Daily Devotion, August 31, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Genesis 3:21.

My two-year-old grandson stood by me as I moved clothes from the washing machine to the dryer. Closing the dryer door, I turned around to discover the toddler had left my side. A quick search didn’t prove successful and family spread out all over the house to finally discover the stinker with a big grin hiding in the shower. Hiding was a fun game for him. It isn’t a game when Adam and Eve hide from God. After sinning, Adam and Eve feel guilt and embarrassment over their nakedness, so they cover themselves with fig leaves and hide from God. When God confronts them with their sin, the man and woman confess, but also attempt to shift the blame to others. God's curses for their sin are severe and painful to hear. However, out of his abundant mercy and grace God still provides for Adam and Eve, starting with clothing them. After God provides coverings, he takes action to protect the couple. Even though God is disappointed in them and punishes them, he also shows mercy and grace.

We sin, cover, and lie. We hide from each other, from our friends, coworkers, and neighbors, ashamed of what others might think of us. We run from God because we too feel guilty, embarrassed, and unworthy of God’s love and mercy. This picture of God providing for Adam and Eve in their darkest moment is a reminder that he will provide for us also. God knows us, sees us as we are, and comes for us to redeem us. We do not need to hide. Instead we need to be quick to confess and to trust God to forgive us.

Personal Worship Option:

Think today about the picture of Adam and Eve being covered in the skin of an innocent animal as a reminder that Christ shed his blood for our sake so that we could be forgiven of our sin. Thank God that he does not abandon us in our sin. Then confess any sins you have, accept his forgiveness, and move forward serving God by serving others.

Daily Devotion, August 30, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 12:20-21.

OK, be honest with me...when you read the part about heaping burning coals on your enemy’s head, did you take some delight in that image? Perhaps each of us can think of someone who deserves a head full of hot coals! After enjoying that image for just a moment or two, I went looking for the intended meaning of this phrase that seems so out of place in a passage that encourages us to give food and drink to our enemies. An enemy may be a competitor who takes unfair advantage of us, someone who disagrees with us and says hurtful things in a public way, or even someone who wishes to do us physical harm. “Heaping burning coals on his head” simply means that our Godly actions of kindness and hospitality will mess with the mind of our enemy, cause them to examine why they are behaving as our enemy, and perhaps even change.

With this understanding, this phrase fits perfectly in a lesson about showing love to an enemy, resisting the human tendency to counter our enemy’s evil actions with vengeful acts of our own that, as Paul reminds us, can also be evil. When we overcome evil with good, we serve God through destroying an enemy by making a friend.

Personal Worship Option:

Almighty God, help me to look for ways to show kindness toward those who oppose me. I cannot do this on my own, so give me the strength and courage to do this, overcoming evil with good. Thank you for always walking with me. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 29, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 149:1 and 150.

Each of the last five Psalms begin with the phrase “Praise the Lord.” It is as if the Psalmist reaches a crescendo of worship of God to end this prayer book and hymnal of God’s people.

Yesterday, we focused on our reason for worshipping God being grounded in simply who God is. Before God did or does anything, God is worthy to be praised and worshipped. However, we certainly would include what God has done and is doing as worthwhile reasons to worship. God has given us life - we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for God. God created the whole world and gave it to us humans to enjoy and care for. The creatures and plants and scenery around us and all over our planet are collectively a reason to worship and praise God. The diversity of people in our lives and world, with whom we can relate and learn are all reasons to worship our Creator. The gift of music is another reason that is high on my list.

Beyond these and other general reasons for us all, we each have our own list and testimony of what God has done for us. (You may want to take a few minutes to list or say some of those.) We all have our personal reasons to worship God.

But most of all, what God has done through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes God worthy of our praise and worship. When we messed up our relationship with God, it was God who took the initiative to restore that relationship and give us a simple path to eternal life. We have an ultimate and everlasting reason to praise Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Yes, we worship God simply because of who God is. We also offer our praises because of what God has done and continues to do to redeem and reconcile the whole world. “Praise the Lord!”

