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Daily Devotion

I remember a time back when I was in college when I had a major project due for one of my classes (music composition). It was the night before the project was due and I still had a lot of work to do. After I had been working on the project for several hours that night, I said to myself,

“I need to rest.”

So, I took a break and tried to get some sleep.

Unfortunately, the sleep wasn’t very restful. My mind knew I still had work to do. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I got up and finished the project. That afternoon, I came home and took a nap. Those were some of the best hours of sleep I ever had.

What was the difference?

• The first time I tried to rest, it wasn’t very restful because there was unfinished business.
• The second time, everything was done.

On the first Sabbath, God rested. He had been creating for 6 days, had completed His work, and everything was “good.” This rest wasn’t so much a break from the work. It was a rest in in the fact that God’s initial creative work was done. Everything was holy and was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. There was a perfect relationship between God and His creation.

Then mankind sinned.

One way to look at the Bible is as a narrative of mankind getting back to that Sabbath rest. The Sabbath is not just about a break from work. It’s about having peace with God. That is true rest. Until we have peace with God it’s like trying to sleep when you still know there’s work to be done on a project. It’s not truly restful.

In Matthew 11 Jesus said,

“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’” – Matthew 11:28-30

It is in Jesus that we find our true rest. He is our Sabbath. This is not just a rest from the work of our daily labors, but a rest from our supposed “works of righteousness” with which we may try to seek God’s favor.

Our works can never make us right with God. So, there is no rest if we trust in our works. However, Jesus work on the cross does give us rest. As we trust in His work, we can rest in true peace knowing the work has been completed and we are made right with God.

Hear the words of Hebrews 4.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” – Hebrews 4:9-10

This is why Christians no longer observe the Sabbath on Saturday, but now worship on Sunday. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus when He defeated death and hell and His work of redemption was completed. We gather together in worship to hear the Word of God which creates and strengthens our faith and gives us rest. We celebrate Jesus who IS our true Sabbath.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for sending Your Son to die for us. We could never earn forgiveness. We could never have true peace and rest on our own. Thank you for giving us that true rest through Your Son, Jesus.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

Would you like to see physically see Jesus and talk with Him?

Most Christians would like to see Jesus while living this life on earth. Just imagine if you could spend the day with Him. What would you do?

• Ask questions
• Just be in His presence

• Listen to Him teach
• Ask for healing
• Ask for forgiveness

You may have questions, but one thing we all tend to want is assurance of our salvation and a sureness of what we believe. For most of us, though, we won’t get to see Jesus physically in this life. He is present with us but unseen.

We must simply have faith.

This isn’t always easy. We love proof. We like to see and touch to know something is true. This struggle isn’t new. It reminds me of Thomas after the resurrection.

“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.’” – John 20:24-25

Thomas wanted physical proof. He got his proof.

“Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:26-29

We will probably not get our physical proof until Christ returns, yet we are blessed none-the-less. We have faith. We believe though we have not seen. The truth is that physical evidence is not what we really need. We need faith. With faith comes salvation. With faith comes assurance. With faith comes confidence and conviction.

This faith comes from God, the Spirit creates it through God’s Word.

The faith itself is a gift, the greatest blessing we could receive.

Though we have not seen, we are indeed blessed to believe and be assured of the salvation we have in Christ Jesus. 

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I would love to see You in person, but help me to believe even when I cannot see. Give me faith until that day when I stand before You.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

What is your favorite departing blessing or benediction?

Many pastors end our worship services with the Aaronic Benediction (The Lord bless you and keep you…). The Irish have some pretty amusing blessings. There is probably a blessing or two which you really love.

Rather than simply signing off, Paul ends 2 Corinthians with the above benediction/blessing. It is rich in meaning.

• The Grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ – Jesus is Lord. I has all authority in heaven and on earth. So, how does your Lord deal with you? It isn’t through laws and commands, it is through the grace. Grace is unearned and undeserved favor. Rather than dealing with you according to your sins, He died for you so you could be forgiven and made a Child of God.
• The Love of God – God treats you with love. He created you out of love, He redeemed you out of love, and He sustains you (both physically and in your faith) out of love. God made you His Child through the grace of Jesus and loves you as a good Father. He protects you, supplies all your needs, and demonstrates His love in many other ways.
• The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit – God unifies us by His Spirit. He joins you with Himself, dwelling in You and filling You. He joins you to His church, unifying you with all believers everywhere and of every time. God also continues to commune with you and cause you to commune with all believers through the sacramental meal of Communion.
• Be with you all – God, the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is with you. He is not some distant God nor is He some non-descript energy in the sky. He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You were baptized into the Triune God and it is the Triune God who goes with You.

