Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
2 Timothy 2:10

Willing to Endure

Daily Devotion – July 12, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 2:10

See series: Devotions

What would you be willing to endure if you knew, without a doubt, that you could change one person’s eternal fate? What comforts would you give up? What sacrifices would you make in order to make sure that person’s soul ends up in heaven with God?

God knows who the elect are. In other words, he knows those who will have faith in him and be in heaven one day. We can’t see people’s hearts. We’re not in charge of the results of what happens when we proclaim God’s Word to people. The Holy Spirit is in charge of those results. But we can be active and faithful in pointing people to God’s Word and the message of Christ.

Like Paul, we might face adversity or pushback to our message. It might not be comfortable to speak about our faith. We likely won’t get thrown in prison. But we may find that this world is still just as hostile to the Word of God as it was in Paul’s day. We may have to endure some hardships if we’re going to be disciples of Jesus.

Yet, Paul was willing to endure it all. If reaching someone with the salvation that is in Christ Jesus meant having to go through pain and discomfort in his own life, he considered that worth it. The other person’s eternal gain outweighed his temporary personal pain. Paul’s rock he could lean on to endure the hardships was knowing that he’d already obtained the eternal glory that is in Christ. No matter what happened to him, he was already a victor. He’d already won his race before actually crossing the finish line.

As a believer, you also already know the end of your story. Your eternal fate is sealed with the blood of Jesus shed for you on the cross. His empty tomb will become yours. So, let’s endure whatever we need to in order to make that end of the story a reality for others, too. Let’s run across the finish line into heaven with as many others as possible!

Prayer:
Dear gracious Lord, help me endure suffering and hardship on behalf of you and your gospel. Use me to bring your saving word to all. Amen.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal.
2 Timothy 2:8,9

A Pastor’s Death Row Wish

Daily Devotion – July 10, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 2:8,9

See series: Devotions

If your pastor knew he could only say one more thing to you from his deathbed, what do you think he would say?

When the apostle Paul wrote the book of 2 Timothy, he knew he would soon be put to death. Paul longed to see Timothy one more time. But he wrote as if he knew his time was too short for that to happen. Of all the final advice and encouragement Paul gave to Timothy, perhaps none of it is simpler and more important than this one phrase: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David.” He was saying, “Timothy, always remember what Jesus has done for you and who he is.”

This was the message that had put Paul in chains. But he wouldn’t have traded that gospel message for the world. Paul’s death-row wish for Timothy was that he would always remember Jesus, the Son of David, risen from the dead for him, too. This was the one thing that mattered most. If Timothy held to faith in the risen Christ, then he and Paul would certainly meet again in heaven.

I’ll bet your pastor would like to say the same thing to you if he only had one sentence left to give you. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David.” Your Savior’s identity as the chosen Messiah and his work of rising from the dead for you has set you free from sin and death. Because of that, one day, you’ll be able to say it with the same confidence as Paul, “I have finished the race…Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.”

Prayer:
Dear risen Savior, Son of David, go with me as I run my race and take me to life everlasting with you. Amen.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:1

Be Strong in Grace

Daily Devotion – July 8, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Timothy 2:1

See series: Devotions

Be strong in your faith. Be strong in your convictions. Be strong in times of hardship. Those are phrases you’d expect to hear if someone were trying to offer you life encouragement. But the apostle Paul had an even better phrase to share with his young friend and fellow pastor, Timothy. He said to Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

Paul wrote the book of 2 Timothy near the end of his life. These words were Paul’s last will and testament for Timothy. You’d expect Paul to tell Timothy to be strong in holding to the truth and strong and bold in his proclamation of the gospel. Paul does tell Timothy to be strong in those ways, but more importantly, he tells Timothy, “Be strong in the grace of Jesus.”

Strength is usually gained by going to the gym and working out. Strength is gained by doing something, like training and putting in hard work. But here, Paul was telling Timothy to find spiritual strength by simply resting in the strength of Christ. The undeserved love and grace that Jesus had given to Timothy would give him the ability to be strong in all the other ways. Because Timothy was wrapped up in the grace of Christ’s saving work for him, he would also have the strength to hold to his conviction and proclaim the gospel despite rejection and hardship.

These words of life encouragement aren’t just for Timothy. They are for you, too. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Simply rest in the strength and work of your Savior.

Prayer:
Dear mighty Father, wrap me in the strength of your love for me. Keep me always in Christ, my strong rock and refuge. Amen.

Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22,23

Every Morning

Daily Devotion – July 6, 2024

Devotion based on Lamentations 3:22,23

See series: Devotions

What’s your morning ritual? When does the blaring of the alarm clock burst your pleasant sleep? What can you “check off” your list before leaving the house for the day? Is receiving compassion one of those things?

You might not notice it, but God has already been busy before your alarm clock stirs you to action. God tells you that his love and compassion protect and greet you every morning.

Why would you and I need God’s love and compassion every morning? God tells us that we are sinners. There are so many times we have done, said, or thought things that God hates. Not only do we commit sins, but God also tells us that we have a sinful nature that hates what God loves and loves what God hates. Because of what we do and who we are by nature, we deserve to “be consumed”—punished by God.

But God promises to treat us differently than we deserve. In love, God decided to treat his Son differently than he deserved, too. Jesus was punished in our place and for all of our sins. He suffered in our place on the cross and died. In love, God let his Son, Jesus, be consumed because of our sins.

Now, God greets you each day with his love and compassion. For the sake of Jesus, God forgives your sins. You produce new sins every day. So, God gives you love and compassion every day—new every morning.

May God bless you with sleep that leaves you feeling “new” every morning. Whether or not your physical rest brings you into the new day feeling refreshed, God faithfully greets you each morning with his love and compassion through Jesus. May God’s great love and unfailing compassion refresh you every morning and propel you through each day.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I daily sin and deserve only your wrath and punishment. Thank you for your love and compassion—new every morning! In the peace and power of forgiveness, lead me to thank you with all that I do. Amen.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed . . . we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself.
2 Corinthians 4:8,9,14

The Freedom that Brings Life

Daily Devotion – July 4, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 4:8,9,14

See series: Devotions

On July 4, 1776, the American Declaration of Independence was signed. In its prologue were these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

American politics is full of debates and arguments about the best ways to preserve those so-called unalienable rights. But governments and politicians can’t prevent death, nor can they make us truly free or create a path to uninhibited happiness.

Today’s Bible verse describes a life that doesn’t sound very happy: “hard pressed… perplexed… persecuted… struck down.” As he writes about the Christian life, the author doesn’t promise that life will be easy and carefree—exactly the opposite. But he does seem to give some hope. He writes that, even though all those things are true, we aren’t “crushed… in despair… abandoned… destroyed.”

It may sound like a never-say-die attitude. “Don’t give up. Look on the bright side. Make the best of it.” But our confidence doesn’t come from our own determination or efforts to fight back against what threatens us and overthrow our enemies.

It comes from knowing the one who has already done that for us. “The one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus.” Jesus fought for freedom from death itself. He won that fight by overturning the cause of death—mankind’s disobedience of God’s perfect laws. By living a perfect life and dying an innocent death, he paid the price for our sins once and for all. His rising from the dead was proof that death’s claim on us was ended because our guilt was gone.

Because Jesus rose from the dead, so will we. He gives us life that never ends, liberty from guilt and the grave, and perfect happiness that lasts forever.

Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for all who fight for human freedoms. But most of all, thank you for fighting to set me free from death. Amen.

It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:26

Worth Waiting For

Daily Devotion – July 2, 2024

Devotion based on Lamentations 3:26

See series: Devotions

Waiting is hard. In a world in which everything moves faster and faster, we expect everything to come to us quickly. It is hard to wait. What if you know what you are waiting for is worth the wait? Does that make it easier? That wedding date you’ve had circled on your calendar for over a year. That vacation you’ve planned and saved up for. That visit from loved ones you haven’t seen for a long time.

Israel’s history was a history of waiting. When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to send his Son to crush the devil’s head. But he wouldn’t come in their lifetime. They had to wait. From Abraham to David to Jeremiah and beyond, for centuries, the people waited and waited.

We live in a time of waiting, too. Waiting for Jesus to come back and be delivered from our sorrows and suffering once and for all. When will that day come? We don’t know. Since the day Jesus ascended into heaven, God’s people have been waiting and praying, “Deliver us from evil.”

But that waiting is hard.

You know how hard it is if your health is failing, your body is weakening, and you simply want to see your Savior. “Lord, deliver me.”

You know how hard it is if you’ve had to spend another night in a hospital bed or another day struggling to make ends meet. “Lord, deliver me.”

You know how hard it is if you’ve been mocked or bullied for confessing Christ at school or work. “Lord, deliver me.”

While we wait for the Lord’s deliverance, we are tempted to grow impatient, discouraged, frustrated, and even angry with him.

But the Bible says, “It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” We can come before God in humility, saying, “Lord, I don’t have the answers to life’s problems. You do. I don’t need to be in control because you are. I don’t have to worry because you love me. Lord, forgive my fears and frustration, my impatience and anger. I wait in hope for you. Because you love me and are coming to deliver me, I know you are worth waiting for.”

