Thursday Devotional - All-Knowing God versus Restricted Satan (6/13/24)

Satan is powerful, but his power has no comparison to God’s power. Satan is quite restricted and is always under God’s authority. The book of Job is definitely a clear picture of this.

Job 1:8-12 ⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

⁹ “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. ¹⁰ “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”

Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Satan thinks he knows more than God???? I know many of you know what happens next. Satan does touch everything of Job’s except his wife and Job’s body (at least in the first chapter). Amazingly, and as our All-knowing God knew, Job doesn’t curse God.

Job 1:20-22        ²⁰ At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship ²¹ and said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
    may the name of the Lord be praised.”

²² In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

Wow! I don’t think worship of God would be my first response. In reading this passage together as a family last night, my kids agreed. However, Job knew God had all power and all authority. I was reminded that God is always worthy of praise as the All-knowing Father in Heaven! Nothing escapes His knowledge or happens outside His ultimate control.

How will you and I take encouragement from the fact that Satan is restricted and only God is all-knowing?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – For a Purpose-Filled Life (6/6/24)

John wrote a compelling Gospel with specifically selected events, miracles and teachings. He knew he didn’t capture everything, but other writers had recorded additional truths about Jesus. So, he ended his book with this final verse:

John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

John had a specific purpose in writing what he wrote. He gave his purpose in the previous chapter.

John 20:30-31                   ³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. ³¹ But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

The miracles John recorded weren’t random and neither is the rest of the Bible. I love knowing the Holy Spirit had John write down certain miracles specifically so we would believe! Not only did John (and more importantly, God) desire us to believe, but to experience true life as part of Jesus’s family. We can have abundant, purposeful, and joy-filled life as we know Jesus, understand what He’s done for us and follow His example.  

How has knowing Jesus is Truth, given you purpose-filled life? 

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Calling Us to Follow (5/29/24)

Do you ever compare your life to someone else’s? What about your service to God? Do you and I ever compare what we’re doing to what other’s are doing for God?

As part of various prayer ministries over the years, I have often wondered why more Christians weren’t involved. I’ve even personally invited fellow Christians and received a “no thanks” kind of response. It can be frustrating. However, I’m called to follow Jesus and participate in His work where He leads me, regardless of what other people are doing.

Peter was also called to follow Jesus without worrying about other disciples.  

John 21:18-22         ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

²² Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

Peter was told twice in this passage to follow Jesus. We’re to keep our eyes on Jesus, too, and not get distracted or frustrated by looking around at others. Our joy comes from fulfilling the purpose Jesus specifically gave to you and me. We must follow Jesus to experience the full measure of blessings He has for us.

Where are you and I distracted from fully following Jesus by looking around at others? What can help you and me turn our focus back to Jesus? He’s worth it! He’s the only One with real Truth! His purposes bring true satisfaction!   

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Offering Peace in Fear (5/23/24)

 Who do you and I know that lives in constant fear?

I think Thomas was living in constant fear that first week after Jesus’s death, which led to his doubts. He was so confused by Jesus’s death and probably afraid for his own life, too.  

John 20:24-29         ²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus’s resurrection offered peace in fear! Jesus offered peace to doubting and fearful Thomas. Jesus met Thomas where he was, offered for him to do the very thing he requested, and showed he heard Thomas’s words from the previous week.

We can extend that same peace to those around us who are also living with doubts and fears. Many people lack true peace and joy that can only come from a relationship with our all-knowing, all-powerful Creator who rose victorious over death! Because Jesus rose, we can have peace knowing those who believe will also rise from the dead and join Jesus for all eternity.  

How will you and I tap into this blessing of peace today, especially with any fears faced?

Jesus is Truth – As We Celebrate Pentecost Sunday!

Did you know Jews were celebrating the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot) on the day God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers? The Feast of Weeks was an agricultural festival at the end of grain harvest, 7 weeks after Passover, celebrating the first fruits of the harvest. In God’s perfect timing, He sent the first fruits of the permanent and powerful presence of the Holy Spirit to live in Jesus’s followers. This enabled them to powerfully witness and work for Jesus all over the world, as seen throughout the book of Acts.

Acts 2:1-9  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter then gave a powerful message about what God did through Jesus’s death, resurrection, ascension, and gift of the Holy Spirit. He called for repentance of sins, receiving Jesus’s forgiveness and baptism. Then, those who believed would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Three thousand believed Peter’s message that day! Peter made it clear the Holy Spirit’s presence was for all those who believed (Acts 2:38-39), which includes you and me!

The day of Pentecost reminds me that Jesus’s spiritual presence is always with me through the Holy Spirit that lives inside me to guide, comfort, convict, instruct, empower and bring peace. I am never alone and never without the Holy Spirit’s help!

What encouragement does Pentecost and the Holy Spirit’s presence bring to you?

Jesus is Truth - Celebrate His Ascension Today! (Thursday May 9, 2024)

 

Can you believe it’s been 40 days since Easter?!

Acts 1:3-11          ³ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶ Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Ascension Day reminds me that Jesus fulfilled His promises of living as a human, dying for my sins, rising in bodily form and ascending to heaven. I am certain He will fulfill His other promises such as preparing a perfect place for me in Heaven after this life and ending Satan’s reign on earth (Revelation 20:7-10).

As you celebrate today, will you thank God for His victory over death and His promise to return for you?

We look forward to celebrating Pentecost next week!

