Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Come as Promised (6/4/26)

Today is the last day of school for my kids, and they are excited for summer break! Similarly, we reach the final verses in the book of Revelation, and we’re encouraged to be ready and anticipate Jesus’s return. While my kids might be eager for summer break, we can be far more excited for Jesus’s return, as it promises a utopia that will be a perfect reality. In Heaven, we’ll be with our perfect Creator and Savior, and all His followers will be made perfect through His grace.  

Revelation 22:20-21 ²⁰ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.

John emphasized grace as he concluded the book of Revelation, and he also began Revelation with a focus on grace.

Revelation 1:4 ⁴ John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne.

Jesus’ offer of eternal life is the greatest gift of grace. He also extended grace to us by giving John the prophecies in the book of Revelation. Although He didn’t have to reveal anything, He chose to share some details about the end times so we can be prepared. He assured us of His return and the certainty of the marvelous new Heaven and new earth awaiting us, making it clear that perseverance through suffering and persecution will be worth it.

Maybe some of you hadn’t read Revelation before or it had been intimidating. My prayer is that over our 70 weeks studying this final book of the Bible you saw value. Some of the symbolism is difficult to understand and may not be clear until Jesus returns, but we can focus on what is clear: His truths and His promises. What was your biggest takeaway from our journey through Revelation?

For me, the biggest takeaway is that Jesus is worthy. He is worthy of extending grace to all who will receive it. He is worthy to come and take us to the place He’s been preparing for us. He is worthy of all our worship for all eternity! Come Lord Jesus!

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Judge the Dead (3/12/26)

A couple of days ago we enjoyed an unseasonably warm March day here in Michigan! In fact, we had our first outdoor dinner on our patio this year. As we were enjoying the sunshine, one kid pointed out the beautiful sun rays gleaming through the clouds. We talked about how much more magnificent it will be when Jesus returns to take us to heaven.

As the conversation continued, another kid started talking about the end times and persecution of Christians. We discussed that we may have to die for our faith, but life with Jesus for all eternity will be far better than anything we may give up in this life. The alternative, as described below, is unimaginable torture in the lake of fire forever.  

Revelation 20:11-15 ¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Death in this life is not the end. As Christians, we know that is true (although sometimes we don’t live like we know that is true). For non-Christ followers, death in this life is also not the end. They will face Judge Jesus and then be thrown into the lake of fire experiencing their second death. As we saw last week, Satan, the beast and the false prophet are the first to be thrown into the lake of fire. The torment isn’t temporary, but continuous.    

Jesus’s records are perfectly accurate, and He is worthy to judge all people. None of us could ever measure up to His standard on our own. By His grace, He has paid for our sin on the cross and offered us life through faith in Him. Then, we are judged based on His merit, and He writes our names in the book of life.

Let’s praise Him for His grace! Let’s also prayerfully recognize and take opportunities to share His grace with others so they may enjoy life with Him now and for all eternity!

Alice

Grace to the Embarrassing

I have not posted to this blog in a very long time, and I apologize for that. Now, my last day with Thomson Reuters is January 2, so this has become my only means of sharing with my colleagues still at TR. My intent is to post here and on my personal blog. I hope these bless you. 

Family history can be fun, or, depending on who’s in it, embarrassing. Did you have someone to be proud of or ashamed of in your genealogy? Mine is a mess of both. No sense being embarrassed, ashamed, proud or confused. I have Zachary Taylor and the Martin clan (West Virginia feuds) in mine. All distant, all confusing, and not sure which is important.

For some cultures, ancestry is crucial. In some it’s important. There are probably some who don’t care, honestly, but I don’t know of any. For the Jews, knowing which tribe you came from was important. Knowing your Levitical lineage was important. It became more and more difficult over time, but even in Jesus’ day, it was a major part of their lives.

