Daily Devotion for September 30, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Psalm 100.

For those of us who memorized Scripture as children, this was a required psalm! Many of us may remember its words in the King James Version, which opens with these words, “Make a joyful sound unto the Lord, all ye lands.” The NIV words it as, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.” The meaning is the same…all people, all over the earth, in all lands of the world, are to worship God. As we read these words and those that follow, it is good to think of all people putting down their tools, their books, their weapons, whatever they are doing, and gathering to worship God.

In our own country, we prize individualism and what we can do on our own, and there are some real merits to that. But God reminds us in this beautiful psalm that we are all God’s creatures, and we are to be united in worshiping God. Not everyone worships on Sundays at 9:30 or 11:15 EDT, but there is real beauty in remembering that, as we worship, millions of people are called to do so. We worship in many ways with different customs and rituals; but all of us, all over the earth, are called to worship God. And in awareness of that, we can sense a kinship to all God’s creation and people everywhere.

Personal Worship Option:

Almighty God, help me to see people of other nations and cultures as my sisters and brothers, fellow children of yours. In worship, help me to feel a part of something so much larger than my own circle and to know that we can be united in worshiping and serving you. Amen!

Daily Devotion for September 29, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read 1 Peter 1:3-9.

The politicians and their campaign staffers do their best to convince us that our future depends on them being elected. If we are not paying attention, it is easy to get caught up in their rhetoric. They all claim that if they are elected, the future will be good; if the other candidate/side is elected, we are all doomed.

Christians, more than any other group of people, know better. We know that it is in Jesus Christ that we have a hope-filled future. Bishop David Graves, who grew up in Hixson and served as an excellent pastor and District Superintendent in Holston Conference, loves to say, “The best is yet to come!” Some people hear him say that and wonder if he is paying attention to all that is going on in our world these days. It is tempting to instead think that our worst days are ahead. But Bishop Graves and all of us Christians can say that with confidence because of the message that these verses from the Apostle Peter’s letter offer. We have been given “a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” Let’s live like we believe that!

Personal Worship Option:

Here’s another song I grew up singing, verses written by Isaac Watts and the chorus by Robert Lowry. May it be your song of invitation and celebration today.

Come, we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known; join in a song with sweet accord, join in a song with sweet accord and thus surround the throne, and thus surround the throne.

We’re marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion; we’re marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God!

Daily Devotion for September 28, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Revelation 21:1-7.

Here is the best news you can get: the vision given to us at the end of the Bible assures us that God’s mission and purpose is going to triumph in the end! We have a hope-filled future! No matter what happens between now and then, God is planning to create “a new heaven and a new earth….” As long as you and I stay connected to God and seek to serve God’s mission in the world, we can look forward to spending eternity with God and those who love God.

John had been exiled to the isle of Patmos. While there, he received this vision to give to the Christians of his time, as well as to God’s people of all times and places. The powers of this world may have their moments and seasons of ruling with fear and deception and misuse of their power. But it will not last. No matter what we face in this world, Jesus promised us that he had overcome the world, and this Revelation vision gives us confidence in how it all is going to end.

The end of the story is a new creation, where we get to spend eternity with God! You can’t get any better news than that!

Personal Worship Option:

In my childhood and teenage years in the Church, we sang “When We All Get To Heaven” a lot. Here are two verses and the chorus of the words Eliza Hewitt wrote:

While we walk the pilgrim pathway, clouds will overspread the sky; but when traveling days are over, not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful, trusting, serving every day; just one glimpse of him in glory will the toils of life repay.

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!

Daily Devotion for September 27, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Isaiah 40:28-31.

For the people who were experiencing a time of exile, this prophet offered a reminder of where their hope came from. This is an inspiring passage, especially to anyone who struggles or works hard in any sense of the word. It is a beautiful promise that God grants to all who love and serve Him.