Now, that’s a blessing! It’s just one sentence, but is so richly packed with blessing after blessing after blessing. 

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your love, grace, and fellowship. Be with me. Deal with me according to Your unfathomable grace. Surround me with Your boundless love. Always stay with me.

Amen.

Now…May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

You may recognize this as the common Benediction at the end of worship services. It is the Aaronic blessing given by God to Moses for Aaron the priest to say to Israel. You may have heard it a hundred or a thousand times. Sometimes, we hear things a lot, but never take the time to really understand them.

So, what does it mean?

“The Lord bless you and keep you;“

The Hebrew word we translate as bless is to kneel, show respect, or give a gift. It can literally mean to kneel in respect as you give a gift (think of the Magi in the Christmas story). God is giving us a gift.

Then there’s, “keep.” This word is the same as the word for, “thorn.” It refers to how a shepherd out in the fields at night would arrange thorn bushes to surround the sheep and provide a barrier from predators. To keep is more than to possess. It means to guard and protect.

“the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;“

Have you heard the phrase, “The person was beaming.” It refers to a big smile. “Make His face to shine upon you,” is for God to smile at us and show His happiness with us. This is as opposed to showing His displeasure at our sin. God shows mercy on our sins and graciously (unearned) treats us well.

“the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.“

Lifting His countenance, again, refers to God’s face or God looking upon us with favor. Lastly, there is peace. This peace, Shalom, is not just an absence or conflict as we often use the term today. It has to do with your whole self. It is a state of wholeness and well-being without danger or strife. We have this kind of peace because of God’s favor.

There’s something else we need to recognize with this blessing. It’s not just a nice thing the High Priest Aaron came up with to end his worship services.

God gave Aaron this blessing and commanded him to say it.

That’s a big deal! This means that this isn’t a wish for us nor is it our desire for ourselves. It’s not the pastor saying, “I hope you have a great rest of your day!” It God saying, “This is what I’m doing. This is my disposition towards you.”

Sinner (that’s me and you), God is telling you that He is blessing you and protecting you. He is happy with you and has forgiven your sins. And He gives you wholeness, well-being, and peace. Amazing!!

So…

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

Amen.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

It is amazing to me how You bless me, how You love me, and how You watch over me. I know I don’t deserve it, but I also know it’s absolutely true because You have said it. Thank you.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

There are blessings that are immediate and there are blessings that are delayed. There are parts of the Christian faith we love and parts that are hard to take.

This one is tough, isn’t it? 

It goes against what we want.  We’d love to be loved and admired by all. It also goes against that sentiment that if we just have faith and serve God faithfully, everything will go well in our lives.

It’s one of the harder lessons of being a follower of Christ. Often, those who speak up for Jesus are not treated well, they are mocked, hated, and persecuted. 

• Many prophets of God were rejected or killed.
• According to church tradition (and Scripture in the case of James and John), of the 11 disciples, 10 were martyred and 1 exiled.
• Even look around the world today and you will see Christians being persecuted for their faith in many placed.
• Of course, Jesus, Himself, suffered and died for us.

The truth is that suffering for faith isn’t unusual, it’s more like the norm.

When we suffer for Jesus, we are in good company.

But we don’t want to suffer.  So, we try to avoid it.  But what does “avoiding suffering” look like?

I think we’d all like to think that avoiding the suffering is what happens when people deny Jesus and we would never do that. If armed men came into our building, we stand for Jesus. Maybe. Hopefully. But often times that isn’t what this avoiding suffering looks like. It isn’t denying Jesus outright, it’s simply being silent.

It can be all too easy to simply not be overtly Christian, to not talk about Jesus, to just be invisibly Christian. However, we are called to be witnesses, to make disciples of all nations. This means living overtly for Jesus and telling others about Him.

Thankfully, even when we fail at this, there is forgiveness. Peter outright denied knowing Jesus 3 times, but Jesus forgave him and entrusted him with a great ministry. Peter was forgiven, but afterwards, he didn’t stay silent.

So, what is the blessing when we suffer?

• Heavenly Rewards – In our passage, it says, “your reward is great in heaven.” The Bible talks about rewards and “crowns” in heaven, but never goes into great detail. We know two things. First, whatever the rewards are, they will be very good. Second, the rewards will not cause envy or sadness among others or pride for those who receive them because there is perfect peace in heaven and no sin.
• Honor – Sometimes, if we are insulted or persecuted for our faith, it means God isn’t pleased with us. Yet, the apostles understood it is actually the opposite. After being beaten and told not to talk about Jesus, they were released and, “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” – Acts 5:41
• Hope and Endurance – “…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” – Romans 5:3-5

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Please forgive us for when we have denied You or simply been silent. Give us the courage to speak boldly for You, even enduring suffering for Your name, knowing that You promise to be with us, the suffering is only temporary, and there is great reward in heaven and even here and now.  Most especially, thank You for suffering for us.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

In the previous blessing in Matthew 5:9, we see that God blesses us as peacemakers. In our devotion on that passage, we talked about how we bring peace to people through the sharing of the Gospel, or as Romans describes the Gospel, the righteousness of God. However, people don’t always receive the Gospel in faith and sometimes sharing the righteousness of God brings hardship or persecution.

