Thursday Devotional - Hate, Honor and Hospitality

Yes, we’re to do all three! As Paul says, they’re part of having sincere love serving the Lord and sharing with His people.

Romans 12:9-13     Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

I certainly don’t do all of this all of the time. I can’t even say I hate, honor and show hospitality each week, but I did this past week. I hated a lie I overheard, we honored my Dad for his 65^th birthday, and we hosted people in our home three different times. James even asked to have another family over for dinner on Tuesday, but I was fixing a new vegan recipe and wasn’t sure how it would taste or if it would be ready in time.  

When have you and I not hated what was evil, including our own sin?

Who will you and I honor, faithfully pray for or show hospitality to this week in service to the Lord?

Paul sets out some high expectations.

Which one jumps out at you to focus on this week?

Alice

Tues Devo: Storm

Luke 8:22-25 “Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”” (NASB)

Having grown up in church, this story is one I was quite familiar with. However, as I have been reading through Luke something stuck out at me that I hadn’t noticed before. We think about the storm – and the imminent danger it brings. We think about how Jesus remained asleep through this terrible commotion. We think about Jesus and His power over the seas. We think about the amazement of the disciples and wonder why they asked Jesus to help, but then are in amazement when He actually does help – especially after all the miracles they have already seen.

But what I have missed is the question of Jesus. He asked them “where is your faith?”. Admittedly, I don’t know His precise intent of this question. Is it because those on the boat told Him they were perishing and didn’t ask for help? Or did Jesus ask because those on the boat shouldn’t have even needed to ask for help – trusting that Jesus’ presence would bring about protection because His work was not done?

Either way – it makes me think about how we view the storms in our lives. Are we looking for them to all just end? Or are we willing to trust that no matter how crazy the storm gets, it is about trusting God through the storm and not just wanting to be out of the storm??

The presence and love of God is not about the absence of difficulty, it is about the peace that trusting in Him brings while we walk through those difficulties.

You have the most powerful advocate possible, trust Him!

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Tired and weary

Isaiah 40:28-31

Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Have you ever had a day or a week that was extremely grueling?  That was me these past two weeks.  I had huge projects going on here at work, my son was constantly needy when he was home, I had other appointments and I just got to a point this past Saturday that I had nothing left to give, I was spent.  While I really needed to get some work done around the house, I just could not do it.  I had to take some time to rest and recharge. 

As I think about our mighty God, I think about how he created the entire world in just a week’s time.  Talk about a grueling project!  While he took time to rest, it was not because he grew tired or weary. 

I am so grateful today that we have a loving God who does not grow tired or weary on us.  And that when I grow tired and weary, that I have a place to be restored. 

A Sense Of Confidence

If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!  In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.  2 Corinthians 3:9-12

Have you walked with a high sense of confidence before?  There are times at my job where I have this heightened sense that I know exactly what I need to do and when it needs to be done.  And once each task is completed successfully, my level of confidence just seems to grow.  Work just seems to be a great deal of … fun!  This brings me to the confidence one should have in Christ.  At times, I feel lost and distant, and each step I take is with a level of uncertainty.  Is this the right thing to do?  Have I prayed on this enough?  Will God be with me if I go down this new path?  However when I look at the times I have asked those questions and how God has come through each and every time, I step forward even sometimes blindly.  Thus, I walk by faith with that similar level of confidence I described at work knowing with each step God is with me.

Awareness of God’s omnipresence allows us to have certainty in our life.  In today’s verse, Paul is noting the difference between the covenant with God at the time of Moses and after the resurrection of Christ.  We note the weighty condemnation of the Israelites of Moses’ time.  They sinned against God, and were constantly under God’s discipline for their wrongdoings.  However, Christ saved us.  One might venture to say He understood the flaw of the covenant.  No, this is not to say God was ‘flawed’ in creating the old covenant.  Instead, He understood our struggles and challenges as His people, and realized He was the only answer toward building a loving relationship under His kingdom.  Thus, He inserted Himself as the problem solver, and as a result, created a new way that He foretold in Isaiah 43:19 (For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland).  Thus, our new way through Christ should inspire us for we were not worthy of His sacrifice, but we were given new life through Him.  Because of it, we should have an aura of confidence.  We can trust God will have our backs always through all situations.

