Week 49 Devotions

December 3 - - It is sad how religious ignorance and pride can cause a hatred so strong that people will do evil to one another. Paul was originally arrested because some Jews accused him of taking Gentiles into the Temple. Nobody had actually seen Paul do this, but they had seen Paul walking with a Gentile earlier in the day so they assumed Paul had taken this Gentile into the Temple (Acts 21:27-29). How true the saying, “we see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear.” Because some Jews already hated Paul, they assumed he had done something wrong that he really hadn’t. As a result, Paul almost lost his life when a mob overcome with anger tried to kill him (21:30-35). When Paul was allowed to speak to the crowd and explain who he was, they attentively listened until he told them the Lord had commanded him to, “Leave Jerusalem, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!” (22:21). Again, because Jews hated the Gentiles so much, they went into a frenzy. With one voice, the whole crowd shouted, “Away with such a fellow! Kill him! He isn’t fit to live!” (22:22). When Paul was taken to the Jewish Sanhedrin, he was once again allowed to speak. Now, the Sanhedrin was composed of Pharisees who believed there is a resurrection of the dead and the Sadducees who did not share that belief. Knowing this, Paul identified himself as a Pharisee who was on trial because of his hope in the resurrection of the dead (23:6-10). The two sides began arguing, shouting, and even physically pulling on Paul so violently that a Roman officer had Paul removed from the proceedings to protect his life. Because of their so-called religious beliefs (which were in fact totally misguided), more than forty Jewish men bound themselves to an oath neither to eat or drink until they had killed Paul (23:12-22). It is one thing to feel so much hatred toward another person that we wish them dead, but it is an insult to God to actually attempt to kill someone else in the name of a person’s religion. The Bible is filled with plenty of warnings not to take the life of another human being in anger or for revenge (Genesis 4:3-12; Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-26; 43-48; James 1:19&20). Having said all that, there is a time and a place, even for anger (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). But, our anger must be for the right reasons and channeled into the right actions. When our anger results in us doing things to others or saying things about others that are not right, we have sinned and scripture clearly forbids us from letting our anger result in sin (Ephesians 4:26). May we, as children of God, be compelled by God’s love for us to show God’s love to others (II Corinthians 5:14) as often as we possibly can and in as many ways as we possibly can. It is not always possible to live in peace with everyone because some people are so blinded by their anger and their ignorance they refuse to see or live in the truth. But, when possible, we should do our “part to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:17-21). December 6 - - Listen to Paul’s description of our spiritual position before we committed our lives to Jesus Christ. “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions and desires of our evil nature. We were born with an evil nature, and we were under God’s anger just like everyone else” (Ephesians 2:1-3). “In those days you were living apart from Christ....you did not know the promises God had made......You lived in this world without God and without hope” (2:12). Here’s the good news: “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved.....God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (2:4-9). A good friend lost her father, whom she said was not a regular church attender. Just a few days before he died, she asked him about his spiritual state and his belief in Jesus Christ. He responded that he did believe, but I sensed within her voice that she still wasn’t sure. I told her that whether we come to know the Lord early in life or later in life, we are all saved by God’s grace and nothing we have specifically done (Ephesians 2:4-9). Salvation isn’t a gift God gives only to those who live a righteous life. None of us can ever live up to God’s high and holy standards. We can’t possibly be good enough to earn our ticket to heaven. The Christmas season is a reminder that salvation is an undeserved gift from God no matter who we are or how good we may think we are. The good works we do, and the Christlike, unselfish life we should live, are not for the purpose of earning our salvation. None of us can ever be that good (Isaiah 64:6). Our righteous life is simply our way of saying, ‘thank you’ to God for the gift of salvation He has given us (Ephesians 2:10). The great bonus is that when we live according to the pattern Jesus set for us, we will discover that his way of living is not only the right way to live, but the only way to live (Romans 12:2). We are God’s masterpiece. His signature is all over us and He is changing our character on a daily basis to more resemble His (II Corinthians 3:18). Let us strive to do our Father proud in the way we bring glory to Him (John 17:1-5,13-19).

