Tues Devo: Hope

Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (NASB)

Hello,

As we get ready to cross into the New Year, the concept of hope is talked about or referred to quite often. We gear up for the next year and think about where we will improve, look for what may be in store, and hope it is better than the last year (even if the last year was good as well). The problem is that we have begun to use a different word for hope. We seem to make is synonymous with “wish” or “dream” – but that is not the way this is looked at here in scripture. Here hope is seen as what is to come, but what is not in question. As you look at the cascade of events in these verses the reason they lead to hope is that by going through tough times in full reliance on God, we begin to see things more clearly from His perspective. We are more in step with what He desires and walk more closely with Him. As we do that, we remember who He truly is, that His end game is perfect and will come to pass and that He wants what is best for us in that perspective all along the way.

Where is your hope going to be placed this new year?

Will Hill

Thursday Devotional - Who is Worthy?

Last week we saw how God is worthy of all praise and honor. Is there anyone else that is worthy? Will we ever be worthy?

None of us are holy or righteous. The only way we can be seen as holy and righteous in God’s eyes is to believe in Jesus’ work on our behalf (His death, resurrection and exaltation). Philippians 3:9…not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

So, will we one day be worthy, as well? I don’t think so. Worthy means morally upright and fully deserving. We are holy and righteous because God has consecrated and justified us by His grace and mercy through the blood of Jesus. However, we will never be fully deserving.

The next passage in Revelation points out that there is no one on earth or in Heaven that is worthy. 

Revelation 5:1-7       Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. ⁴ I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.⁷ He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne.

Only triumphant Jesus, the Lamb slain for us, is worthy before God!

Let’s celebrate today and tomorrow the real reason for the season – Jesus was sent as a baby to be slain on a cross for you and me! He deserves and is worthy of our focus and praise!!!

Merry Christmas!
Alice 

True Grit

Because the Sovereign Lord helps me,
    I will not be disgraced.
Therefore, I have set my face like a stone,
    determined to do his will.
    And I know that I will not be put to shame.
He who gives me justice is near.
    Who will dare to bring charges against me now?
Where are my accusers?
    Let them appear!
See, the Sovereign Lord is on my side!
    Who will declare me guilty?
All my enemies will be destroyed
    like old clothes that have been eaten by moths!  Isaiah 50:7-9

You ever go through a daunting task or situation where at one point you could either fail to overcome or seem too tough?  I had a task like that where it just never seemed to be where I wanted it to be, and the mounting pressure built as the deadline approached.  For a bit, it seemed it would never get done, but I remembered something I had heard at a conference talking about how sometimes you have to use feeling that is hard to define but necessary to just get it done.  Some describe it as toughness, but the word they used was grittiness.  So rather than resign myself to just dealing with my potential failure, I dug my heels in and fought with grittiness never giving in to the voice that it could not be done on time.  Low and behold, I had completed my task when I needed it to be done and ahead of schedule.

Being a servant of God sometimes will require us to fight through some tough situations.  A question was asked in my bible study about when to let go of something.  Is God testing us to be vigilant and ‘gritty’ or does He want us to go another way?  Only through prayer can that be answered, but when it comes to being faithful servants as Ephesians 6:11 would suggest (Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes), we must always stand for Him.  This is what Isaiah conveys in today’s verse.  Because we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, we have God on our side.  Thus, we should be comfortable embracing this choice.  When times might seem tough and the pressure seems to mount, we must show our own ‘grit’ to stand for God and His will for our lives.

No one said serving God is easy.  Jesus said, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14 - NIV)  When you are weary from the struggles in your life and following God feels more like a burden than a blessing, remember to find strength in Him, who can carry you through anything.  Do not give in.  Dig your heels in, and find that something in you that is God inspired and keep fighting.  What challenge are you facing today that needs God’s inspired strength?  What situation can you handle better knowing God has your back?  My prayer is that when challenged with worldly suffering and conflict, we respond with God inspired true grit.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Joy, part 3

Matthew 2:13 “Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.’” (NASB)

Hey – that verse sounds like lots of joy! As we have looked at joy being found to be most full in the presence of God – let us not miss the fact that the enemy wants to steal our joy from us. Whatever he can do, he will to keep us separated from God. He tried to use Herod to steal the joy while Jesus was yet an infant, and he continues today to do things that will take our joy away. This isn’t always by introducing the obviously evil, sometimes it is done by him in introducing the things that look good or fine on the outside – but are truly intended to distract us from the presence and will of God.

