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Category Archives: Devotional

Monday Minute in the Word – “Are You the One?”

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I really needed a new purse. The unsightly frayed strap and broken zipper proved it. So, I headed to Steinmart. I love Steinmart. Two hours and a “few” dollars later I emerged. I brought home shoes, jeans, and a couple of tops, but no purse. I went shopping to replace my broken purse. I failed my task because I was distracted. I lost my focus.

Trials can cause doubt

Sometimes our earthly circumstances distract us. The temporary trials and difficulties of life cause us to lose our focus on Christ. Even John the Baptist struggled with this:

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Matthew 11:2-6, NIV

John had baptized Jesus and heralded His arrival. He had committed his life to obeying God no matter the cost. His obedience got him thrown in prison. Faced with severe suffering, he needed reassurance. The circumstances were not what he had expected. Did he get it wrong?

Allow Jesus to strengthen your faith

Jesus reminded John of the truth.

I am the One who’ve been waiting for. The miracles prove it. Stand firm through these trials and you will be blessed.

Perhaps your circumstances raise questions in your mind. Does God care? Is He watching? Is He still there?

Bring your questions to Jesus. Go back to what you know to be true. Search God’s Word for His promises. He loves you. He knows your pain. He will strengthen you in the midst of your trials.

What questions do you have for Jesus today?

What truths in God’s Word do you need to be reminded of?

This post linked to Faith Filled Friday at BeholdingGlory.com

Famous Last Words – Criminal on the Cross

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My husband really enjoys this Cajun restaurant not far from our home. The first time I went with him I didn’t like what I ordered, but I thought it must have been just that dish. Since Wayne likes the place, I decided I should give it another try. In fact, I tried it a third time for good measure. Three strikes and that restaurant is out for me.

How could two people – who usually agree on most things – form such a different opinion from the same basic experience? I don’t understand it, but I really don’t understand how the two criminals that were crucified on either side of Jesus witnessed the same Savior and made such drastically different decisions.

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Luke 23:39-43, NIV

The two criminals both saw Jesus’ response to the crowd, the soldiers, and the Jewish leaders. They both had heard of His miracles and teaching. Yet in their dying moments, one rejected Him and one recognized Him as King. With his last words, the repentant sinner accepted Jesus as his Savior. Then he opened his eyes in paradise.

Don’t wait until your last breath to give you life to Jesus. Do you know Him as Lord and Savior?

Monday Minute in the Word – Refuge in the Storm

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One day many years ago, I made the four-hour drive with my baby daughter to visit my parents. The weather turned nasty as we entered the city. The heavy rain made visibility low, but what concerned me even more was the way the road signs whipped around in the wind. Just ahead I noticed several cars had taken shelter under a concrete overpass, so I joined them.

After a few minutes the wind died down and the rain eased. I followed the other cars back onto the road and continued to my parents’ house. When I arrived they were anxiously waiting for me on the front porch. It seems a tornado had just touched down not far from where we had been.

Later I learned that an overpass is one of the worst places to take shelter from a tornado. Thankfully, we had not been in the tornado’s direct path. An overpass may not be a place of safety in a storm, but our God is always a safe place of refuge.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
7 My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
8 O my people, trust in him at all times.
Pour out your heart to him,
for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:5-8, NLT

None of us escape difficulties and trials. At one time or another each of us will face one of life’s storms. Where will you take refuge when it hits? As I contemplated the truth that God is my place of safety, I noticed four ways I can take refuge in Him:

  1. Wait quietly for God to save (vs. 5)
  2. Acknowledge that in Him I have reason to hope (vs. 5)
  3. Purposefully place my trust in Him (8)
  4. Pour out my heart to Him (8)

Are you in the midst of a violent storm right now? Where is your place of safety?

In what ways can you purposefully place your trust in God?

Famous Last Words – Joshua

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Have you ever felt like you were the only one? The only one who believed God would do what He said He would do… The only one who didn’t throw her faith out the window… The only one who didn’t turn away from God…

I’ve often wondered how Joshua and Caleb felt when they returned with the other ten spies after scouting the good land of Canaan – the land God had promised to give them. They really were the “only ones.” Joshua and Caleb were the only ones that believed God would and could do what He said even though the circumstances seemed insurmountable. Maybe they trusted God even more because it seemed impossible that this rag tag little group could defeat the mighty armies that lived in the Promised Land.

The people rejected God but Joshua did not.

After forty years of wandering, God used him to lead the people into Canaan and take possession of the land. Years later, after God gave them “rest from all their enemies,” Joshua knew death was near. So he summoned Israel to give them some final words of exhortation.

14 “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed…” (Joshua 23:14, NIV)

14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD…” (Joshua 24:14-15, NIV)

29 After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 30 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. (Joshua 24:29-30, NIV)

Joshua’s faith never wavered.

Not in battle. And not when he truly was the only one who trusted God. With his last words, he encouraged Israel to remain faithful to the God who had proven Himself faithful time after time.

What life situations cause you to doubt God’s faithfulness?

Is there a “Joshua” in your life, someone whose faith never wavers? Tell us about her!

The Cross is Not Enough – Monday Minute in the Word

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Jesus’ death on the cross is not sufficient to provide the abundant and eternal life God has promised us.

Does that statement shock you? If you are a Christian, I would expect you to be highly offended and perhaps not read another word. But if you’ll hear me out, I think you’ll agree with me.

The apostle Paul firmly believed the cross was not enough. Read what he wrote to the Corinthian Christians:

And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1 Cor 15:17-19, NLT

Peter also knew that our eternal hope depended on the resurrection of Christ:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:3-4, NIV

So why do we so often leave out the Resurrection when we share the Good News of Jesus? We don’t forget to talk about the Cross. And yes, praise God, the death of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary provided the payment that my sins – and yours – had earned. Our sins deserved the death penalty. Our sins brought us spiritual death and separation from our holy God. But Jesus Christ took that penalty on Himself. Without the cross of Christ we would still be dead in our sins. But that is only part of the Gospel message.

Image from visualbiblealive.com

Paul knew the Gospel is incomplete without the resurrection.

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul succinctly expressed the Good News. He boils down the message to its most important components.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.  1 Cor 15:3-4, NIV

Yes, Jesus’ death paid the price of our sin, but His resurrection provided our hope for life – both now and eternally. Don’t miss these important truths:

  • Jesus’ resurrection proves everything He said and did was true. See John 14:20
  • Jesus’ resurrection defeated death! That victory is His and ours! See Romans 6:9
  • Jesus’ resurrection provides us with new life in God. See Romans 6:10, Col 3:1
  • Jesus’ resurrection guarantees our physical resurrection. See Rom 8:11, 1 Cor 15:20-21
  • Jesus’ resurrection gives us power for this life. See Philippians 3:10, Romans 8:11

The resurrection is the power of God for those who believe! Because Christ has been raised, we will be raised! Believers, we have the same power living in us that raised Christ from the dead! Let’s shout it out!

What was your first reaction to: “The cross is not enough?”

Do you tend to forget about the resurrection? I’d love to hear your thoughts about the power of the resurrection in your life.