Which makes Jesus’ genealogies in Matthew and Luke very interesting. As was said before, purpose drove who was on it and where they started. Matthew and Luke both include the same names from Abraham to David, but it is interesting who Matthew notes in addition.

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.
Matthew 1:1-6 NET

This translation notes the additions in parentheses. Obviously Matthew doesn’t call out all the various mothers, only the ones where there’s an interesting story in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Tamar was having trouble with the “levirate marriage” rule and finally deceived the father of her former husbands into having a child with her. Rahab was the Canaanite “prostitute” who betrayed Jericho into the hands of Yahweh’s people. Ruth was the Moabitess who should never have been accepted by the people of God, not for ten generations.

Tamar’s story is found in Genesis stuck in between two parts of the story of Jospeh. It kind of…makes everyone look bad, so let’s jump to Rahab.

Rahab has “the prostitute” as her last name throughout English translations of Scripture. There’s a lack of clarity about her “role” as the labels are…not precise, a common problem when the topic is indelicate, inappropriate, or embarrassing.

First, let’s look at what she did. When the spies are sent out by Joshua (Joshua 2:1), they enter Jericho and stay with Rahab. When the king is informed that he has spies in the city, he immediately goes to Rahab. Rahab tells the king that, yes, the men came, but they left immediately and he can still catch them before they cross the Jordan. She has hidden them on her roof.

But why? Why lie to her king? Why betray her city? Why help the enemy of her people? But even more important, why be faithless to her gods? Well, let’s look at what she says.

Now before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof. She said to the men, “I know the LORD is handing this land over to you. We are absolutely terrified of you, and all who live in the land are cringing before you. For we heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan. When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. For the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! Joshua 2:8-11 NET

The adventures of the Israelites made it into the local papers in Jericho. Even more, Yahweh made it into the local papers all over Canaan. From the crossing of the Red Sea forty years ago, to the defeat of the local kings across the Jordan just recently, word was getting out.

Look carefully at what Rahab says about Yahweh. Yahweh is Elohim. That is the confession of faith of the Hebrew Scriptures. That confession is an expensive confession of faith. It rejects Rahab’s culture, her people, her city, everything she has known to this point.

She has looked at what is happening in the world around her, just like everyone around her, and made the decision to leap into what Yahweh is doing. The rest of her people resist what they see Yahweh doing to threaten their culture. She repents; they do not. And that makes all the difference.

Prostitute, innkeeper, or whatever, embarrassing, inappropriate, or shameful, it doesn’t matter. Yahweh accepts this confession of faith from this Canaanite woman and uses her to fulfill the promises He made to Abraham. She becomes part of His salvation of all humanity, warts and all.

Now seriously, what is holding you back? This world, our cultures, successes, failures, families, or friends; what can hold you back from your confession of faith in the Creator of the universe? Are you really that successful? Have you truly made that many mistakes or are they that significant? Why not influence your friends rather than the other way around? Why not become the catalyst for your whole family coming to faith?

Make the leap. Take the step. Drop the luggage and jump into His arms.

Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Unleash the 5th Trumpet Judgment (5/8/25)

Now back to where we were in Revelation! We are in the middle of the 7 trumpet judgments. After Jesus opened the 7^th seal of the scroll and heaven stopped in silence for half an hour, then we saw the first 4 trumpet judgments unleashed on the earth. The next three are even more severe.

Rev 8:13-9:12 ¹³ As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. ² When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. ³ And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. ⁴ They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. ⁵ They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes. ⁶ During those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will elude them.

⁷ The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On their heads they wore something like crowns of gold, and their faces resembled human faces. ⁸ Their hair was like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. ⁹ They had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the thundering of many horses and chariots rushing into battle. ¹⁰ They had tails with stingers, like scorpions, and in their tails they had power to torment people for five months. ¹¹ They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).

¹² The first woe is past; two other woes are yet to come.

This 5^th judgment is so severe that people seek death (vs 6). However, in God’s sovereignty, they will not be able to escape their pain through death. I think that is His grace. The people experiencing the pain might not think so, but He is giving them yet another chance to turn and respond to Him before they do die and it is too late.

