Jesus Has Stepped In...

Scripture:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (ESV)

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

Devotional:

Each and everyone of us has sinned.  Romans 3:23 (ESV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Romans 6:23 (ESV) “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  So, we have all sinned.  The cost of that sin is death or eternal separation from God.  These two statements are just the way it is.  No getting around it.  There is no sugar coating it and getting out of it. 

Each and every person is in the same predicament.   None of us can atone for, absolve, forgive, or change the fact that we have sinned and deserve death.  But, despite the doom and gloom we face there is hope.  John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” 

Look at it like you would finances.  You owe a very large sum of money to the bank.  One example would be a mortgage.  You lose your source of income, no job, no means to pay your monthly mortgage.  What happens?  Eventually you get kicked out and the bank takes your home.  You are facing being homeless.  There are no options, no hope, no way you can possibly pay what you owe.  Someone steps in and goes to the bank.  They represent you and mediate with the bank.  They pay off your mortgage.  Now you have a home with no fear of losing it to the bank.  It isn’t because of what you can do or was able to do.  It was all because someone else stepped in and paid off your debt.

Jesus has stepped in and paid your debt.  Your wages to sin has been paid by Him so that you are free to be at home in heaven with God…

Spread the word… your debt has been paid…

It Takes Jesus

Scripture:

1 John 1:9 (ESV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Devotional:

After working on a motorcycle, or car, I tend to get grease all over my hands.  No, I am not a mechanic, I just pretend to be when the brakes need to be done or an oil change is needed.   The point is that by the time I am done my hands are coated with grease.  When I rinse them with water they do not come clean.  No matter how hard I try the grease just clings to my hands.  I have found one of the best ways to clean them is to use the dish soap Dawn. 

A simple fact of life is that we are all sinners.  We each have sin in our lives.  There are things we are not proud of and want to hide.  Another fact of life is that there is nothing we can do to cleanse ourselves of our sins.  When we try it is like washing our hands with just water.  Our hands might even begin to look clean but in reality, they are still dirty.  1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins.  We will be forgiven.  John 14:6 (ESV), “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…’”

Jesus is the way, He is the light of the world.  Through Him our sins are forgiven.  Water cannot wash the grease off our hands.  It takes a good soap.  Nothing we can do will remove or cleanse us of our sins.  It takes Jesus…

Pray For One Another

Scirpture:

James 5:15-16 (ESV)

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Devotional:

Confess and pray is what James is telling us to do.  Have you ever felt heavy laden with an unbearable weight on your shoulders pressing down upon you?  When you finally decide to confess it is as if the weight of it lifts off you.  Fellowship with one another is very important if for no other reason we can confess and pray to and for one another.  In our confessions can come healing and restoration.  It is a huge step in reconciling with one another, and God.  Is there anything weighing you down?  Pray and confess to God. 

Praying is our direct line to God.  I don’t know if you remember the old Batman TV show from the sixties.  In Bruce Wayne’s study he had this red phone.  That phone was directly linked to Commissioner Gordon’s office.  Anytime either one needed to speak to the other they just picked up the phone.  We have that red phone too.  It doesn’t go to Bruce Wayne’s office.  Instead our direct connect is with God Himself.  We have quick and easy access to speak with God at any time.  Do you use it? 

How is your prayer life?  Do you pray for others?  Do other people pray for you?  One of the greatest things about where I currently work is our prayer time.  Every morning we read scripture and discuss what we read.  This is followed up with prayer concerns and praying for one another.  James knew how important prayer is.  He understood the importance of praying for each other.  I challenge you to think of at least three people to pray for.  Think about what their needs or problems are and pray over them.  I challenge you to pray for them for at least three days, if not more.  Remember there is power through prayer…

Am I A Servant?

Scripture:

Mark 10:45 (ESV)

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Devotional:

When you say the word servant what comes to mind?  The first few things that come to my mind are:

·        Butler

·        Maid

·        Waitress

·        Janitor

·        Fire Fighter

·        Police Officer

·        Teacher

Granted we tend not to think about fire fighters and police officers as serving.  But the police are there to “protect and serve.”  Firefighters save lives.  But the best example of a servant is Jesus.  What an awesome example to live up to.  Jesus stated that He came not to be served, but to serve others. 

What are some examples of serving others?  How can we have a servant’s heart?  Take a few moments to think about ways you can serve.  Maybe we can hold the door open for someone.  Maybe we can help someone carry out groceries and load them in their car.  Maybe it is to cut their grass or vacuum their house.  It could be as simple as providing a meal.  Do they need help running errands?  A simple lift to get somewhere may be all that is needed.  As you go through the day think about how you can serve someone.