Kids often ask, “Who is in charge?” We often have the question on our lips, “Who is in charge of the universe?” Of course - it is God! But not only is he in charge, he has always been and will always be in command. We can take heart in God’s great goodness and glory.

God has no equal; no substitute! God has already done everything in the universe. God and God alone is THE HOLY ONE. Have you ever looked up at the night sky while camping or out in the country and seen the abundance of stars? Think about it - God KNOWS those stars. They have names that He assigned, and He knows their names as well. If He knows that much, He knows our hearts as well.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to never get tired? Or better yet, to be able to FLY? I mean, to really have wings and soar on the clouds. We may not physically have these things, but we do know that great things lie ahead if we rely on the LORD for strength. If He is able to put the heavens in place, count the stars, and make mountains tremble, just imagine what He can do for you!!

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect on the goodness of God. How does that impact your life today? Give God your burdens, worries, and concerns. Then receive His strength and fly!

Daily Devotion for September 26, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read John 14:1-3; 16:33.

We don't have to look far and wide to find trouble. It seems to be everywhere. People are dying around the world and wars continue in many places. Violent weather and wildfires rip through almost every country. Jesus speaks to the trouble inside our hearts and outside our door. He whispers to us and asks us to trust him. The only way to truly live with hope in a troubled world is to trust Jesus. When Jesus said these words, he already knew he was in trouble and soon would be betrayed to local leaders who wanted to kill him. Jesus also knew that his disciples would be deeply troubled because of his death. He wanted to give them a sense of peace that would not be coming from outside forces. There is an old saying that says be patient when things go against you, thankful when things go well, and for the future trust in our faithful God and Father.

God is in control! Trust in God is Jesus' calm assurance in a troubled world. We can truly trust Jesus' words. They are clear with his promise for the world today and the world to come: In the scripture John 16:33, he says “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world”.

Personal Worship Option:

Dear Jesus, stay with us so that our hearts will not be troubled. Increase our trust in you and in your Word. Give us patience in hard times and gratitude when things go well. Amen.

Daily Devotion for September 25, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-3.

Paul is writing a letter of thanks and encouragement to the church at Thessalonica. It is a church made up of gentile converts to faith in Christ that was founded as a result of Paul’s first visit to the city. In this opening, Paul is greeting the people and giving thanks for their response to the message of the Gospel that he brought to them. He writes to offer encouragement to them as they live out their life in faith.

Thessalonica was one of the major cities of the Roman Empire. Today, it is still a major city in Greece. Paul was enthusiastic about the response of the people to the Gospel message in this major metropolis with all of its competing interests. He lifts up their example of “work that comes from faith, (their) effort that comes from love, and (their) perseverance that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father” (1:3, CEB). In other words, the church at Thessalonica was an example of what living in faith and love following in the teachings of Christ could mean for a community. It is an example for us today.

Personal Worship Option:

Consider what it might mean for us to live fully into the faith, hope, and love that comes through dependence upon Jesus? What impact could we have upon our community? Pray: Gracious God, help us to live fully into your love and grace. Strengthen our faith so that we may be the people you created us to be. Amen.

Daily Devotion for September 24, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read 1 John 3:1-3.

God knows that you cannot purify yourself, yet here He says to purify yourself. What does He mean? You purify yourself when you use the means He has provided for purification. You mothers know how this works. Your little boy has been playing outside and is covered with dirt. He comes in, and you send him into the bathroom to purify himself. Like all boys, he turns on the water, runs his hands through it, turns the water off, wipes his hands on the towel, and comes out. You look him over and say, But you're not clean.

Well, he says, I washed myself.

But look at the dirt on your hands and on your arms and on your face and behind your ears. You're not clean at all. Then every wise mother asks, did you use soap? Of course he hasn't, so she sends him back to use soap. What is soap? It is a purifying agent, a cleansing agent. It will do the job if it is employed. So, when he comes back the second time, he has washed with soap, and the soap has cleansed him, purified him. Now he says, Look, Mom, I've cleaned myself up. It is true that he did it, but he did it by using his mother's provision.