Alice

P.S. I had the opportunity to write a post about Ascension Day for our global Interfaith Employee Network at work. The full article is included below:

Name of the holiday? Ascension Day 

Who (what religion) celebrates this holiday? Christians

What is the holiday about? Ascension Day is a Christian holiday celebrating the day Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Son of God, ended His visibly physical time on earth and returned to heaven, at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus was with God before the creation of the world, came to earth as a baby and lived as a perfect human on earth, died on the cross in our place as our perfect sacrificial Passover lamb (John 1:29 and I Corinthians 5:7), rose from the dead, physically appeared to hundreds of people for 40 days after His resurrection (I Corinthians 15:3-8) and then ascended (returned/moved back up) to where He had been with God from the beginning. Jesus’s ascension was witnessed by numerous people and Luke documented this event in the first chapter of his book of Acts (Acts 1:3-11). 

When does it take place? Ascension Day is always 40 days after Easter. Easter (or Resurrection Day) is always on a Sunday, so Ascension Day falls on a Thursday, 5½ weeks later.  

Where is it celebrated (what do we do on this day)? Some Christians attend a special church service on Ascension Thursday or choose to delay the celebration until the following Sunday’s normal church service.

How is it celebrated? Christians joyfully celebrate by re-reading the details of Jesus’s ascension to heaven (Acts 1:3-11) and by praising Jesus with music that talks about His ascension.  

Why is it important to us? Ascension Day is important because it celebrates Jesus’s completed work in making a way for sinful humans to have a restored relationship with their Creator God. By accepting that Jesus died on the cross to pay for all our sins, rose from the dead victorious over death for Himself and for us, and is now exalted back to His rightful place in Heaven with God the Father, Christians have free access to talk to God anytime and are assured we will also ascend to Heaven to join Jesus for all eternity! Jesus said He would not stay on this earth forever, but would leave to prepare a place for us. (John 14:1-3). 

Significance (what does the holiday mean) to me? Ascension Day reminds me that Jesus fulfilled His promises of living as a human, dying for my sins, rising in bodily form and ascending to heaven. I am certain He will fulfill His other promises such as preparing a perfect place for me in Heaven after this life and ending Satan’s reign on earth (Revelation 20:7-10). Also, as He promised, Jesus gave me (and all His followers) His Holy Spirit to be with me while I live on this earth. Jesus’s Ascension marked the end of His physical presence, but His Spiritual presence is available to all of His followers all of the time, ever since the Day of Pentecost (which we will celebrate and discuss in 10 days!) 

Jesus is Truth on this US National Day of Prayer (5/2/24)

For those in the United States, what are your plans for participating in the 72^nd National Day of Prayer today?

This year’s theme: LIFT UP THE WORD - LIGHT UP THE WORLD

2 Samuel 22:29-31 For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.

The world needs the light of the Lord and the truth of Jesus! Each nation needs prayer everyday. I appreciate that we continue to have a designated day of prayer in the United States (with the exact day of the first Thursday in May signed into law in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan).

My kids’ school is hosting an event tonight at 7pm. Feel free to come and join us, if you live in the area. I plan to be there!

Or, you can find an event near you at the National Day of Prayer website: https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/events

Or, join the live broadcast at 8 pm ET here:

2024 Broadcast - National Day of Prayer Task Force

The specific 7 spheres of influence to be covered in prayer are Family, Church, Education, Media, Business, Military and Government. Whether you plan to join an event today or not, will you stop right now and pray over these areas?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Giving Timely Peace (4/25/24)

 After the devastation of Jesus’ death and the confusion over the empty tomb, the disciples were timely visited and comforted by Jesus.  

John 20:19-22         ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came and provided peace and joy to His devastated disciples! He not only physically appeared, but did so miraculously! He also graciously showed them the proof of His death. Then, He re-commissioned and empowered them to continue the difficult work He had started.  

Jesus came and gave me peace after devastation and before facing additional difficulties, too. The evening I found out we were going to miscarry (after 13 weeks of pregnancy), I was devastated. When I woke up in the middle of the night with contractions 2 minutes apart, God had me eventually get out of bed and go to the bathroom. My water broke on the toilet and then everything happened. As devastated as I was, I felt like God was holding my hand during the whole thing, starting with the fact that He had my water break not only at home, but on the toilet! I had peace knowing He was there. I felt as if He said “I know this is really hard, but I’m here with you to carry you through.” His peace brought encouragement as I faced the physical and emotional pain in the coming hours, weeks, months and years that followed.

When have you witnessed God bringing peace and joy after devastation? What encouragement and strength did it give you to persevere through the next difficult challenge? 

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Turning Grief to Gladness (4/18/24)

James wrote “He is Alive!” on the end of our driveway for Easter this year! I wonder if Mary was shouting that all the way to the disciples after Jesus appeared and spoke to her!

John 20:14-18         ¹⁴ At this, she [Mary Magdalene] turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary was so distraught after Jesus’s crucifixion and it grew worse when she found the empty tomb! She assumed someone had taken Jesus’s body. Jesus’s appearance, though, changed everything. He revealed He had risen from the dead in a glorified, yet bodily form. She could physically touch Him, but she wasn’t to cling to His earthly presence because He would later ascend back to the right hand of God. God the Father was His Father and her father! Jesus turned her grief to gladness.

Where are you and I experiencing grief, pain or suffering? When will you and I open our eyes to Jesus and let Him instruct our next steps like He did for Mary?

Jesus’s future ascension offered Mary hope for her future ascension. Is that same hope steering your and my daily priorities and perspective?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – as Perfect Passover Lamb (4/11/24)

John 19:30    When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

What stood out to me this year as we studied Jesus’s death was that He chose exactly when to die when He “gave up his spirit.” He didn’t succumb to death and His life wasn’t taken from him. He died at the exact moment and time He and the Father planned. In fact, even the timing of 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!