Prayer:
Lord, help me wait patiently for your deliverance. Amen.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
2 Corinthians 4:6,7

Don’t Judge a Package by Its Cover

Daily Devotion – June 30, 2024

Devotion based on 2 Corinthians 4:6,7

See series: Devotions

Have you ever given someone a present in plain paper wrapping? Why did you do it? Was it to surprise them? Did it work? To surprise someone with a special gift that they are not expecting can give an extra lift to the receiver.

Paul described a gift from God in plain paper wrapping (jars of clay) in our Bible passage. The gift was a treasure, the gospel, God’s plan of salvation for sinful mankind, which includes you and me. Ever since sin separated Adam and Eve from God, that separation has continued in all their descendants. And we can do nothing to bridge the gap between God and us. But God could, and he did! He sent his Son to live a perfect life, and then suffer and die in our place. Jesus has taken all our sins and paid for them, rising victoriously from the grave and defeating Satan for all time. This message is that treasure, the gospel, where God spells it all out for us.

And the plain paper wrapping, the jars of clay, as Paul described them? Paul was describing himself as a sinful, unworthy human, in need of the same salvation he was preaching. And that is true today. God still tells us the story of our salvation through sinful humans using the everyday language that we understand. That treasure is as powerful today as it was in Bible times. You and I have the same assurance of salvation as those who listened to Paul.

Don’t underestimate the power of what God has given us—our salvation through his Son, Jesus.

Prayer:
Thank you for gifting me the forgiveness of sins through my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
Psalm 42:1

Thirst Quencher

Daily Devotion – June 28, 2024

Devotion based on Psalm 42:1

See series: Devotions

This pastoral passage doesn’t depict a deer drinking deeply from a meandering stream in a peaceful forest. Picture, rather, an antelope wandering aimlessly in the wilderness during a time of drought. There is nothing to ease its thirst, just the hope of the slow trickle of a desert stream. Nothing else will do.

This is not a peaceful image. As we read these words, we should feel the desperation and determination of this dear animal. It is the same desperation and determination we experience during difficult days.

Just as only water will do when we are dehydrated, so only God will do when we are desperate. Why? Because God created us for himself, so only a relationship with our source of life can satisfy us.

Are you looking for love? Are you longing for a relationship? Are you doubting your worth? Are you searching for a purpose? Are you lacking contentment? The Lord, your Shepherd, supplies all you need.

He satisfies your hunger. He quenches your thirst. He gives rest to the weary. He leads the lost. He defends those in danger. He laid down his life for you to save you from your greatest enemies. And he lives to lead you to waters that well up to eternal life.

Imagine if all your needs could be taken care of with one solution. Imagine if, in all our needs, we always desired God. Think of the freedom we would have. The joy. The peace. The energy. The enthusiasm. The excitement. That’s what God provides all the time. Because in him, we have forgiveness. In him, we are family. In him, we are cared for, provided for, and protected for time and eternity.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, my soul thirsts for you. Satisfy my desires with good things. Amen.

So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
Acts 27:25

Take Courage

Daily Devotion – June 26, 2024

Devotion based on Acts 27:25

See series: Devotions

Water is powerful. With enough mass and momentum, water topples buildings.

Water is persistent. A little water over a length of time erodes rock and rusts metal.

Water is petrifying. Although our bodies are waterproof, we can drown in one inch of water.

Combine power, persistence, and petrifying in the form of a storm, and even the most experienced sailors will be terrified.

That’s the situation Paul found himself in. He was on a ship bound for Rome. A fierce wind kicked up a terrible storm. The waves were so powerful the sailors were afraid they were going to sink. The clouds were so thick they couldn’t navigate by the sun or stars. For two weeks, they were driven along by the whim of the wind. The sailors were terrified, tired, and hungry.

Despite the odds, Paul told the crew, “Keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed” (Acts 27:22). How could Paul know? What gave him such confidence? One of God’s angels told him.

When life’s trials weigh us down, it is easy to lose hope and stop trusting God. But because of what Paul experienced in the storm, he could write, “In all things God works good to them that love him who have been called according to his purpose.”

God called Paul to proclaim the message of Jesus to the pagan world. He had promised that Paul would take the gospel to Rome. And he did. For two years, Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God. And many listened and believed.

God calls each of us for the same purpose. He gives each of us the same promise. He will never leave or forsake us. Because of Jesus’ saving work, nothing can separate us from God’s love. No one will snatch you out of his hands. Even in the most trying times, God will work good for you and through you.