Personal Worship Option:

Here are a couple of verses from a prayer hymn written by Folliot Pierpoint:

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies, for the love which from our birth over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best Gift Divine, to the world so freely given, for that great, great love of thine, peace on earth and joy in heaven: 

Lord of all, to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

Daily Devotion, August 28, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Psalms 146:1-2 and 148:1, 7.

Our focus tomorrow in our time of worship is why we worship God. I would suggest there are two primary reasons: who God is and what God has done. Today, let’s focus on who God is. We worship God because we believe God is the supreme and ultimate Being. Everything begins and ends with God. As the opening words of the Bible state “In the beginning, God…” Before time began, there was God. God always has been and always will be. God is worthy of our praise and worship just because of who God is. We believe that God is the source of life, love, forgiveness, joy, hope, peace, grace and so much more. It is in God that we can know all of these beautiful aspects of our existence.  

I compare this to loving someone we are close to, maybe a spouse, child or parent. We love them not for what they can do for us (that would be selfish) but just for who they are. We accept them and love them as they are. Along that same line, we worship God just because of who God is.  

So we gather to worship God with music and singing and praying and learning from God’s Word, which we most fully experience in Jesus Christ our Lord. We also worship God by seeking to live our life each day according to the way Jesus taught us. Why do we worship God in these ways? Just because of who God is.  

May we all commit to these words of the Psalmist: “I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Personal Worship Option:

Reginald Heber wrote the words to one of the most worshipful hymns of the Church:

        Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee, though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see.

Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, perfect in power, in love and purity.

Daily Devotion, August 27, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 12:1.

The title in my Bible for this chapter is “Give your lives to God”. Jesus gave up his life for us - so a living sacrifice is one of love and gratitude. What does a living sacrifice look like? It is daily laying aside our own desire to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal and trusting him to guide us. All of this we do because of gratitude for forgiveness of our sins. It is also our “true and proper worship” - giving ourselves completely to God and God’s mission in this world every day of our lives. We worship God (or not) by how we live our lives. In the Children's Ministry we call this “Living Loud”. Not only are our lives offering worship to God, we are an expression of God’s love to the world - through us. So, how’s the volume of your life?

Personal Worship Option:

Meditate on this verse today - post it where you can see it. Let God’s word speak to you today.

Daily Devotion, August 26, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read John 4:19-24.

In today's verses we find Jesus in conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well. While she is there to get water; he speaks of living water that provides eternal life. Jesus was very intentional about traveling through Samaria as most Jewish people avoided the Samaritans. She recognizes that he is a prophet of the Jews and tries to argue where worship should be. Jesus said it's not about where but about who is worshiped. John 4:23 tells us “Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for.”  The call is to worship God in the Spirit and in truth. The Spirit gives us faith in God and scripture gives us the truth about God so that we can know the God we worship. Being spiritually disciplined enables us to worship by knowing who God is, as well as who and whose we are.

When Jesus asked the Samari­tan woman for a drink, she noticed that he didn’t have a container to draw water with. But as it turned out he wanted to give her the water of eternal life. She listened and grew to believe in him, and she became the container for his life-giving message. Similarly, we are the containers that Jesus wants to fill. Jesus shows up in places where we least expect to find him, and he shakes up our thinking just as he did for the Samaritan woman.

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God, may we be nourished by your water of eternal life. Give us the courage to let you fill us with your love, that we may understand the impact of living for you. We need your Spirit to teach us the truth about you and to inspire our worship, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 25, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Amos 5:21-24.

Rituals. Rituals can be healthy gifts for people, but they also can have an unhealthy dimension to them. Rituals can sometimes become empty rituals, and simply mindless routines. Sometimes they can be noble avoidances of the truth of difficult situations. Sometimes they can blind us to the real needs around us.

The prophet Amos was highly attuned to the ways in which worship rituals can follow the pathways of avoiding the truth, blinding our eyes and closing our ears to the needs around us. The Message translation’s heading for Amos 5 is, “All Show, No Substance”.  This is an excellent summary for this chapter!

Also in The Message, Eugene Peterson’s introductory remarks for Amos remind us, “Amos towers (as a biblical prophet) as defender of the downtrodden poor and accuser of the powerful rich who use God’s name to legitimize their sin.” He adds, “If we pray and worship God…we must keep company with these biblical prophets…otherwise, we can become self-serving.”

