Tag: thought

It’s not what you do, it’s what has been done for you (Matthew 19-21)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

My son and I have been playing an adventure video game. The main character has a backpack that you can load up with stuff. I’m impressed with how much it actually “holds” but it does have a limit. I went to pick up a new item the other day and the game said I couldn’t add anything else until I got rid of something in my back pack. The item I was trying to pick up was way more valuable than the stuff I already had and so I gladly made the trade.

As Jesus deals with the rich young ruler, it becomes apparent that this guy seems to have it all… and that was the problem, he had too much. Too much confidence in his own ability to “do” something to merit eternal life. This guy didn’t need to “do” anything, he just had to recieve what Jesus would do for him. The only way that trade would really take place is if he let go of the stuff he was holding on to. (not because Jesus wanted his money, he said to give it all to the poor!) The only way we can approach Jesus and it do us any good is to come humbly and empty so that he might fill us.

Father, thank you for your amazing gospel of grace. Thank you that it’s not what I can do to earn eternal life that get’s me into the kingdom of heaven, but what you have already done. Help me to be free from distraction and trust in you completely in every way. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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

Judgement Day is Coming (Matthew 11-12)

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I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak

MATTHEW 12:36

I remember the first semester of my freshman year of high school. Most of the school work came easily to me and just like 8th grade, I assumed I’d make really good grades with little effort. I had signed up for Spanish class that summer to go a head and get it out of the way. I made the mistake of believing I’d pick up on things naturally like I did in the other classes and so I spent alot of time goofing off with my friends in the class. When the first test rolled around I knew I was in trouble. My brain didn’t learn foreign languages the same way I was able to learn in other classes. I knew then I had to buckle down and study harder. I also thought that there was plenty of time to catch up and so I went on cutting up in class. I really didn’t learn anything that semester other than a few curse words in Spanish that I had looked up in the Spanish-English dictionary.

It really shouldn’t have surprised me when my teacher told me I had failed the class. Yet, somehow it did. I had the delusion that it would all somehow get better. I told myself that I’d have time to buckle down and learn. I thought I could fix it. Before I knew it, report cards were out and I started my high school transcript with a big fat F.

The current that runs just beneath the surface through these two chapters is that there is a day of judgement coming. There will be a day of reckoning. It will be here quicker than anyone can imagine. Jesus declares that previous generations known for their wickedness, will judge those of his day. They would have repented of their sins if they had the witness of Christ Himself. Yet these cities hardened their hearts against God. You can’t read these chapters without seeing the urgency that judgement day is coming and will be here before you know it.

I’ve often wondered what Jesus will say about my generation on the day of judgement. We seem to have no lack of bible study tools and resources. We have so much available to us. Yet we often try and reduce God’s Word to trivial little cliche’s and rob it of it’s power.

I was convicted by Matthew 12:36 today. We live in a world of careless words. It can be too easy to get caught up in the fray and think it’s no big deal. Don’t be decieved, judement day is coming and what you say now will judge you then. It’s not too late to repent and turn to Christ for Salvation.

Father, I am sobered by your words in Matthew 11-12 today. There were many who didn’t recieve your witness, many who will stand on the day of judgement and be condemned by their idle word. Guard our hearts from taking anything trivial that is urgent. Help us to be bold in proclaiming the gospel to our friends, neighbors, and around the world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES:

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

No Matter What My Plans Are For Others, You Follow Me (John 19 – 21)

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Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what [is that] to you? You follow Me.”

John 21:22

I try and get my ten thousand steps in each day and sometimes when I need a few extra steps I’ll walk the hallway in our house. When my youngest kid sees me doing that, she challenges me to a race. She loves going back in forth in the hallway to see who gets to the door first. She’ll often say, “I win you lost.” or I’ll taunt her and say, “I win, you lose.” What can I say, we’re both competative. Everyonce in a while we end up changing the competition, I’ll stop walking and we start playing some other silly game (That conincidentally I’m really good at). Before I know it, I’m way down in my step count again. Somewhere along the way my focus changed from getting in steps to teaching my child sportsmanship aka how to be a good loser because Dad’s the best.

