Loving Jesus Style

  Morning Prayer Let us open our prayer this morning with the following from Psalm 17 (ESV)               I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;       incline your ear to me; hear my words.             7        Wondrously show your steadfast love,       O Savior of those who seek refuge       from their adversaries at your right hand.   8        Keep me as the apple of your eye;       hide me in the shadow of your wings,   Let us pray: O Heavenly Father open our lips, And our mouth shall pour forth your praise, Teach us in this new day to not be conformed to the ways of this world, But grant us a passion to pursue righteousness, peace, and joy, That we might be ...

  Scripture Romans 14:17 17  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (ESV) Devotion           There seems to be a great deal of confusion and bewilderment over what one should do regarding what precautions one should take to prevent the spread of Covid-19. How should we live in light of this continuing pandemic that has overtaken the world? In a similar way the people of Rome apparently were confused about what was or was not proper to eat and drink. It is to this crowd that Paul addresses this part of his letter to Romans. In fact, I recommend that we should all go back to Romans 14 and read the entire thing to get a better glimpse of what Paul has in mind here.           I want to explore in this devotion the similarities and between our situation with the pandemic and the Romans situation with food...

  Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV           14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Devotion           This verse is very popular in Christian circles today. Why wouldn’t it be? The whole world appears to be in a very big mess. We have a pandemic that has effected millions around the world. Sickness and death seem to reign everywhere. For the Christian there are concerning signs in culture. It seems that the world has moved on leaving Christ and his followers behind. The forces of evil and disorder seem to be on the march sowing seeds of the weeds of malice, warfare, abuse of drugs and alcohol. If ever a land needed healing surely this one does. So, how does this verse help with the mess we have drifted into?   ...

  The Hope That Lies Within Scripture: 1 Peter 3:14 ESV 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect Devotion           This verse is often cited as the proof text for apologetics. It is much more than just that. It is an appeal to testify to the life that Christ has placed within the believer. The work of the Holy Spirit within the believer to make them always prepared to give reason (defense) to anyone who asks you what is the reason for the hope that lies withing a believer’s heart.           Peter begins the verse by encouraging believers to honor Christ as Lord of their lives and to treat Christ’s presence in their hearts as holy. The believer is to prepare to answer those who question the hope that lies within their hearts a...

  Let us join our hearts and souls together as one as we pray at the end of this day. Let us pray together from Psalm 139:1-12          1            O LORD, you have searched me and known me. 2       You know when I sit down and when I rise up;     you discern my thoughts from far away.     3       You search out my path and my lying down,     and are acquainted with all my ways.     4       Even before a word is on my tongue,     O LORD, you know it completely.     5       You hem me in, behind and before,     and lay your hand upon me.     6       Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;     it is so high that I ca...

  Scripture: “14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 5:14–16. Devotion           In today’s post we continue in Matthew chapter 5. Jesus here in these verses is again giving instruction to his disciples and to us in the Sermon on the Mount. Yesterday we talked about believers being salt in the world as a preservative to keep culture from rotting from the inside. Today we take up a passage in which Jesus tells us we are to be the light of the world. Light that pierces the darkness thus preserving the world for Jesus. Craig Blomberg gets it right in his c...

  Scripture: Matthew 5:13 ESV: 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. Devotion           Today we look at a familiar passage from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel. Salt was very familiar to the people of Bible times. It was used both as a seasoning for food, and as a preservative for food (since refrigeration did not exist.) The major source of salt for the Jewish people was the Dead Sea. It is ironic that the same salt (along with other impurities) which made the sea unfit for life, could have so many uses for the people who lived near it.           So, what exactly does Jesus mean when he tells his followers to be “the salt of the earth”? What does it look like for a person to be salty? Jesus was pointing to his di...