a beautiful significance to these gifts. Jesus is the King of kings and gold is a gift that is fit for a King. Jesus is also the chief high priest. Frankincense was a fitting gift, as it is one of the incenses used by high priests in temple services. Jesus is Savior and Redeemer and came to give His life for us by dying on the cross, making myrrh a fitting gift as it is used in preparing a body for burial.

The gifts that the wise men offered were quite valuable. In offering them to Jesus, they gave us an example of giving our best as we worship Him. As we get ready to celebrate His birth this Christmas season, may our offerings of praise and worship be fitting for the King of kings and Lord of lords. The One who came to earth as a tiny child who would one day give His all for us deserves nothing less than our all.

Once Thanksgiving is over and we begin the countdown to Christmas, the sounds of Christmas begin to be heard. Christmas carols can be heard at malls, in homes, and on the radio. One of my favorite Christmas carols is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” a song based on the 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “Christmas Bells.” 

In the classic movie musical, “The Wizard of Oz,” a twister snatches up Dorothy and brings her to a land that she’s never seen before, the land of Oz. Dorothy is lost and, although Oz is magical and beautiful, she has just one desire and that is to go back home to Kansas. In order to do so, she needs the help of the Wizard of Oz, who lives in the Emerald City. Dorothy has no idea where the Emerald City is or how to get there, but she is told that if she just follows the yellow brick road, it will lead her straight to the Emerald City. As long as she stays on that road, and doesn’t wander off it, she will find the city and the Wizard of Oz.

We were created to live in the presence of God. But, when sin entered the world, mankind was cast from God’s presence and became lost. But, we were created to have a relationship with God and so, our desire has always been to find our way back into His presence, to find our way home. But, just as Dorothy could not find her way back to Kansas on her own, we also need help to find our way back into God’s presence. Our help doesn’t come from a wizard, it doesn’t come from the world. Our help comes from God who, because of His great love for us, has provided a way for us to find our way.

The way back to God is through His Son, Jesus. God sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin so that, if we believe in Him, we can have eternal life in God’s presence (John 3:16). When Jesus gave His life for us on the cross, the way to God’s presence opened up. Jesus is the road to God’s presence, the road “home.” Jesus is the way to God (John 14:6). When we believe in Him and trust in Him, He will direct our path (Proverbs 3:5-6). When we allow Him to live in us, if we start to wander off that path, veering to the right or the left, we will hear His voice telling us, “This is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)

God’s Word is filled with assurances and promises that, no matter what, He is with us in our times of need and in our times of trouble. The need may be small or it may be great. No matter how big our needs are, no matter how insurmountable our troubles may seem to us, God is bigger. And, we can be sure that He is with us, He cares for us, and He will help us.

In Isaiah 41, we are promised that our God, the God who takes hold of our right hand, says that we should not be afraid because He will help us (Isaiah 41:13). It doesn’t matter what our circumstances are. We can face anything without fear because He is with us, holding on to us, ready to help us. Verse 17 says that when the poor and needy seek water and are unable to find it, He will answer their cry and will not forsake them (Isaiah 41:17). He provides living water that can quench our thirst and give us the strength that we need.

When we face battles in our lives and feel as if we don’t have the strength to fight, we can count on God to be with us through those battles. When the Israelites were being pursued by Pharaoh and his army and reached the Red Sea, Moses told them that they should not fear, but stand firm. God was on their side and all they needed to do was be silent, as God would fight for them (Exodus 14:13-14). God parted the sea, allowing the Israelites to cross through it and. when the Egyptians followed, the sea closed in on them. The battle was won and God was glorified. God will help us to win our battles. We just need to be still and allow Him to work. When our battles are won, He is glorified.

Our God is a God of salvation. When we believe in His Son, Jesus, and believe that He has paid the sacrifice for our sins, we can be assured that God has delivered us from the spiritual death that sin brought to man. He did this because of His love for us (John 3:16). The God whose love has provided for our salvation is the same God who is with us in our times of need and our times of trouble. He provides for our needs, bears us up in times of trouble, and is with us in our battles. He is a God we can count on.

