Daily Devotion, May 12, 2020

Devotion:

Read Genesis 12:1-3.

God made a covenant with Abram telling him that he would found a great nation. Not only would this nation be blessed, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed also through Abram's descendants. God gave him one condition: Abram needed to obey God. He obeyed God, left his home, and even through great testing, he remained faithful to God. God's original design in creation was for us to experience prosperity, peace, and fulfillment, but that design was ruined when sin entered the world. Through Abram's family tree, Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. It is through Christ that we can have a personal relationship with God and receive all the blessings he has in store for us. Since God is the giver of all good gifts, we are the recipients of countless acts of favor and goodness, but the ultimate blessing that God has given is the new life and forgiveness that comes through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. Like Abram, let's commit to a life of faithfulness and obedience.

Personal Worship Option:

Take time today to count your blessings and give God the thanks for all of his goodness. Meditate on the words to the hymn "Count Your Blessings."

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Daily Devotion, May 11, 2020

Devotion:

Read Genesis 1:1.

Our passage for today is rather short, isn’t it? But in it, the writer communicates a fundamental truth to us that it was God who created all we know and are. The second chapter of Genesis gives us a dramatically different creation story with one marked similarity to the first one -- it was God who created all things.

As I began to study the physical laws of science in more depth, something happened to my spiritual thinking. The laws of conservation of mass and energy and all the formulas and relationships that explain how things work totally fascinated me. I began to wonder, “Where is God in this?” Science seemed to explain everything, and I was troubled by that. Knowledge is a good thing, but wisdom is even better. It took some time for me to realize that God did not create a totally random universe. God created in ways that are repeatable, and God’s wondrous creation can be more fully understood as we learn and discover the underlying laws and relationships God beautifully wove into creation.

God continues to create as human beings discover truths of God’s creation and develop new things. Our latest cutting edge technology is based on the principles and relationships God created “in the beginning!” 

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect in your prayer time on the wonders of creation. The seasons have changed again. Buds appeared on the trees, then came colorful blooms, and now trees are in full, new green foliage. Pay attention to the beauty of God’s creation today and enjoy it.

Daily Devotion, May 10, 2020

Devotion:

Read John 20:19-29.

  The usual focus in this scene is on the disciple who unfairly gets labeled as “doubting Thomas” because he needed to see the scars of Jesus before he would believe that his Lord was alive. However, it is interesting to note that when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the early part of this scene, the first thing he did after speaking to them was to show them the scars in his hands and side. He apparently knew that they too would need some evidence to help them believe that it really was him.

 

  Scars are evidence that we have been wounded, that we have suffered in some way. They are not always physical. Sometimes they are psychological or emotional. In other words, sometimes they are not so easily seen.

  

  The Scriptures tell us of a God who is willing to suffer with us as humans, who has been scarred by being in relationship with us. That is most evident in the life and death of Jesus Christ.

  Those who will follow him, who are committed to his mission and ministry, will also receive scars. There will be times when we will be hurt or wounded in various ways because we are serving in his name. Just remember that God can heal those wounds and can even bring healing to others through those wounds.

  Jesus was identified by his scars. So too will be his people.

Personal Worship Option:

Reflect on the scars you have received as you served the mission of Christ. Give thanks to God for healing those wounds and ways you have been able to help others because of your experience. How have you been helped and inspired by the wounds of others?

Daily Devotion, May 9, 2020

Devotion:

Read Hebrews 2:14-18.

  It makes all the difference when you have been there. When a person is going through some difficulty or crisis in their life and others try to help them through that situation, it is so much more meaningful when they encounter someone who has been through something similar, if not the same thing they are going through. When my wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I did all I could to support her and be there with her through the whole experience. Many other people did likewise. But she had a special connection with those who had been through having that diagnosis; those who had been through cancer treatments; those who had dealt with all that comes with that battle.

  The writer of Hebrews reminds his readers both in the first century and since then that Jesus Christ can help those who suffer in this life because he himself has been through struggling. He became one of us and came to live among us. He is not some “far-off” distant God who has no idea what it is like to live in this broken world. He experienced what you go through, so you can talk to him about anything and be assured that he understands. He has been there. And that makes all the difference in the world.

