Tag: daily

Sexual Immorality (1 Corinthians 4-6)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

This will probably be an unpopular post. To clarify a few things up front. 1. The reason we are talking about this issue is because it is addressed in the scripture. 2. The primary audience I have been writing for are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. 3. There is no expectation on my part that an unbeliever would understand or live by a Christian ethic of sexual morality. 4. My comments are intended to encourage wayward brothers and sisters to repentance.

My youngest child the other day intentionally hit me with a toy and it really hurt. I said, “ouch” and put the toy in time-out, effectively grounding her from playing with it. Several moments later she came to where I was reading and asked, “Daddy, do you still love me?”

How do you think I responded? Of course I still loved her and I told her so with my words and a great big hug! But I couldn’t endorse or permit her behavior that was hurting others. The way she was playing with the toy, she was also in real a danger hurting herself. She couldn’t see it then, but it was precisely because I loved her that I addressed her behavior.

From Today’s Reading:

1Corinthians 5:1-2 ESV It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you

Immorality was rampant in the Corinthian church. There were many who were strongly influenced by the culture they were living in. A kind of immorality that was celebrated in the culture was now being celebrated in the church. This was wrong! Indeed it was one of the very few things listed by the church council at Jerusalem that gentiles who convert to Christianity should avoid.

Acts 15:19-21 ESV Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

Today in our culture sexual immorality (simply understood as sex outside of a marriage between a biological man and a biological woman) is being celebrated and championed in our culture. There are even some churches who are also championing the cause of sexual immorality inside the church today. I believe that Paul would lovingly, but strongly rebuke those churches and call them to repentance.

Sexual immorality is a serious sin. Paul reminds us that this category of sin is different because it involves our bodies in ways that other sins don’t. Our bodies are special because God has put the Holy Spirit inside of us. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and so we should pay special attention to glorify God with how we use our bodies. Sexual immorality at its core mocks God’s design in nature and His establishment of the institution of marriage and family.

1Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that those who live sexually immoral life styles will not see the kingdom of heaven. Don’t be deceived though, while this category of sin isn’t great, there are other sins that will keep you out of heaven as well. Indeed, you really only need one sin to be a sinner and one sin will keep you out. All sin is serious.

1Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Yet, Paul doesn’t write to condemn you if you’ve sinned in these ways. He isn’t writing at this point to say that your side of Hell will be especially hot for this type of sin. He’s actually writing to let us know that God through Christ even forgives these sorts of sins when we come to Him in faith and repentance! There were many in the Corinthian church who had lived sexually immoral lifestyles before they trusted in Christ. Trusting in Jesus changed everything. Just look at the very next verse!

1Corinthians 6:11 ESV And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

I’m so grateful that there isn’t a sin in my past or yours that the Lord can’t redeem us from!

Father, Thank you for a direct but loving word on this topic. Give us grace and wisdom today. We ask that you would be glorified in our lives. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

The Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 1-3)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

I’m changing my eating habits. I began to really examine and keep a record of what I’ve been eating. Until lately, I didn’t realize how many empty calories I was putting inside my body. I was eating junk food! Those foods tasted great and were filling for a moment, but they didn’t really provide any real nutritional value. I was distracted by how good they tasted and the temporary sensation of satisfaction that they brought. Yet, many of those foods, even though they were high in calorie content left me hungrier later.

We live in a culture filled with spiritual junk food. How difficult it is to hear God’s voice sometimes when we have filled our lives with so many things that sound or feel spiritual but really draw us away from the truth of God’s Word. We’d rather snack on what this creative person says or the pastor who tells stories, than hearing from God’s Word. We look for self-help books to deal with our issues rather than looking to God’s Word. We have more bibles in our homes than we have verses of scripture memorized. It’s time for a change, especially when we’ve been given so much in Jesus Christ.

Today the last part of chapter two really caused me to pause and reflect. I think it’s incredible that God gives believers the Holy Spirit! He grants us access to pray to Him at anytime from anywhere! Not only that, but the Holy Spirit gives us discernment and helps us understand spiritual things such as understanding the gospel and God’s Word! He changes us from the inside out. As we trust the Lord and lean on Him we become more an more conformed to His image. How great is it that we don’t have to wonder about the will of God on certain subjects but as we pray, the Holy Spirit moves in our lives we understand the will of God.