God will also graciously spare those who have His seal on their forehead (see chapter 7 and the devotional from 3/20/25). Those with God’s seal will not experience this judgment like the people around them (vs. 4). What a gracious, detailed and Sovereign God we serve!

Jesus is not only worthy to open the scroll and unleash judgment, but He is worthy to withhold judgment from His sealed children! Are you one of His children? If so, how will you praise Him for His grace today?   

In Our Corner

Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea.  But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”  Exodus 14:23-25

What is it like to know someone is always there fighting for you?  When I applied for college, my grades were not exactly the best.  I was not this highly regarded 3.0 student.  My aptitude tests were very good, but it was unlikely that I would end up at a major school.  However having gone to one of the better schools in the Detroit area, I was considered for the University of Detroit.  It was still a stretch.  So, as I went to the office for an informal interview with the academic advisor, my spirits were not exactly good that morning.  However, it all changed when I walked in the room.  The advisor was my old principle at the high school, who knew me and my story.  “Kent,” he said as he shook his head with a look of both disbelief and happiness.  The disbelief was he saw my grades were not the greatest, but his happiness was that he knew my capabilities.  Needless to say, I was admitted without further issue.  I wondered what discussions were happening at the admissions board.  While I could not be certain as to what happened, I am certain that ‘Fr. Leo’ was fighting for me.  I could imagine him saying to the admission team, “I know Kent.  He can do this!”  There was never a doubt in his mind even as there was in mine.

God is our champion fighting for us behind the scenes to ensure our victories.  We all know the story of how God parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to move to safety from the Egyptian army.  However, we tend to focus on their side and do not see the side of the Egyptians and what they were up against.  They had seen or heard of what God had done to force Pharaoh to free the Israelites and now watched Him perform the miraculous feat of parting the sea, but nonetheless, they chased after the Israelites.  After the fire came down and chariot wheels were bent, only then did some come to a brilliant conclusion. “Let’s get out of here!” they said.  I pondered on their state of mind.  After all that had gone on leading up to this, only then did they figure out this was a bad idea?  They were beyond what I often tell people is their ‘Elsa’ moment.  They needed to ‘Let it go!’  You see, when the Lord is on your side there are battles being fought that we never know about and things changing that we ourselves may not even notice.  People who had initially blocked your pathway are being moved out, and hearts and circumstances are changing today that yesterday were stagnant.  This is perhaps at the center of why Jesus said, “But I say, love your enemies!  Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” (Matthew 5:44-45)

We must never lose faith in God’s ability to make a way when there is seemingly no way.  In seeing the plight of the Egyptian army, we can see the mountains God moved and that our enemies too understand who our God is.  Perhaps today is the moment for you to pause and reflect.  The dream you feel that is out of reach, goal that seems unrealistic, or task that is an endless road of despair may be your moment of reaching the Red Sea.  Maybe God right now is lighting fires blocking the pathway of your enemies and bending the circumstances like chariots wheels.  Do not lose hope for Jesus Christ isn’t a champion because He’s never been hit.  He’s the champion because He’s undefeated.  Rely on this as you go through your times of trials and tribulation.  How can you move forward with confidence that God is leading the way?  What circumstances should you take to Him today?  My prayer is that no matter the battle, we keep in mind God is always in our corner.  Amen.

