Daily Devotion, March 31, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 139:23-24.

The Psalmist submits to a thorough evaluation from God because he yearned for a personal vital intimacy with Him. David was praying for a new, definite, real experience with his God.

 

Unless God is revealed to us through our personal experiences and Scripture, we can never really know God. Most of us know about God, but that is quite different from really knowing God.  God knows everything about us - our thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams, flaws, yet he loves us regardless. He created us and he wants the best for us.

Personal Worship Option:

Write your own psalm. It doesn’t need to be poetic. Just write a short message to God. Tell him of your desire to know him, confess your sins, and look to him for refuge.

Daily Devotion, March 30, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Mark 8:34-35.

In today’s verses, Jesus tells his disciples that following him will require self-denial and sacrifice. Do we understand what this really means? Can we obey Christ and deny our own desires? You probably have heard the expression "We all have our crosses to bear". People are usually trying to explain some­­one's personal struggles. This Mark passage has to do with submission to Christ. This teaching is not always a popular way for a church to attract people to Jesus. Bearing a cross for Jesus' sake may not sound attractive, but Jesus challenges his followers to bear their own crosses daily in sacrificial service to God's kingdom. Theologian Richard Foster calls this "the cross-life;" willing submission and servanthood to Christ.

Jesus may ask his disciples to go where they would rather not go, beyond their personal comfort zones. In this chapter of Mark, he had his disciples take him in their boat across the Sea of Galilee though rough storms could be expected. They did not think it was wise, but they submitted. Living the cross-life is challenging and often demands submission as we not only love God, but our neighbors, care for the needy and live God’s way. Have you taken up your cross?

Personal Worship Option:

Thank you for the calling to submit to you. It is possible only in your strength. Help us today. In your name, Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 29, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Esther 4:15-16.

This week’s devotionals are focusing on surrendering ourselves completely to God.

The hymn, “I Surrender All” was the hymn the congregation was singing when I made my profession of faith in Christ. Through the years, it brings to mind the question, “Have I surrendered all?”

Sometimes I struggle with God about this. The hymn has a sorrowful tune to it. I thought to surrender myself to God was a sad relinquishing of an otherwise great life! But throughout this life of faith, I’ve found that faith in God is not a sad surrender, but a joyful and complete trust in God. God is the One who created us, knows us, and loves us completely. We can place our complete trust in God.

There are times though, in this life of faith, when we are called to walk with others in their suffering and to advocate for others who are oppressed. We sometimes experience our own seasons of suffering. Jesus said this is, “taking up our cross and following him.”

Jesus was probably familiar with Esther and Mordecai’s story. We can hear echoes of Mordecai’s words to Esther (Esther 4:12-14) in Jesus’ words in Matthew 16: 24-25, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.'"

Sometimes, surrendering our lives to God’s will is a somber experience as it must have been for Esther because her very life was in danger. Yet, she was hearing an even greater calling than saving her own life, which was to save the lives of her people.

Surrendering is born out of God’s gifts of prayer, wisdom, encouragement, courage and a willing spirit. And sometimes, it calls us to “not follow the crowd”. Esther called for the people to fast for three days and she would do the same. Then she would go by herself, before the king and if she perished, she was willing to perish. What would we have done?

Personal Worship Option:

How might God be calling us to reach beyond ourselves and act on behalf of others? Have we surrendered all? Are we willing to place our complete trust in God? What part are we struggling with? God can and will help us.

Daily Devotion, March 28, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read James 4:7-10.

The first word of our passage today, submit, is one that often makes Christians uncomfortable. Believers sometimes think submission is oppressive and implies we have to do things someone else wants us to do that we really don’t want to do. This is a misunderstanding of submission.

The Latin root of submit means “to yield.” When we yield, we “give way.” The biblical meaning of submit means to yield to the mission of Christ. As followers of Christ, we are to yield or give way to Christ's way for us. Biblical submission is putting Christ’s will before our own will, and Scripture tells us we can trust God with our future. “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8

James gives us four ways to draw closer to God and live his way.