Father, Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I pray that You would keep us from the things that ultimately distract us from You and help us to listen for Your voice. I pray that as we read Your word You will help us to understand it. Apply it to our lives. Grant us to know Your will and do it because we are filled with the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Hey I Know Those People! (Romans 16)

On By pastorjonathanIn Devotional1 Comment

Paul lists several folks in the Roman church and sends his greetings. This small gesture at the end of the book of Romans reminds us that the bible is a historical book. The book of Romans was addressed and received by real people who made up the church in Rome. Paul knew many of the people he was writing too. These are the folks who would have known about his character. Some of them possibly knew him before his conversion and and witnessed the radical change in his life.

This chapter also reminds us that the bible is a personal book. Though Paul shared some fantastic theological information about grace, faith, and how salvations works its way out practically in our lives, he wasn’t writing in a vacuum. He was writing to a real church, made up of real people, who first received this letter. Some of those folks were even his family (16:7, 11) and some were like family (16:13).

Whenever I read chapters like this and I see the list of folks that Paul knew in Rome, I start thinking about how special all of those friendships must have been. I start thinking of my own list of folks. There are many folks who are special to me because God has used them in my life or used me in their life (or both). We share a deep kinship because of the work of the gospel in our lives.

Father, thank you for all the men and women you have used to shape my life. Thank you for using me to shape the lives of others. Thanks you for the kinship of special friends and mentors who have encourged us along the way. Use me to be a friend and encourager to others today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Welcome One Another (Romans 13-15)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Romans 15:7 ESV Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

In this section the Apostle Paul encourages the church to live at peace with all men. If we believe that God has made peace with us through Jesus Christ, we ought to be at peace with one another. If God is sovereign over governments, we ought to pay our taxes. If we will ultimately stand and give an account for ourselves before God, we ought not judge our brothers and sisters in Christ. If a weaker brother takes issue on the grounds of conscience to something we do, we ought to serve our brother rather than violate their conscience, since Christ has born our weaknesses it is not too big a task for us to bear with one another. The list goes on.

Romans 15:7 really jumped out at me this morning. In a few hours, I’ll be preaching from 1 Thessalonians 1:1-4 and sharing a minor point on how God greets His church with Grace and Peace. If we have been welcomed to the body of Christ not on our merits but based on the grace of God, who are we that we would withhold that same sort of welcome for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Welcoming our brothers and sisters in Christ, the way Christ has welcomed us is a practical application of loving our neighbor as ourselves!

I’ll confess as we’ve explored earlier in Romans, sinful habits die hard. It can be difficult to demonstrate grace to those we think of as “undeserving.” But then again it wouldn’t be grace if people deserved it. We are reminded from our reading earlier in Romans, “while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). If He has done so much for us and welcomes all who come to Him on the same terms, who are we to hold to a different sort of welcome?

[Note: This doesn’t mean that we are to endorse or tolerate sin in the church. It does mean that when we address sin in the church that we go having examined our own lives first (Matthew 7:1-7), approach in such a way as to restore those who have fallen back into sin (Matthew 18), and are to be gentle in our approach (Galatians 6:1)]

[Note: It should be noted that in the foreground of all that Paul is talking about in Romans is the relationships in the church between Jewish and Gentile believers. The issue at stake was that there would be two sects rather than one church. It was important that Jewish and Gentile believers welcome one another and work together to glorify God in unity.]

Father, thank you that you have saved us by grace and welcomed us into the body of Christ not based on a resume of good works, but on the work of Christ alone. Thank you for the tremendous love poured out on us. Help us to love our brothers and sisters in Christ the way you love us. Give us wisdom, direction, and move us by your Spirit in practical ways to live out your gospel. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Living Sacrifice (Romans 10-12)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Romans 12:1-2 ESV I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans chapters 1-11 are rich in theology. Paul talks a lot about faith, how faith works, why faith is enough, how the gentiles have faith in a similar way than the Jews who have the law, God’s sovereign election, and God’s plan for redeeming Jews and Gentiles. We take a strong turn from theology to application in Romans chapter 12. This is how a good theology works. Theology explains what we believe to be true about God but if we believe those things about God, then our actions will indicate it as well.

