Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Devotion:  In the concluding words of the Gospel of Matthew, we encounter the Great Commission, a timeless directive that has propelled the church forward through the ages. Matthew 28:18-20 encapsulates the essence of Jesus’ final instructions to His disciples, a profound call to action that resonates with every believer’s heart and forms a crucial part of our faith journey.  Jesus begins by declaring, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” This assertion of supreme authority sets the stage for the mission He is about to impart. It reminds us that the one who commands us is the sovereign ruler over all cr...

  Scripture: Colossians 3:15-17 (NIV) 15  Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts since, as members of one body, you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts 17  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Devotion:             These verses offer a profound invitation and command to Christ's followers. They call us to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in our hearts, to be thankful, to let the word of Christ dwell richly among us, and to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Our journey through these verses begins with a powerful appeal to let the transformative...

  Scripture: Acts 20:35 (ESV) 35  In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Devotion:             These words from the Book of Acts serve as a direct challenge to each one of us in the church community. As followers of Christ, we bear a significant responsibility in our current society, where the number of needy people can be overwhelming. We often find ourselves, like the lawyer in Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, trying to limit the number and kind of people who qualify for our “compassion.” However, this scripture reminds us that it is our duty, as followers of Christ, to help the weak and needy, regardless of their number or circumstances.             Confronted with this scriptural truth, we ...

  Scripture: Galatians 6:2 (ESV) 2  Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Devotion:             Americans have always prided themselves on their independence. We claim to be a nation of self-made men and women who can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps if the occasion warrants. However, Paul, in this verse and the verses that surround it, proclaims that the Christian life is not a solitary journey but a community affair. When we see a brother stumble and fall under the load they bear, we are not just obligated, but we are called to render aid out of a genuine desire to help. In the same way, we are to accept aid graciously when difficulties befall us, not as a sign of weakness but as a testament to our humility and trust in our fellow believers, strengthening the bonds of our community.             Even our Lord Jesus allowed Simon of ...

Scripture: Philippians 2:6-11 (ESV) 6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Devotion:             The final creed/hymn we will examine is found early in the letter to the Philippians. Theologians have described it as a hymn of kenosis, a term that means self-emptying. This hymn was likely a familiar part of the early Christian liturgy, and its inclusion ...

  Scripture: Romans 10.9 (ESV) if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Devotion:             These words Paul addressed to the church in Rome are a precious confession of the simplicity of our salvation in Jesus Christ. Sometimes, we allow the Christian faith to become complicated. We are, despite our protestations to the contrary, much like the Pharisees of Jesus Day. We like to multiply the things necessary for salvation without Biblical warrant. It is good for us to remember the story of the crucifixion of Jesus. A thief hanging on the cross next to Jesus asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His kingdom. Jesus responds that the thief will be with Him in paradise that very day.             However, in some churches today, membership standards are so low that eve...

  [This creed] first appeared in southwest France sometime in the late 6th or 7th century. Its present text is found in the De singulis libris canonicis scarapsus of Priminius, which is dated between 710 and 724. [1] I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.             This creed was not developed to deal with any specific heresy. I...

            The Nicene Creed in the form used today in worship was finalized in 381 AD: I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy...

  Scripture: Luke 24:44-49 (ESV) 44  Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45  Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46  and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47  and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48  You are witnesses of these things. 49  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Devotion:             Jesus calms the fears and removes the misunderstandings about Himself and His mission that the first disciples and we have in this passage. It was commonly thought that t...

Scripture: Acts 17:29-31 (NIV) [W]e should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30  In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. Devotion:             We conclude our look at Paul’s testimony before the elites of Athens today. Paul has been practically been begging the Athenians to repent and follow Jesus. He has given reason after reason why belief in Jesus is superior to any of the gods that the people currently worshipped. Now, Paul concludes his argument by letting the people know that God will judge them through this Jesus, whom God has raised from the dead.             Whil...

  Scripture: Acts 17:24-28a (NIV) 24  “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands 25, And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26  From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28  ‘For in him we live and move and have our being. Devotion:             Paul’s message to the Athenians gathered at Mars Hill continues in today’s scripture. Paul’s primary emphasis is the difference between the God he is preaching and the gods the people of Athens worshipped. First, Paul declares that...

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30 (ESV) 24  He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25  but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27  And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28  He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So, the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29  But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time, I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”  Devotion:         ...

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NKJV) 14  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Devotion:             Today, we meditate on the power of Christ’s love to save those who believe. Paul here is writing about how the love of Christ affects believers. He states that this love of Christ compels us. The word translated compels has a wide range of meanings in the original Greek. The most likely meaning, according to commentators, is compel, which means to put pressure on someone or something. God does not force Himself on us but gently but firmly moves us in the direction He wants us to go.             The remainder of the verses explain the direction Christ encourages us to mov...

  Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-7 (ESV) 4  I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4  There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7  But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Devotion:             This scripture is one of the most ambitious calls for unity in the writings of Paul. Apparently, the Ephesian church was under threat of division and schism. Paul loved the church dearly and was determined not to let such division occur under his watchful care. Whil...

  Scripture: John 14:26-27 (ESV) 26  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Devotion:             These words of Jesus to his disciples in the upper room on the night He was betrayed convey a divine approach to peace. Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to Him, did not pray for strength, courage, or any other response that we might consider more appropriate, humanly speaking. When we humans face inevitable persecution and execution, our natural response would not be peace. Yet, Jesus exemplified peace under these conditions. How did He behave in this way?             First, Jesus had...

Scripture: Romans 12:16-19a (ESV) 16  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, Devotion:             Peace, what is it really? There are different definitions depending on the situation in which the word is being used. Peace can mean, in a military sense, the ceasing of combat. Peace, in a domestic sense, can mean something different. God’s peace is the reconciliation between God and humanity achieved through the cross by Jesus on our behalf. Humankind is so broken that we even resist this reconciliation and continue to fight among ourselves.          ...

  Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-18 (ESV) Be at peace among yourselves. 14  And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15  See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16  Rejoice always, 17  pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Devotion:             In writing these words, the Apostle Paul was aware of the condition of the church at Thessalonica. His first statement, “Be at peace among yourselves,” speaks to the condition of the human heart. There was no doubt about this first-century church's full range of human emotions and conditions. Jealousy, envy, laziness, anger, bitterness, all of the destructive emotions are unfortunately just as common among the people of God as they are shared among t...

Scripture: Matthew 9:36-38 (ESV) 36  When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest.” Devotion:             These words of Jesus are a powerful call to action for the 21st-century church. The church in the West is shrinking both numerically and spiritually. Our lack of witness to the culture can be seen in the skyrocketing numbers of suicides among all age groups. Also, the number of our fellow citizens who are dying of accidental overdoses, particularly fentanyl and other “hard” drugs, is most concerning.             Just as Jesus looked on the people of His day with compassion, so should we look upon ...

  The Sign of the Fleece Scripture: Judges 6:36-40 (ESV) 36  Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37  behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38  And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39  Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground, let there be dew.” 40  And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. Devotion:             The Lord told Gideon he would give him victory over the forces o...