Monday
Judgment
God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants (John 3:17-21 NLT).
We will all be judged by God. There is no need for us to judge others, but we can and should be fruit inspectors. What I mean is, we should never judge someone else’s salvation. That is solely God's place and not ours. But we should look and observe the actions of others and determine if what they do lines up with God's Word. Everything we observe should be filtered through God's Word.
During this time, when society exclaims that evil things are good and good things are evil, we need to focus more on the study of God's Word. The Holy Word is the roadmap for life. It is the GPS that keeps us on track so that we might spend eternity with Him.
Please consider what I'm writing today. Truth is not what you feel in your heart, it's what God says in His Word.
Father God, please open the eyes of the lost that they might find truth in Your Word. Those that know You, Lord, may they begin to read and study Your Holy Word and live by its teachings. May You, Father, be with each of us today and all the days from here to eternity. In Jesus' name, amen.
Tuesday
Intimacy with Christ
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT).
The One who knows each of us intimately, Jesus Christ, walked this earth as a human, just like us, yet He is also God the Son. He was tempted by the same temptations we face but did not sin. We can't make that sinless claim.
Jesus came, lived and died a sacrificial death for us. He was raised from the dead and is our great Redeemer. He has gone on before us to prepare a table (feast) in the presence of God. We are invited to that table.
My question is, "Have you made your reservations? Do you know Jesus as your Savior?"
Lord God, thank You for an open invitation to partake at Your table. Thank You for providing a way for us to enjoy that feast. Today, we give you all the praise and glory that You deserve, for You are worthy of all that we can give. We pray and give praise in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday
No Other Name
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it (John 1:1-5 NLT).
Jesus is the Word. He is the same today as he was yesterday and will be tomorrow. He is our King, Savior, Redeemer, and friend.
Thank you, Jesus, for loving each of us enough to sacrifice your life so that we might have a relationship with our heavenly Father. We praise your Holy Name. There is no other name like Jesus. Amen.
Thursday
Good Stuff!
This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalms 118:24 NLT).
No matter what is going on in your life, look around. You will find something that will make you smile. A little nugget of God's mercy, grace, and love. A smidgen of blessing. A touch of happiness.
Dear Lord, help us to put the bad stuff behind us and rejoice in the good stuff. We thank You, Lord and pray in the mighty name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Friday
Increasing Your Faith
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness (Colossians 2:7 NLT).
Growing deeper in our knowledge of God through His Word reveals much to us. Growing deep betters our lives, increases our faith, and makes us realize how much we should be thankful for.
Lord God, help us to be diligent in reading Your Holy Word. Help us to delve deeply into Scripture so that we can understand what You have for us to see, hear, feel, and taste. Help us to seek the Holy Spirit in our understanding and guide us to a closer relationship with You. We ask and pray this in the mighty name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Saturday
The Deception of Sin
Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 5:18-21 NLT).
How can we preach salvation to people that deny that they have a sin problem? I think that we must bring people to the realization of their brokenness so that God can work on their hearts. We are only the messengers, the field workers, the hands and feet of Christ. We can lead the lost to a knowledge of God and the way to accept Christ as their Savior, but we can't save anyone.
A military drill sergeant breaks a man to his lowest point, then out of that brokenness, he builds a soldier, a fighter, a combatant. He builds a warrior.
What will it take to bring people to the reality of their brokenness, so that God can do an amazing work in their lives? I submit that what it takes is someone to love them enough to tell them the truth about the sin that is destroying their lives. It takes a man or woman of God to stand firm in God's Word and deliver the truth with love.
We also must be truthful about the sin in our lives. Yes, all of us are sinners and broken, even the Apostle Paul stated that he was the worst sinner of them all. We must look deep into our actions and the way we live. We should search our hearts so that we will see how far we are from God's will in our very own lives. I call it internal soul searching.
My challenge today is that we will see the needs of others and go where God calls us to go. But before we go, we must take care of addressing our own brokenness and coming to conviction and repentance.
Dear Father God, help us to see the sin in our lives that is destroying the good things that You are trying to give us. We turn away from Your blessings to chase “our” particular sin. Our sin is disguised as fun, exciting, intriguing…which will end up being null and void. Your blessings will last for an eternity. Lord, help us to grasp this truth and open our hearts to Your will in our lives. Help us to repent of our sin and drop to our knees at Your throne. I ask and pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Sunday
Plans and Distractions
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2 NLT).
If you want to find out what God has planned for you, you must turn away from the ways of this broken world that we live in; turn off the noise of distraction and listen to Him.
Dear Lord, help us to put the distractions of this world away and open our hearts and minds to what You want for us. In Your Son's mighty name, we pray. Amen.