1. Don’t let Satan entice and tempt you.

2. Lead a pure life with wise choices.

3. Express deep, heartfelt sorrow when you sin.

4. Humbly lean on God’s wisdom and power instead of your own.

We have a choice to either follow our natural tendencies or to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit within us and follow God’s plan for us. Our level of submission is an indicator of our closeness to God. Let’s listen to God’s urging this week and yield to him.

Personal Worship Option:

Pray today for a submissive heart, one that willingly yields to God’s will. 

Father, I willingly submit myself to you. I understand that living my best life means yielding my plans to you. I ask you to give me the power to withstand Satan’s temptations and to make wise choices. Thank you for filling me with your wisdom as I willingly yield to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Daily Devotion, March 27, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Galatians 2:19-20.

An angry and worried mother went to her church one day to meet with the Youth Director. The mother was upset that her very popular teenage daughter’s new-found devotion to Jesus Christ was taking away from her other interests and activities in school. “If she doesn’t stop living and breathing this Jesus stuff, she is not going to get elected as captain of the cheerleaders this year!” the distraught mother exclaimed. “Don’t you want her to be a Christian?” the surprised youth director asked. “Yes, of course,” said the mom, “but just not this much!”

We might click our tongues and shake our heads at this mother’s misplaced values. But we too often hold back parts of ourselves, our lives, and our interests from full immersion in the life of Christ. Paul did not have that problem, and he writes to encourage us to be all in. He says that we should think of ourselves as dead to the life of physical things, with that old life having been crucified with Christ. Now we live by faith in Christ, completely surrendered to our Lord.

Personal Worship Option:

Think about what aspects of your life you may be holding back from your full and complete surrender to Christ. Pray for the growth and strength of faith to also turn those over to Christ. I have found that the more I surrender, the closer I feel to Christ, who loves me.

Daily Devotion, March 26, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read John 11:38-44.

Imagine yourself in the crowd gathered around that tomb that day. Even if you are too far back to hear the conversation going on between Jesus and Martha or to hear Jesus’ prayer, you can see them move the stone away from the opening to the cave. And you can hear Jesus shout “Lazarus, come out!” Whether it was a few seconds or a few minutes before this man wrapped in burial garments appeared, suddenly he stood at that opening. What are you feeling and thinking at that moment?

Then Jesus says, “Take off the grave clothes (NRSV says “Unbind him”) and let him go.” I wonder what “clothes of death” we bind people with these days. Maybe it’s clothes of injustice and inequity. Maybe it’s rules and ways that we demand everyone has to live by. Maybe it’s our interpretation of the Bible or what we think it means to be a Christian. What comes to your mind when you think of the people around you who seemed to be bound up and unable to live life fully and freely?

I wonder who Jesus is raising from a lifeless existence among us and saying to us “Unbind them and let them go”?

Personal Worship Option:

Life-giving God, help me to always be your partner in giving life to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 25, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Genesis 12:1-3.

As God so often does in the Bible, God seeks a person or group to represent God to the world and serve God’s mission in the world. God seeks ministry partners to become God’s people, constantly learning and growing in better understanding God so they can help others come to know this God.

 

God invites Abram into a covenantal relationship that has a worldwide purpose: God wants to bless all the people of the earth. God did not pick out Abram or choose his offspring because he liked them better or thought more highly of them than anyone else. God had a mission for him (and them). As we often like to say it, “They were blessed to be a blessing.”

Through Jesus Christ, God restored and renewed that covenant with you and me and everybody else. Jesus fulfills the covenant and invites us into this relationship, in order to continue that same mission. Now everyone is invited to begin and deepen their own relationship with God so that they become part of God’s people and help to carry out that mission. We are blessed to be a blessing.

God seeks you as a ministry partner. God seeks you to help bless all the people of the earth. But you don’t have to bless them all yourself. Just bless all those you can. God will take care of the rest.

Personal Worship Option:

Here is an optional prayer to offer: God who seeks to bless everyone, help me to remember how blessed I am and to count my blessings every so often. More importantly, guide and help me to use my blessings to bless as many people as I can. Through Christ, Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 24, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read John 4:25-30, 39-42.