We looked at Matthew 10:7-14 in the previous devotion, let’s look at Matthew 10:12-22 today:

As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Jesus tells us that we are the light of the world, but not everyone wants the light. Some ignore it and others react harshly. When that happens, we may feel like we failed or did something wrong.

What amazing comfort Jesus give us here to know that not only is it not unusual for people to respond this way to the Gospel, but we are not to be ashamed or feel like God has left us, for we shall inherit the Kingdom of God.

God calls us to share the Gospel, but we cannot determine how people will receive it. How people receive the Gospel is between them and God. Some will receive it in faith and we will be peacemakers, blessed to be called sons and daughters of God. Some will reject the Gospel and we may be persecuted, but are still blessed to inherit the Kingdom of God.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You say that we are the light of the world. Help me to shine the light of Jesus brightly. When people respond with anger and persecute me, comfort me with Your promises that You are with me and that I will inherit the Kingdom of God and give me strength that I would endure to the end and receive Your salvation.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

When I was growing up, whenever my parents would leave me and my brothers alone in the house, they would say, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” They knew my brothers and I could push each other buttons and cause a fight. They wanted us to not only not cause a fight, but to be a source of peace.

You are a source of peace.

Everyone who has received the Gospel in faith has received the peace of God. That peace is shared with your brothers and sisters in Christ bringing peace between us. We also bring God’s peace when we share the Gospel with others. This is the thrust of this blessing as Jesus teaches His disciples.

In Matthew 10, Jesus sent His disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven and spread the Gospel. This is what Jesus said when he sent them:

“And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” – Matthew 10:7-14

When your bring the Gospel of Jesus to others and those people receive that Gospel, they receive the peace of God. You are a peacemaker.

In fact, it’s a peace so great that not only are you no longer an enemy of God, but He calls you His son or daughter. Only God’s children can bring this kind of peace.

Remember, the Beatitudes are not a list of new commands and rewards. They are a description of who we are in Christ and the blessings we have because of who we are in Christ. You have been made a peacemaker, an ambassador of the Gospel…or, as Jesus says just a few verses later in the Sermon on the Mount,

“You are the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”.

As the light of Jesus shines out from you, people see it and some will receive it and the peace that comes with it. Not only are you and will you be called sons and daughters of God by God, Himself, but those people who know Jesus through you will also regard you as such. In Galatians, Paul brought the Gospel to them and they “received [him] as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus.”

God has brought peace to you through the Gospel and now you are a light shining that Gospel to others and bringing peace to them.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for making peace between you and me through Jesus. May the light of Christ shine brightly from me that others would see it and come to know You and the peace You bring, a peace so great that not only are we not enemies anymore, but You have made us Your children.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

Are you pure in heart?

I suppose we need to know what pure in heart means before we can answer that question. We find an interestingly similar passage in Psalm 24, the only other place in Scripture that we see the phrase, “pure in heart”.

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
    And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
    who does not lift up his soul to what is false
    and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the Lord
    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
    who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah

What has been translated as “has…a pure heart” is the same language as Matthew’s “pure in heart”. In Psalm 24, the question is being asked, “Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in His holy place?” This is a passage about worship. The one who goes into God’s holy place is the one who has clean hands and who is pure in heart.

The person with clean hands and a pure heart is described as…

• One who does not lift up his soul to what is false
• One who does not swear deceitfully

To lift your soul to what is false is to worship an idol, a false god. The next line is poetic parallelism. So, it doesn’t mean that the person didn’t lie, it’s referring back to the previous line about worshiping an idol. So, it’s someone who hasn’t sworn by a false god, something that is a part of the idol worship practice.

You can boil it down to this. The pure in heart are those who worship the one true God rather than worshiping a false god. (idol).

Why did the people of Israel go to worship. The two primary reasons were to be forgiven and to offer thanks and praise.

The author of Psalm 24, David also wrote Psalm 51. In Psalm 51, David is repenting for his sin and he writes the following:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10

Indeed, when we turn to the one true God, rather than idols, for mercy and forgiveness, God cleanses and purifies us.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

Blessed are you who are pure in heart, who have not turned to false gods or idols, but have turned to the one true God through Jesus Christ. You are pure, not because you have purified yourself, but because in His mercy God has purified you. You will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of your salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

As Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, you “shall see God.”

