Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: Psalm 34:17-19 (ESV) When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18      The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19      Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.   Devotion:                 The psalmist affirms that God listens to his people. We all want to believe this, but what we see often contradicts these words. So, what is the psalmist saying here? Yet this is in God’s word and is trustworthy. We, as Christians, are called to believe these words. We must listen closely to what is being said here.             God is not saying Christians will have no troubles or their problems will be comparatively minor. Walking with Christ is a journey that causes pain, heartbreak, and soul-crushing situations. How is a Christian to meet these struggles? We must cry out to God for help in our distress and worry. God promises that He

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 (ESV) 14  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16  to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17  For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ. Devotion:             My father fought in World War II. He had the job of entering concentration camps where thousands of Jews were slaughtered. My dad said that he could always tell when they were getting close to camp because the stench of death was so overpowering. We associate certain smells with specific events. In my Dad’s case, the association was perfectly revolting and was related to physical illness.  

  Scripture: 1 John 1:5-10 (ESV) 5  This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness. 6  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Devotion:             Christmas is a season of lights, from brightly lit Christmas trees and decorated houses to the singing of Silent Night in a darkened church lit only by candlelight. This proclaims that Jesus came to bring light into a dark and dangerous world. All the world is, for a short time, at least, t

  Scripture: John 1:14 (ESV) 14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Devotion:             Today’s scripture is a perfect ending to the Advent/Christmas season. These words explain to us what happened on that night in Bethlehem. They describe the actions of our God and yet are full of mystery and intrigue. No one, even the angel messengers, could fully comprehend what God was up to in that ordinary scene the gospels bear witness to. What, for example, does “the word made flesh” really mean?             John talks about the glory of God being made plain in this tiny baby. We know that God's glory would be made known to all later in life at the transfiguration and the resurrection. Jesus' ascension into the heavens would be a definitive sign of his majesty. Yet what glory did this baby who needed to be fed, changed, and cuddled show of God’s glory?             Was

  Jesus Has Come Scripture: Isaiah 9:6 (ESV) 6            For to us a child is born, to us, a son is given;                         and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called                         Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.   Devotion:             Today is the day. All the Christmas shopping, wrapping, and hiding presents is over. Our world likes to pretend this is all there is to the Christmas season. Soon, however, the kids will get tired of their new presents. They may even begin to play with the boxes that high-end toys come in! Soon, it will be time to eat and stuff ourselves full of food, then sit around the TV watching football.             Our culture has anesthetized itself to the real meaning of Christmas. We pretend that gifts given will assuage the empty feeling inside our souls. Soon, however, life goes back to normal. The scriptures, however, testify to a greater truth. Th

Scripture: Matthew 2:8-14 (ESV) 8  And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  9  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  10  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  11  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  12  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  13  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,              14           “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”   Devotion:                         Christmas is a time of immense joy. It helps us forget, if even for a moment, the wars, strife, and corruption, which plague our world. One of the great trad

Scripture: Matthew 2:`13-23 (ESV) 13  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”  14  And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt  15  and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16  Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.  17  Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:              18           “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation,                         Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV) 18  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.  19  And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.  20  But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  21  She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:              23           “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).  24  When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,  25  but kn

  Scripture: Luke 1:26-38 (ESV) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28  And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34  And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35  And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the

Scripture: Colossians 1:15-20 (ESV) 15  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  16  For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.  17  And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  18  And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.  19  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,  20  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Scripture:             Today’s scripture stretches the imagination. Imagining Christ as being preexistent boggles our poor human minds. It is difficult to imagine Jesus as a baby growing in Mary’s womb for 40 weeks. Imagine Mary feeling the baby inside her kicking and moving around. All the while

  Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV) 9  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10  Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Devotion:             Peter, in today’s scripture, brings out a marvelous truth. Christians too often forget the importance of these words. We tend to go on living without acknowledging the truths contained in this passage. Our passion for Jesus is too often neglected in the day-to-day  hustle and bustle of our daily lives. We become like young children who forget that their parents are right there when they get into some minor trouble. We often live as though God were not there for us in our distress.             Peter, however, reminds us that we are a chosen people. Out of all God’s creation He has chosen us, unworth

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (ESV) 6  Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  2  For he says,         “In a favorable time, I listened to you, and in a day of salvation, I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Devotion:             Advent is a season of waiting. Today’s scripture seems to indicate that we should not wait. As it says,  now is the time.  Yet in a certain way we need to be ready for the future coming in the here and now. Our salvation is not to be put off for a more opportune time, because that time will never come. Making our decision to follow Jesus knows no better time than the present. Advent is indeed a time of waiting but it is also a time to act. We must prepare ourselves for Jesus’ coming right now.             As verse one above states we are to be, “working together with him.” We are to ready ourselves by receiving the grace which God gives freely to all who

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (ESV) 16  But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Devotion:             The veil spoken of in this scripture passage may puzzle Christians today as we are unfamiliar with the term and what it means. Since in today’s church no one wears veils. The saying comes from the book of Exodus where Moses wears a veil because his face shown with the glory of the Lord after he met with God in the tabernacle. The term is also used of the Hebrew people because their eyes were veiled with regard to Jesus. This spiritual veil prevented them from seeing Jesus for who he really was.             I would say that in our current times, many people are wearing a veil just

  Scripture: John 3:16-21 (ESV) 16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” Devotion:             Today we ponder these words from the Apostle John. These are some of the most well-known  words in all of scripture. We m