Grace Like Loretta

If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  2 Corinthians 12:6-9 NLT

Each Thanksgiving, I write about what I am truly thankful for.  This year is an obvious choice although it is not what she would expect.  I am so thankful for my wonderful wife, Loretta.  She is amazing in so many ways.  Things like … she is annoying.  She can be both picky and difficult, and pushes me to do things when I really do not want to do them.  She is so sweet and salty, my nickname for her is ‘Adorable Evilness.’  I often do not like her, and must work harder just to keep her happy.  Here’s the thing.  I have told her all of this!  Now having said all that, here is where you will understand why I am so thankful of all of that.  Plain and simple, she is tolerant of me, and to honest, I don’t think there is a more difficult role one could have than dealing with me.  She has seen my flaws and the times where I fell short of being a good husband to her.  Way short!  She has seen the pain when I fail even when it did not affect her, and she stood by me when the world thought very little of me.  In short, she is every bit the woman that Paul had in mind when he said, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to Himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.” (Ephesians 5:25-27 NLT)  This alone could have been the title verses for my Devotional, but instead, I wanted to highlight one of her many attributes where she is a shining example to me of who God is in my life.  That attribute is ‘grace.’

God’s grace is what we should be thankful for each and every day.  Our love for God is what fuels our devotion to Him, and our obedience is a shining example of our following Him.  However, it is grace that makes those things limitless.  Imagine being locked up in a box that you are trapped in.  You can feel the boundaries of it each time you reach out, and when you run, you feel restricted by its form and rigid laws.  To try to break through it requires immense effort, but no matter how much strength, effort, logic, guile, or cunningness you possess, you cannot break through it.  Picture those walls being labeled.  Here are some of those labels: hate, inferiority, distrust, deception, gluttony, greed.  Each wall has different names, but they fall under one huge box called sin.  Furthermore, it’s wrapped with a bow called ‘temptation.’  If your troubles haunt you, the tape wrapping is called ‘shame’ or ‘guilt.’  Any one of them is wall enough to keep you boxed in.  Then, imagine this explosion punching a hole in the walls that had you boxed in, and you walk out into a sunshine filled field with every beautiful thing you can imagine.  The field seemingly lasts forever.  To you, this is Heaven.  That’s the power of God’s grace in a nutshell.  You can’t get there without it.  You may believe you can without Him, but eventually, you will hit one of those walls.  God wants us all to have this amazing gift of grace.  This is not to say you can’t build a wall between you and God (i.e. continually sinning without spiritual growth).  However, what God really wants is your heart.  Not your perfection.  He wants your walk.  Not your stagnation.  He wants your obedience.  Not your carelessness.  And He wants an active growing relationship.  Not a ritual checklist follower.

Grace is the overwhelming gift that frees us from our bondage.  I love hearing the song ‘Grace Like Rain,’ because it is so visual in its description.  It’s this torrential downpour where you can’t hide, and every part of your body feels it.  It overwhelms, and cleanses you all over!  I am so thankful for this grace God has given each and every one of us, and I am so thankful He gave me a wonderful woman who could truly show me what it is like to know what grace is.  So, I humbly thank my wife for teaching me how wonderful it is to both be her husband and know who is the ‘better half.’  Who has been your example of God’s grace?  How can you be a man or woman of grace?  My prayer is that we are thankful to God’s grace as I am thankful for His grace like Loretta. Amen, and Happy Thanksgiving!

My 'Dr. Phil' Gift

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.  1 Peter 4:10-11

Lately, my life has been inundated with a wave of sadness, tragedy, and heartbreak.  The thing is none of it is directly relating to me.  It is as if somehow God has given me this ‘Dr. Phil’ gift.  Some of you know exactly what that means.  People seemingly come to you because in their mind they have no place else to go.  Being honest, I’m unsure how I got it.  However, I am grateful God gave it to me.  It is a privilege that I do not take lightly because it is like all other gifts God has given me.  They have a purpose that is not for me to question.  They are to be given and used as He sees fit. 

I knew God had gifted it to me one fall evening.  While visiting my mom in the hospital, I had left something in the car.  As I entered the hospital parking garage, a man was sobbing uncontrollably because he lost his child and needed to know why.  I felt his anguish and pain, and could not muster words to say to him because I did not have an answer to his question.  But I did have a shoulder.  I hugged and assured him it would be alright.  While I felt terrible for the gentleman, I could sense I was there at that moment just for that reason.  This is what it is like when you know God is using your gift.