Week 48 Devotions

November 26 - - “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows,” Jesus promised (John 16:33). Most of us would agree without any debate that Jesus was right on. Trials and sorrows come in all shapes and sizes, but they are an inevitable part of life. Why? Because God is trying to punish us? No, Paul tells us that all of creation was thrown into chaos following Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. “Against it’s will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse” (Romans 8:20). “All creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering” (vss.22&23). Christians have a promise from God to encourage, comfort, and strengthen us in the midst of our sufferings. “Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (8:35,38&39), and as a result, “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ” (8:37). God’s love for us is so wide, long, high, and deep (Ephesians 3:18) that He “causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them” (8:28). God has predestined that everyone who believes in Him will “become like His Son” (8:29). We will someday possess the same character as our brother, Jesus. And in ways that only God knows, even the trials and the troubles of this life play a major role in shaping us and molding us into Christ’s character. We need to keep this truth in mind, “what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will give us later” (8:18). “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (II Corinthians 4:16-18). Don’t forget this promise, “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9). When God says, “my gracious favor is all you need”, He assures us that “my power works best in your weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9). God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20). And, “if God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31). This life is only the introduction to the real life which is beyond what we presently see with our human eyes and experience with our human senses. We simply need to trust God when He says that He has something far better planned for us after our present human existence is over (John 14:1-3). November 30 - - Giving to others does not come naturally. We are not born with a chromosome that results in some people being more generous than others. The nature we are born with is selfish (Ephesians 2:3). We often covet that which belongs to someone else, even though we know doing so is wrong (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; 7:25; Romans 7:7; 13:9). When we want something we don’t have, we will even scheme and fight to get it (James 4:1-3). Selfishness is natural. Unselfishness is supernatural. As the embodiment of unselfishness, Jesus Christ is our physical example of what unselfish-ness looks like. “Though he was very rich (when he lived in heaven), yet for your sakes he became poor (coming to earth and living as a pauper among us), so that by his poverty he could make you rich (giving us the opportunity to some day live in heaven with him)” (II Corinthians 8:9). The human heart we are born with, “is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9). But, it is possible for goodness and even unselfishness to be displayed by people who aren’t Christians. When these traits are seen in non-Christians, it is usually a direct result of the influence of godly people. Christians living like Jesus most definitely have a significant influence and impact on the way non-Christians live. Even then, sometimes these traits are used for selfish reasons, to gain something in return. Totally unselfish people are those who have received a new heart from Jesus (II Cor.5:17). They are people who want to be like Jesus and look like Jesus. The Christians in Macedonia were commended by Paul for giving way beyond what they should have been able. And why were they able to do that? Because, their “first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord” (II Cor.8:1-5). Jesus willingly gave his life for us. No one forced him to do so (John 10:18; Matthew 26:53). Consequently, our Lord does not want us giving as a response to peer pressure or because we think we have to. When we give, Jesus wants us to do so willingly and “cheerfully” (II Cor.9:5-8). It is important as we teach Christian stewardship, not just of our finances but also of our time, talents, and opportunities that we don’t use worldly tactics in achieving our ends. For even though “we are human, we don’t wage war with human plans and methods. We use God’s mighty weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ” (II Cor.10:3-5). Saturate yourself with the truth. The truth will set us free to live as Christ wants us to, which is the best way and the only way to live (John 10:10). So, how would others classify you? Selfish? Or, unselfish?