How can we have a change of heart toward serving others?  A good place to start is remembering Jesus.  Put other people first.  Think of what they like, want, or even need.  If you think of others first, placing them before you, it will be easier to find ways to serve them.  Putting others first is a great way to improve your relationship and for it to grow.  They will increasingly become more important to you, and it will be easier to serve.  Serving isn’t just cleaning toilets or scrubbing floors.  Serving is more than being a maid or janitor.  Serving can be a way of life.  It is little things.  A good place to start is by actively changing your attitude, and your heart.  It may not be easy, but I bet it is easier than you think.  Go out and lend a hand, open a door, pick up something that has been dropped.  What are some things you can think of?  Remember think out of the box.  Remember Jesus came to serve…

Are you Connected to The Roots?

Scripture

John 5:15 (ESV)

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Devotional:

Reading this verse made me think about our house.  When we first moved in the back yard was overgrown with Silverthorne bushes.  Like Kudzu it can overtake the area.  I spent many Saturdays trimming back and hauling off Silverthorne branches.  After being cut down the fresh vibrant branches would begin to die.  After sitting in the trailer for a few days the leaves were brown and withered.  The branches would dry out and become weak.  They no longer received the necessary nutrients from the trunk or stems and roots of the plant.

We are just like the Silverthorne.  As long as we are abiding in Christ we have abundant life.  We need to be rooted in His word.  We must build a personal and intimate relationship with Christ.  Without Jesus we will not have life.  John 14:6 states, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

The simple truth is that we do not have life without Christ.  Branches and flowers cannot live without being connected to the roots.  Christ is our connection to the Father…

My Plan Will Work, Wont It?

Scripture:

Isaiah 25:1 (ESV)

O Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you; I will praise your name,
for you have done wonderful things,
    plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

Devotional:

Best laid plans made by me are never as good as God’s plan.  There have been many plans I have come up with.  I carefully think through each step.  What will it take and what would the outcome likely be.  I picture how great the end results are going to be.  I form my plans.  I plan and plot.  In the end though it is not my plans but God’s plans that work out for the best.

When God doesn’t move fast enough I tend to try and form my own plans.  I think out solutions and figure what’s best.  I can forget that God already has a plan.  His plan is always better than my plans.  His timing is always better than my timing.  I just don’t always see it that way. 

As I look back on my life I review when I tried it my way and compare it to when I did it God’s way.  Can you guess which way turned out better?  Every time God’s way was better.  So here comes the hard part for me.  When I don’t see God’s plan and I lose patience I have to remember scriptures like todays.  Isaiah 25:1 “…plans formed of old…”  Also, Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

I ask you to join me in waiting for God’s plan.  He will reveal them to us when the time is right.  That is when He knows it is right not when we think it is.  God never fails and He will never let us down or forsake us.  The next time you think you need to figure it out on your own just remember God has a plan.  His plan for you is better than your own plan, I promise…

Knowing Who He Is...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (ESV)

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

Devotional:

I remember as a kid drilling math cards to remember my multiplication tables.  I was never really good in school and like most kids did not want to go.  At the time I couldn’t stand it.  I had to go over the cards over and over until I could remember three times three is eight, oh wait that is nine.  I had to drill until I knew six times six was thirty-six.  Well you get the idea.  It seemed to me like hours and hours a day going over those stupid little cards.  The funny thing is that to this day I still have a majority of those little facts stuck in my head.

God knew the best way for His people to know Him and remember His laws was to have it continuously in front of them.  To this day I still have trouble with memorizing things.  But there are several Bible verses I do have memorized.  Why, it is because I read them, and then reread them.  It isn’t something I sit down and go over continuously until I have it memorized.  I read the Bible on a regular basis.  I go over different scriptures, some more than others.  Eventually they were committed to memory. 

Why is it important to know the Scripture?  Why did God tell us in the Bible to put His words on our hearts, to teach them to our children, to eat and sleep with His word?  Because without it we would stray.  OK, we stray anyways but it is a lot easier without it.  There is also another reason.  God’s word is part of the armor of God.  God’s word is the sword of truth.  It is how we defend ourselves against the enemy.  It is how we attack the enemy.  Jesus Himself used the word of God against Satan.  Matthew 4:1-11 (ESV):

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, 

“All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

So again, why is it important to study the Word of God?  So, we are prepared for what Satan and this world throws at us.  So, we can stand firm in faith.  So, that we do not wander.  So, that we know who God is.  Reading His words helps us to know who God and Jesus are.  It will help us grow stronger in our relationship with Him.  Know God’s word, the Bible, and you will know Him.  The better you know Him the better your relationship with Him will be…