God is speaking through the prophet Amos to remind us that our worship rituals are useless if we are not also living God’s way with our lives and seeking justice for all around us.

Jesus understood and spoke this in his teaching in what we call “The Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5: 23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift." Jesus is echoing Amos’ words that our worship and the way we live matter to God.

Amos 5:24 are familiar words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Personal Worship Option:

Amos 5:21-24 asks us to look within our hearts and minds as we participate in worship to see if we are truly living God’s way and seeking justice for all around us. Dear Lord, open our eyes and ears to the needs of our community here and around the world. Move us in such a way to be a part of your rolling waters and your ever-flowing streams to bring your life-giving justice and righteousness to the world. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 24, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Exodus 24:1-8.

We read today of a covenant between God and the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. In this covenant God invites Moses to the top of the mountain and gives him the divine laws. Then Moses tells the people of Israel all that God had said. If Israel is obedient, then God will bless them, but if they disobey, then God will punish them. God's intention was to build a holy nation of people who obeyed his laws. The people agree to the covenant when they say, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do!” Israel is to be God’s light to the dark world around them. They are to be a separate and called-out nation so that everyone around them would know that they worship the one true God. Moses leads the people in rituals of worship to confirm their covenant with God. There was an altar, offerings, and the reading of the Book of the Covenant. We continue these practices and many others in worship services today as a part of our covenant relationship. God still wants us to worship him by making a commitment to honor his Word and his ways. By obeying God and worshipping him, we too can be God’s light to the world around us.

Personal Worship Option:

Heavenly Father, I want to worship you by honoring your Word and your ways. Help me to be faithful to my covenant relationship with you. Amen.

Daily Devotion August 23

 

 

Devotion:

Read Genesis 12:4-8.

Verse 5 says, “...and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.” The journey from Harran to Canaan is depicted in only thirteen words! The brevity of this statement tells us that the details of what happened on that journey are not important. Like bookends, Abram’s call to leave a good place to go to the land God would show him and Abram’s actions upon his arrival in Canaan are the important points in the story. At Shechem in the northern part of Canaan, God appeared to Abram and told him that God would give all this land to Abram’s descendants, making it the “Promised Land.” Notice that Abram built an altar there to God, and remember that altars were places for worship. Abram moved further south to Bethel and pitched his tent. He and his family were living as nomads and aliens in a place they did not possess. Again, Abram built an altar and worshiped God.

God had called and sent Abram, who obeyed and went. God went with Abram on the journey, sustaining him by letting Abram know of His presence. Abram responded instinctively by worshiping God. We can look to Abram (Abraham) for his example of obedience and faith and his acts of worship, even as he just began to know and love God.

Personal Worship Option:

Gracious God, thank you for a church campus where we can come regularly to worship you. We do not need to build an altar as Abraham did in each new place. But help us to prepare ourselves each week to gather in-person or online with others to pray, to give you praise and thanksgiving, and to hear your Word. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 22, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Philippians 4:4-9.

Paul the Apostle is getting near the end of his letter to his Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. Throughout his writing, his emphasis has been on joy. In this passage for today, it is as if he hits the climax of his message of encouragement: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” He then offers reasons why we can do that. We need not be anxious about anything because we can take anything to God in prayer. We have a constant open line of communication with the God of the universe. And when we really believe that and put that into practice, we are given a peace which is hard to explain.

Verse eight reminds us to focus our attention on the good and higher things of life. Yes, we all have negative experiences at times and there is bad news to be found anytime, day or night. But there is also much good to be found all around us. We can choose where we will place our focus and for what we will look. When we keep our focus on the things and ways of God, we will constantly have reasons to rejoice. And once again, Paul mentions the peace we receive because it is at the core of who this God is.

  

One other note I offer: just a few verses later (13) is a statement that is a favorite Bible verse of many people: “I can do all this (be content whether I have much or little) through him who gives me strength.” Hey, that’s another reason to “Rejoice always!” 

