Category: Devotion

Where is your peace found? Where is your joy found? What do you seek after to find your fulfillment in life? Fulfillment is “the meeting of a requirement or condition” according to Websters. As we walk through life, we seek fulfillment in many aspects but there is only one that can meet our searching with the answers to our questions. 

 When Adam sinned against God back at the beginning of time a chasm was created between God and man. This distance from God would create an emptiness in every life that man would seek to fulfill. This emptiness is sought to be filled by alcohol for some, by drugs for others, by achieving success in their career, by having a successful “picture perfect” family, by trying to be a “good” person, by pornography, or adultery, or by many other things that we turn into idols and place before God. We seek after the American dream of health, wealth, and happiness, yet we still feel empty and lost. We still feel alone and often afraid. The world reaches for and grabs everything they can find to attempt to fill this void but ignore the only God that can give them that fulfillment.

We feel this way because we are trying to replace the eternal with the temporal and fill the emptiness that was left by man’s separation from God with things that will fade and that mean nothing. The only way to find true fulfillment is through the love and saving grace of Jesus Christ. We must fully surrender our lives and all that we have to Him and only then can we find fulfillment. In John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus places us back in a direct relationship with God the Father. Through Him, that chasm is no longer there, and we are restored. We are called to not attempt to achieve temporal goods or success in this world but, 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21) To find fulfillment and to fill the emptiness we feel is only achievable by laying our heart at the feet of Jesus and allowing Him to have control of every aspect of our life. Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:25, “25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” We must be willing to lose all we have and like Job says God gives and God takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. This is our distinction between worldly fulfillment and Godly fulfillment. The temporal v the eternal.

If we want to be fulfilled, and reach our highest potential, then we must lay aside anything that separated us from Christ and we must lose our personal wants of our flesh, and our personal desires for our lives, and seek after His perfect will for us. Only by doing this will we find our true lives and find fulfillment. It is in Christ and Him alone that we must trust!

There is an old saying that people love to share any time someone is going through anything rough in their lives, “God will never give you more than you can bear.” This statement is completely false and is not found anywhere in the Bible, but it is a twisting of Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

This scripture shows us that God will allow us to be tempted but he will always provide a way of escape and we will not be tempted beyond what can be resisted. Instead, we are told throughout scripture many times that we will experience trials as a follower of Christ. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:22, “22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” And in John 15:18-19, “18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

We are told we will be hated by the world, but we should rejoice in this because they hated Christ. Those that preach that God just wants you to be happy, and that God wants to make you rich, are teaching a perverted gospel that has nothing to do with Jesus or His followers. This false gospel is worldly and even occultic influences creeping their way into the Church. This is how the truth of the Gospel of Christ is perverted into a false gospel of the American dream that is leading people to hell. Jesus warned about them in Matthew 7:15, “15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Throughout the New Testament and in other historical texts we read and learn about how the disciples were persecuted for the sake of Christ, and how Christians throughout history have been tortured and killed for the name of Christ. 

What the world doesn’t understand, is that we are not a part of this world. Our home is in an everlasting kingdom ruled by the sovereign God of all creation. Anything that is done to us while on this earth is simply temporal. We must look past the temporal and to the eternal that Christ has promised. 

In Romans 12:2 Paul says, “2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Again, in James 1:2-4 we are instructed to, “2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” We will be tested, and we will experience many trials in this life, but it is all temporary and produces lives that look to eternity, steadfast, and lacking in nothing. By being tested we will know what God finds good.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

I want to talk about the second fruit of the spirit…JOY.  So many times, we get this confused with happiness but the reference in this passage is much deeper than mere happiness.  It is rooted in God and He is the source, it not about our circumstances.

Because joy comes from God, it is more stable than worldly happiness, which is merely emotional and lasts only for a time. 

George Campbell Morgan wrote that “Joy is love’s consciousness.” Which makes sense that joy precedes love in the fruits of the Spirit in this passage.

One commentary states that on the spiritual level, joy refers to the extreme happiness with which the believer contemplates salvation and the bliss of the afterlife. Unexpected benefits from God are expressed in terms of common experiences. The psalms express the joyous mood of believers as they encounter God. 

• Believers rejoice because God has surrounded them with His steadfast love (Psalm 32:11) 
• and brought them to salvation (Psalm 40:16). 
• David rejoices that God has delivered him from the hand of his enemies (Psalm 63:11). 
• Joy is a response to God’s word (Psalm 119:14) 
• and His reward to believers (Isaiah 65:14) 
• and their strength (Nehemiah 8:10). 