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Create in me a clear heart and renew a right spirit within me. You and you alone can make me pure, remove my unrighteousness, and give me righteousness. Therefore, I know that I shall see Your face on the day of glory and forever more.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

Mercy is something Christians are well acquainted with. After all, it is by the mercy of God through Jesus’ amazing sacrifice that we are made right with God. The first two beatitudes ground us in the blessings of God’s mercy. Those who have nothing to offer God and mourn their sinfulness are comforted and brought into the Kingdom of God.

God’s mercy is more than a great gift to us, it also changes us.

We have now experienced mercy beyond anything we could have imagined, a mercy greater than anything we may be asked to show to our neighbor. Not only that, but Christ now lives in us. Mercy incarnate dwells in us and His Spirit is working in us to transform us to be more Christ-like.

We’ve seen over and over again that the beatitudes are not new commands given with promised rewards. Our condition as God’s people is described along with God’s blessing related to that condition. In this case, the condition also affects our actions.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. – Ezekiel 36:26

When God saves us, we are made a new creation. Our old heart of stone is removed, the heart that is hardened not only towards God but towards others. God puts a new heart of flesh in us, a heart that beats with love for God and for our neighbor, a heart that shows mercy just as we have been shown mercy.

Like many of the beatitudes, the blessing Jesus speaks over us has both a present reality and a future completion.

God has show us great mercy already, forgiving us though we don’t deserve it and giving us a new life in Christ. In this new life, we show mercy to others by God’s will and power with the wonderful promise that God’s mercy will see it’s completion on that last day when our sinful nature is gone, we are given new bodies, and we are brought into the fullness of God’s presence forevermore.

This promise is for you and all who receive the Good News of Jesus Christ by faith.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You have shown me mercy greater than I could ever hope for and you continue to show mercy to be every day. Thank you for loving me in this way. As I have been shown mercy, work in me mercy towards others knowing that, in the end, your mercy will be made complete and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Amen.

Daily Devotion

The things mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount are truly blessings from God for those who have faith in Jesus. So, when we read these blessings, we shouldn’t read them as a command and reward system. We read them as blessings we have through Jesus. Today’s blessing is a hunger for righteousness that will be satisfied.

In order to understand the blessing, we need to understand the kind of righteousness Jesus is talking about.

What kind of righteousness?

This passage can work theologically in several ways, but in the end, it’s talking about a specific kind of righteousness, but which kind?

• Righteousness Before God – Are we good and right before God? In an of ourselves, we are not. We sin. We don’t do what God commands. Even when we do, often our motivation is corrupt. Thankfully, our righteousness before God comes completely from Jesus, even though we don’t deserve it. That’s the grace of God, that even though our lives don’t always show righteousness (or maybe even seldom show it), we have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Thus, when God looks at you He sees one who is perfectly righteous. Amazing!! Theologically, we can say that our hunger to be righteous before God has been satisfied in Christ, yet this is not the righteousness Jesus is talking about. 
• Righteousness Before Man – Because Jesus has made us righteous before God, we are freed up. Instead of constantly worrying about whether we are right before God, we are now free to love our neighbor. Not only that, but God creates in us a desire to seek to do that which is right according to God’s ways in the various situations God has put us in. Sadly, the world often greets our good works and kindness with ingratitude, mockery, or even contempt. Theologically, we could say that despite the world’s reaction, we will still be satisfied to know we did what was right for our neighbor, yet this, also, is not the righteousness Jesus is talking about.
• A Righteous World – This world is often upside down. The sinner rules over the righteous. The Christian is mocked and persecuted. Those who do wrong have great success while those who obey God struggle to get by. It is right for God’s people to ask, “How long, O Lord? When will You set things right?” We hunger and thirst to see the righteous rule, the Christian commended and healed, the obedient successful. This is the righteousness Jesus is talking about with the assurance that the hunger for it will be satisfied.

In Matthew 5:5, Jesus said the lowly will be blessed because they will inherit the earth. This is our clue. Those who are low in the world now because they believe and follow Jesus will see this situation corrected. God will set all things right on that final day of Judgment. The wicked will be judged and brought low, the faithful lowly will be lifted up, and the righteous act of salvation will be fully completed setting all things right.

It’s hard right now to look at the world and see so much that is wrong, but that will not always be. God has given us a hunger and thirst to see things made right and He will satisfy that hunger.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You know the state of the world today. You see the wicked thriving and unrighteous dominating. You see Your people suffering and being persecuted. Strengthen us with Your promise. We are truly blessed and know that we will see all things made right.

Amen.