Blessed be the Lord, Who bears our burdens and carries us day by day, even the God Who is our salvation! Selah (pause, and calmly think of that)! (Psalm 68:19 AMP)

Scripture quotation is taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org)

The Amplified Bible. (1987). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Established in Washington, DC, in 1800, the Library of Congress is the official research library of the United States Congress. One of the largest libraries in the world, the Library of Congress has about 838 miles of bookshelves. If those shelves were lined up in a straight line, they would reach from Washington, DC to somewhere near Orlando, FL. On those miles of shelves are found over 160 million items, including more than 38 million books.

At the end of his gospel account, the apostle John wrote that he was bearing witness to all the things that he wrote about Jesus (John 21:24). But, he points out that there are many other things that Jesus did that were not recorded. And, he goes on to say that, if all of the things that Jesus did were to be written down, the entire world could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25).

Think about that for a minute. The Library of Congress, on its 838 miles of shelves, contains more than 38 million books. The total land surface of the earth is about 57 million square miles. And yet, if all of the things that Jesus has done were actually written down in books, the entire land surface of the earth would not be big enough to hold them. Just imagining that many books is enough to make your head spin!

Let’s take this a step further. John was speaking of the things that Jesus did in the 33 years he spent on earth. But the story didn’t end there. Jesus continued to do things through the early church. He continued to do things throughout the centuries. And He continues to do things today. Lives are changed because of Him. Addictions are broken because of Him. Bodies are healed, chains of depression are broken, and marriages are restored because of Him.

Most importantly, because of Jesus, because of His sacrificial death on the cross, souls are saved every day and will continue to be saved as the good news of salvation through Him is spread throughout the world. When you consider all that Jesus did, all that He is doing now, and all that He will continue to do, you can be sure that John’s words in John 21:25 are no exaggeration!

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings, a young hobbit named Frodo Baggins is given the enormous task of being the ring-bearer. The ring, of course, is very powerful and has the ability to create darkness in the one who bears it. Yet Frodo willing takes on the task of bearing the ring to Mount Doom, where it can be destroyed.

Throughout the story, Frodo struggles under the burden of carrying the ring and, at times, almost succumbs to its power. But Frodo is accompanied by his gardener and friend, Samwise Gamgee, who helps him to complete the task set before him. But Sam cannot bear the burden of the ring for Frodo. Sam knows this and at Frodo’s lowest point, Sam says, “I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you.” And so Sam physically carries Frodo as they head to Mount Doom.

Each one of us bears a heavy burden in life. It is not a ring of power, but its weight in our lives is just as heavy as the weight of the ring that Frodo carried. The burden that we bear is the burden of our sin. Each one of us has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). And each one of us faces the penalty of that sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). But just as Frodo had Sam to help him to bear the burden of the ring, we have someone who can help us to bear the burden of our sin, and that is Jesus Christ.

But, while Sam could not carry the ring for Frodo, Jesus can carry our sin. And not only can He carry it, but He did carry it. Jesus carried the burden of our sin, taking it upon Himself. He carried that burden to Calvary, where He was nailed to a cross, where He suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sin. He took our sin from us and our sin was crucified with Him on that cross. Then, three days later, He rose, conquering both sin and death.

Jesus paid the price for our sin. All we need to do is to believe that He did, to turn from our sinful ways, and to follow Him as Lord and Savior.

Believers are to be led by the Spirit. When we give our lives to Christ, we need to crucify the desires of the flesh and replace them with the desires of the Spirit. As we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, we become more like Christ, which should be evident by the fruit of the Spirit, the things that show to the world that we are different. In his letter to the Galatian church, Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-24)

It is also important that the church, the body of Christ, displays the fruit of the Spirit. It is only when the fruit is evident in the church that those in the world will feel drawn to it. Love must be evident. Jesus said that the world will know we are His followers if we love one another. That love for our family in Christ should also extend to those around us who are unsaved. Joy should fill our hearts, reflecting an exuberance about life that is contagious.