Jesus knew the plan to come for His life on earth, and knew that He would have to die. The enemy would try and use that to steal the joy from folks, but Jesus knew that was just temporary  - and His presence again will bring a joy that cannot be taken away from us. Jesus goes through this discussion in John 16 – with verse 22 saying “ Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” (NASB)

Have a joyful day!

Will Hill

A Promise of Hope

Just last week, I posted "Bring It."  While I do know the end of the Bible and the major concepts within the middle, I don't know the details of the next chapter as I'm going through this study of Ezekiel.  I'm slowly pondering and praying about each chapter as I'm going through it, and only focusing on one chapter each week.  I found it rather poignant that the next chapter of Ezekiel includes these verses:

33 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. 35 They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” 36 Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the Lord have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.’  Ezekiel 36

Yes!  We are told the end of the story.  This brings up a concept I hadn't heard before.  I had heard that our bodies will be restored at the resurrection, but I hadn't heard that the ruins would also be rebuilt.  The desolate land would be cultivated again.  Think of it, everything around us will be restored to reflect God's glory.

It'll be a wonderful day when we see that.  I remember a few members of our church visited New York City years ago and specifically found one of the first churches from our denomination.  The church had been long closed, bought and renovated, and was now a pizza parlor.  While it was a beautiful pizza parlor with stained glass windows, it was still very troubling to the members of the congregation that visited the site.  Honestly, I wasn't that upset by it.  I didn't have the whole story as to why the church closed, for all we know the church had outgrown that location in NYC and had relocated to a larger site.  The building itself is not important, what we do as Christians is what's important.

Still, the verses reiterate that what is torn down, or refurbished into a pizza parlor, can and will be rebuilt by God.  Nothing is impossible for him.  What man has made, God can certainly make, reshape, and improve upon.

Trusting the Lord

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her
husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

I’d like to take the time to look at things from Joseph’s prospective. Imagine if you would, being engaged to someone, preparing to marry that person. Then all of a sudden, you find out they are going to have a baby. You haven’t been with the person physically so you know it’s not your baby. Of course your first thoughts have to be that they have been unfaithful to you. If they are unfaithful to you as you are preparing to be married, can you really trust them? Do you want to be a parent to their child?

A million questions, thoughts and doubts had to have been going through Joseph’s mind. No doubt he was overwhelmed by everything. When all of a sudden an angel of the Lord appears to him and tries to tell him that this baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Really? Come on, let’s be real!

By this point, I’m sure Joseph was ready to go out of his mind. However, he did just as he was commanded and took Mary as his wife. Jesus would be raised with Joseph as his earthly father.

Now that is trusting the Lord! My prayer is that I can trust the Lord in times where I feel so overwhelmed and feel like nothing makes sense.  

Thurs Devo: Spectacular Scene, Part II

Soon after posting the devotional last Thursday, I read the verse and prayer on my desk flip calendar. Guess where it was from and what it was about? It was a verse from Revelation chapter 4 and it was about not having the words to adequately describe God’s spectacular creation! It tied right in with last week’s devotional! Amazing!!!

Here was the prayer: “Dearest Creator of all things, we praise Your name. We praise Your creativity in making such a wondrous world. Just thinking of how all things on earth work together is amazing. We don’t have the words to adequately tell you how truly spectacular we think Your creation is to us. You are worthy of all praise. Amen.”

Not only is God’s creation spectacular and amazing, but His timing blows me away every time!!!

As we read the other half of Revelation chapter 4 today, what stands out to you?