This part of Romans Paul lays out practical ways that our belief in what he has demonstrated about God in Romans 1-11 show up in our lives. If we believe that God is sovereign over nations, we’ll submit to those in an authority over us (when they don’t contradict the Word of God). If we believe that God is the one that has lit the spark of belief in our hearts, we’ll press in to him knowing that he has a plan and a purpose for us. If we believe that we are set free from sin, we will flee sin when it pursues us and walk in the power of the Spirit of God.

Ultimately if we believe that God is good, that He has a purpose in sending Christ to free us from sin, and has given us faith to respond to Him, then we will respond by letting Him move and work freely in our lives. This is why Paul talks about presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice. We are offering ourselves back to God in an act of worship as a right response for all He has done. We are trusting Him to continue His work in us. We pressing into Him and allowing Him to change our thoughts and desires to be more like His. We are treating one another in a way that He would desire us to treat one another.

Father, thank you that you not only teach us truth about you in your word, but you also demonstrate how to live out that truth in our lives. Give us grace today to respond to you in a way that glorifies and honors you. Give us guidance and wisdom according to our differing circumstances how we can honor you as living sacrifices. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Sin Will Have No More Dominion Over You (Romans 4-6)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Romans 6:13-14 ESV Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

It’s great to listen in to the Dave Ramsey Radio show from time to time and hear folks call in to scream, “We are debt free!” If you listen to the show you know that Dave offers a simple plan to help folks live with in their means, pay off their debt, and live debt free. As Dave puts it, “Live like no one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow.” Many times folks call into the show and discuss just how big their debt is. It seems like they can’t enjoy much of life because as soon as their paycheck comes in it goes out to pay for a mortgage, car notes, student loan debts, medical bills, and their consumer credit card. People are drowning in debt. Dave often quotes the prover, “The borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7b).

I can imagine the joy experienced as a family calls in, or drives across the country to show up live in the studio and scream out their testimony, “We are Debt Free!” They are experiencing life where the pay check comes in and it doesn’t have to go right back out! They are free from the burdens, anxieties, and even depression all because their massive debts have been paid off.

Those in Christ have something even greater to rejoice about, we have been set free from the burden of sin! We were once slaves to sin, we had a daily obligation to sinful thoughts, actions, and lifestyles. Our sin separated us from God and kept us from being free to worship Him. Yet through the response of faith to the work of Christ on the cross we are set free from our sin! We are set free not just from the punishment our past sins have earned us, but we are free to worship and glorify God!

The apostle Paul urges us here to remember that we have been set free from sin and to present our selves to the Lord. Let the Holy Spirit work in you! I can’t imagine someone still paying the credit card company long after the debt has been paid. This powerful reminder in God’s word helps us grasp that we no longer have to do the same sort of things we did before Jesus set us free. We have the capacity, through the work of God in our lives, to forgive as we have been forgiven, to love one another as Christ loved us, to encourage and support one another, and all the various commands we find in scripture. Those commands aren’t written to people who are still slaves, but people who are free by the power of the gospel to fulfill whatever commands our Savior gives us. As a friend of mind likes to say all the time, “Where God guides, He provides.” This is especially true when it comes to living the new life in Jesus Christ.

Father, Thank you that you have set me free from slavery to sin. I confess that old habits die hard. Too often I return to broken cisterns thinking they will provide what I need. I rejoice that your word reminds me today that I don’t have to keep going back to dead, dry wells but that I have all I need in you. I’ve been set free from the sins of my past, am no longer bound in the present, and have a bright future ahead where sin will be no more. I pray that I will live fully empowered by the gospel. I rejoice at your work in my life. Conform me more and more into the image of Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Our Conscience (Romans 1-3)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Romans 2:14-16 ESV For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. (15) They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them (16) on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I was playing with a friend at a property that his family had just bought. We were exploring the barns and outer buildings when we came up on a box. Naturally being curious we opened the box and found out that is was full of dirty magazines. No one had ever told me not to look at dirty magazines and I was curious about what was inside of them. At that moment however there was a gut feeling that looking at those magazines would be wrong. Fortunately my friend had the same but stronger intuition and closed the box and took it to his parents.