We should have the peace of Christ in our lives as we trust in Him for all that we need. And that peace should be seen in how we face the trials and tribulations of life. We should demonstrate patience in a willingness to stick with things and not give up, even if they are difficult. And kindness should be seen as compassion for the world around us as we seek to be the light of Christ to a world that needs Him. Jesus demonstrated compassion to those with whom He came in contact. As the body of Christ, we must demonstrate that same compassion.

Goodness should be reflected in the way in which we live our lives. When we follow Jesus, we are set apart from the world, we are in the world but not of it. That should be evident in the way that we live. God has demonstrated His faithfulness in so many ways, most especially by giving Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. The mark of the church should be loyalty to our God, faithfulness to Him and to each other.

Gentleness should be seen in the way we deal with those around us. We must not look to have our way, pushing our own agendas, but rather place the needs of others before ours. And finally, self-control should be seen in our lives as we work toward curbing the desires of the flesh, directing our energy wisely as we strive to live by the Spirit.

These are the things that the world needs and wants to see in the church. These are the things that will make the world desire what we have. The harvest is there, waiting for us to reap it. When we, as the body, demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, that harvest will be reaped and lives will be changed.

Scripture gives us many pictures of the things that will happen in the end times. Among them is that there will be wars, rumors of wars, famine, and earthquakes. Jesus Himself said that there will be many false prophets, people who will teach false doctrine, deceiving many people (Matthew 24:11). Some of these false prophets will even perform signs and wonders, deceiving many, including some believers (Mark 13:22).

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul pointed out that a time will come when people will listen to those who teach what they want to hear, rather than the truth of God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:3). As believers, this is why we need to hold fast to sound doctrine, the truth that can pierce through the lies of the enemy. Those of us who teach others must hold on to the words of truth found in God’s Word so that we can encourage others with sound doctrine and refute those who teach doctrine that is contradictory to His Word (Titus 1:9).

The teaching of false prophets and teachers is the enemy’s attempt to divide us. And it is for this reason that believers should not fight against this teaching with argument and debate. Those things will only serve to fuel division by creating quarrels (2 Timothy 2:23). Instead of getting into a war of words with others, we need to promote unity. We can do this through kindness to all, by being able to teach. We need to endure evil with patience, correcting those who teach false doctrine with gentleness (2 Timothy 2:24).

Those who teach false doctrine are caught in the snares of the enemy. Their judgment comes from God, not from us. It may well be that He will grant repentance to those false teachers and false prophets, leading them to a knowledge of His truth. And it may well be that they will be set free from the snares of the one who has captured them for the purpose of doing his will. God can set them free. Our part is to hold on to the truth, correcting with gentleness and sound doctrine and then step back and allow God to do the rest.

Another Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. The leftovers are finished and the scale is showing a little higher number than it did before last Thursday. But one thing that hasn’t changed and should never change is the need to be thankful. If you take a few minutes to think of all the ways in which God has blessed your life, it’s easy to see why we should give Him thanks. Thankfulness should be a part of our daily lives. It should be as natural as breathing. William Arthur Ward (1921-1994), one of America’s most quoted writers of inspirational thoughts, once said, “God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say, ‘thank you?’

In his letter to the church in Colosse, the apostle Paul stressed the importance of thankfulness in the life of a believer. In fact, he mentions thankfulness three times in three verses. After instructing believers to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts, something to which we are all called, Paul tells us to be thankful (Colossians 3:15). Paul then tells us that we need to let Jesus’ word dwell in us, using the wisdom that He gives to teach and admonish each other. When we do, His words will become second nature to us and will cause our hearts and our mouths to be filled with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs that will naturally be filled with heartfelt thanks to God (Colossians 3:16).

Paul then tells us that whatever we do, whether it is in word or in deed, should be done in the name of Jesus. That doesn’t just mean the prayers we offer, the praise we give, our church attendance, or other “spiritual” things. It means everything that we say and everything that we do, whether spiritual or not, should be done in Jesus’ name. And, most importantly, the things that we say and do in His name should be accompanied by thankfulness, as we give thanks to God our Father through Jesus (Colossians 3:17). Be thankful in all you do, for all that you have, for all that He is, each and every day. The time we are given, we are given by God. We should use it to thank Him.