The provision for our cleansing is the Word of God and the Spirit of God. The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). This means we must begin to take seriously this matter of a break of fellowship with Christ because of an impatient spirit or an ugly word or a lustful idea or thought that we have dwelt on. We must realize the stain of it does not disappear with the passage of time. It has interfered with our fellowship with the Son of God, and we must do something about it. We cannot simply forget it; we must do something about it. We must purify ourselves using His provision, that we might be clean.

Personal Worship Option:

Thank God for simple soap that helps wash us clean when we are stinky, greasy or muddy! What is God's provision for purifying ourselves after we fall into the pit of sin?

Daily Devotion for September 23, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Jeremiah 29:10-13.

God had sent Jeremiah to the people of Judah to warn them that their disobedience and lack of faith would result in their being defeated and taken into exile if they did not repent. They laughed at Jeremiah and scoffed at his pleadings. Then the Babylonians swept across the land, conquering the people and taking the best and brightest into exile in Babylon. For the exiles, all seemed lost, and there seemed to be no future for them. They were ashamed when they thought of how unfaithful they had been to God, who had cared for them across the generations. The passage for today is part of a letter God had Jeremiah send to the exiles. In the letter, God tells the exiles they will suffer for a while as a consequence for their unfaithfulness, but this is not the end for them. Indeed, God has plans for them…plans to bring them home, to restore them, and to give them hope.

In difficult times, we too can feel discouraged. Sometimes we have brought on our difficulties, and sometimes they just happen. But we serve a God who loves us, who has plans for us, and who has a future for us. I take hope in the promise in this passage, and you can as well.

Personal Worship Option:

Almighty God, help us to be faithful to you. When bad things happen to us, help us to take comfort in passages like this one and know that you always love us and have plans for our future, plans to prosper us and give us hope. Amen!

Daily Devotion for September 22, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read 2 Corinthians 4:1, 5-15.

The Apostle Paul spends a lot of time talking about vulnerability. Throughout his letters to the early Christian communities, he speaks of difficult times when he was challenged or even fell short of who God called him to be. I believe Paul wanted these early Christians (as well as us later Christians) to know that following Jesus was not always easy, and that they and indeed all of us would have to deal with hard seasons and tough times. I find it comforting to know that Paul dealt with occasional setbacks and difficulties - many of which he wrote about in his correspondence.

In Corinthians, Paul didn’t write about his sufferings and tribulations simply to gain sympathy or claim to be a super Christian. He used these times of trial and tribulation to draw attention to the one who gives us the power to endure. “For we do not proclaim ourselves, we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.” (v. 5a) Paul also reminds us that even in our times of brokenness, we still can share the grace of God. “But we have this treasure in clay jars so it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” (v. 7) We’re reminded that God is always with us - not only in the good times but especially so in the tough times.

It can be hard to admit our own vulnerability and brokenness. But I am convinced that God uses even our broken places to build up the kingdom.

Personal Worship Option:

How are you sharing the good news? Are you allowing your life to be a witness to God’s grace?

Daily Devotion for September 21, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read 2 Samuel 11:1-17.

We all know that certain sins are more detrimental than others, in that they do more harm to relationships with other people (they all harm our relationship with God). King David committed two of the most grievous sins we know - adultery and murder. Coveting could also be added to the list. He misused his position of power and took advantage of Bathsheba. On top of that, he tried to cover it all up. He involved other people in his cover-up attempt, again misusing his power. (Can you imagine all the coverage his actions would be receiving on television and the Internet in this day and time?) It was all very displeasing to God and David suffered consequences for his actions.

And yet, God continued to work through him to fulfill God’s purposes. David is one of the most explicit reminders to us that no matter what we have done to mess up our life or the life of anybody else, we can be forgiven, restored and serve God’s mission. Furthermore, it is often in the very ways that we have messed up that we can use those experiences to help others, either in helping prevent them from doing the same thing or helping them recover if they did. Be reminded of this truth today, whether for yourself or someone you know who needs to receive it.