Again, these passages reveal that joy is a response to God and not an emotion to our situation. Love is a choice, so is Joy.  We can choose Joy over our struggles.  

How is it possible to remain joyful all the time? Paul gives us the key: “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). 

The key to the Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord. If Christ is in me and I am in Him, that relationship is not a sometimes experience. The Christian is always in the Lord and the Lord is always in the Christian, and that is always a reason for joy. Even if the Christian cannot rejoice in his circumstances, if he finds himself passing through pain, sorrow, or grief, he still can rejoice in Christ. We rejoice in the Lord, and since He never leaves us or forsakes us, we can rejoice always.

So how are you choosing joy in your life?  What source are you looking to for joy?  Is it God, your circumstances, your status, a relationship?  It is a tough question to answer, but one worth asking daily and asking God to direct you to joy.

per·se·ver·ance

1. persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.

2 Thessalonians 1:4-5 CSB “Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God’s churches—about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring. It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, ” 

The Thessalonian Christians and Christ-followers today can relate with one another rather poignantly. The Thessalonian believers were living out their faith in a time of growing violent opposition from pagan culture yet, they pressed on and leaned on the strength of our LORD. From that, they showed persistence in living out their upward calling in the face of mounting difficulty.

We today do well to remember and aspire to their example. 

The year 2020 and the opening days of 2021 have been demonstrative of the fact that the wider mainstream culture is becoming all the more openly hostile towards the principles that make our Christian faith so distinct. While we in the U.S. may not be getting slaughtered for our faith in contrast to other parts of the world, there is no denying that it is becoming more and more difficult to live your life for Christ in this decaying and pluralistic society we find ourselves in. 

However, this is exactly the time where we must remain steadfast. We must not abandon our post. History has shown us that the greater the opposition to God’s church, the more she thrives. 

I know when you hear the word perseverance, you may want to emit a sigh of exasperation or weariness… or both. However, a source that we can look to for confidence, reinvigoration and resolve for God’s Kingdom is upon Christ Himself. Believers know the story of Christ’s trial, crucifixion, and resurrection, and within that, there lies one of the most vividly-beautiful truths about our faith in Christ: There was great hardship before His world-altering triumph.

Jesus was and still is the ultimate example of perseverance. He knew what the Father had predestined for Him to carry out:

2 Corinthians 5:21 CSB “He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Despite knowing full well all that His divine mission entailed, Jesus saw it through to its violent and world-changing fulfillment. You and I must remember though we might live in a world that deems us intolerant and narrow-minded, Christ knows exactly what being accused of all those things feels like. 

Jesus warns us of this:

John 15:18 CSB “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.”

We must remain dogged in our dedication to living and preaching the Gospel in our communities and the world over. We are entering a day and age where it is abundantly clear where to live for Christ will garner no approval from the world. Yet, we know that this is exactly the time to have a sense of urgency to spread the Good News.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah‬ 55:11‬ NKJV‬‬‬‬‬‬

I’ve always loved this particular verse of scripture from the Prophet Isaiah, with The Lord God’s declaration of His spoken word completing the task which The Lord has purposed. This verse doesn’t just apply to the spoken Word but also the written Word. This verse speaks of The Lord’s sovereignty and control over all circumstances and situations. “His will be done” This is a proclamation of comfort and peace to the weary hearts and minds of those that have put their faith and trust in The Lord Jesus Christ. That all the promises of The Lord God are guaranteed for all time and eternity. We need not worry or fear the political, financial, cultural, and moral degradation that is happening in the world around us. No person or thing will ever hinder the plans of The Lord God and we can rest in His loving hands with full assurance of Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

May The Lord God Almighty bring peace and comfort to you and your loved ones this day and every day, through every trial and tribulation with the blessed assurance of Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord, Amen.

1 Peter‬ 3:15‬‬ ESV‬‬‬ “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

Beloved follower of The Lord, Christ Jesus, we must always be mindful of how you walk in this world, “not straying to the left or the right”, but honoring The Lord God, with your words, actions, and thoughts, regardless of your emotional or physical circumstances. Through the indwelling of The Holy Spirit, we must prepare each day to share the truth of Christ Jesus to a lost and broken world with the testimony of our words and our lives. Finally, let us fill ourselves with all that The Lord God is and let His love, His peace, and His gentleness flow through us like “streams of living water”.