So, keep up your courage.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, stay with me always, especially when I’m having a bad day. Give me courage, confidence, and good cheer because you are leading me safely through life’s challenges. Amen.

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm.
Job 38:1

Out of the Storm

Daily Devotion – June 24, 2024

Devotion based on Job 38:1

See series: Devotions

Job was a good man—a man of integrity and honesty. Job had a great life. Fame. Fortune. Family. Friends. But, in a short span of time, he lost almost every earthly blessing. His wealth. His health. His children.

Job’s wife encouraged him to give up his relationship with God. Job’s friends insisted that God must be punishing him for something terrible he did. The more they insisted, the more Job pushed back. He demanded an audience with God. He would present his case and prove that God was not justified in allowing him to suffer.

Job’s response is a common one. Storms arise—a disturbing diagnosis, job loss, the death of a loved one—we struggle and suffer and make all kinds of assumptions. Maybe we did something to deserve it. God must be punishing us.

Yes, sometimes we must suffer the consequences of something sinful we have done. But more often, storms arise because we live in a sinful world. And, like Job, we cry out to God. We demand to know why. We say that it’s not fair and we have done nothing to deserve it.

And God answers. Maybe he doesn’t answer you personally. But we can all learn something from his response to Job. When storms arise in life, we imagine that God has turned his back on us and abandoned us. But the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.

What does this short verse tell us? Even in those storms, God is there. The Lord is with you. He is the unchanging, eternal, faithful God of compassion and grace. He is your Redeemer who conquered death, forgives your sins, heals your diseases, and who saved your life from the pit. His love abounds. His mercy is more. He’s by your side and above the storms. If he brought you to it, he will bring you safely through it. Trust him. He’s in control.

Prayer:
Lord, you spoke, and everything came into being. You spoke, and storms were calmed. You spoke, and the dead were raised. Speak, O Lord, out of my storm. I am waiting on you. Amen.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘I myself will take a shoot from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches. . . I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’”
Ezekiel 17:22-24

A Promise

Daily Devotion – June 22, 2024

Devotion based on Ezekiel 17:22-24

See series: Devotions

Have you ever made a promise and then broke it? That question gets personal when you think of the promises you have made to your spouse, children, or best friend and how many times you have let them down. That question gets more personal when you think of the promises you have made to God, and how many times you have failed him. It is one big reason we struggle with so much guilt.

Did you notice in the reading from Ezekiel, how many promises your Sovereign Lord makes to you? He declares, “I myself will… I will… I will do it.” He promised to raise a small shoot into a great tree that would provide shelter and shade for all who nest in that tree. The small shoot that becomes a great tree is Jesus Christ, your Savior from all sin. The birds who nest in the tree are all the people who come to Jesus for rest from their guilt. The shade and shelter the tree provides is the loving and merciful care that Jesus gives to you.

Now, if you want to see the impact of these words in Ezekiel, look at them this way: For every time you said “I will” to your Lord but didn’t, your Lord said “I will” to you and did. And you can see what he did on another tree. He died for you on the cross. From that tree, there is forgiveness for all your broken promises. From that tree, there is a promise kept that leads to eternal life.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, forgive me for my broken promises to you. Thank you for keeping your promise to me. Thank you for the refuge I have in Jesus. Amen.

[Jesus said] “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29

The Growing Seed

Daily Devotion – June 20, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 4:26-29

See series: Devotions

Seeds appear to be just little things that are dry and dead. Actually, they are teeming with life. Inside the outer coat is a root and a shoot just waiting to jump out and start growing, along with a powerful energy supply to keep it growing until it can make its own energy. It’s a simple yet fantastic design that continues to work despite gene manipulation, the production of hybrids, and all the attacks from fungi, bugs, and plant viruses. The human race is only one failed seed season away from starvation. But we don’t worry because we know the seed designer who has promised that “…seedtime and harvest…will never cease” (Genesis 8:22) as long as the earth endures. Seeds work.

So Jesus used the story of a seed to illustrate what the Christian Church is like. In this chapter of Mark, he tells three different seed stories that clearly show the power of the gospel in causing and growing the Church of all who believe in Jesus. It’s the seed chapter in the Bible.

You may have heard this message a thousand times, but it still brings a thrill to your believing heart and makes that faith stronger. It’s been proclaimed worldwide, has caused 2 billion people to say, “I believe in Jesus,” and is still going strong! That’s why you read through the Bible, so your faith will grow along with your knowledge. It’s also why you plant the gospel with as many people as possible so that more people can join us in the kingdom!