Revelation 4:6b-11 In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. ⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”


Alice

Taken For Granted

See what great love the Father has for us that He would call us His children. And that is what we are. For this reason the people of the world do not know who we are because they did not know Him.  1 John 3:1

My wife and I will celebrate our first date together next week.  It will have been over 32 years since that day.  We worked together, and were at a company Christmas party.  Afterward, we would decide to officially date each other one month later.  I never really appreciated that moment then.  I do today.  She has hung in there with me through a lot of ups and downs, and she has been the epitome of the 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (Love is patient, love is kind . . . love never fails).  I was not always a good husband to her, and there were times where I simply took her love for granted.  But even as we fight over what’s best for our daughter or she nags me for umpteenth time about something I did not do, I am incredibly humbled that she chose me as her husband.  I strive to never take her love for me for granted. This brought me to where my appreciation is for God’s love for me, and do I take it for granted.  Am I serving Him out of love?  Do I do things without even focusing on or appreciating it?

The greatest of all things God provides us with is His love. There are times we might focus on how God has given us grace and done miraculous things leaving us wondering how it was even possible.  He has carried many of us through rough times so often that we could not remember them all if we tried.  Yet, today I wrote with this feeling of unending warmth from the love God has for us.  We get caught up with so much going on around us, and we often go to God for help, thanksgiving, and affirmation.  However, one thing we should really focus on is just how overwhelming His is.  If you take a moment to pause and feel His presence, it’s as if His arms are wrapped around you holding you like a father holds his infant child.  God’s love is not something we place figuratively in our hip pocket.  As His children, His love should be at the forefront of everything we do.  It is the air that we breathe.  Without it, we cannot survive.

There is nothing we cannot overcome if we approach things with the love of God in our hearts.  1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT) goes on to say, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”  Why would we ever let anything else take its place?  While there are many things that go seemingly devoid of it, we must dedicate ourselves to always remember the love God has for us, and then love Him and others fueled by it.  What situation requires you to invest more love into it?  How can you remind yourself how much God loves you?  My prayer is that we put God’s love at the forefront in our lives and never ever take it for granted.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Joy - Part 2

Hello,

Last week we took a look in the Old Testament to see the fullness of joy coming in the presence of God.

As we look forward to Christmas time – what an extension of that definition! When Mary visits Elizabeth, John responded while still in the womb.

Luke 1:39-45 “ Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.’” (NASB)

Then, when Jesus was born this joy was part of the announcement to the shepherds as they were told of His birth – Luke 2:9-11 “And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” (NASB)

There is fullness of joy in the presence of God – and Christmas represents the time where He took that opportunity and connection to a whole new level. When you think this year of Christmas Joy – remember the fullness of joy in His presence.

Will Hill

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Subject: Tues Devo: Joy - part 1

Psalm 16:10-11 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (NASB).

Hello,

As we enter December and Christmas time, I think of everything going on in the world that can get you bothered, upset, angry or even depressed. We cannot escape reality – these things are happening. But how can we find joy in the middle of this – without trying to isolate ourselves from reality? The Psalmist here gives us a huge insight – it is God’s presence. Now, not only does His presence bring joy, but the fullness of joy. To me when I hear “fullness” I think completeness – or something that cannot be filled any further. What more could you ask for when it comes to joy, but joy which could not be any more filling???

Struggling with joy – get into His presence.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Bring It

5 “‘Because you harbored an ancient hostility and delivered the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their calamity, the time their punishment reached its climax,  Ezekiel 35

There are spiritual battles going on in our modern day.  It's a vastly different environment than what the Israelites experienced, but we still encounter other people that still harbor hostility and outwardly show violence towards Christians - and to even larger groups of people based on their country being considered Christian.  My mom has a phrase she frequently says, "I've read the Bible, and I know the end of the story."

We do know the end of the story, but often, people will glance over the middle.  It says that we will be persecuted for our beliefs.  We will be mocked, physically harmed, and some even killed for their beliefs.  2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. John 16

Whatever may happen to me and those around me, I am ready for it.  I will stand for my faith in Christ.  The words spoken to and about me will roll off me like water on a duck's back.  If I am physically harmed, I will emerge stronger in my faith if not physically stronger.  And if I am killed, I know where I will go.

I do not fear, for the body is temporary.  My soul will last forever.