Gracious Heavenly Father, in this new year, grant us the determination to be bold and courageous in how we honor You. That when this world looks at us, they only see You, Lord, in all your goodness and graciousness. We pray, Father, that your Holy Spirit will guide us to do Your will and to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, in Jesus’ Name Amen.

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite gifts my parents gave me was a record player.  Yes, I know that dates me, but I’m okay with that, so hear me out.   I was an only child for the first 6 years of my life, so I would love to go into my room and play records on that player.  I would be in there for hours at a time.  Never getting bored just totally in my zone listening to whatever current album my parents would let me listen to.  At times, my Mom would pop her head in my room, just to make sure I was okay and she would find me playing and singing to my heart’s content.  I remember literally wearing out the 45 rpm single record “Amen” by Larnelle Harris.  

You see I have always had a love for music and most of all worship music.  Worship music stirs my soul and it quickly will change my mood when I hear one of my many favorite songs.  There is just something about singing songs to God that fills my heart and draws me to Him like nothing else can.

I recently started reading a book on worship and it has challenged me.  It has challenged me to examine my heart.  I’ve asked myself the questions, 

“Is God pleased with my worship?  

“Is God my source of worship?”   

“Am I giving my absolute best, undivided heart and attention to God each time I worship?”

I am reminded of the song “The Heart of Worship” by Matt Redman.  To be honest, this particular song does not fall into the category as ‘’one of my favorites,” but the lyrics truly convey my understanding of how important it is that we examine our heart with regards to worship:

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I’m weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart

I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
And it’s all about You,
It’s all about You, Jesus

There have been times that I didn’t feel like worshiping God.  I might not have liked the worship song we were singing.  I will even go so far as to say I’ve had moments where my heart was not in a good place to worship God, but I realize that has to stop.  

What I learned is that Matt Redman was right.  Worship should have never been about me or my moments but focusing on who God is in my moments. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means we both worship from the heart and also in truth the way God has designed it. 

Genuine worship is not about me or my preferences.  It’s about God and who He is over all creation.  Even in our moments, that is the unchanging truth and because of this truth, we have every reason to give God what is due Him.

Confession is the expression of our greatest need, in that God would forgive us and in this, give us the power to forgive ourselves.

“Whenever you see sin or failure in your life, immediately look by faith to Christ and seek His forgiveness; and keep on looking to Him. The more you look at yourself, the more discouraged you will become. Focus on His perfections, not your own imperfections.” – Warren Wiersbe

This is an incredible statement, but hard for us to process.  When we see God in the midst of our failures, the point is that a transfer of trust is happening.  We no longer rely on our inconsistency for righteousness.  We rely on His perfections, so when we see them, we have a confidence, not of our ourselves, but that God is capable to forgive because of who He is.

It takes something with imperfection to clean something dirty.  God’s perfections are capable to cleanse us.  That process begins with wanting to be made clean.  It begins with confession.

Confession is the precursor to real surrender, where a heart that has been humbled comes before a perfect God able to forgive sins.  Confession is always a beginning in someone’s life.  Confession is how change happens in a person in such a way that genuine confession becomes the beginning of healing, restoration and even growth.

Augustine says it this way:

“The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.” ~ Augustine

For an evil to end in a person’s life confession is the means by which we can close the door of its impact on the heart and invoke change.  The most damaging sin is hidden sin.  It is confession that brings it to light to be dealt with.

There is an empty confession.  That kind of confession is genuine coming from a person’s mouth, but not genuine in the person’s life.  It’s a form of hypocrisy really.  Confession alone is no substitution for holiness, but genuine confession will lead to holiness if it invokes change.

A person who sees their confession through with their actions arrives again and again at the destination of holiness, not because they are perfect, but because a loving God has made them clean.  

Confession without a changed heart will never lead to a changed life and we must understand what is at stake.  Imagine a Christian life where a person is ignorant of their own sin or unrepentant of their own sin.  What kind of Christ life is that?  Does it take a person anywhere?  Of course not, but many people choose a Christian life lacking in the holiness that confession initiates.

As we fast, use this time to go before God, whether confessing sin or confessing your need to draw closer to Him.  A Christian life without holiness is as useful as a car without gas.  What is it in our lives that we need to confess before God?  Use this fast to invoke real change.

What does it mean to be a true follower of Christ?

Does it mean to go to Church every Sunday? To read your Bible now and then? That if you were baptized everything is fine and you don’t have to do anything else? 

What does being a true follower mean to you? 