Jesus gives new life to a woman, who then goes to invite others to receive this new life. This is the Gospel plan - to see each person as God sees them and invite them into a relationship with Him. As Max Lucado writes, “He (Jesus) offered her a chance, a fresh start, a clean slate." She accepted his offer. We know because of what happened next: “Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!'”

The woman on the margin became the woman with the message. No one else gave her a chance. Jesus gave her the chance of a lifetime. He came for people like her. He came for people like you and me. Who can you invite into this wonderful adventure with God?

Personal Worship Option:

God sees people as individuals, not as men, women, Jews, Gentiles, poor or rich, etc. Are you seeing individuals in the midst of the crowds? Does your enthusiasm in your relationship with Christ spill over into the everyday?

Daily Devotion, March 23, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Mark 6:34-44.

In the history of the people of Israel, the wilderness was a place of tests. While in the wilderness, God taught them to trust in him for the necessities of life. More than a thousand years later Jesus taught his disciples the same lesson. Near the beginning of this chap­ter, Jesus describes what life will be like for his disciples if they follow him. Jesus told them to take nothing for the journey except a staff; take no bread, no bag, or no money. His followers were to be dependent on the hospitality of others to feed, clothe, and shelter them.

Jesus had just finished teaching a crowd of several thousand people out in the countryside when a crisis arose. There was a food shortage, and the disciples didn’t know what to do. Jesus told them to give them something to eat. Hearing this, they were perplexed. Jesus then took the little they had, gave thanks, and miraculously multiplied it so that everyone had more than enough to eat. In this way Jesus taught the disciples to trust in God for their needs. God has the power to provide all that we need, and more. We simply need to trust Him. Crises lead to blessings when they teach us to depend on God.

Personal Worship Option:

Do you ever feel like you are being brought to the end of your ability to do what God is asking of you? Could God be inviting you to see what he can do for you that you simply cannot do by yourself? 

Lord, many of us are in times of testing right now. Forgive us our doubts and help us to trust you for all that we truly need. In the name of Jesus, we pray and give thanks. Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 22, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Acts 9:32-42.

Peter was well acquainted with the healing power of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Jesus’ healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. Peter also knew of Jesus’ ability to give new life through forgiving Peter for his denial prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. And in John 14:12-13 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

In these verses, Peter does exactly that. In the name of Jesus, both Aeneas and Tabitha (or translated, Dorcas) were healed! They were given new life! For Aeneas, he is told by Peter to “Get up and take care of your mat.” And Tabitha is simply told to “get up,” which some commentaries tell us these words recall the resurrection of Jesus in Acts 1:3.

 

The question we can ask ourselves is, “In what ways might you and I be called by God to offer healing and new life to others?” We can pray for others. We can offer words of encouragement and hope. We may have a role in the world of healthcare including all the areas of physical, mental, social and emotional healing. We may be caregivers for others. With each of us, in all of these roles, Jesus is with us offering spiritual healing as well!

It’s interesting that people like these two - Aeneas, who had suffered for eight years, and Tabitha, a widow - were often the last ones who would have access to healing. But Peter, from following in Jesus’ footsteps, had learned to seek out and care for the least, the last and the lost.

Personal Worship Option:

In what ways might you and I be called by God to offer healing and new life to others? Also, give God thanks today for individuals who are a part of your healing team.

Daily Devotion, March 21, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read 2 Kings 5:9-14.

Naaman was a great hero who was used to getting respect, but he also had a problem. He had leprosy. Expecting to be treated differently from an ordinary person, he was outraged when Elisha, through a messenger, told him to wash in the Jordan River in order to be healed. Washing in a great river would be one thing, but the Jordan was small and dirty and beneath him. Full of pride, Naaman left in a huff because he expected a heroic cure, not just a ritual cleansing in a dirty river.

Naaman’s servants had overheard the conversation. They knew their master had misunderstood. They reminded him that the great prophet Elisha had given him the cure he was looking for, not through ritual cleansing but through healing.

