Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (ESV)   11  To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,  12  so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.   Devotion:               Today the church and the Christian religion are under attack more than they have been in recent memory. The freedom of religion, which has been a part of this country since the constitution was written, is being challenged in the courts with mixed results. There are college campuses where one cannot speak the name of Jesus without being harassed and silenced. Holding to the traditional teachings of the church is looked upon as regressive and bigoted. Many people who once had faith are now abandoning it as obsolete. What can the faithful do amid this trouble?                         In this scripture Paul was writin

  Scripture: Acts 18:8-11 (ESV) 9  And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10  for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11  And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Devotion:             Our world is losing its collective mind. From wars to school shootings, the headlines are full of moral tragedies. Paul in today’s scripture was in a similar predicament. When there was no one that he could turn to for encouragement and support the Lord himself intervened and told Paul that he should not worry. God was working in the city for Paul even though he was not aware of it. God often works behind the scenes for us. Even when times are like they are today God always reserves a remnant of the faithful. He always watches out for his children.             Paul is not the first nor will he be the last to feel all alone in

Scripture: Matthew 11:20-24 (ESV) 20  Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21  “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22  But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23  And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24  But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.” Devotion:             Today’s scripture ought to frighten the living daylights out of us. In this passage Jesus is saying to perfectly good-looking cities that in fact they were headed for hell. They had been the sites of Jesus healing and deliverance ministries, b

  Scripture: Matthew 11:16-19 (ESV) 16  “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,             17           “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ 18  For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19  The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”   Devotion:                         Matthew here takes in the differences between Jesus and John. Although their behavior in ministry was quite the opposite of each other the people rejected both. Matthew notes that the people and their leaders produced labels for both Jesus and John to dismiss each one in their turn. John who preached a stern message of repentance from sin contrasted with Jesus who preached a message of the coming of

  Scripture: Matthew 11:11-15 (ESV) 11  Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12  From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13  For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14  and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Devotion:             In these verses Jesus continues his teaching on the life and work of John the Baptist. Jesus begins by giving John high praise. He says that John is the greatest of all people that have walked the face of the earth. However, Jesus points out that John is a prophet in the mold of the Old Testament prophets and those who belong to the kingdom will be greater than John. This is to show that the kingdom that Jesus will establish will be somehow greater than w

  Scripture: Matthew 11:7-10 (ESV) 7  As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8  What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9  What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10  This is he of whom it is written,                          “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’   Devotion:               In this section Jesus launches into a long teaching section about the person and work of John the Baptist. John was a mysterious figure. He came to the wilderness preaching a message that the kingdom of God was coming soon. That all should repent and be baptized for the cleansing from sin. The Jewish people at this time did not practice baptism. The only baptism that they knew about was for gentiles who

Scripture: Matthew 11:1-6 (ESV) 11  When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2  Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4  And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5  the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Devotion:             Here in Matthew chapter 11, we have some great teaching from the lips of Jesus. We will spend the next few days surveying this chapter. In today’s scripture, we have Jesus answering a question from John the Baptist’s followers. John was hearing about what Jesus was doing in his ministry and was concerned that Jesus did not seem to be doing the things t

Scripture: Romans 8:26 (ESV) 26  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Devotion:             I often feel very weak in my prayer life. It seems that when I want to pray for someone or something and I can never find words to express what I want to pray. And at other times I do not even know how to pray at all. So, I take comfort at the words of today’s scripture reading. Here is Paul the great apostle to the gentiles, admitting that he also feels weak and impotent in prayer. I know then that I am not alone in my struggles with prayer.             Quite often I have been reduced to groans, sighs, and tears instead of actual words when I pray. At other times I borrow from the prayers of the church. I use the psalms as God approved prayers. Likewise, I also use the prayers from the prayer collections of the church. These prayers can help me in my groaning and