God reassures us that He is with us each and every step of the way.  As such, we know that our walk of faith is never alone, and we can be as Paul says ‘very bold.’  The Psalms of David underline this best saying, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 KJV)  How can you casts your doubts to Christ today?  What steps can you boldly make with this heightened level of surety?  My prayer is we move forward in our walk of faith with a greater sense of confidence in Christ.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Honor

Hello,

I was thinking this week about people who are dependable. People who are not self-centered. People who live out what they say, regardless of circumstance. People who value truth. But what is the common thread? Honor is good to give  - but only when it belongs there. Honor is great to obtain, but only when deserved.

So I did a quick search on the word honor in the Bible. I found that 3 times it was paired with the word ‘humility’. Here they are (NASB):

Proverbs 15:32-33 “He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.”

Proverbs 18:11-12 ”A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination. Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor.”

Proverbs 22:3-5 “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it. The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor and life. Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards himself will be far from them.”

This thread is important. I would bet that all of us want to be honorable, I hope seeing this from Proverbs provides some motivation towards humility – which comes before honor.

Have a blessed day,

Will Hill

Power

Lately I have been using parts of the sermon series that I’ve been hearing on Sunday as my base for writing my devotions.  Today is no different.

Throughout the Bible, we read about the power of the Lord coming on people.  David was one of these people.  When we think about David, we often think about how he defeated Goliath.  That was powerful.  Here was a small shepherd boy who ended up killing a giant.  What we don’t often look at however is how power can be misused. 

2 Samuel 5:10

And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

David was certainly a king that had power.  His power continued to grow and he knew that whatever he wanted, he would get.  This is where he began to misuse his power.  One night, David was walking around his rooftop and saw a woman bathing.  He decided he wanted her.  When he inquired about her, he was informed that she was married to one of his soldiers.  He still decided to have his way with her and she became pregnant. 

At this point, he could have been humble, admitted his mistakes and yet he did not.  He arranged for this soldier to come home.  David was hoping he would sleep with his wife and everything could be covered up.  When that didn’t work, David arranged for him to be put on the front line.  He wanted his soldier, Uriah, to be killed so David wouldn’t have to worry about his mistake. 

How can you relate this to your life?  Maybe you’ve been in a position of power before.  It may have been hiring a new staff member or just as a parent.  Did you do what was really best or did you do what gave you an advantage? 

Today I want to encourage you to think about the power you find yourself with.  Are you using it to serve God or does God look upon you, like he did with David, displeased.

Thursday Devotional - Gifts to Give

There’s been lots of talk here at Thomson Reuters about breaking down silos, collaborating with coworkers, and valuing different perspectives. These aren’t new concepts. God thought of it first! He designed all of us to work together rather than individually and to use our unique skills and abilities for the benefit of all!

Romans 12:5-8       so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; ⁷ if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; ⁸ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Believers make up Christ’s one body (the universal Church) with their unique God-given gifts. These gifts aren’t for us to keep to ourselves, save for a rainy day, or use when we feel like it.  God has given each of us unique ways to contribute to the lives of those around us to build up His universal Church.

What gifts has God given to you?

When have you and I not used them for the benefit of other believers?

How will you and I willingly and cheerfully use them for the benefit of fellow believers now and in the future, even when we don’t feel like it?

As verse 5 says, we belong to God and to each other!

Alice

Godly Chaos And Mayhem

“About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!”  Luke 15:14-17

So while on vacation, there are always these moments of chaos and mayhem.  For me, it’s when the grandchildren in Georgia come into the picture.  Four of them.  They are filled with exuberance and joy.  This should be a time of happiness for my wife and me … when I see it coming.  However when my wife says those infamous words, “Sure, they can spend the night,” and I am not consulted, welcome to chaos and mayhem.  I am no fan of these types of surprises.  However, I am yet thankful for all of them; my wife included. J I could be alone, unloved, unemployed, or with a multitude of things to be concerned with.  However, God has blessed me with this vacation where wife and children control my day.  What would my world be like without them?

