Thursday Devotional - Double Standards

Romans 2:19-24     “if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”           Romans 2:19-24

Here, Paul is bluntly confronting the self-righteous Jews. Sometimes I skim over these verses thinking I’m not like these Jews. I don’t think I set expectations of others that I don’t set for myself. However, if I really examine all my behaviors and thoughts, I am hypocritical. I don’t always meet my own expectations for myself, much less God’s expectations.

Just last night I got on to James and Sarah several times for talking at dinner with food in their mouth. One of the times I realized I still had some food in my mouth when I was telling them to wait to talk until they had finished chewing!!!

In your and my areas of responsibility, what are you and I teaching others (co-workers, spouses, children, peers, communities, church members)?

Are you and I holding ourselves to the same expectations? 

Do you and I expect our co-workers to be diligent and not waist time, but do you and I waist time in different ways?

Do you and I expect our family members to be considerate, but do you and I always think of their needs first?

Let’s ask God to help us recognize (and address) where we are being self-righteous, hypocritical, or holding double standards.

Alice

It Ain't Easy

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”  Matthew 4:2-4

We all have household chores that we either love or hate.  For example, I love shoveling snow.  It’s not that I look forward to it, but when I have to go out there, it feels a fun challenge to shovel the area around the house.  However, I absolutely hate cleaning the garage.  One never knows what crawls out from under a bag or the dust the flies up agitating my allergies.  If there is something I can avoid doing, the garage is it.  In either case, the task must be done whether I like it or not, and it is for the good of the household once completed.

Being in servitude to God means there are going to be times where we do what we would prefer not to do.  In today’s verses, Jesus is tempted by the Devil in the wilderness.  As we see, the Devil tempted Jesus like he often does us; at His weakest point.  If you are like me, we typically are not thinking straight when we are hungry.  Here was Jesus who had fasted for forty days!  Pretty safe to say that hunger might have been an issue here.  So the Devil appealed to His ‘son of God’ side noting nothing is impossible for Him.  Why not indulge yourself a bit, and make some bread to eat.  One of Jesus’ greatest attribute is His devout servitude to God at all times.  His response was predictable noting it is of greater importance to live on God’s word than it is to serve myself.  This story reminds us of that simple phrase, “Easy to say, and hard to do.”  The reason it is so difficult to uphold is we love so many things that it at times clouds our judgment as to what do we love more.  I love God, but sometimes I feel like I love my wife, my children, and even more troubling, myself more than God.  I say this as admission of my own flaws hoping others might ask themselves the same question.  We must always remember that serving God when it conflicts with other wants and needs is an absolute must.  We may not like or enjoy it.  However, our spiritual growth is dependent on it.


Serving God is both humbling and a blessing.  He does so much for us in terms of love, grace, forgiveness, and protection that we may not truly understand the depths of the blessings given to us.  Furthermore, He gave us a shining example of how we are to live through His son Jesus Christ.  This is indeed a tall order for as Paul humbly wrote why is it so difficult to do what I ought not do (Romans 7:15).  However, Jesus took that burden on the cross so that we would be able to connect with God in spite of those and other flaws of ours.  So get out of your own way, and serve as He is worthy to serve.  How will you respond when your wants conflict with God’s?  What steps can you take to ensure your love for God supersedes love for other things?  My prayer is that we continue to grow in our love for God realizing that at times, it ain't easy.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Me focus

Hello,

Last week I wrote about reliance on God’s amazing power – and us trusting Him. This week I want to take the opposite angle, and talk about ourselves and the things we can control. While it may not feel in this culture that we need encouragement to spend time on ourselves – we really do. But instead of time on our self-promotion and self-indulgence, we need that time on self-building and self-control.

There are things in our control – are we focused on working on those? Are we willing to be accountable before God on those things, and commit to growth?

Ephesians 2:29-32 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” (NASB)

I hope this challenges all of us!

Will Hill

How do you Worship God?

Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

I was actually looking up another verse to write about this morning when I saw this.  It hit me and I have no clue why but I decided to use this verse instead. 

What a mighty God we serve!  When you look at the world around us, remove the people for just a minute and truly look at the beauty of the earth, you can see how it was really meant to be.  David wrote this Psalm and if you stop and think about it, we can see how everything that surrounds us is worshipping God. 

Worshiping God does not require speech or words.  No sound is needed at all.  We can worship God in our thoughts, prayers, how we choose to live our lives.  And those are just silent ways that come to mind for me.

Today I want to encourage you to think about how you worship our Lord.  Are there subtle ways that you could worship him more?  Share with the group ways that you enjoy worshiping God, silent or out loud.

Thursday Devotional - Hearing Only?