Mark 8:34 – And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” 

Surface Christianity is not a true following of Christ. In your heart and your mind, if you have a true love for our Savior, you should pick up your cross daily to follow Him. Jesus should be a part of your life, not just on Sunday. We should be in the word, be living it, showing it to others, and following Christ. Unfortunately, with all the distractions of everyday life, this is becoming less and less. 

John 12:26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. 

It starts with our hearts, with our free will, we must make that decision. As humans though our automatic decision in our hearts is to choose ourselves first. What can I do for me? Me, me, me. The heart can defy us and make us think negative or sinful things. 

Matthew 15:19 Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” 

God gave us free will to choose Him. To be a true follower, we must choose Him every day. Serving Him and following Him is all a part of that. We are to be His light that shines every day. 

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Are you truly living with Christ in your life? Or are you going through the motions? It’s easy to say that we are just too busy, or you can do something later. But Jesus showed us the way. He wanted us to follow Him, pray to the Father, know the word, and share it with others.  

God calls to us every day, we must take up our cross daily and show the world His amazing love. Move beyond surface Christianity and what we think will make US look better. It’s not about us…. It’s about Him. 

Elton Trueblood relates the story of a man who had the crazy idea he wanted to walk a tight wire across Niagara Falls, pushing a wheelbarrow with a man in it. The wire walker erected a simulated practice situation in his backyard. Daily the determined person practiced, first with a balance bar, later without it. Eventually, after long, tiring weeks of hard work, the “wire-walker” became very good. At last, the day arrived for the hazardous undertaking. Neighbors and persons from the press assembled. Looking nervously across the rushing water the stuntman said to an admiring friend, “Joe, do you believe I can do it?” 

“I absolutely believe you can.” 

The performer looked out over the falls one more time: “Joe, do you really believe …?” 

“I really believe you can.” 

“Fine, you’re my man. Get in the wheelbarrow.” 

Imagine the question was given to you:  Would you believe enough to get into the wheelbarrow?

Most of us would say no.  But isn’t this an accurate analogy of the invitation of the Christian life?  We either have enough faith for it, or we don’t.  We get in or we don’t get in.  We admire others in the wheelbarrow, but we would never actually take such a risk ourselves.

Unfortunately, it’s how we treat faith today.  We’ll show up to the event; we’ll admire others with enough faith to get in; we may even be willing to pay a price for admission, but we would never actually get in ourselves.

We are inspired by the faith of others when we hear their stories, but we never imagine living them out ourselves.  Consider this:

What are you doing right now in your life that requires faith?  What are you doing right now, that if God doesn’t come through, it won’t work?  Do we live with this kind of faith or are the lives we live much more controlled than this?  We almost manage ourselves out of our need for faith until a crisis hits and then when it does, we lack the faith we need to face it.

The time has come where we need to test our faith.  The time has come to believe big things for God’s glory and see if He comes through.  It’s time to pray and ask God to increase the faith we have.

I believe we have lived too long on selective faith where we choose the terms by which faith happens or doesn’t happen in our lives.  It’s time to take away the terms and restrictions of our faith and allow God to move in your life unconditionally.  

We know when faith is accomplished, God is glorified and our lives are meant for that very thing.  

James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

In the past year we’ve seen protests, riots, shootings, and bombings. Yet everyone says they want peace. People were looking for peace when Jesus walked the earth, and they looked to him to bring it. What they didn’t understand is that he did bring peace, just not in the way they expected. It wasn’t through physical force or overthrowing the Roman government. He gave them peace in their hearts and minds.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”     ~  John 14:27 NIV

There is only one way for us to have true peace – when our hearts and minds are turned to God. The closer we get to Him, the easier it is to experience His peace, despite the chaos that reigns all around us.

When I look at social media, I see so much worry and fear. Even those who are Christians seem to spend more time worrying about things that are outside of our control. Where are we placing our hope and trust? Some look to an elected official, a government ruling, or the Constitution. Some look to their families or spouse. Others put their trust in financial security. If we have our hope in the wrong place, we will never experience the peace that Christ brings. 

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”     ~  John 16:33 NIV

In 1918, Helen H. Lemmel wrote a great hymn that is so relevant today. 

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth
Will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace”

This time of fasting is a perfect way to keep our eyes fixed on God and make our time with Him a priority. As we deny ourselves something that usually takes up our time or our attention, we can grow in our relationship with Him. As we get closer to God and find His peace, we can then share it with a world that is in desperate need of peace.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”      ~  Isaiah 26:3 NLT