All in Daily Devotion
How many times have we denied Jesus? Some of us may have denied him with our mouths by saying we have never known Him, but more likely we do so by allowing our actions to speak for us. Or just maybe, we have denied Him by our silence. It is easy to worship and praise God in the midst of saints, but are we tempted to deny Him while in a group of men and women who do not believe, or who gravitate towards what the world offers?
There is nothing more certain in our lives than the love of God for us in Christ Jesus. Even in our earthly death we remain with Him, and His love remains with us. Though we mourn, and suffer the death of our loved ones, God does not, because they remain in Him, and He in them through His Son Jesus, and the unfathomable depth of His Love for us. Isn’t it wonderful to consider the perfection of Christ, and the love of God? Doesn’t this sooth, and bring comfort to our mourning?
When was the last time that someone took the blame for something you did? Better yet, when was the last time you took the blame for an offense that someone else committed? For this to occur in either way it involves love. The person who stands in propitiation for someone must at the very least like them enough to take the punishment, but as the offense, or sin, increases in its distaste, then the love must increase as well.
Have you ever overslept and then suddenly jolted from sleep to a feeling of panic? Were you supposed to be somewhere at a specific time, but realized that you weren’t going to make it now? What did you do? I would suppose that you started scurrying around in haste washing your face, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, and then calling to inform who you were to meet that you were going to be late. Well, if your meeting is with Jesus He will not be upset, irritated with you, or cancel the meeting altogether... He will give you peaceful reprieve and say “It’s alright, I will hold my appointments, I am waiting for you!”
How often do we, as believers, look at ourselves in satisfaction, and then, leaning back at the table, say “I am righteous Father!”? It is so easy to compare who we are with who we once were, or to stand others up next to us and judge ourselves by their actions and think we are righteous, but we are fooling ourselves. No, our righteousness is judged by God alone, and by a standard that only He can set, but there is hope, mercy, salvation, and grace through Jesus Christ... righteousness on which we can claim no personal ownership, and yet can receive in full.
If a man seeks Jesus Christ as a means of escaping the hardship and suffering of the world then he will be sorely disappointed when at last he meets Him, because no man ever suffered as Christ did. Are we ready to continue on in faith and to seek righteousness even though we know that tribulation awaits us? Can we face life’s suffering and rejoice in it, or will we complain, mourn, and eventually, lay down our cross as we yield to our own personal comfort? A Christian’s love for Jesus exceeds his desire for selfish pleasure, and his love and desire for eternity with God endures the lessons, and responsibilities, of the cross.
When we are pursued by our enemies, and set upon by illness or other catastrophe, do we weep, and cry incessantly, before God? Do we stand before Him shouting towards His throne as if that would move Him to swifter action? Maybe we grow weary and turn to others for deliverance? The question today is How do we trust and wait upon the Lord? Trusting in God’s salvation will bring His peace to our souls... and absolute silence to us as we wait upon Him.
When bad things happen in your life are you quick to become despondent, or perhaps angry? Do you immediately assign blame, and lash out at what you consider to be the cause? How about when something good occurs? When something wonderful happens to you do you jump forward and shout out “Look at what I have done!” Thus claiming the glory for it? Well friends, in all things, the good and bad, we should always look for the hand of God. We should ask ourselves... Where is God‘s voice in this, and what is His will?
Are we ready to live, and defend, our faith with zeal? If a group who calls themselves believers wants to come into our place of worship, set up a table, and use it for what we know to be a sinful activity, would we stand idly by as they did so? Jesus was a man who had a zeal for God and His house, and when He turned over the tables of the money changers in the Temple, His disciples witnessed this. But, where do we worship today, and where are the tables that should be offending us being set up?
When we are running the race of faith how much effort and enthusiasm do we apply to it? Though we are faithful, some of us will sit like spectators and watch the gifted athletes run, some will strive only for pleasure and never expect to win the race, a few will be running so that others will call them faithful, and then there are those who run as though against themselves, only desiring to do a bit better than the last time they entered the field, but Paul tells us that anything other than running to win the prize of eternal life, and God’s pleasure, is not enough. So how are we running our race of faith, and what is our event?
Are there people who seek to undermine our faith in Jesus Christ, or who wish to destroy our belief in God? Do we feel less than competent when it comes to defending scripture in a scholarly setting, or standing up to ridicule? Well, whatever comes against us will be defeated, and God’s power within us will prevail because His hand is upon us. No matter our shortcomings, He has filled every crack and chink in our armor from within using the knowledge of His Holy Spirit, and has provided us a sword for our defense hammered out in the forge of His Word.
Where do we turn to find comfort, rest, and peace of mind in our lives? To regain the peace that the world works so hard to rob from us we need to find the quiet places, and times, when we can take in a deep breath from God, and exhale the foul air of strife, and stress that the dark one tries so hard to blow into our lungs. Jesus teaches us much on this subject, and if we reorder our lives we can find that selfsame peace.
Expecting a miracle, and being confident in our rescue; such behaviors have a profound impact on our psyche, wellbeing, and our spiritual health. When we lean on our God in full expectation that He will do the things He has promised, not doubting His presence, and relying confidently on His Word, then He will strengthen us, and neither our bodies, nor minds will fail, and He will heal our souls.
In the chaotic moments of life do we panic, or do we begin leaning on our faith for God‘s miraculous rescue and relief? In those times that are so dire, out of the ordinary, and perhaps cause us to experience great fear, do we attempt to save ourselves, run away, or do we call out for Jesus? The truth is... When we find ourselves in those dark times and we are struggling, or shaking in fear, we typically do one of three things, we either look inward for our own solution, give up, or lean on our faith, but sometimes the situation is more complicated than we realize, and we do all three!
When we first come to know God through Jesus Christ we are like infants, and are yet unprepared to walk fully as grown men and women of faith in our Father’s house. Likewise, Jesus endured His childhood as He grew in body and mind from an infant into manhood. Yet, as a baby, a toddler, a child, and through all of the other phases of growing into adulthood, our father‘s love is complete, and perfect through them all.