Thursday Devotional - Chasing After the Wind of Strength (8/17/23)

This summer my kids took turns walking my sister’s dog with my Dad. My sister’s dog, Patty, probably weighs more than most of them! However, my Dad helped them learn how to control her, even if they aren’t stronger than her. I guess you could say they learned how to outsmart rather than overpower.

Solomon was impressed by wisdom’s power over strength.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-18    I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: ¹⁴ There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. ¹⁵ Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.

¹⁷ The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
    than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
    but one sinner destroys much good.

Strength isn’t everything. We can desire strength in order to gain power or fame, but it can crumble in an instant. Man’s wisdom can outsmart the strong, but as Solomon points out, even that can be fleeting. Seeking God’s wisdom has eternal significance, though!

James 3:17-18             But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Are you and I chasing after strength or wisdom? For what purpose and by what means? Let’s seek God’s wisdom for an eternal harvest of righteousness.

Thursday Devotional - Imputed Identity

Last month the kids and I memorized Luke 18:19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone.” We were focusing on God’s attribute of being Good. Only God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) is Good.

We can’t ever be good but we can accept Christ’s imputed righteousness. Romans 10:4 Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

We aren’t righteous (having perfectly upright moral conduct), but God looks at us through Christ’s righteousness when we put our trust and belief in what He’s done.

Romans 10:9-13 ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Belief in Jesus as the resurrected Lord is the only way to receive righteousness. Receiving Jesus’ righteousness means being fully acceptance by God! When I don’t believe in Christ’s imputed righteousness, I downplay my imperfections, or focus on my failures, or get overwhelmed in my striving for righteousness. When I believe in Christ’s imputed righteousness, I humbly go to Him with my failures, accept His forgiveness and rejoice in my full acceptance by God!

Christ’s righteousness becomes the basis for our identity.

We don’t need to prove ourselves! We’ve been accepted!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Slavery

We are all slaves to something – whether it’s work, wealth, weight, status, security, service to God, pleasure, possessions, perfectionism, family, food, fashion, etc.

Is slavery always bad???

Romans 6:16-18, 22-23   Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸ You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness… ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul says slavery to sin results in death, but slavery to God results in righteousness, holiness and eternal life!!! Where is your and my allegiance?

What sin of mine do I justify, ignoring the destruction it has or will cause? What sin of yours do you justify, ignoring its destruction? What negative consequences might we (& others) experience if we continue in that sin?

Let’s value righteousness, holiness and eternal life! There’s freedom in slavery, slavery to God! There’s freedom from sin, earthly consequences, and eternal death.

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Born Good or Bad?

Are people born good, but become bad? Or are all people born bad and some become good?

Romans 5:17-21 ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adam’s sin brought death while Jesus’ obedience brought life. Sin and death entered the world through Adam. Everyone is born a sinner. We aren’t born good and don’t become good. Only God is Good. However, as we’ve been talking about being credited with Christ’s righteousness, we can receive God’s gracious gift of righteousness (vs. 17) because of Jesus’ one “good” act (vs. 18).

Watching children, it doesn’t take long to realize they enter the world sinful and selfish. As caring as James can be, he and Sarah both wanted to go first when we played Candy Land last night (and since they argued about it, I went first!).

Have you accepted the fact that everyone is born a sinner? How does that change the way you and I view others or situations around us?

Have you accepted God’s gift of righteousness? If so, how are you and I enjoying His gift and experiencing life now?

We’re born sinners, but we can accept God’s gift of righteousness!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Father Abraham

We talked last week about how God credits Christ’s righteousness to those who believe. We don’t earn it. The same was true for Abraham. He wasn’t righteous, but God credited him with Christ’s righteousness.

Paul goes on to explain this further.

Romans 4:9-12   Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. ¹⁰ Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

Abraham was credited with righteousness not because of who he was or what he did, but because of his faith in who God is and what God would do! (As Kent talked about yesterday, God is faithful and can be trusted to do what He says He will do.)

Most of us are not Jews. However, as Paul says, Abraham is the father of all who believe (remember the children’s song “Father Abraham”??).

My chiropractor is a Jew, but I don’t think he is a true son of Abraham, yet. However, yesterday, he was the one who brought up Jesus in our conversation! I continue to pray for God to use me (and now my kids, too) as witnesses for Him. 

Do you view God’s promises as gifts or as standards to attain? 

Are you a son of Abraham?