Personal Worship Option:

Join us at Christ Church today for “Funday Sunday!” We all worship together outside at 10:30! (I am writing this weeks ahead of time, so check our website or app if rainy weather is forecast. If rain forces us inside, we will still be together to worship.) Pre-service music begins at 10:00 and a free lunch will be served after the service. So come be with us and invite others to come with you! 

Daily Devotion, August 21, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 100.

The Psalmist encourages us to have a sense of joy about us when we gather to worship God. One of the primary reasons we can do that is because worship invites us into the bigger picture of who God is and what God has done for us and all the world. On any given day, you may not be having a joyful experience in your life, but you can still worship God with “joyful songs” because God has brought you through times of struggle and disappointment before. This writer also reminds us that it is God who has given us life in the first place. God is the source of you and I getting to be alive and experience all we do in this world. So we always have reason to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” 

 

Verse five continues to name the reasons we can always worship God with joy, reminding us of God’s goodness, love and faithfulness. We worship a God who is constantly inviting us to “accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” (One of the questions we ask at baptism.) Our God is all about good overcoming evil and can provide whatever we need to win that battle. And the most powerful force in that battle is love, which is at the core of who God is. Finally, our God is faithful - always has been, always will be.

So anytime you take time to worship God, whether by yourself or with others, remember that you have many basic reasons to do so with joy and praise. Hallelujah!

Personal Worship Option:

Henry Van Dyke wrote the words to one of my favorite all-time hymns of the Church. Here are the first and third verses for you to consider praying today:

Joyful, joyful, we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love;

hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.

Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away.

Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,

well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!

Thou our Father, Christ our brother, all who live in love are thine;

teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Daily Devotion, August 20, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 30:5.

We all face times of weeping, but when we look to God, they never last. God can always bring a new day of joy. For many people joy may seem foreign and maybe even elusive. Have you ever wondered when your “morning” was going to arrive? You may want to find joy, yet you just can’t see it. Here’s the key, joy is hard to find when you can’t see Jesus. Be honest with God, speak to him of all your hurts, fear, sadness, and anger. He wants to wrap his arms around you and tend to your wounds. He wants to speak life back into all the dead places of your life. Joy doesn’t come and go with our circumstances. Rather, joy can be experienced despite our circumstances. Because joy comes in knowing Jesus and experiencing His presence. Joy comes when we fall more in love with the One who loves us most. To experience joy is to experience Jesus.

We all would choose joy over trials, joy over testing. Yet, God often uses the hard things to refine us which in turn transform us into the person we were created to be. So even in the testing there is joy in knowing that God is always with you and loves you with a love that never quits.

Personal Worship Option:

Prayer for the day: Father, thank you that you have no problem walking through the walls that I have constructed. I welcome you to come with forgiveness and healing. Shed your light and joy into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 19, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read John 15:9-12.

We often hear the last verse of this passage quoted in lessons or talks. It seems impossible to pull it out of context. Despite the simplicity of Christ’s statement and the brevity of his instruction, the command Christ gave his disciples, just before his walk to the cross, is one of the most profound pronouncements ever. Christ asks us to continue in his love, and he tells us how by keeping his commandments. Then he says the reason he is asking us to do these things is so that we can retain his joy, and be full of joy. He tells us that his commandment is to love each other the way that he loves us.

This passage in its entirety seems to paint a different picture than taking any of the verses alone. Together, they seem to say that the whole point of obedience and commandments is so that we can be filled with love and joy. I like that image. The commandment that will lead to these things is to love each other, not the way we usually love each other, which is sporadic, inconsistent, and usually biased, but the way *he* loves us, which is always, consistent, and all-encompassing. Today, let's try to continue in God's love by loving each other and showing it to all.

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God, thank you for the love you put in our hearts by way of your Son, Jesus. May we love like you, because you first loved us. Help us to show your unconditional love to others. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 18, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Nehemiah 8:9-10.

We are learning much during this global pandemic. We are re-learning the great joy in gathering together to worship God. In the music, singing, praying, scripture, message and invitation, we remember once again that God indeed is our stronghold. God is present with us, our strength and the source of our joy!