God gifts us with abilities for His will to be done.  My pastors over the years have provided guidance as to what my gifts are.  Through greater awareness, those gifts have grown to where people rely on me for them.  If you have not taken note of what your gifts are, first pray to God for wisdom and discernment.  Ask Him to highlight those times where God showed up not for you but through you.  Then, take time out to ask someone who knows you.  Ask what they rely on you most for.  See if there are recurring trends.  I am not saying seek out and ask, “Kent, do you think I’m an empathetic person?”  Sincerely go up to someone who knows you well, and ask open-ended questions.  What makes me a great friend to you?  What do you come to me for?  Why?  Finally, ask God to give you clarity what on His will for you going forward.  Do as 1 Peter said; give freely.  You’re doing it right when the spirit in you moves positively with each act of generosity.  The goal is not for you to be perfect.  It is to grow in Christ as you continue to give that which He has gifted you for.

God gives us so much.  He gives us unconditional love, and provides us with protection.  He gives us grace and His Only Son to ensure we would have no barriers between Him and us.  When you think of it in that context, it sounds silly to keep that which you are gifted for your own personal gain.  Let us give share our gifts such that as God said in Matthew 25, “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities.” (Matthew 25:21a)  Do you know your spiritual gifts?  How can you go about both learning and utilizing them?  My prayer is we give of our gifts willingly and freely as my ‘Dr. Phil.’  Amen.

Colorblind

So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  Luke 15:20-24

Who came up with the concept of being ‘colorblind?’  Yes, there are people who are literally color-blind, but I have heard that phrase used often in conversation with people with respect to their view on race.  “I don’t see color when talking to people,” is what some would say to me as if it were a badge of honor.  “It does not matter what color you are.  I see you as a brother in Christ,” is the latest version of it that I hear.  Now, I understand where the people are coming from, and assuming positive intent, I am sure they mean well when they say.  However, I want to let you in on a little secret the next time you have the urge to say it.  It is the worst thing to say to a person of color and particularly a Christian.  “Why?  God doesn’t see color,” is the most commonly response when I say that.  I mean it sounds like a very Christian thing to say.  He or she is noting that God loves us no matter what our color is, and that is true.  It is also true that most teen fathers struggle to make a living, and yet, here I am.  My point?  All because it is true does not necessarily make it relevant.

God made us different as a test of our faith.  The test is not to see if you embrace someone as you would anyone.  It is to test if you would embrace them for who they are!  The story of the prodigal son as many know is filled with lessons.  Today, I look to the part of the father running to His lost younger son.  Remember this son was ungrateful as he left, and many would say he was unworthy of this kind of celebration.  Yet instead of focusing on his son’s sins, he focused on his return acknowledging where he was (dead, lost).  We often see someone different from us, and we look at them from where ‘we’ are.  A key to this story is we must always find people at their level.  That is exactly what God does.  He finds us where we are and raises us up.  He does not stay where He is and tell us to climb.  To be clear, I am not saying we are not all brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am saying that when you see someone who is not like you, ask them about themselves and understand where they come from.  See where they are, and then, determine how to move forward.  Furthermore, be the authentic person God made you to be.  Reach out earnestly and with love.  They will embrace it and more importantly, so will God.

The beauty of God is that as His creation, we get a front row seat to His intentionality.  When we see a butterfly, it has different colors to it.  We could say that it is just like every other butterfly, but if we look through God’s lens, we see its uniqueness in comparison to other butterflies.  We will see its individual beauty.  Not compare it with others.   That is how to overcome colorblindness.  So l challenge you to love all people not only for their similarities but also because of their differences.  Who is God challenging you to find a greater relationship with someone not like you?  How can your circle of friends look more like a mosaic than just yourself?  My prayer is that we allow God to push our boundaries to avoid being ‘colorblind.’  Amen.