Prayer:
Dear Holy Spirit, thank you for putting your power at work in the seed of the gospel. Lead me to hear it and read it so that it can grow my faith stronger. Lead me to plant it in the ears and minds of others so you can bring them into the kingdom of Jesus. Amen.

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29

Growth Without Effort

Daily Devotion – June 18, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 4:26-29

See series: Devotions

Farming is a lot of work. Farmers are some of the hardest-working people that I have the privilege of knowing. They are up before the sun and go to bed long after the sun has set. They plant and harvest. They maintain buildings, equipment, and acreage. They make deals buying what the farm needs and selling what it produces.

However, the one thing they don’t have to do is cause the plants to grow. The farmer cannot will them to grow or find just the right words to say to inspire the seeds to sprout. The farmer can’t pay a bribe to make the plants grow or put in some overtime hours to make the plants grow. The seeds sprout, grow, and produce a harvest all on their own.

It is the same with the kingdom of God. There is much to do in the kingdom of God, and like the farmer, we are to be busy. There are people to love and good works to do. We are to be busy loving our neighbor as ourselves and keeping the commands of God.

However, the one thing we don’t do is cause the kingdom of God to grow. We scatter seed by sharing his Word, but the kingdom of God does not grow by our own will or efforts. It doesn’t grow because I want it to or because I have inspired it. Though we might not know how it grows, it will have a harvest all on its own.

There is much for us to do in the kingdom of God. Yet the growth is not our work or effort, but God’s.

Prayer:
Father of the harvest, keep me busy doing your work and sowing the seed. Yet remind me that it is not my work, but yours. Amen.

[Jesus] also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29

Powerful Seed

Daily Devotion – June 16, 2024

Devotion based on Mark 4:26-29

See series: Devotions

Hold a seed in your hand, and it appears lifeless. But plant it in the ground, and from that seed emerges a tender sprout that pushes its way up through the soil and grows into a sturdy plant. We can loosen and fertilize the soil and supply ample moisture, but we cannot empower a seed to germinate and grow. It does that all by itself because that’s the way God created it.

Jesus used the nature of a seed to describe the working of God’s Word. When the good news of Jesus was planted in your heart, the power of God caused faith in Jesus to sprout and grow. This happened because God was working through his Word to give you new life and all the blessings of being a child of God.

You can’t produce saving faith on your own; no more than you can cause a planted seed to grow. God accomplished it completely for you. God loves you so much that he brought you to faith in Jesus and still uses his Word in your life to help you grow in faith. Therefore, you can look forward with confidence to the day of the harvest when Jesus will come to gather you and all his believers to be with him in eternal glory.

Prayer:
As you have used your Word, O God, to bring me to faith in Jesus, help me grow in my faith as you nourish me each day with the good news of my salvation. Amen.

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan.
Revelation 20:2

Ancient Serpent

Daily Devotion – June 14, 2024

Devotion based on Revelation 20:2

See series: Devotions

It is 2017. Scientists in Europe are conducting an experiment. They are showing a series of pictures to 6-month-old babies. With each picture, the scientists record the dilation of the babies’ pupils. One picture is of a flower. When the babies see the flower, their pupils remain the same. Another picture is of a fish. When the babies see the fish, their pupils remain the same. On the experiment goes.

But then, somewhere along the line, the scientists display the picture of a serpent. When the babies see the serpent, their reaction is different. Even though these infants have no experience with serpents, their pupils dilate, their bodies grow agitated, and they display signs of stress. With this experiment, the scientists conclude in their report that, for some reason, most humans seem to be born with an innate fear of serpents.

Perhaps that should not surprise us. It was the serpent, after all, through which Satan tempted our first parents to sever their relationship with God. It received a curse as a result—destined to crawl and squirm on its belly. Indeed, people have feared serpents for a very long time.

But the image of a serpent is also part of something wonderful. In the last book of the Bible, God’s Word makes reference to what’s recorded in the first book of the Bible. Revelation 20:3 speaks of that ancient serpent—who is the devil or Satan. Someone is seizing that ancient serpent, exerting victorious might. This is possible only because God has fulfilled his promise to send a Savior from sin—the descendent of Adam and Eve who would crush the serpent’s head and destroy the devil’s power.

The ancient serpent, of course, still tries to find ways to frighten, startle, and drive us to despair. When he tries, remember the one who has already come. Remember the one who has lived a holy life in our place and suffered and died for our every sin. Remember the one who lives and reigns. Remember the one who has crushed the ancient serpent. Remember Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, when Satan tries to frighten me, remind me that he’s crushed. Remind me of you. Amen.