The Hebrew people had not been in a pandemic, but they had been in exile in Babylon for many years. Now they had returned to Jerusalem and had rebuilt the temple and the walls around Jerusalem. Now they could again gather to hear the scriptures read and to worship God!

Picture yourself in this gathering among the Hebrew people.  You have returned from being exiled in Babylon to find Jerusalem in rubble. You have been working diligently to rebuild the temple and the wall. Finally, you are able to gather together to hear the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. You are unable to read the scriptures for yourself, and you have not heard these words for many years. After being in exile, your language is Arabic, and you have deep gratitude for the interpretation so that you can understand the reading.

There were no microphones to give volume to Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s voices. Perhaps you could “hear a pin drop” because you along with all gathered are so hungry to hear God’s word. But you are fearful for having been away from God for so long.

Dr. Kathleen M. O’ Connor writes, “When Nehemiah urges them neither to weep nor to lament, the text implies they have forgotten God’s law. Rather than grieving their infidelity, Nehemiah calls them to ‘feast on fat and sweet wine, and to send some to those who do not have any… for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”

In this hearing they remember who God was and is, and that they belonged to God. They remember God is with them. They remember their strength comes from God’s presence with them and God’s presence is the source of their joy!

Personal Worship Option:

God is with you wherever you are today. God’s presence and joy will be strength for you.  Remember to share your feast with those who do not have any. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 17, 2021

 

Daily Devotion:

Read Psalm 16:1-2, 11.

Psalm 16, a Psalm of David, begins with an acknowledgment of the Lord’s goodness. “Apart from you I have no good thing.” In fact, most of the Psalm is just that—a praise hymn to God, proclaiming him to be our mighty refuge, our strong counselor, and our firm foundation. Then David reminds us the basic truth of our faith: God shows us the path of life. So far, this Psalm has told us God is good and leads us in the way we should go. But it is in the last part of verse 11 that we read the true benefit of a life lived in close relationship with God: “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” God fills us with joy when we are in his presence. But can we feel that kind of joy all the time? All of life is to be lived in the presence and power of God, not just for a few minutes when we are in prayer or Bible study. To truly enjoy the abundant life, we need to be more aware of God all the time, in every circumstance and every encounter. We need that regular, focused quiet time, but we also need to take our awareness of and commitment to God into our more numerous “noisy times.” This life of gladness and rejoicing and fullness of joy is not a problem-free life. We may face challenges and attacks on many levels. However, when we make a life commitment to God and practice living daily in his presence, we will experience a secure, joy-filled, blessed life.

Personal Worship Option:

Prayer for the day: “I know that life is found in constantly realizing that you are with me, that you are leading me, that you are guiding me, that you are directing me, and in your presence, I find fullness of joy.”

Daily Devotion, August 16, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read James 1:2-5.

Well, James, I hear you, but I find it a lot easier to consider it pure joy when my favorite team wins the big game, when our family gathers to celebrate a holiday, or I look out and see two thousand people gathered on our church lawn for FunDay Sunday! All of these are reasons to be happy, but each of them is based on a set of circumstances, and the fragile emotion of happiness can change rapidly and even disappear with the circumstances. James is writing of a much deeper joy, a joy that we find in Christ. It appears that he was writing to Christians who had dispersed or scattered away from Jerusalem as a result of persecution at the hands of zealous Jewish persons who saw Christianity as a threat. The tests and trials these early Christians faced were tough matters of life and death.

I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the person who built his house on sand (no deep foundation of faith), and the storms of life swept it away. The house built on the rock of belief in Christ endured the storm. New, immature faith is vulnerable and subject to wavering, but when we persevere by keeping our faith and weathering the storms of testing and trials, our faith grows deeper and stronger. Knowing that gives us joy that lasts and that transcends circumstance!

Personal Worship Option:

Give thanks today for the love of Christ that is with us in all circumstances -- good and bad. Reflect on the difficult times when your faith has grown and deepened. Time must pass sometimes before we can look back on those tough periods of testing and trials to see how God was with us. Give thanks for the joy that comes from knowing we never face our trials alone...never!

Daily Devotion, August 15, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Philippians 3:7-14.