Personal Worship Option:

Joseph Scriven wrote the words to the hymn “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.” Here is part of one of the verses: “Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.”

Daily Devotion, May 8, 2020

Devotion:

Read 2 Corinthians 11:24-30; 12:9b-10.

Paul defends his ministry by acknowledging the many ways he has suffered for the cause of Christ.  The physical and emotional consequences of that suffering produced weakness. Often we are reluctant to acknowledge our weaknesses and in so doing may miss out on experiencing the blessing and strength from God.  God doesn’t spare us trials and hardships, but he does help us overcome them.. God works in our weakness, because when we are weak his strength accomplishes the task. Remember, when your weakness surfaces, God still loves you and wants to use you to make a difference in your world.

Personal Worship Option:

Tell God your weakness and then volunteer for a form of service that requires you to depend on God’s strength.  Depend on him every step of the way.

Daily Devotion, May 7, 2020

Devotion:

Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

Many public speakers try to impress people with powerful speeches. Paul insists that he did not do that. In fact, he felt very weak as he spoke God’s message in Corinth. Paul knew that he himself was unable to save anyone. Only God can save people. Paul had to depend completely on God. So the success of the church at Corinth was not the result of Paul’s skill. It was entirely the result of the powerful work of God’s Holy Spirit. Paul was just God’s servant whom God sent to Corinth to declare His message. The honor for that success belonged to God alone.

Paul had no desire to become popular when he went to Corinth, or anywhere else. Paul went to these places because of his desire to know Christ. Paul already knew Christ as his Lord who had saved him. But Paul understood that his knowledge of Christ was not yet complete. Paul was ready to give up everything so that he could know Christ better. So when God sent Paul to Corinth, or anywhere else, Paul willingly went. Paul desired that every Christian would allow God’s Holy Spirit to guide them in a similar manner. He wanted people to trust in God’s power, not in human wisdom. That was why Paul chose not to use impressive words or clever arguments. Instead, Paul explained simply about the death of Christ and God’s sacrifice of His son because He had such a love for us. God’s Holy Spirit worked powerfully as Paul spoke and he can work through each of us if we will trust and obey.

Personal Worship Option:

God, thank you that you loved us enough to sacrifice your Son on our behalf. Fill us with courage, truth, and hope so that we may share your spirit with others. Today we pray that people see your love and hope realizing that you are the one to give it.

Daily Devotion, May 6, 2020

Devotion:

Read Daniel 3:24-28.

Corrie Ten Boom’s family helped many Jewish families escape the Nazi Holocaust of WWII. When it was discovered that Corrie’s family was helping the Jews, their home was raided and their family was sent to a Nazi concentration camp. Although other members of her family died, Corrie survived to share her stories of faith that God was with her through it all and her words continue to inspire us.  “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” is one of her famous quotes.

No doubt Corrie’s Dutch Christian family had choices. They could have chosen the safe route and not helped the Jewish families, but their faith in God thru Christ led them on the path of great courage to help their friends and neighbors who were in harm’s way.

Daniel’s friends had choices as well. They could have bowed down and worshipped the golden image which King Nebuchadnezzar had made. That would have been the safe route. But Daniel’s friends took the path of great courage.  They had such confidence and faith in the living God that whether they lived or died, they would not serve a false god.

When the King sees them surviving in the fire, it is the King who realizes there are four, not just three in the fire. And the King says that the fourth one in the fire has the appearance “like a son of a god.” God’s own presence with them in the fire not only rescues Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, but also gives witness in such a way that the King gives the “decree that the people of any nation or language” will not be allowed to say anything against their God.

These young servants of God knew so well the power and presence of the living God, even through times of their suffering, in life, in death and in life again, that they were willing to remain faithful to their God. They did not abandon their God because they knew their God would never abandon them.

Personal Worship Option:

Jesus, through the generations, has been called the Suffering Servant. He knows and understands any suffering you might be enduring these days, because he also chose the path of great courage. Whatever you might be going through, you can have this confidence. God is with you. Amen.