What was at work in my heart was my conscience. I intuitively knew that looking at those magazines would have been wrong. Part of me was curious and willing to violate my conscience. This is the drama that Paul says works out even in those people who have never heard the Law. God’s law is written on their heart in such a way that they intuitively know that some things are wrong and they violate their own conscience.

Someone may not believe the scriptures and subscribe to God’s law. Yet, if they have ever violated their own conscience they can’t claim to stand before God guiltless. We are so great of sinners that not only do we fail to keep God’s law perfectly, we can’t even keep our own conscious clear.

The only real solution is Jesus. Paul reminds us that we will all stand before God and give an account for our lives. Some of us will stand under the judgement and wrath of God as we answer for what we have done. Some of us will stand under the grace and mercy of God because our sins have been forgiven through Jesus Christ and we have new life. On that day we will rejoice as God rewards us for the work he has done in our lives to change us from sinners into saints.

I don’t want anyone on that day to have to stand and face the full consequences for their sin. Not when Jesus has already paid for their sin and all they need to do is repent and trust in Him. I’m praying for opportunities to tell others about Jesus and his glorious gospel that has transformed my life.

Father, Thank you for your mercy and grace. We rejoice to know that you love us, Jesus has paid the penalty for our sins, and we can come to you in faith and receive the forgiveness of our sins. We ask for opportunities to tell others today about Jesus and how they can be forgiven of sin and have new life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

The Mystery of the Sovereignty of God in Healing and Raising the Dead (Acts 7-9)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

A few things really jumped out at me in the reading today. First, Stephen knew the scriptures (the Old Testament at this point) and used them to point his hearers to the fact that Jesus was the Messiah. Stephen outlines how the LORD delivered Israel in the past foreshadowing the coming of a Messiah and that Jesus was exactly that Messiah. His message “cut the the heart” and folks were enraged to have their sins put on display by the scriptures. God’s Word does cut to the heart. Fortunately some people come to Him in repentance, but others reject God’s grace and harden their hearts. I really want to memorize more scripture.

The second thing that jumped out at me in this portion of scripture is that we have the first martyr who is buried by devout men who mourned him (Acts 8:2) and we also have a devout woman raised from the dead (Acts 9:41). The question that comes to my mind is, “Why wasn’t Stephen raised from the dead?” Certainly he was a devout man. Certainly the circumstances of his death were worthy of praise and admiration. Certainly there were apostles close by. He was examined and chosen as a deacon. So why does this woman named Dorcus get to be raised to life and Stephen has to be buried by mourners?

We want everything cut and dry. We want it simple. We want things uniform. We read about miracles of healing and we assume that everyone present got healed. We forget that Jesus only healed one man at a pool filled with sick and dying folks (John 5). We forget that Peter and John healed a man who was lame from birth and sitting at the gate of the temple every day (Acts 3:1-10), that surely they had passed with Jesus before on many occasions (Luke 22:53). We forget that Paul had a thorn in the flesh that was never really removed (2 Corinthians 2:12) and that he had trouble with his eyes (Galatians 4:13-15, 6:11). We forget Paul tells Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach and frequent infirmities ( I Timothy 5:23), why not send him a handkerchief (Acts 19:11-12)?

The LORD is mysterious. There isn’t a simple pattern of behavior that we can accomplish to make God act on our behalf. We can’t blame a lack of faith for a lack of miracle as some do. Stephen had plenty of faith and boldness. Stephen was mourned by godly friends who missed him deeply, but he also saw Jesus that day.

What we do know is that there were times when God healed or raised the dead and there were times that he doesn’t. Today we read about both types of occasions. The conclusion we can draw from the matter-of-fact way that the scripture presents both cases is that God can and does heal, but sometimes he chooses not to. We should recognize that we don’t know the mind of God, but that certainly he has his reasons. Given the way Stephen was martyred and the fact that he was looking into heaven when he died, I suspect Stephen wouldn’t have wanted to come back.

