I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.
1 Timothy 2:1-6

A Better Place

Daily Devotion – July 24, 2022

Devotion based on 1 Timothy 2:1-6

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“What can I do to make this world a better place?” A look at the sad, scary state of current events, both local and worldwide, can lead one to wonder, “Is there really anything I can do that will make a difference?”

Yes, there is. The apostle Paul says to us, “Pray.” Paul urges us to pray for everyone. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, citizens of our country and for people around the world. Pray.

Especially pray for all those in authority. Pray for local authorities and national authorities. And pray for kings and authorities around the world. Whether it is the authorities at home or abroad, Paul doesn’t say, “Ridicule them.” He doesn’t say, “Put them down.” He doesn’t say, “Make sure everyone knows their faults.” He says, “Pray for them.” Pray for them so we can live peaceful and quiet lives.

When we live peaceful and quiet lives, we can live in all godliness and holiness. And then we can proclaim the real difference-maker, Jesus. God wants all people to be saved. That happens when people come to a knowledge of the truth. Not just any truth, but the truth that Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and people. The truth that Jesus Christ is the one who has established peace between God and all people. The truth that Jesus Christ is the one who has opened heaven for us. He did that by giving himself as a ransom, by taking our sins upon himself, by offering his body and blood for us on the cross.

Life with Jesus—that’s what truly makes this world a better place.

Prayer:
Lord God, guide and bless all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Then guide and bless us as we proclaim Jesus, the difference-maker for this life and for eternity. Amen.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41,42

Better

Daily Devotion – July 22, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 10:41,42

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Mary and Martha are sisters. They trust in Jesus as their Savior and know him personally. They are his friends. One day, Jesus arrives in their home. Mary settles down to listen to Jesus speak. Martha, however, has hospitality on her mind.

Let’s stop, for a moment, to appreciate the pressure Martha is feeling. In our casual culture, you and I may handle some company simply by ordering in a pizza. That is not what Martha faces. In the culture of the 1st Century, hospitality is a sober business. When you open your home to guests, you do all you can to treat them well. Failing to do so is an insult to them and a disgrace to you.

And so here is Martha, laboring to show Jesus the best hospitality she can. And what is her sister doing to help? Nothing. She just sits there, listening to Jesus. Perhaps more than a few of us, therefore, can sympathize with Martha when she finally lets off some steam and asks Jesus, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

Then comes Jesus’ affectionate reply, but a reply packed with meaning.

Does Jesus ever say that Martha is doing a bad thing? Of course not. Showing hospitality is a beautiful fruit of faith. In fact, other parts of the Bible praise it. In this moment, however, Jesus is speaking to what is better.

In the current lifestyle of our society, busyness is a badge of honor. When that busyness, however, even in service to God—when that busyness robs me of the opportunity for the Lord to serve me in his Word, then I’ve lost my way. Then I need to repent of my busyness.

But that’s why Jesus came. He came to wash away my sins of busyness. He came to spend his time perfectly on my behalf. In him, all is well. In him, I can begin again.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when I lose my way, grant me a repentant heart. Forgive my busyness. Refresh me to choose what is better. Amen.

Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh . . .? Is anything too hard for the LORD?”
Genesis 18:13,14

Laughter

Daily Devotion – July 19, 2022

Devotion based on Genesis 18:13,14

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He’s not exactly a household name today, but back in the 1980s and early 90s, Bill Hicks was a powerful presence in the world of comedy. The kind of comedy that other comedians were talking about.

His routines produced raucous laughter. His material, however, was often dark. He pushed boundaries. And he had some favorite targets. One of them was religion—Christianity in particular. At times he would select a particular teaching and then use his considerable skills to firebomb it with ridicule. Explosions of laughter typically followed.

The laughter of ridicule brings with it a curious thing. It brings with it a sense that the case is now closed, the winning argument has prevailed, and there’s nothing more to be said. Sometimes this is true. And sometimes it is not.

In Genesis chapter 18, the Lord announced to an elderly Abraham and Sarah that Sarah would be with child. Sarah’s reaction? Sarah laughed. Hers, however, was not the laughter of joy. It was the laughter of ridicule.

You and I often encounter the same thing. We don’t simply hear such laughter, however, from critics of Christianity. You and I can also hear such laughter snorting from our old sinful selves. In our heart of hearts, you and I know we have sometimes yielded to the temptation not to take our God seriously—whether it’s one of his promises or part of his will for our lives.