Personal Worship Option:

Offer this prayer or put it in your own words: Lord, you know of the ways I have hurt myself and others in my life. Thank you for your forgiveness and restoration to me. Continue to show me how I can help those around me know of your forgiveness and your power to restore them and use them to serve your mission. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Daily Devotion for September 20, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Exodus 2:11-14.

Moses killed the Egyptian guard, thinking he had done so without anyone knowing. Still, God would use him to lead God’s people to freedom. Max Lucado says it best when writing about Moses.

“It’s been said that Moses’ life played out in three distinct acts. He spent forty years thinking he was somebody, forty years realizing he was a nobody, and forty years discovering what God can do with a nobody. Moses’ life teaches us a myriad of lessons:

1. God’s never done with you, until God’s done with you.
2. At every moment of every day, God is working, orchestrating, laying the groundwork for new, not-yet-visible things; just because we can’t see these divine developments, doesn’t mean they're not in process.
3. When we least expect it, God will show up and spin our lives off in an amazing new direction.
4. Our final years can be our most significant years.

Are you trudging along? Are you feeling forgotten?  Perk up. You may be about to round a corner and see a burning bush!

Are you older, thinking your glory days are behind you? Consider this remarkable fact: the Bible devotes exactly 1 chapter to Moses’ first 80 years and 135 chapters to his final 40!

Take heart . . . the best is yet to come!”

Personal Worship Option:

What does God have in store for you? Are you open to hear from Him?

Daily Devotion for September 19, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Genesis 37:2-11.

This scripture is the beginning of Joseph’s life of getting dreams from God and his growing attitude of arrogance. He was the favored son of Jacob and was in his teenage years. This favoritism created much hate among his brothers to the point of them doing harmful things to him. Joseph never went for revenge toward his brothers. Through the bad times he came to grow in his faith and trust in God. This story is one that shows God uses sinful, broken people to bring about his purposes. When you think about it, all through the Bible God uses very unlikely people.

The Bible is not a story about spiritual superheroes who get to the pinnacle of their walk with God. God’s stories tell of working in people’s lives, loving, redeeming, restoring, and giving grace to them. Joseph understood that God can redeem even the worst of circumstances for good. All of Jacob and Joseph, and their descendants show that God never gives up on difficult people. This is good news for us today. We can be redeemed!

Personal Worship Option:

God, you changed Jacob into an obedient giant of faith. Change me also, so that I can serve you in the way that you desire. Amen.

Daily Devotion for September 18, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Genesis 27:15-24.

Today, we read the story of Jacob stealing the blessing that his father Isaac wanted to give to his brother Esau. To understand what is happening, we need to step back in time a few years. Esau was the firstborn of Isaac and Rebecca. Jacob was Esau’s fraternal twin. As parents will sometimes have favorites, we find that Isaac preferred Esau and Rebecca preferred Jacob. In an earlier story, we find that Esau had given up his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a tasty stew (Esau must have really been famished). The birthright was important because it gave preference to the firstborn son in matters of wealth and inheritance.

In today’s text, the elderly, blind, Isaac tells Esau that he will bless him if he goes hunting and prepares a meal of wild game for him. Esau leaves to do his father’s bidding, while Rebecca urges Jacob to deceive his father so that he may receive his father’s blessing instead. You read in today’s text how the deception was enacted. The bottom line is that Jacob receives Isaac’s blessing and Esau does not. Through this deception, Isaac eventually became the father of the Twelve Tribes of Israel through his wives and concubines. But he also suffers through deceptions perpetrated upon him throughout his own life.

While we don’t condone the methods that Jacob used to cheat his brother Esau of what was rightfully his, we see that God used Jacob to fulfill God’s purpose for his chosen people.

Personal Worship Option:

Meditate on how God continues to use persons who we might not consider worthy of blessing to do God’s work today.

Daily Devotion for September 17, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Genesis 12:10-20.