Some things, like healing are worth praying for, but trusting the Lord to decide. Should you be blessed to be miraculously healed, glory to God. Should you not be healed in this life, know that God loves you and his plan may be different than you anticipate and even hope. We all run the race set before us and we shall see His plan unfold before us in due time.

Father, we trust you this day. We pray for those who are sick and infirm. We long for the day when there is no more sickness or disease. We are grateful for when you heal us. We look forward with faith when we struggle through infirmity. We anticipate a day when there is no more striving against a sinful world and we live in your eternal kingdom. Our hope is in you. Our faith is in you. Our love is because you have so loved us. Let us run the race that is set before us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

Acts 7: FORGIVENESS

Acts 8: TIME TO GO

Acts 9: HOW TO WORSHIP WITH A MURDERER

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Prayer and Persecution (Acts 4-6)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

There were two things that really jumped out at me right away in todays reading. The first thing to notice was how scripture saturated the prayer was in 4:23-31. I taught Psalm 2 in recent memory and so the reference (Psalm 2:1-2) was still fresh on my mind. For a while now I’ve been trying to model my prayers after the Psalms and other various passages of scripture. It was neat to see how this was affirmed in the reading today. I’ll put a link the resources to a Donald Whitney book that has been helpful for me.

The second thing that really stuck out at me was how much opposition the early church faced. Sometimes we can put on rose colored glasses and think that everything was splendid while God was adding to their number each day. It can be easy to forget that the growth came also with much persecution. As much as God was adding to the church, there were those who were dead set against the gospel and who were willing to murder even.

This shouldn’t surprise us that the gospel has such a profound effect on the lives of people. The gospel has a polarizing effect. Some will come to the Lord and some may harden their hearts and persecute the church. It’s admirable that the early Christians saw this undue suffering as a badge of honor (5:41). Today we often view the road of suffering as missing God’s will, but they saw it as being in the center of His will. The day is quickly approaching and in some ways is already here where individuals will be persecuted for believing the gospel.

Father, thank you for the ability to call out to you in prayer. Thank you so much for the many models of prayer we see in the scripture as well as being able to use your Word to craft our thoughts into well versed prayers. Today we ask that you would give us a boldness to be witnesses for you just like those early disciples. Should we suffer for our witness of you, we ask for the humble attitude of the disciples who rejoiced that they were found worthy to suffer for your name. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Praying the Bible By Don Whitney (Affiliate Link*)

Last Year’s Post

The Cornerstone (Acts 3)

Your Sin isn’t Small (Acts 4)

The Necessary and the Urgent (Acts 5)

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.

Prayer (Acts 1-3)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

What really jumped out to me today in reading Acts 1-3 was how much time was devoted to prayer in the early church. There were ten days between the ascension and the day of Pentecost that we are told the disciples spent in prayer. They prayed over Judas’ replacement. They were praying when the Holy Spirit came upon them. They devoted themselves to prayer among other things. Peter and John went to the temple at the hour to pray. There is no doubt about it, the early church was a church at prayer.

This caused me to reflect on how little or much the church places an emphasis on prayer these days. It seems like if you don’t want anyone to show up, you call it a prayer meeting. One of my pastor friends had joked as the virus was beginning to spread and we were trying to figure out how to meet safely, “there is plenty of room to socially distance at the prayer meeting on Wednesday night.” Why is there so little regard for prayer these days?

As I contemplated, I couldn’t help but realize the transition that had taken place with the disciples from a month and a half before when they too had issue focusing in prayer and kept falling asleep. In that month and a half they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and all the promises of God coming true before their very eyes. I imagine the recognized their need and dependence on the Lord more than ever. I guess that’s really what’s at stake when we are lazy toward prayer, we don’t recognize how much we need that vital connection with the Lord.

Father, how sweet it is that we get to approach you with such familiarity and dependence. Thank you that we can call on you in prayer at any time. I confess that too many times I’ve been lazy in prayer because I’ve taken things for granted. I confess my deep need for you. By your grace let me be humble yet bold in my approach to you, knowing that you are a good father desiring to give his children good gifts. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

Last Year’s Post

The Blessing of Obedience

Babel Has Come Undone in Jerusalem

The Generosity of God

Join us in reading though the New Testament in 90 Days! You can find the plan and previous posts here.