Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Devotion: Fear has a way of shrinking our world, tightening our chest, and convincing us we’re standing alone. Isaiah 41:10 breaks through that heaviness with a promise strong enough to steady any trembling heart. God doesn’t simply tell us not to fear—He anchors that command in His own presence, His own strength, and His own faithful help. This verse invites us to lift our eyes from what overwhelms us and remember the One who holds us, upholds us, and walks beside us in every uncertain moment. No matter how discouraging the circumstances we may face, God is there with us. Our God is always bigger than our problems. This can be hard to remember. We, humans, have a way of making our problems turn into anxiety until they seem unbearable. Indeed, they would be unbearable if not for Jesus, who c...

  Salt and Light: The Vocation of Kingdom Citizens (Matthew 5:13–16)* Having described the character of kingdom citizens in the Beatitudes, Jesus now turns to their function in the world. The move from verse 12 to verse 13 is a direct address—"You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.” Of all the people and institutions that might have claimed this identity, Jesus assigns it to this unlikely company: the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, the persecuted. This is not a summons to become salt and light through effort; it is a declarative statement of what grace has already made them. You are the salt of the earth (v. 13). In the ancient world, salt served two chief purposes: it preserved food from decay, and it gave flavor to what was otherwise bland. Both senses likely stand behind Jesus' metaphor. The disciple community, scattered through a fallen world, functions as a restraining and preserving presence against corruption—not unlike Abraham...

  Scripture: 1 Timothy 4:14-16 (NIV) This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. Devotion: Paul, in today’s passage, calls attention to the fact that Jesus is the only way of salvation for humankind. In today’s world, this is a very controversial position to hold. Yet, hold it we must. What God has decreed in His word must be true regardless of whether it is fashionable or liberal enough for the non-Christian world. Jesus, Himself, said in the gospel of John, that He “was the way, the truth, and the life.” No other person has made that claim, let alone been raised from the dead to verify it. God wants all people to be saved. God knows that some will, because He wants to be loved freely, ultimately reject His love and perish...

  Scripture: Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV) Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Devotion: The writer of Hebrews here gives us encouragement to live by. First, we are encouraged because we are reminded that Jesus is our great high priest. He has offered himself as a sacrifice to completely atone for our sins, so that we are free to live as children of the living God. Jesus, as our high priest, has suffered temptation but has never sinned. In Him we can approach God without hesitation or fear. Finding God to be ready to assist us when we need it. Because Jesus stands in this role fo...

Scripture: Romans 8:18-21 (NIV) I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. Devotion: This passage opens a window into a hope so vast that Paul struggles to compare it with anything we experience now. Truly, we await a future hope that is beyond description. God will not only save humans who believe and follow Him, but He will also set all nature in order. No more floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, or tornadoes will plague the world. No more will humans spoil God’s creation. We cannot even begin to imagine what is in store for us in a creation put right by its Creator. This passage i...

  Scripture: Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Devotion: This scripture opens with a statement that immediately brings up a question. Who is in this great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us? Are they those Christians who have gone before us? Can those who have passed on see us? The text seems to say yes to both questions. What kind of exemplary lives should we then live if this is the case? We must then, as the next section of the passage states, rid ourselves of anything that would hinder us. A...