There is not a word here about asking God's permission to go down to Egypt. Abram took counsel, not from God, but from his fears alone. To use a contemporary expression, he pushed the panic button, and down to Egypt he went. It was fear that drove him.

If the land is a symbol for us of the life of fellowship with a living Christ, then a famine in the land is any circumstance that threatens our dependence upon Him. It is any circumstance that makes faith difficult to maintain. Have you ever experienced such a famine? Have you been living in the full joy of fellowship with Christ, and the strength of God is your portion, and suddenly some circumstance beyond your control makes it difficult to maintain that fellowship? It may be a new boss who turns out to be an ogre; it may be neighbors who throw their garbage over the back fence; or a tiger of a mother-in-law who comes to live with you. It is always some difficult circumstance of life that makes it hard to maintain fellowship with Christ. Perhaps it is hard and demanding labor that leaves you little time for cultivating the spirit. It may be a bitter disappointment that crushes you, and your heart aches so that you can hardly find strength for prayer and fellowship. It may be depressing surroundings that are hard to rise above. It may be misunderstood motives—you meant to do good, and someone took it wrong, and you have been cut to the quick. In short, it is any temptation that seems more than you can bear, which threatens to cut off your very strength, your fellowship with Christ.

When this occurs, the temptation is to flee rather than to stick it out. We do not enjoy trials like this, and we try to get away physically, if we can. We move to another neighborhood, change jobs, take a trip, or go home to mother. If we simply cannot flee physically, we try to run away mentally. We escape the unpleasant reality by a flight into fantasy. There is so much of this being done today—some retreat into a mental Egypt where life seems much more pleasant than it is in reality. Whenever we attempt to satisfy the spirit by the same resources that worldlings have at their command, we have gone down to Egypt.

Personal Worship Option:

As we walk through life we always come to tough or difficult situations. Do we try to physically retreat or mentally escape, or do we trust our Lord to carry us thru them?

Daily Devotion for September 16, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Luke 22:54-62.

As Peter sat with his fellow apostles around the table of their final Passover meal with Jesus, Peter felt nothing but confidence and loyalty to Jesus, declaring that he was prepared to go to prison or death for him. But just a few hours later, with Jesus arrested and taken inside the high priest’s house, Peter was not so brave or confident. The people who asked him if he was one of Jesus’ followers were doing so accusingly. To admit that he was a follower likely would have resulted in his own arrest and perhaps even death. So, just as Jesus had predicted, Peter denied even knowing Jesus.

I can recall times in my own life when I should have stood up for the things Jesus taught and did. Yet, out of timidity or the desire for popularity or whatever, I failed to step forward. We are supposed to see ourselves in Peter’s denials! We know the rest of the story, don’t we? After his death and resurrection, Jesus completely forgave and reinstated Peter…” Do you love me? ...Feed my sheep!” Peter went on to be a great leader in the early church. Despite our shortcomings, you and I are called to serve Christ faithfully and boldly, knowing that we too are forgiven.

Personal Worship Option:

Forgive me, Holy God, for the times I have failed to stand up and, in that way, have denied your Son. Give me the courage and faith to receive your forgiveness and to accept Christ’s call on me to go and feed his sheep. Amen.

Daily Devotion for September 15, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Matthew 9:1-8.

We are finishing up this follow-up series on the “Sermon on the Mount,” where we have been looking at some ways that Jesus began to put his lessons on the mountain into practice in everyday life. In this scene, he first witnesses his teaching being put into practice. Yesterday, we were reminded of the lesson of the “Golden Rule.” “Some men” brought this paralyzed man to Jesus, putting that lesson into action. We’re not told if they were friends of his or knew him at all. Maybe Matthew didn’t know that information and maybe it didn’t matter either way. Maybe they had witnessed Jesus healing other people. And whether they knew this man or not, they joined together in getting him the help he needed. Maybe one or more of them had heard Jesus’ teaching on the mountain. Maybe they asked themselves “If I were paralyzed, what would I want someone to do for me?”