Thank God for Jesus. Thank God that, for all the times Satan has talked us into rolling our eyes over a truth of Scripture, Jesus, our Substitute, never did. And thank God that Jesus has taken all our sinful laughter and paid for it in full at Calvary’s cross.

Sarah’s laughter was not the closing argument. The Lord was. He fulfilled his promise to give Abraham and Sarah a child.

One more thing. Bill Hicks died of cancer in 1994. According to a close friend, there was a shock at his funeral when someone revealed that, before his death, Bill Hicks had confessed his faith in Jesus as his Savior. If that’s the case, Bill now enjoys another kind of laughter. The laughter of joy in Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord, fill my spirit with the laughter of joy in you. Amen.

The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
Galatians 5:17

A Life of Conflict

Daily Devotion – July 16, 2022

Devotion based on Galatians 5:17

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It’s a common thought that life for Christians ought to become easier, troubles should fade away, and there would be a great sense of peace that settles into everything they feel and think.

The apostle Paul would disagree.

The reality is that, in many ways, the exact opposite is true. The moment the Holy Spirit brings you to faith in Jesus, a conflict begins in your heart—a conflict between the Holy Spirit who has entered your heart and your sinful nature with which you were born.

This conflict is total. The Holy Spirit and your sinful nature agree on nothing. As Paul says, “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other.”

And make no mistake. This conflict is not some polite, parlor-game debate about ethics and theology. It is a fierce, bitter, ferocious, violent cage-match for the ownership of your soul. In addition, this conflict does not merely last a few months or years. It is life-long. It ends only when you die.

Is such a life of conflict worth it? No doubt, there are times we get tired of the fight. And there are plenty of times when we lose battles. But when we stop and remember what we possess through faith in Jesus Christ—forgiveness of sin, peace with God, deliverance in every difficult moment, eternal life in heaven; when we stop and remember what we have, we know the answer.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, fill me with your Spirit for the lifelong conflict in my heart. Remind me of all the wonderful things I possess through faith in you. Amen.

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Luke 10:29

Your Neighbor

Daily Devotion – July 14, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 10:29

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The man who asked this question wanted to inherit eternal life by obeying God’s law. Jesus had just told him that he needed to love his God and his neighbor perfectly. The man knew he would not be able to do that no matter how hard he tried.

But because he wanted to claim he had obeyed all of God’s laws, he asked the question, “And who is my neighbor?” This was an attempt to lower God’s standard and make the law doable. In his mind earning his way into heaven depended on who his neighbor was. He wanted to divide people into neighbors and non-neighbors—those who deserved his love and those who did not.

All of us are born into this world thinking the same thing—that the way to inherit eternal life is through obedience. Yet the only way we could ever do that is by lowering God’s standard for perfection into something more attainable.

However, living like that does not help you earn heaven; it just helps you justify ignoring people God wants you to help. And while it’s logical to think that limiting how many neighbors you have will allow you to keep God’s command, it is not biblical.

According to the Bible, your neighbors are more than just the people who live next to you; they are everyone God puts across your path. There are no restrictions on who your neighbor is.

Christ came to destroy the sinful mindset that focuses on some neighbors to the exclusion of others. He perfectly loved his neighbor when he laid down his life for everyone who has ever lived, is living, or will live. Your eternal life is guaranteed by Jesus.

As a result, there is no need to lower God’s standard. Your neighbor is not an opportunity to earn heaven but an opportunity to love the people Christ already died for. When you focus on that, it transforms you into a neighbor to everyone else.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for earning eternal life for me. Help me to love you by loving my neighbor. Amen.

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:25-28

Doing Versus Believing

Daily Devotion – July 13, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 10:25-28

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How Jesus responded to this question is interesting. When tested by an expert in God’s Old Testament law, Jesus was not offended. The man’s question was important because it was about eternal life with God.

But his question showed that he thought eternal life was something to be earned: “What needs to be done, Jesus? Give me the divine to-do list!” Jesus answered with a test of his own, “What did God say in his law?”

The expert replied: “Love God above everything and love your neighbor as yourself.” That was a correct answer that sounds very simple. The problem is that it is an impossible way to live.

It probably would not take much time to remember things you have loved more than God. Likewise, you probably don’t need to try very hard to remember times you have loved yourself more than the people around you.

So, if you want to inherit eternal life by your own effort, you are placing yourself under a standard you can never meet. That expert in the law could not do it, and neither can you. No one can. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Jesus was trying to get the man to understand that inheriting eternal life has nothing to do with following God’s laws but everything to do with believing in God’s Son.