Week 47 Devotions

November 19 - - When talking about various examples of evil in the peaceful town of Mayberry, Barney Fife used to tell Andy they needed to take action against that evil. His words were specifically, that we need to, “Nip it. Nip it in the Bud!” In other words, whenever crime was committed, it needed to be dealt with right away before it got a toehold in Mayberry and infected others who would then follow suit. In I Corinthians 5, Paul addresses an ugly situation in the church at Corinth. A stepson was living in sin with his father’s wife (vs.1). Sadly, no one in the church was doing anything about it. Everyone conveniently looked the other way and said nothing to the individual. Not only were this young man’s actions sinful, but Paul contends that allowing sin to remain among them would have a terrible influence on the rest of the body. “Don’t you realize that if even one person is allowed to go on sinning, soon all will be affected? Remove this wicked person from among you so that you can stay pure” (vss.6&7). Elsewhere, Paul had written, “bad company corrupts good character” (I Cor.15:33). And, “It takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others - - a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough” (Galatians 5:9). The Proverb writer agreed, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” (27:17). Good people can either influence their friends to do good, or bad people will influence their friends to do evil. That is why Jesus cautioned his disciples to, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6; 12:1). He knew the hypocritical lifestyles and teach-ings of these so-called religious teachers could adversely affect his followers if they were not careful. So, Paul takes to task the Corinthian Christians for allowing this man to get away with his sin without confronting him on it. Apparently, Paul had written an earlier letter (vs.9) in which he told the Corinthian Christians not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. He clarifies his earlier remark by saying that he was not referring to non-christians. If that was the case, we would all have to go into a monastery and live in total isolation. “What I meant was that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a Christian yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler” (vs.11). God will judge those outside of Christ, but it our responsibility to judge and hold accountable those who claim to belong to the family of Christ (vss.12&13). For, if we don’t keep each other accountable, who will? If we don’t hold one another to the higher standards set by Christ, who will? To be sure, our speech, even in confrontation should be “full of grace and seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6; Ephesians 4:15; John 1:14), but love demands that we expect righteous living from those who claim to be righteous. November 23 - - On March 3, 1991, Rodney King led Los Angeles police on a high speed pursuit. After driving through several red lights and stop signs, King finally pulled over. A video taken by a private citizen shows police officers beating King and the footage was televised over and over so that nearly everyone in America saw the beating taking place. Four of the officers were charged with using excessive force. When only one of the four was convicted on April 29, 1992, the acquittal of the other three triggered four days of massive riots. By the time the police and the United States Army, Marines, and National Guard restored order, the property damage totaled over $1 billion. More than 3,100 businesses were damaged. There were 7,000 responses to fires by the Fire Department. 55 people had died and there were nearly 2,400 people injured. A mob of people takes on a personality all of it’s own and it is usually ugly and evil. Individual personalities are consumed by the personality of the mob. People forget their personal moral code as they are caught up in the immoral anger of the mob. We see an example of that in Ephesus in Acts 19. Some of the local businessmen felt the preaching of Paul was resulting in the loss of revenue as the demand for idols decreased. Lies were used to incite people. Shouting ensued. Confusion reigned, and the mob was ready to take somebody’s life. Fortunately, reason eventually prevailed and the crowd dispersed before any-one was hurt. But, there are other stories in scripture of mobs out of control that did not end so peacefully (Acts 7:52-8:1; 14:19&20; 21:27-22:25). It does not take long for lies and anger to work it’s way through a crowd of people like yeast in bread (I Corinthians 5:6-8). Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) and he was prepared to rush in and defend the truth (Acts 19:30&31). But, as the writer of Ecclesiastes reminded us, “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven......a time to be silent and a time to speak” (3:1,7). Sounder minds prevailed and convinced Paul this was a time for him to remain silent and let the situation work out itself. As God’s chosen people (Colossians 3:12; I Peter 1:2), we will all be faced with times when we can choose to participate in the mindless meanderings of a mob. In that moment, we can refuse to belong to the mob, or we can stand for truth and try to bring sense to the mob (Acts 5:33-40; 19:35-41). But, “whatever we do or say, we are to do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17), with “our conversation gracious and effective so that we will have the right answer for everyone” (Col.4:6).