Naaman ultimately humbled himself, becoming like a child, and obeyed. He dipped himself in the river seven times as the prophet had told him to. As a result of his humble obedience, his flesh became as healthy as a little child’s, and he was healed. Naaman came to faith in God.

We too need to accept God’s mercy through our own humble obedience. We don’t want to let our own stubborn pride get in the way of the cure we need most: faith in Christ.

Personal Worship Option:

Do you ever get upset because God doesn’t meet your expectations? When you pray, do you expect God to answer a certain way and get disappointed when he doesn’t? Remember living by faith means fully trusting God to answer your prayers and direct your paths in a way that’s best for you. Commit today to trust God fully to lead you on the journey of life.

Daily Devotion, March 20, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read 1 Kings 3:16-28.

This story is the ultimate example of a leader using wisdom in order to make a difficult, almost impossible, decision. When Solomon ordered the live child to be cut in half and each mother given half of him, the real mother could not bear to see her son killed and was willing to give him up in order that he could live. The pretender was fine with seeing the other woman’s child cut in half. Solomon’s wisdom, a gift from God, brought life to the woman and her son.

If discernment is one of your gifts, you are fortunate indeed. I know someone whom God has blessed with the gift of really keen discernment, and those who know her often benefit from her gift. When she makes an important decision, she almost always trusts her gift, and the decision is usually a good one. When she does not and occasionally makes the wrong choice, she will look back and say, “I should have trusted my instincts, but I was swayed by…” and fills in the blank with whatever else she relied on in making the other choice. When God works through people with the gift of wisdom or discernment, God seeks to give life. Our part is to look for the life-giving option and trust that God is leading us to it.

Personal Worship Option:

What important decision are you making now? Are the lives of other people likely to be affected by your decision? Pray that God will help you by giving you wisdom and leading you to the choice that gives new life.

Daily Devotion, March 19, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Colossians 3:1-17.

This writer (Paul or a student of his) uses the image of changing the clothes we wear to talk about the new life we are promised through Christ. He first uses Easter language to talk about who we are (“...you have been raised with Christ…”). He refers to our old life, that it has died. He begins to start a list of things we need to be sure we have “put to death” from that life (vs. 5-9). What do you see on that list that is still alive in you? What would you add to that list (something that is still in your life that is not part of the way of Christ)?

Verse 11 is a great reminder that Jesus Christ is available to all of those people who are different from you. Jesus is alive in many people you and I somehow label as “other.” Learning to see them as your brothers and sisters in Christ is part of learning to live his way.

Our writer then uses the image of putting on new clothes to go along with this new life. This list is similar to the “fruits of the Spirit” (Galatians 5) and other lists describing the people of Christ in the Bible. People see the clothes we wear. Here, we are being invited to live our life so that people around us would see these “clothes” on us: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love (the unifier of it all), peace and gratitude. Imagine how different the world would be if all Christians wore those clothes! What spiritual “clothes” are you wearing? Do you need to do some shopping for new clothes?

Personal Worship Option:

Pray about the one piece of “spiritual clothing” that you most need.

Daily Devotion, March 18, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Galatians 5:16-26.

Yes, it is the same passage we read last Saturday. You are invited to read it again (maybe in another translation) in light of our focus for this week. As I often do, I checked out how Eugene Peterson translated these verses in The Message. And wow, he puts them in some great everyday language! Here is verses 17-18:

“For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?” 

I invite you to take a look at how he describes the “acts of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit” (NIV phrases). They are great images of what these “acts” and “fruit” look like in everyday life, both in our individual life and in our life with others.

Finally, this is his offering of verse 25: “Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.” That’s exactly what we are all being invited to do during Lent. How is that going for you? If you haven’t given it much attention so far, you still have three weeks before Easter.

Personal Worship Option:

What is on the first list that you need to pray for help to get rid of? And what “fruit” on the second list do you most need to pray about receiving?

Daily Devotion, March 17, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Joshua 24:14-15.