We should always have gratitude for the life God has provided us.  I recently got additional insights from today’s verses from the book of Luke.  We always focus on the story of the Prodigal Son’s ungrateful ego in the beginning and humble return.  In reading to the point of his epiphany, we see a man destitute without hope.  He has nothing to look forward to or count on.  This is what a world without God looks like.  No one to trust and with no to care for you when you have nothing.  Many who choose to leave the world through suicide live in this kind of world, and this is heartbreakingly sad.  However, we DO have an awesome God.  It is the same God that when Jonah was angry with God and filled with despair, He did not desert him.  He provided shade for comfort (Jonah 4:6).  This is a reminder of who God is; a merciful who when we see nothing but despair provides us hope.  He is ever present and always there.  Furthermore, He has given us this wonderful life that in good times and bad we are to be forever grateful for.

We are to embrace life.  Not complain.  Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Thus, is there room for us to either complain or be ungrateful? Would we prefer a world that the Prodigal Son found himself in?  Let us be as Paul said, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  What circumstances can you give to God?  How can you be remindful of the world God has blessed you with?  My prayer is that we can be thankful of the joy God gives us even amidst chaos and mayhem.  Amen.

Tues Devo: Don't go alone

1 Thessalonians 3:1-3 “Therefore when we could endure it no longer, we thought it best to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.” (NASB)

Hello,

Recently there was a situation I was involved with that left several confused. Turned out, someone was trying to go at things alone. As it ended, that person admitted they were doing too much on their own. How much are you doing on your own? There are many stories in the Bible of people teaming with others, but I like this one here in Thessalonians. When we think of Paul, sometimes we think of a lone wolf going through crazy trials, but look at his references to those with him. Even with sending Timothy – there were others he still had with him. Also, here we see that Paul didn’t want the church at Thessalonica to be on their own, which is why he sent Timothy to them.

Are you trying to go it alone? We were not designed to be alone, don’t fall for the lies of pride – be open with others. Lean on them, let them lean on you.

Have a blessed day,

Will

Godly Ambition

My cousin posted a good devotion this morning so I am sharing it with all of you as well.

“Delight thyself also in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” Psalm 37:4

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:25

~ The greatest rewards are those that are often overlooked--and almost always unexpected. Psalms 37:4, at first look, might seem like a statement of cause and effect. A person may read the verse by itself and quickly deduce that if he was to "delight" in God, then he could have what he wants. The problem is that the focus often shifts from the first part of the verse to the second. And so the verse is understood to tell a person that if he wants to get what he wants out of life, then all he need do is delight himself in the Lord. The result is that the person attempts to live a lifestyle that he believes will please God, so that he can have what he wants from this life. An example might be a person who, knowing that God rewards giving, decides to give twenty percent of his income to the church, feeling certain that God will give more to him than what he had to begin with. The problem with this line of thinking is when the motivation is more focused upon getting a desired reward rather than being a delight to God.

But as a person's focus is directed toward the first part of Psalms 34:7 ("Delight thyeself in the Lord"), then the rest of the verse falls into place. For as we draw near to God and delight to do His will, the desires of our heart are steadily transformed. Our ambitions, goals and aspirations begin to change--in perspective at least, if not also in direction. For what we desire moves away from selfish desire and moves toward godly ambition. We move away from pouring ourselves into doing what will bring us pleasure and seek how we might please God instead. And as we do, God grants us the desires of our heart because our desires have become a smaller reflection of His greater glory.

Jesus told us that "whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for [Jesus'] sake shall find it" (Matthew 16:25). Our greatest rewards will come when we do not seek them. As we seek to "lose" our lives, we open ourselves up to be the instruments of God's purpose, to accomplish His will on earth. Living this way will bring us great rewards, and that is because we do not seek rewards. We do not seek to store up treasures in heaven and we do not do our righteous acts so that God will reward us--we simply do them because--and we require nothing in return.

If our only reason to live the Christian life is to gain better reward then we have missed the point. Following Christ means sacrifice of our wants and giving up of personal desires so that God's greater good will prevail. ~ ❤️