The most fascinating phrase in this scene is this: “When Jesus saw their faith….” he forgave this man and healed him. There are people who find themselves in situations of life that cause their “faith bank account” to be depleted. They need others to come alongside them and pick them up and carry them to Jesus. Who is the Holy Spirit inviting you to help carry today?

Personal Worship Option:

Join us in worship today as we explore this scene and worship God together. Ideally, join us in person. (And bring a carload!) If you can’t be there so I can see you in person, I hope you see me and others on the screen. Stay connected to God and each other!

Daily Devotion for September 14, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Matthew 7:9-12.

It is commonly referred to as the “Golden Rule.” It is a simple, straightforward guide on how to treat other people: “...do to others what you would have them do to you….” I also note that, according to the NIV, Jesus leads into that lesson with the phrase “So in everything, do to others…” What if all of us approached every encounter with another person or group by asking ourselves, “Is what I am about to say or do what I would want said or done to me in this situation?” I’m guessing the world would be a much better place.

In other philosophies and religions, this principle was stated in negative terms: Don’t do to someone else what you don’t want done to you. Not only does Jesus state it in a positive way, he invites us to take the initiative, not waiting for someone to do something good to us before acting. Here’s how Eugene Peterson states it in The Message: “Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Sometimes we can be content with saying (or at least thinking) “I haven’t done anything wrong or negative toward that person.” Jesus calls us well beyond that. He wants his followers to be those who are always looking for opportunities to spread the seeds of good actions and words toward other people. Let’s do it!

Personal Worship Option:

Who is God reminding you of right now who needs to hear an encouraging word or receive an act of kindness? What are you waiting for?

Daily Devotion for September 13, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Ruth 1:8-18.

Naomi lived in such a way around her daughter-in-law that Ruth wanted to worship Naomi’s God. We really know more about Ruth and Naomi’s relationship than we know about them individually. Their story is a beautiful example of the blending of lives. They shared deep sorrow, great affections for each other, and an overriding commitment to the God of Israel. Still, as they depended on each other, they also gave each other freedom in their commitment to one another.

Naomi was willing to let Ruth return to her family. Ruth was willing to leave her homeland to go to Israel. God was at the center of their intimate communication. Ruth came to know the God of Israel through Naomi. The older woman allowed Ruth to see, hear, and feel all the joy and anguish of her relationship with God.

How often do you feel that your thoughts and questions about God should be left out of a close relationship? How often do you share your unedited thoughts about God with your spouse or friends? Sharing openly about our relationship with God can bring depth and intimacy to our relationships with others that can lead to a deeper intimacy with God. As Naomi discovered, when we act selflessly, others are encouraged to follow our example.

Personal Worship Option:

Think a minute about the people in your world. Do they see a faithful relationship to God regardless of circumstances? Consider who God has placed in your life to be an example.

Daily Devotion for September 12, 2024

 

Devotion:

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Read Acts 5:14-16.

As Luke tells the story of the mighty acts of God through his church, he wants to make sure that we understand the ongoing work and ministry of God’s people. The ministry of Jesus through his churches goes on. One way that Luke highlights this continuing work is in the ministry of healing. Just as Jesus was known as a healer, the apostles became known for their work in healing. And many people who were sick and tormented by spirits were healed.

While we may not be living in a time when an apostle’s very shadow brings healing, we do live in a time when we are still called to bring people who are ill and troubled before the church for prayer, specifically prayer for healing. The apostles did not heal. They were participants of healing by the power and in the name of Jesus.

While many people brought their loved ones to the apostles for healing, it is noted that some people did not join the believers who met together. Let us not be people who do not dare to join but let us instead be drawn even deeper to the church that continues to proclaim the message and ministry of healing in the name of Christ, our Savior.

Personal Worship Option:

Dear God of healing, today we remember not just ourselves but also the people we know who are in need. May we be your agents of prayer and healing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.