Those who place their faith and trust in what God has done and what He’s promised to do in the future are true sons of Abraham!

Alice

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 - Love and Laws

Romans 3:19-24            “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”    Romans 3:19-24

God’s laws in the Bible point out our sin in light of His righteousness. If we have faith in Jesus Christ and have accepted God’s free gift of salvation, we will desire to show our love to Him through obeying His laws. 

I frequently tell James and Sarah that they show love for God and for me, when they listen and obey the first time. James is quick to verbally say he loves us and he gives hugs generously which shows he loves us. He’s working on the immediate obedience part! J If we’re honest, we all struggle with immediate obedience.

Knowing God’s laws are necessary so we can obey immediately and identify and avoid sin.

How well do you and I know God’s laws?

If we were to ask God, what would He say about our knowledge of His laws? 

What sins in your life and my life have recently come to light and how are you and I obediently addressing those sins?  

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Final Passover

Jesus paid our debt in full when He died on the cross. In fact, the Greek for “it is finished” is “paid in full.” Last week we saw how Jesus persevered to the end, declaring “it is finished,” to fulfill God’s plan. Even the timing of when He died and what happened after His death continued to fulfill God’s plan.

John 19:31-37         ³¹ Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” ³⁷ and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

The Jewish leaders were so concerned about being outwardly clean in order to celebrate the Passover. Crucified before them, though, was the only truly clean and perfect Righteous One. All their previous Passover celebrations pointed to this final Passover sacrifice.

As God had commanded Moses and the Israelites not to break the bones of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:46), so God made sure His ultimate Passover Lamb’s bones weren’t broken.

As God had commanded Moses and the Israelites to spill the Passover lamb’s blood and take shelter under it (Exodus 12:6-7, & 13), so God made sure His ultimate Passover Lamb’s blood was spilt so you and I could take shelter under it.

Jesus was the perfect and final Passover Lamb. Have you accepted Him as your Passover Lamb who died in your place, taking the judgment you deserve? If so, you and I have shelter under His blood for forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and His robe of righteousness!  

Alice

I Don't Like You

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.  But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.  Romans 8:5-11

I don’t like God sometimes.  I say this much like I say it to my wife Loretta.  You know when you have that argument about a decision with your significant other and make a choice your way only to find out later that they were right all along, you just look with that face of resignation, and your significant other just smiles with that grin saying, “I told you so.”  The only thing left to say after that is, “I don’t like you.”  For me, it is a subtle way of admitting to my wife I should have trusted her.  Much in the same way, God will literally point out something in my life that I either took too lightly or gave into principally, and then show the error of my ways.  I love Him for that because in spite of that He is still shows me grace, but that does not mean that I like Him.  Fortunately like my wife, He understands . . . I think  J

God wants all of us to live a life resisting the temptations of the flesh so that the Holy Spirit that dwells within us will grow.  Today’s verses from Romans signify the beginning of what many pastors feel is one of the most important chapters in the Bible; Romans 8.  Paul was pointing out a fundamental truth of a growing walk of faith.  It is one that does not give in to what the flesh wants, and has discipline to know that the mind and heart must focus on what is pleasing to God and not governed by our often shallow and short sighted wants.  While this seems simple enough, we often fail to realize when it is being tested.  Sometimes, it can be as simple as lending a hand to a friend in need.  Other times, it could be as complex as knowing when a relationship with a member of the opposite sex has grown too cozy.  There could be a situation where you’re challenged to do God’s work when it is uncomfortable for you, and in another, peer pressure will push you saying ‘everyone does it at least once.’  No matter how simple or complex the situation, our goal is to have our mind ‘governed by the Spirit’ such that we will always make good decisions or as my granddaughter would say, “Make better choices.”  Should we fail, we must be repentant but not discouraged.  Instead, read God’s word, and find ways so that you can be successful the next time.

God never said staying on course was easy.  Jesus said, “For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (Matthew 7:13b)   We all find our way at some point heading toward that gate of destruction.  I personally have gone through that gate a couple of times.  However through God’s grace and sometimes discipline, we are shown a better path.  If we believe in Him and keep walking by faith, the Spirit of Christ will grow within us such that we always will find our way to the righteous path again.  What subtle hints is God giving you of a wrong path?  How can you let the Spirit of Christ guide your decisions more?  My prayer is that we continue to love God and Christ within us knowing that sometimes, we won’t like Him.  Amen.