Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV) “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Devotion: Today’s scripture passage is a devotional unto itself. It makes us consider our own lives and how we live day to day. We often look only to the surface appearance of things. God, through the prophet, urges us to go deeper and consider how we can really live the life that God wants for us to live. Let us now consider what God has promised those who seek the deeper life in Him. This scripture is alive with vivid images; let’s unpack them now. First, consider the tree’s roots. They are reaching for the stream that flows with the life of God. Roots are hidden from us. But through them flows the abundant life of God. For us, it represents the disci...

  Scripture: Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV) The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Devotion: There are days when the weight of life makes it hard to imagine God’s joy toward us. We know His holiness, His justice, His power — but His delight? His singing? Zephaniah’s words break into our weariness with a tenderness that almost feels too good to be true. In a book filled with warnings and calls to repentance, this verse rises like a sunrise after a long night. It reminds us that the God who judges sin is also the God who draws near, saves, delights, and sings over His people. Today’s devotion invites you to rest in the strong and joyful heart of the Lord. “The Lord your God is with you.” Before anything else, Zephaniah anchors us in God’s presence. Not distant. Not indifferent. Not occasionally attentive. He is with you — steady, faithful, coven...

  Scripture: Isaiah12:4-5 (NIV) In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. Devotion: In my daily prayer and worship routine, I pray 2-3 times a day by myself in my apartment. On Sundays, however, I pray publicly. It is this public praise that Isaiah is talking about in today’s passage. These words come in a context of a chapter highlighted by joy, salvation, and thanksgiving. Proclaiming God’s name is an act of worship and witness to the glories of our God. Today, I hope to encourage you to speak boldly and publicly about our Awesome God. To a Christian, praise should be as natural as anything. God has given us so much to be thankful for, and He surrounds us with such beauty; to top all that off, He sent Jesus to provide a way of salvation for us. The verb “give” in Hebrew i...

Scripture: Proverbs 27:23-24 (NIV) Be sure you know the condition of your flocks; give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. Devotion: Though we may not be as familiar with the farm imagery as the original audience for this proverb, we can still understand its essential message. We have all known a time when we just assumed something would take care of itself, only to find it needed our urgent attention. The message of this proverb is that diligence today protects blessings tomorrow. In this devotion, we will explore the concept of intentional, faithful discipleship in every aspect of our lives. In an agricultural context, knowing the condition of your flocks and paying attention to your herds, or, if you are a grain farmer, paying attention to your fields, makes all the difference in the world. Farming has never been a get rich quick scheme. Sometimes it's said jokingly that a farmer only works a...

Scripture: Matthew 5:9 (NIV) Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Devotion: Peace is something everyone claims to want, but hardly anyone is willing to do any work to obtain it. Peace is also greatly misunderstood. Most people, when they think of peace (if they think of it at all), think that it is merely the absence of conflict. Peace is really the presence of reconciliation. Jesus’ words above describe what a true Christian should be and do. By living in this way, Jesus’ people become children of their heavenly Father and change the world around them by their mere presence. To most of the world, peacemaking seems like a passive activity. The more passive, the better their thinking goes. But Jesus is not blessing peace-lovers or peace-wishers with these words, but rather peacemakers—the kind of people who pursue not just the absence of conflict but true reconciliation among differing parties. This reconciliation is achieved by bridging divide...

  Scripture: Romans 10:8-9 NIV But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Devotion: In this brief passage, Paul shows the gospel's power and simplicity. Salvation is not some otherworldly out-of-body experience; it is grounded in the reality of confession and faith. Paul intends for all of us to know how to be saved and pleads with us to take Christ up on His offer of free grace by simply believing and confessing Him as Lord of our lives. Paul wants us to have full confidence in the gospel message he proclaims here. Paul claims that the word of salvation is very near to each one of us. What does this mean? It means that ...