Information For Good Decisions

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Mark 1:16-18

My mother was an avid reader of Consumer Reports magazine.  She would keep old copies of it so that when it came time to shop for something, she could pull up one of the old articles giving ratings on various brands, and then weight cost and quality to what would ultimately would be her decision.  She passed that on to me, but I was not the one who enjoyed having magazines laying all over the household.  However as kids says nowadays, there’s an app for that.  Thus, finding brands and researching on them right down to the model number became easy.  I love my microwave oven that we replaced years ago because it was that good.   It gave me this sense of surety and confidence that my decision would work out just fine because I had enough information.

The decision to follow Christ was a decision I made just about fifteen years ago.  However one might ask what took me so long?  It took me a while to figure out that Jesus wanted me to follow him.  When you are an imperfect person who saw His followers as perfect, you do not believe you are worthy of such a blessing.  Thus, God had to provide me with a lot of information.  Through His watching over me, He loved and protected me.  He gave me scriptures through devotions, and words of encouragement through followers.  Thus when the time came to make the decision, I was ready to follow.  The choice was easy because much like my mother taught me when finding the right brand, God had shown me His goodness, love, and finally, His grace.  So the decision was easy.

Making choices for Christ is easy once you have the right information.  This sounds like a very simple and easy Devotion to take in.  However, it is not the information that is difficult.  The application and practice to come to the decision is.  Our life is a constant struggle to make good decisions because of our sinful nature.  As Paul so well put, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.” (Romans 7:19)  This is the challenge we have as followers.  We all fail in some degree or another.  This is why Christ’s sacrifice was necessary.  We alone could not cover our failures, and through Him, we are made perfect.  Thus, we must always remember that following Christ, while an easy choice, is a challenging journey if we do not have practices that ensure our walk of faith stays true to His word.  Understanding this provides us with the information needed to make good faith based decision that allow us to walk as Simon and Andrew did trusting in Jesus without hesitation.

Our choice to follow means embracing the adventure that God lays before us.  The journey of faith is one that is filled with choices that have both blessings and at times heartache.  But Jesus wants us to know that no choice is without God’s watchful and loving eyes there to help and protect us.  We do not ever get to either know or understand this unless we have chosen to take up His cross and follow Him.  So let us always remember Jesus Christ as our savior as the foundation of all choices, and utilize the information we’ve gathered in our journey of faith going forward.  What information are you needing from Christ today?  What decisions might you need to wait on God for?  My prayer is that we trust God as our source of information to make good decisions.  Amen.

Not Guilty

“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.  The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”

They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.  They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.

When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.  Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”  John 8:4-11

This week, I served on a jury.  I had the unique perspective of being foreman for the group.  Thus, my job was to not only come up with a reasonable decision on my part but also help facilitate the others in the coming up with the verdict.  Thus, our job was to look at evidence, which in this case was almost entirely circumstantial, and decide guilt or innocence.  As I thought about the various testimonies brought into the discussion and angles of exhibits, it made me think of my life and all the wrongs I have done.  It was not that I was dwelling on them and carry them like luggage.  Instead, it was thinking where I would be if I hadn’t had Jesus Christ as an advocate for me.  Unlike in a jury case, there is only one prosecutor, judge, and jury in my life.  God knows all I have done, and has presented a flawless case where one can only find me guilty as charged.  I confessed to being guilty as charged.  However, we have Jesus Christ as our defendant, and through Him, I am somehow found blameless.  The crimes that I am guilty of are left without punishment as Jesus Himself paid the price for it.  I am grateful that I have been given another chance to prove myself worthy of His gift of grace even though I can in no way do enough to either repay or earn it.  What an incredibly humbling thought!