Yesterday, we looked at a key passage from one of Paul’s letters to the Corinthians that sums up the reconciliation God has given us through the gift of grace. We can have a good relationship with God, not because of anything we have done, but only because of God’s grace.

 

In this portion of his letter to the Philippians, Paul is in the midst of sharing that if our relationship with God was about being a good person and following all the rules, he was one of the best at doing that who has ever lived. (He had emphasized humility earlier in the letter, but was not showing it here!) The Pharisees were committed to following all of the Law of the Scriptures and he had graduated at the top of his class at Pharisee University! But once he met the risen Christ, he gave all of those accomplishments up, considered them as “garbage.” He knew they gained him nothing in his relationship with God.

And when anyone comes to that understanding, it makes a tremendous difference in their life. There is such a joy and peace that comes from knowing our salvation is not dependent on us, but is a gift of God. You don’t have to “perform” for God. You don’t have to be perfect. You can simply rest in God’s love and allow this Holy Spirit to guide you to be the best person God created you to be. What a source of joy!

Personal Worship Option:

Brian Wren wrote the words to the hymn “I Come With Joy” in 1968. Here are the first and last verses.

I come with joy to meet my Lord, forgiven, loved and free,

in awe and wonder to recall his life laid down for me.

Together me, together bound, we’ll go our different ways,

and as his people in the world, we’ll live and speak his praise.

Daily Devotion, August 14, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

As I shared last week about a passage from Philippians, these verses are part of another passage that for me is a summation of the whole Bible message, particularly the good news that is the gospel. Through the act of reconciliation God brought about through Christ, we are made right with God. It is absolutely amazing; hard to believe that God would do such a thing! As humans, we wrestle with God because we want to be the god of our lives. We want to be in control. So even in our best intentions, we often have selfish motives. We are looking out for what is best for “me and mine.” We are sinners and therefore separated from God.  

But God took the initiative to restore our relationship as only God could. Through Jesus Christ, God took on our sin and destroyed its power over our lives forever. God did all that was necessary to restore our relationship and offered it to us as a gift called grace. All we have to do is accept the gift. When we do so, God sees us no longer as lost sinners, but as children.  

Since we are forgiven and reconciled to God, we can live the rest of our lives unburdened by the need to be good enough or do something to earn God’s favor. We already have it. As I like to say “God loves you and there is nothing you can do to change that!” Thanks be to God!

Personal Worship Option:

Consider this prayer: “Gracious God, thank you for your life-giving and life-changing gift of grace. Help me to live a grace-filled life by sharing your gift with everyone I can. Through Christ, Amen.” 

Daily Devotion, August 13, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Ephesians 2:4-10.

When you receive a gift do you ask, “How much do I owe you?” NO - it’s a gift and we accept it with joy, humility, and gratefulness. So it is with the gift of grace and salvation. We become Christians through God’s unmerited grace, not as the result of any effort, ability, intelligent choice, or act of service on our part. However, out of gratitude for this free gift we will seek to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness. God’s intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service. We are not saved merely for our own benefit but to serve Christ and build up the church. Our salvation is something only God can do. This salvation/new life provides us with a clean conscience. A clean record. A clean heart. Free from accusation. Free from condemnation. Wow!  It is his powerful, creative work in us so it should inspire us to see others the way God does.  When you get the best gift of all, you cannot help but be filled with joy.

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect on God’s gift of salvation and grace. Share the joy of these gifts with someone today.

Daily Devotion, August 12, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 5:6-11.

Paul’s passion in this passage is to share the good news of grace. He explains that having been eternally saved by grace, we should endure the trials and tribulations of life, and be joyful for the gift that God gave us in Jesus. Christ died for the ungodly and sinners. God demonstrated the full scope of His redemptive love by having His son die for all. Jesus died for you and me. That is where God revealed His love. God does not save us by love. He saves us by grace because the guilt of sin has been removed by the death of Christ. As believers, we are saved by the grace of God. The fact that God hates sin does not make Him the enemy of sinners. His desire is for all to be saved and to have the knowledge of the truth that God’s grace allows us to experience a joy that can only come from being right with God. Peace, grace and hope are all experienced because of this wonderful gift of grace.

