Loving Jesus Style

Scripture: Revelation 21:3-4 (ESV)   And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Devotion: What is your ultimate hope in life? What are you longing for and looking forward to? Some people may hope for success, happiness, health, or love. But as Christians, our hope transcends all these earthly desires. Our ultimate hope is the eternal presence of God with us. The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of the glorious future that awaits those who belong to God. In the new heaven and new earth, there will be no more sin, evil, suffering, or death. All the things that cause us pain and sorrow will be gone. God himself will dwell with his people and be t...

  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: Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV) 28  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Devotion:             Today, we delve into a passage that may resonate with many of us. It's a conversation with Jesus, where He shares His wisdom about the rewards of following His path. We all carry our own unique burdens and worries each day. But Jesus, in His infinite compassion, assures us that by embracing Him, we can find rest from these heavy loads.             This burden-sharing Jesus speaks of in this passage was a revolutionary teaching for the Jewish people of His time. They were used to the scribes and other religious leaders adding spiritual tasks and burd...

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: Luke 24:1-7 (ESV) But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women} went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2  And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3  but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4  While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5  And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6  He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Devotion:             It was a miracle! Everybody knows that dead people stay dead. Despite all the miracles and signs Jesus did while he was alive, he still looked like a mere man and nothing more—no won...

  Scripture: Luke 21:1-4 (ESV) 21  Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2  and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3  And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” Devotion:             We begin this Holy Week with a scripture passage that teaches us about gifts and giving to the Lord. We know from scripture that Jesus says that the greatest gift is to lay down your life for someone else. So, how does the widow’s gift of two small copper coins measure up to that gift? As Jesus says, it is very significant indeed. She gave all she had to live on to God. It was, in a certain sense, like giving her very life. Life was tough for widows in Jesus' day, as it remains today in some places.    ...