  Scripture: Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV) 12  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13  for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Devotion:             Paul just prior to this passage has just given a description of the person and work of Jesus Christ in the first 11 verses of this chapter. He now brings his thoughts to a close with these words. Prior to these words was a wonderful description of the obedience of Jesus. Paul now encourages us as Jesus obeyed the Father so we must obey Jesus. Paul is also urging the church at Philippi to obey the words he taught them while he was present with him and what he is teaching in this letter.             The phrase “work out your own salvation…” has been the cause for debate among scholars. With this verse being ripped out of context to justify interpretations which Paul n

Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV) 7  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Devotion:             It is spring here in farming country of the midwestern United States. It has been a late and wet spring causing the farmers to be well behind where they would like to be at this time of the year with their planting. However, the farmer goes ahead and sows his crop in hopes of reaping a good crop in the fall.             So, Paul in this scripture talks about sowing and reaping in a spiritual not agricultural way. He begins by calling us to be clear eyed realists regarding sowing and reaping. If one plants corn in the spring one cannot expect to reap soybeans from that field in the fall. Paul is telling the Galatians and us to be wise and understand that sowing and reaping are interrel

Scripture: Philippians 4:8 (NIV) 8  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Devotion:             These words of scripture may be familiar to some of us. They are typically thought of as a list that individual Christians should aspire to in their thought life. However, the Greek here is plural giving a communal idea to the verse. In other words, Paul is saying here that these thoughts should be typical of the church as a body as well as individual believers. Paul is here coming back to a theme of the thought life of the believer as being especially important to living a distinctively Christian life. Let us take a quick glance at each of the items in this list.             The first item in the list is the word “true.” This is the essential starting point. Thinking about things that are false will automati

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) 19  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20  you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies. Devotion:             While the original context of these words of Paul are sexual immorality, I believe considering today’s culture there may be other applications as well. Apparently, the 1 st century church in Corinth was ignorant of the fact that they had the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. In the same way there are some in the church of the 21 st century (and many outside of it) that are also in need of these words. Today’s culture claims that each person's body belongs to no outside entity. The individual is free to do with their body whatever the individual decides is good. This leads to great confusion in their lives.             For the Christian, the body is a sacred place. The Holy Spirit dwells within each belie

Scripture: 103:1-5 (ESV) 1            Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!             2            Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,             3            who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,             4            who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,             5            who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.   Devotion:               The psalm we are meditating on today offers some practical advice for living a happy, godly life. This passage starts out declaring the goodness of the Lord. Repetition of the phrase “bless the Lord” makes the case that we are to praise the Lord with, as is written in Deuteronomy, with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The verb translated bless is an imperative verb, a command to bless the Lord.                         David, the psalm

  Scripture: Psalm 127:1-2 (ESV) 1            Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.                         Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.             2            It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,                         eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.   Devotion:             The psalm I have chosen for this devotional is one of my favorites. In these opening verses it depicts the ultimate foolishness of trying to do anything without the Lord being involved. Yet we tend to make a habit of picking up a new task and trying to do it all ourselves. Only when we face difficulties do we even consider asking our God for help. We spend sleepless nights wondering where we went wrong. This saying is certainly true: man proposes, and God disposes. We must learn to lean on God. Putting our trust in him does not guarantee a trouble-free life,

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV) 16  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17  For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18  as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Devotion:             Today’s scripture states something that has become obvious to me. That our outer bodies are wearing out over time. It is a very human condition. The longer we live it seems the more fragile our health becomes. I see so many people whose health is slipping away day by day all around me. Therefore, these words of Paul are of great comfort to us as Christians.             Even though everything seems against us we can trust that in Jesus we have a grand future spread out before us. A future of eternity in the presence of God. We mus

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (ESV) 18  Behold, what I have seen to be good, and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. 19  Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20  For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Devotion:             Most of us think that work is an unavoidable evil. Working all day every day of the week for a paycheck can be a drag. Indeed, in the author of Ecclesiastes in verses 8-17 of this same chapter describes work as toiling without gain. So, what is the reason that the author here praises the benefits of work? It is all in one’s attitude toward work. Realizing that work is a gift from God changes everything. Those who work purely to increase their weal