Week 46 Devotions

November 12 - - None of us can imagine the tremendous power Jesus had to heal, or the wisdom and charisma with which Jesus spoke. Jesus clearly understood where he had come from, why he was here, and the source of what he did, and who he was (John 13:3). With all the people he healed, all the people who hung on his every word, and all the nice things those people said about him, Jesus never lost sight of his purpose. “My food, my nourishment, that which really gets me going, is doing the will of God and completing what God gifted me to do” (Jn.4:34). “I have no desire to glorify myself” (Jn.8:50). “I do what the Father requires of me” (Jn.14:31). “I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do” (Jn.17:4).Should our lives be any different from that of Jesus? Whatever natural talents, advantages, opportunities, spiritual gifts, intelligence, or abilities God has blessed us with (John 19:11; I Cor. 4:7; Deuteronomy 8:18), He did so in order that we might bring glory to Him. Herod thought his privilege and riches were all because of what he had done. He refused to give God the glory for his life and as a result, he suffered terribly (Acts 12:21-23). On the other hand, Paul and Barnabas healed a man who had been crippled from birth (Acts 14:8-10). When the crowd saw this miracle they wanted to give glory to Paul and Barnabas. But, Paul and Barnabas reacted totally opposite from the way Herod did. Instead of accepting the people’s praise unto themselves as Herod had done, they gave glory to God. “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings like yourselves. We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God....” (Acts 14:15). God has gifted and empowered each of us for the purpose of bringing Him glory (Matthew 5:16; Genesis 12:1&2). Will we be like Jesus and use what God has given us for God’s glory (John 13:15), or will we selfishly use them for our own glory? In other words, will we respond to God’s grace and be like Herod, or will we respond to God’s grace and be like Paul and Barnabas? God will continue blessing those who rightly understand their privilege in the light of their responsibility (Matthew 25:21,23). Do you? November 16 - - As a pastor, it is easy to wonder at times if what we are doing is having any effect or impact on people’s lives. Most businesses can easily measure success or failure by sales, production, inventory, etc. In the church, however; conversion numbers, attendance numbers, and even stewardship numbers don’t always adequately reflect change in a person’s character. Success in ministry isn’t always as easy to see or measure as it is in the business world. That is why it is so encouraging when someone will say, “Hey, I just talked to a member of your congregation and they are really on fire for their faith.” Or, “I’ve got to tell you the neat thing someone in your congregation did.” Such good reports are sent by God at just the right time to encourage those who faithfully labor and live for Him (I Corinthians 15:58). The apostle Paul must have often wondered what kind of impact his ministry was having. Rarely, did he spend much time in any one place so he couldn’t see for himself whether people’s lives were changing or not. He often had to rely on the reports he received from others. When the church at Thessalonica encountered severe suffering, they faced it with a joy that could only come from the Holy Spirit. When Paul heard what was happening, he couldn’t help but write them and encourage them, even as he had already been encouraged by what he heard about them. “You, yourselves became an example to all the Christians in Greece. And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Greece, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God” (I Thessalonians 1:7&8). When we “let our light shine” for God (Matthew 5:16), when we “express our faith” through acts of love we do for others (Galatians 5:6), and when we demonstrate in our character, the evidence, or fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives (Gal.5:22&23), we are a HUGE encouragement to many, many people. We have no idea the impact our faithfulness has not only on unbelievers, but also upon those who introduced us to Jesus Christ, those who have faithfully prayed that we might find Christ and grow in Christ, those who have taught us in the faith, and most importantly, we are a huge encouragement to God. Paul put it another way in his letter to the Corinthian Christians: “Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it - - not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives - - and we publish it. We couldn’t be more sure of ourselves in this - - that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation” (II Cor.3:2-4; The Message) Let us commit ourselves to be “living sacrifices for Christ” (Romans 12:1) and in the process, not only bring praise and glory to God, but a good report and encouragement to others.