I often ask the kids “what did I say?!” Sometimes I ask it in response to them asking the same question they’ve just asked, hoping for a different answer! Other times, I ask it when I catch them not picking up after I asked them to pick up their toys. In either scenario, my kids heard and knew what I said but didn’t listen and obey.

Similarly, I can hear, read and know God’s Word, but what difference will it make in my life unless I apply and obey it?

Romans 2:13-16     ¹³ For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. ¹⁴ (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) ¹⁶ This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Whether you plan to read the whole Bible in a year this year or have some other Bible study plan, end your time with at least one application question for yourself. I often write out my application question in a journal and then write out the answer. Sometimes I have to think about it and answer it the next day (or later).

James 1:22 & 25 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.

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. 

Tues Devo: 2018 Reliance

Hello,

While not a big person for resolutions, I am big on goals. I wanted to share with you about one of my goals for this year. This year, each day I will be praying for something – something that is completely out of my control. It is specific, and will be able to be identified when it happens…but when it happens, it will be God’s hand behind it all. It is also fully in line with what Scripture says God desires.  (No, I am not telling exactly what it is).

You see, last year I feel like I fell into the trap of trying to muscle myself into things – not truly depending on God. This year, I want to ensure I am continually putting myself in a position of dependency, and trusting the size that is truly God.

Paul ends the third chapter of Ephesians (v20-21) with a stark reminder that God is well able to handle God-sized things: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (NASB)

Will you join me this year? Is there something fully in line with the Biblical desires of God that you cannot control, but will commit to pray for each day through this year?

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Walk in Love

2 John 4-6

It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

As we enter the start of a new year, I wanted to remind myself and all of you of a simple yet powerful command that we have been given.  Love one another.  Throughout the Bible, this is a command we see over and over and over again.  It seems so simple, yet it can be so difficult. 

I will admit that there are times that I struggle to assume positive intent from people.  While I have gotten much better with the emotional intelligence and do tend to give the proper reply, I still struggle with that initial internal reaction to what someone does or says to me sometimes.  I struggle to love that person as I should. 

Do you find yourself sometimes not walking in love as we are commanded?  I just want to encourage you today to let that be a focus for you as we enter a new year.

Thursday Devotional - Seeking Immortality

Are you going to make new year’s resolutions for 2018? Often new year’s resolutions focus on things that will make us feel or look better, gain skills or accomplishments and ultimately provide what we think is a better quality of life.

Did you know Paul tells us to seek immortality???

Romans 2:6-11       God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” ⁷ To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸ But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. ⁹ There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; ¹⁰ but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

How will you and I seek glory, honor and immortality this coming year? Here are few ways:

Getting to know God better through reading the Bible

Joining a Bible study group

Doing a Bible study with our families

Praying for ourselves and others to know God better

Memorizing and meditating on Bible verses

Sacrificially serving others

Many of you already prioritize these things, knowing eternal life is the best reward!

Keep it up this coming year!

Alice 

New Year's Resolution - Certainty

So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.  This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.  Hebrews 4:14-16 

This has been a year one of ups and downs.  Yes, some years are rougher than others, and this one had more challenges than I’ve had in a while.  However as I have fought and clawed through the tough times, I managed to find strength not only in myself but also in God.  It was one of those years where I looked back at some of the devotions I wrote, and had to live them out.  I had to remember not to worry and to stay awake at all times to ensure I was attune to what God was calling me to do (see May 24, 2017).  Other times it was to trust in who Jesus Christ was and not focus on what He has done for me (October 17, 2017).  More than anything, I’ve learned that I can move forward with confidence knowing that I do not have to be worried about failing.  I have certainty in Jesus that if I truly trust Him, everything will be alright. 

When we walk with Jesus, we have certainty that all things will work out for His glory.  There are times where we feel like we are losing the battle, and other times, we will feel like we did not get what we wanted.  But we must remember that we cannot lose the war if we have Jesus Christ, who give us strength to fight on and can find a way for us when we cannot see one for ourselves.  He is that shining light that we can follow, and while we may not always get what we want, He will always give us more than what we will need.  That we can sure of, and therefore, we should as Paul said, “Come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.”  Do not fear of failure or disappointment.  He will be there for you.  You can be certain of it. 

As the year comes to an end, remember that we walk by faith on the righteous pathway leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ.  You might have begun this year struggling with work, home, faith, or other areas.  However today, I want to assure you that the King of Kings is still on the throne!  When you know this deep in your heart, your fears and worries will soon disappear.  I leave you with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King the night before he was killed.  Listen to the certainty he had, and think of how this must have been words of strength to many in the equality struggle ever after his death: 

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like any man, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. 

This is what certainty in Jesus Christ sounds like.  What wall can you walk through with this certainty?  What will you do this year knowing God is with you?  My prayer is that you walk with boldness and courageousness as you head into the new year with one simple phrase; certainty.  Amen, and may you have a blessed and Happy New Year!