Jesus frees us from the burden of our past to allow us to see a future.  We all have had moments where we regretted an action or done things we were not proud of.  If you were once like me, you lingered with thoughts of your past transgressions never being free and feeling less worthy than others.  Some of you despite dedicating your life to Jesus may have that one incident or thought that continually hovers over your head.  Others have people much like followers of Christ who want to hang your sins over your head like a crown of thorns or like jurors who have made the decision of your guilt.  This is not the life God intended for you.  This is why the story of this woman put before Christ is so important.  The Pharisees, having already in their minds found the woman guilty, put her before Jesus to either justify their beliefs or discredit Jesus entirely.  Note there is not even a denial from the woman in the story.  Jesus’ answer has a two-fold purpose for us.  First, it is to remind us that all fall short of God’s glory, and we must not be judgmental of other sinners (i.e. like the Pharisees).  Second, it is to lift the burden of our past to allow for us a brighter future.  This is Jesus’ purpose in our lives.  We are given a new life, where we are to follow Him given a higher purpose to ‘sin no more.’

God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ is one of the greatest blessings in our walk of faith.  We are no longer burden by the guilt and shame of our past and our given a new life.  While we as mature Christians should know this, we are always susceptible to falling into old habits and believing we are beyond redemption.  But even when we fail the Lord promises to be with us saying, “”But with everlasting love, I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.” (Isaiah 54:8b)  So whether it is past transgressions before accepting Christ or overwhelming guilt that has hindered you after, be joyful in knowing your debt is paid, and God wants for you an amazing relationship with Him on your journey to eternal life.  What burdens do you need to cast on God today?  How can you move beyond your past toward His future for your life?  My prayer is that we understand that while we are guilty of sin, we are given new life as Jesus Christ finds us ‘Not Guilty.’  Amen.

Precious Possession

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.

    O Israel, the one who formed you says,

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

    I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you go through deep waters,

    I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

    you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

    you will not be burned up;

    the flames will not consume you.

For I am the Lord, your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;

    I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Others were given in exchange for you.

    I traded their lives for yours

because you are precious to me.

    You are honored, and I love you.  Isaiah 43:1-4

At the end of last year, I decided to get my daughter an iPhone.  I had told her that if she did well with her grades for the semester, she would get one, but I really wanted her to have it as a gesture of kindness because she’s my daughter.  Spoiling her?  Sure, some might say that, but regardless of anyone’s view, she’s still my daughter, and I love her unconditionally.  She knows it even when she is upset after being disciplined or getting a reprieve.

God’s love for us is beyond doubt because He gave to us without condition.  Last week, I spoke of a father’s love as to our focusing on relationship with God to not disappointing Him.  Today, I want to spend more on this relationship, but focusing on God’s love for us.  Through Jesus Christ, He paid ransom for our sins.  We neither earned it nor can we repay it.  It is a gift for the opportunity to have Him with us.  Today’s verses are further proof of Jesus being both God and with God, but the focus today is on how God makes it clear that He is with us in trouble and difficulty and oppression and pain no matter what.  Why is this important?  In the last part of the fourth verse, God answered “because you are precious to me.  You are honored, and I love you.”  Meditate on that for a moment.  The God of wonders, the Alpha and Omega, the great ‘I Am,’ says we are precious to Him and loved.  To fully understand the depth of this is twofold.  First, we can walk boldly with confidence that we are indeed valued by the greatest of all.  Second, we are to be humbled knowing we not only are not deserving of this but also are no better than anyone with or without salvation.  It may seem like a delicate tight rope to walk, and you are right.  We must let the love of God give us strength and the grace of God make us humble.

God has wanted a relationship with you all along.  Even when we feel off the train tracks in our relationship with Christ, remember that He paid the ransom in His blood so that we could be one with Him no matter what.  And He did it for the simplest of things; love.  That is why we should not focus on repayment.  Rather, our relationship is as a statement of devotion and love for Him.  Let us cherish the selfless act of God who loves us no matter what.  What level of reflection will you have in your relationship with Christ?  How can your understanding of being His make you both stronger and more humble?  My prayer is you remember that you are God’s precious possession.  Amen.