Jesus actually gave up his life to save all humanity. The Bible never describes Jesus as a hero, but as the silent sacrificial lamb (Isaiah 53). A true hero will sacrifice for others; a true hero will not boast about himself. Jesus died for us while we were still rebelling against him and living in sin. That makes him the ultimate superhero! Is Jesus your hero? Is he your joy too?

Personal Worship Option:

Thank you, Jesus, for sacrificing your life for us. Help us to live a life that is worthy of the price you paid to save us. Help us depend on your strength each day to live in joy for you. Amen.

Daily Devotion, August 11, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Hebrews 10:19-23.

This week we are focusing on the joy that comes from knowing that we are in good standing with God because of the gift of grace. This scripture from Hebrews is a beautiful word picture of this gift of grace from God to us, through Christ. It is simple, yet complex; profound and full of assurance!

The words are simple. “Since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” yet they give us full assurance that God has initiated this gift of grace. In Christ, God has inaugurated this new covenant that once and for all, atonement has been made and we can approach God in worship with confidence.

“Let us hold with confidence to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful!” Yes, we can have confidence and therefore joy of being in good relationship with God because God is faithful!

The Hebrews writer is encouraging the people to also be faithful to put into practice what they believe. He is careful to remind us that this gift of grace is not ours to keep but ours to share, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” 

Personal Worship Option:

In pondering this profound gift of grace, the words of the last stanza of the words of a poem from the Middle Ages is helpful as a prayer for today. . “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”- “What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend, for this thy dying sorrow, thy pity without end? O make me thine forever; and should I fainting be, Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.” Amen. 

Daily Devotion, August 10, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Peter 1:3-8.

As Christians, we are saved because of our faith in Jesus. We believe in Christ and love him even though we cannot physically see him. Peter writes that we trust him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy because of our relationship with him. Peter reminds us that we will endure many trials, but when our faith stays strong there will be wonderful joy ahead. How do we experience this great joy? The great Christian author C.S. Lewis writes about this inexpressible and glorious joy in his book Mere Christianity.

      “There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made. Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire; if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy… you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has it.”

We experience this joy when we stay close to the source of joy: Christ. We get a taste of this joy on earth but will experience much praise and glory and honor when Christ comes again. We have this complete salvation and a rich inheritance to look forward to! As Peter says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for such a gift, such a salvation!”

Personal Worship Option:

Think today about the difference between inexpressible joy and happiness. I heard Rabbi Steve Leder say this week, “Joy must be grown like the sweet fruit of a slow growing tree.” Joy is what we reap. Joy is what we have after we have cared for something, sacrificed for it, and have then grown through it over time. Doesn’t that describe what happens in our relationship with Christ? Happiness is enjoyable but temporary, like eating an ice cream cone. (I’ll take mint chocolate chip in a waffle cone, please!) It’s good to enjoy happy things, but it is joy that we as Christians want to cultivate through a deep personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the source of all our joy. Commit today to stay close to the source of joy.

Daily Devotion, August 9, 2021

 

Devotion:

Read Romans 15:13.

Very recently, I was leading an in-person discussion in a Bible study in one of our groups at Christ Church. As we discussed a verse about keeping our faith in the face of adversity, I asked the group what happens when we go through a really difficult time and we do not give up but rather keep our faith. “What do you get as a result of this?” I asked. The answer I was thinking of was more along the lines of perseverance, conviction, and even stronger faith; but a man in the group answered with deep feeling and real confidence, “You get peace!” His was not the hypothetical answer of someone giving the expected answer drawn from the passage we had just read. This was the voice of lived experience as someone who has been going through and is still going through a very difficult health challenge. I swallowed hard and learned from him. That happens a lot when I “teach!”

His answer would make absolutely no sense to a nonbeliever! How can suffering and pain and all the struggles of difficult treatment bring peace? Christians believe in a God of hope, as Paul describes in today’s verse. When we trust in God’s grace and keep our faith in all circumstances, God fills us with joy and peace.

Personal Worship Option: Almighty God, I know that I can trust in you. I know that you love me without me doing anything to earn your love. So, help me to trust you more completely and to receive the hope, joy, and peace you offer to me. Amen.