Joshua confronts the people of Israel with their need to get rid of any other gods they are worshiping and to focus on their covenant with the one and only God. In taking a stand for the LORD, Joshua demonstrated his commitment to God. He was determined to set an example of living by that decision, regardless of what others decided.

 

Everyone has to decide whether they obey the Lord or not. It’s easy to slip into a quiet rebellion - going about life in your own way.  But the time comes when you have to choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours. Will it be God, your own personality, or something else? The way we live shows others who we follow. If we choose to be controlled by God’s Spirit others will see the strength of our commitment to God.

Personal Worship Option:

Who are you committed to? Now is the time to renew your commitment to serve God faithfully.

Daily Devotion, March 16, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-21.

These verses are a key for believing in and living out the work of Christ. They describe the reconciling God, who embraces us through Christ and makes us new creations through reconciliation. Reconcile means to bring back together. Christian reconciliation is based on Jesus’ work in making us right and new with God again. He accomplished this by paying the price of our sin with his death.

God’s response to human sin, our brokenness, corruption, and violence is amazing. God never gives up on making us into new creations that have faith in Him. God did not create us to perish. He created us for life and to be in fellowship with Him. How can reconciliation between God and a fallen humanity be possible? The Father sent his Son to form a union between God and fallen humanity. Jesus, the Son of God, became human in every way, except that he was without sin. He did not fail to obey God. By his death, Jesus reconciles all who will believe in him as Savior. The Lord our God has done this so that we can live!

Personal Worship Option:

God, we stand in awe of you and your commitment to your creation. You have provided salvation for us through your son Jesus. Thank you for letting us become new creations. We are eternally grateful! Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 15, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Ephesians 6:10-18.

Writing from prison, perhaps with a soldier nearby, the Apostle Paul is giving his final instructions for living a life of faith in Christ. Paul writes, “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” His illustration is the description of the full armor of God.

Paul writes the word, “stand” four times here. We are to stand, stand against, stand for, and stand up. He is calling his readers to be strong and stand against the powers of darkness. I’m continually inspired by the book “Quiet Strength” written about Rosa Parks who took a “stand” for others by “sitting” on the front seat of the bus in Montgomery, AL.

A suit of armor is for protecting life, not for destroying it. The pieces of armor are: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword which is the word of God, and Paul adds “prayer” even though he doesn’t give a piece of armor for it.

We are humbled realizing that this full armor of strength is a gift from God’s Holy Spirit. If it is from our own striving, then it can easily become a way of self-righteousness and a source of pride rather than a source of strength. This gift is offered by following in the ways of Christ.

Receiving and putting on this spiritual armor of God, there are probably some things we first need to let go of from our spirit. Otherwise, our suit of armor will be too heavy to wear! We can: let go of deceptive ways, and put on the ways of truth; let go of the ways of unrighteousness…of mistreating others and put on righteousness; let go of ways of conflict and put on the ways of peace; let go of the ways of distrusting God and put on faith in God; let go of the ways of destruction and put on Christ’s way of salvation; let go of words of hopelessness and put on ways from God’s word; And let go of the way of never-praying and begin praying always.

Personal Worship Option:

On your suit of armor, is there an area which needs the strengthening help of God’s Holy Spirit? Dear God, it is by your strength that we are strong. Help us to help others. Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 14, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Luke 19:1-10.

As Jesus entered Jericho, he was met by a crowd of people. One of them was Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus had troubles. He was the chief tax collector hired by the hated Roman authorities. Zacchaeus was also rich and most likely acquired his wealth through dishonest means. Bottom line: Zacchaeus was not well-liked. He was despised. Yet he was in the crowd to see Jesus. He even climbed a tree to see Jesus.

Climbing a tree would be a highly unusual, foolish, and immodest thing for a rich person to do. But this unusual act got Jesus’ attention and an invitation to share a meal.

Certainly, this would have upset the townspeople, but Jesus saw something in Zacchaeus that only God can see in a person. He saw the man he could be. And Zacchaeus’s transformation was dramatic.

After a simple invitation from Jesus, Zacchaeus offered to return money to anyone he had defrauded and to give half his possessions to the poor.