Because Jesus was always focused on his mission as our Savior. He not only taught God’s law, he also obeyed it perfectly because we cannot. Every law is complete in Christ, and “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for my lack of love and give me faith in your Son, my Savior. Amen.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.”
Ruth 1:16,17

Your God

Daily Devotion – July 11, 2022

Devotion based on Ruth 1:16,17

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Years before the woman named Ruth made the promise we read in our Bible passage today, her mother-in-law, Naomi, and her husband had left Israel and moved to a foreign country called Moab. While they were there, their two sons married two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. First, Naomi’s husband died, then both her sons.

Now a childless widow, Naomi wanted to return to her home in Israel. She convinced Orpah to go back to her parents, but Ruth insisted on staying with Naomi. Why would Ruth leave her home to travel with her mother-in-law to where she had no acquaintances, no family, and no prospects?

Listen to her promise: “Your God will be my God.” When she joined Naomi’s family by marriage, Ruth came to believe in the one true God. Their common faith in the coming Savior motivated Ruth to make this promise, even though it must have hurt to leave her home. Ruth knew that nothing in this world–even the familiar surroundings of her home and family–was worth losing her faith in the one, true God.

The same God Ruth worshiped is our God. He is the one true God. He is the God who came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ to rescue us from our sins and the eternal death they deserve. When you are tempted to turn from him to other things that are less important, remember what he was willing to do for you. Then you, like Ruth, will be thankful that he is your God.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I thank you that you are my God. Amen.

Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
Ruth 1:16

Following God

Daily Devotion – July 10, 2022

Devotion based on Ruth 1:16

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Following God is not always easy. He never said it would be. Jesus himself insisted that in order to follow him we must daily pick up our cross—whatever that cross might be. It has always been this way. Following God is not easy.

A woman named Ruth discovered this reality. She was not one of God’s people by birth. She was a foreigner from the land of Moab. But she had married an Israelite man and had learned about the Lord from her husband and his family. Then, tragedy struck. Her husband died along with her husband’s brother and father. When Ruth’s mother-in-law decided to go back to Israel, Ruth went with her. It was not easy. She left everyone and everything she knew. But she was determined. You see, Ruth had come to trust in the God of Israel. She could not stay in Moab and worship the false gods found there. It was not easy to leave, but if that was what it took to follow the true God, then that was what Ruth would do.

Thank God that he has forgiven us for the many times we have failed to follow him, times we have gone our own way. Thank him today by following him no matter how difficult the road might be.

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for perfectly following your Father’s will in my place. Help me bear whatever crosses come my way that I may follow you this day. Amen.

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out.”
Luke 10:2,3

The Harvest

Daily Devotion – July 9, 2022

Devotion based on Luke 10:2,3

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When I was in grade school and high school, I worked for a couple different dairy farmers as a farmhand. I enjoyed being around the milking cows and their calves. I also enjoyed working out in the fields. In October, we would harvest the corn crop. The farmer would drive the harvester combine in the cornfield. My job was to drive a tractor from the field back to the farm pulling a wagon filled with corn to be unloaded into a corn crib. Eventually the cows would eat the harvested corn. I enjoyed doing my part in the corn harvest.

In today’s Bible reading, Jesus told his disciples that it was time for the harvest. Jesus wasn’t talking about harvesting corn. He meant harvesting the souls of the many people in his day that weren’t trusting in him as this world’s only Savior from sin, death, and hell. Jesus instructed his disciples to take this important matter to the Lord in prayer, asking God to provide the needed spiritual harvesters. Then Jesus said, “Go! I am sending you.” The disciples themselves were the answer to their prayers. They were to go and proclaim the good news of a living Savior to a dying world.

Look around in your family, neighborhood, place of work, or school. Do you see how plentiful the harvest is? All around are the souls of real people who are living and dying in unbelief and sin, tragically becoming part of Satan’s hell harvest even though their sins were paid for by the blood of Jesus. Pray to the Lord to provide the needed spiritual harvesters. And then recognize that Jesus is saying to you, “Go! I am sending you.” You are the answer to your prayer. Jesus harvested you so that you could now be his spiritual combine and harvest others for heaven.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for harvesting my soul by bringing me to faith in you as my personal Savior from my sins. Send out workers, myself included, into your ripe harvest fields. Bless our harvesting efforts to your glory. Amen.