Thursday Devotional - Faith and Righteousness

Did any of you take AP (advanced placement) classes in high school and then get college credit for it? You didn’t have to take or pay for the class in college, but were given the credits as if you had!

With God’s righteousness, we won’t ever meet His standards. However, for those who place their faith in His work on their behalf, He credits with Christ’s righteousness. He treats us as if we were righteous and have met His standards.

Romans 4:1-8     What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? ² If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. ³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

⁴ Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. ⁵ However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. ⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

⁷ “Blessed are those
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
⁸ Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

For believers, our sin is treated as if the punishment has been paid. We didn’t pay for it, but Jesus did on our behalf. He paid our punishment and we get His righteousness!!! Fair, huh?! No. What love, grace and mercy!!!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faith and Superiority

As we talked last week, if we have true saving faith, then there’s no place for boasting. If there’s no place for boasting, then there isn’t any place for superiority either.

Paul points out in Romans that faith eliminates human prejudice, like between the Jews and Gentiles. God is God of both. He justifies both by the same faith.

Romans 3: 29-30         Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 

The Jews thought they were better. They worked hard to prove it, too. Superiority divides, but faith unites. Faith stops discrimination. God saves all sinners the same way, by grace through faith in Jesus. No believer is more God’s child than any other believer.

Are any of my sisters’ biological children more of a grandchild to my parents than my children? No! They may have come first (and biologically), but they aren’t better. My parents love all of them the same. How much more does God love each of His children the same?!!

 

Where do you and I think we are better or worse than someone else? 

Or who do you and I think is beyond receiving God’s justification?

Is there someone you and I would be upset to see in Heaven?

We were all guilty before God, yet God pronounced you and me not guilty, if we’ve placed our faith in Jesus!

Romans 3:22      This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile.

Alice

Washed Away

“Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak.  For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard. What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized. Have your sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.’  Acts 22:14-16 

The new year is filled with resolutions that we plan to do differently.  The sermon I heard this weekend talked about such things as well as preparing for your future.  Reflecting on this, I heard my inner voice saying, “What about your past?”  There was a lot of good in my past, but there was also the times where I was most distant from God.  These were when I felt unworthy and ashamed of myself.  That was where I was when I came to God; hopeless and humbled hoping to do some good.  Then, I remembered getting in the water to be baptized.  Apparently, the water was cold enough that I was vocalizing it, and my pastor at the time looked at me and jokingly said, “Man up.”  As I rose up from the waters, my mother, who watching in the audience, said I raised my arms in victory.  The moment signified my decision to follow Christ and that I was clean from sin.  Forever.  This is what I carry with me into the new year. 

We should remember that through all our moments both good and bad, we are all made clean through Jesus Christ.  I love this testimony by Paul speaking of his experience coming to follow Christ.  We read in the early part of Acts when on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to Paul asking why was he persecuting Him, and how Paul met Ananias, who helped Paul regain his sight.  Now, Paul gives his testimony detailing how Ananias told how his sins would be washed away by calling on the name of the Lord.  We thus learn that no matter what we have done or where we have come from, we are free from sin's bondage through Jesus Christ.  Like the calendar points out the change to a new year, we too are changed, and our sins are washed away if we call out to Him.  This makes us new, and we must both put those things that drag us down away and move toward the future with our eyes fixed on the one who is pure, blameless, and the perfecter of our faith. 

Through Christ, we have endless possibilities.  We have been blessed by God's gift of grace.  Our goal thus is to seek Him at all times humbly asking Him, “Oh Lord.  Open my eyes to those things you want me to see, and let my heart ache for those things that break your heart.  Help me to do your will and find joy in each and every moment I am with you.”  As we start a new year, let us remember the new beginning we have been given.  What do you need God to release you from today?  What will you do with your new found freedom through Jesus Christ?  My prayer is that we remember that our past sins have through Jesus Christ been washed away.  Amen.