His salvation came not because he returned a large part of his riches, but because he received the grace and mercy of Jesus—and it changed the way he lived. Faith changes us. Zacchaeus was wealthy, crooked, and greedy. However, his faith in Jesus changed the way he lived his life. Zacchaeus is an example of someone who was willing to get rid of old ways and begin to live the new way of Christ.

Personal Worship Option:

Are you carrying old habits today? Receive Jesus’ invitation today and change an old way of living to live the new way of Christ.

Daily Devotion, March 13, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Psalm 51:1-12.

Verses 1-10 of this passage comprised one of our Scripture readings on Ash Wednesday, the day on which I am writing this devotional. Isn’t it interesting how things like this happen? It was fitting for that day, but it is always a powerful lesson for any day. The psalmist, likely David, is aware of his past sins. David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, plotted to cover his sin, and had her husband (a faithful soldier of David’s) killed in battle when the coverup did not work. Confronted by his court prophet, Nathan, David now realizes his sin and feels dirty and separated from God. The lust is gone, along with the arrogance of power. David wants desperately to be cleansed.

Sin separates us from God; and when we face our sin, we want to be free from guilt and reunited with God. We desire, as did David, to be washed and clean. David prays that he will be given a pure heart and a steadfast spirit. These two are essential if we are to refrain from sinning again. When we truly repent of our sin, we first wish to be forgiven. Then we want to live with a pure and new spirit, never again repeating our offense.

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect on old ways you have put aside as a Christian. What new ways have you adopted? Are there things you are still working on to learn to live the way of Christ? The answer to that should be a resounding “yes” for most of us. Pray for God’s direction as you grow and change.

Daily Devotion, March 12, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read John 15:4-12.

This teaching from Jesus comes in the middle of a long section in “The Gospel According To John” that is during the evening before Jesus was arrested. He is giving some final instructions to his disciples about what it means to belong to him, what it means to serve him and continue his mission. He has already let them know that when he leaves, the Holy Spirit would be sent to continue to guide and teach them. Spending time with this Spirit will be just like spending time with him. And he makes it clear that spending time with him, staying connected to him, is vital for them to continue to do his work. If they get disconnected from him, it will be just like a branch getting disconnected from a vine or tree. It cannot survive on its own. It certainly cannot bear fruit on its own. It must be connected to that vine.

As you continue on your journey through Lent, be sure to assess how you use your time each day and whether you are giving enough focused time to staying connected to our Lord. Spend time in prayer. Spend time in silence, just to listen. Spend time in the Bible. Spend time with other Christians. Spend time in service to others. All of this and more will be means through which the Spirit will guide you, empower you and keep you connected to the Source of life and love.

As we saw yesterday in Galatians, did you notice that love is once again an emphasis of what this life in the Spirit looks like? To “remain in him” is to remain in his love. If we do that, then we can obey his command: “Love each other as I have loved you.”

Personal Worship Option:

Consider this prayer: Lord of life and love, help me to stay connected to you so that I can love others and help them come to know you. Through Christ, Amen.

Daily Devotion, March 11, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Galatians 5:16-26.

Paul implores Christians to be guided by the Holy Spirit. In the verses just prior to these, he reminds them that “the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ As was often a subject in his other letters, the Christians in Galatia were apparently becoming divided, not acting in love toward each other.

When he refers to “the acts of the flesh” in verse 19, we usually think of just physical sins. But notice what is included in these “acts”: hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. All of these deal with relationships and how we treat other people.

We all have people and personalities which we find difficult to be around. And if we try to deal with them on our own, it is likely that those relationships will at some point dissolve into factions and discord and everything else on that list. It is only by spending time with the Holy Spirit that we will have the power and wisdom to relate to them differently than the rest of the world does. We simply cannot expect to be guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit if we are not spending time with and giving focus to that Spirit.

Note the assumption he makes at the beginning of verse 25: “Since we live by the Spirit…” The question is “Do we?” Do you?

Personal Worship Option:

Daniel Iverson wrote this chorus almost a hundred years ago, but it is still a great prayer for any of us to pray every so often:

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.