Peter was walking with the risen Jesus. He has just been restored to ministry. Jesus is telling him the plan for his life. He’s letting him know that he will face persecution, but that Jesus will be with him all the way. While they are walking Peter gets distracted and notices the other disciple lagging behind them and wants to know what the Lord’s plan is for the other disciple. Jesus response is one that should help us all to stay in our lane. He simply tells Peter it doesn’t matter, but that Peter is to follow him.

I know in ministy sometimes it can be really easy for me to get distracted by seeing what other ministries and preachers are doing. It’s tempting to compare church size, budgets, baptisms, etc. and either pat myself on the back because someone is doing “worse” or to feel like I’m striking out at T-ball because someone is doing better. Jesus hasn’t called up to play the comparison or competition game, He has called us to follow Him.

Father, I confess that I too can be walking in lock-step with you and then be quickly distracted and moved by what others are or aren’t doing. It is easy to lose focus. Thank you for the solid reminder today that my job is not to compare or compete with others, but to simply follow you. 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.

Peace in the Midst of Tribulation (John 16 – 18)

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“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33, ESV

Some of the quietest moments of my life, where I have heard the voice of God the loudest, weren’t while I was catching coffee at sunrise, but were when I was facing the fierce opposition or dealing with the issues of health (like open heart surgery at age 39). In those moments I had a peace that transcended my external experiences. I saw all the turmoil going on, knew the questions I had, but simply had a peace and confidence the Lord was with me. I remember facing the most challenging day of my life when I found out I had a stroke with complete poise and calm knowing that God in his sovereignty had allowed this to happen.

Sometimes we look for peace in the wrong places. We imagine that there will peace if we don’t face tribulation or conflict. We can think that if we “don’t rock the boat” everything will be ok. But Jesus had a different kind of peace, a deaper peace to give to his disciples. He fortold all that he would face so that they would know that even in the mist of the earth shattering, world rocking moments ahead, that they could have perfect peace in Him.

The disciples needed to know that He was laying down His life, it wasn’t being taken. They needed to know that this was God’s plan all along and that God always does what He purposes. They needed to know that when they abanoned Him, He wasn’t alone and when they would later face persecution, He wouldn’t abandon them. They needed to know that He knew they would abandon Him, and He still loved them.

Father, thank you for your perfect peace that transcends the turmoil that we often find ourselves tangled up in. Thank you, “that even in the presence of our enemies you prepare a table before us.” Peace doesn’t come to us in the ways we would always want or expect, but peace come through you. Thank you for being my peace today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

RESOURCES

Last Year’s Post

A Few Tips on Consistently Reading the Bible

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

How Do We Love Like That? (John 13 – 15)

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A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. – John 13:34

When I tuck my kids in bed we have a little routine that we often go through where we will say the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments together. Several years ago, we started reciting the eleventh commandment as well. At first my kids were surprised that there was an eleventh commandment. It’s not found in Exodus 20, or the Old Testament for that matter. It’s found in today’s reading in John 13:34 where Jesus says, “A new commandment I give you.” What was that commandment? It was to, “love one another; as I have loved you.”

From time to time my kids when they were younger get a little silly at bedtime and have tried to change this commandment. One of them when she was too young to really know what she was doing would say, “to love like I love my milk.” I would always gently correct her and say, “we are to love one another as Jesus loved us… and oh how He loves us, to take our sins on Himself, to leave heaven for earth, and to die for our sins. He loves us more than we can think or imagine!”

I think if He had left the command at, “love one another,” we’d have an easier time with it all. We’d just do our best and try to love one another like we love our “milk” or whatever. But the truth is that we would quit loving milk or whatever if it became too difficult. We could quit, give up, and start loving something else. Jesus didn’t tell us to love like that. He told us to love one another like He loved us in the context of going to the cross for our sins!

How do you love someone who has sinned against you? How do you forgive them for them for the hurt and the wrong they have caused? You can’t do it in your own strength and power. You have to be continually trusting in the Lord to provide. I really appreciate that where Jesus repeats the command in John 15:12 it comes in the context of abiding (remaining) in Him. It reminds us that there is no way to really love our brother on our own. We weren’t meant to live the Christian life in isolation. We were meant to live as branches connected to the one true vine, all of us drawing our strength from our Lord.

I confess that there are times I have attempted to do ministry on my own and in my own strength, but it just can’t be done that way. I’m greatful for the command to abide in Christ.

Today is especially difficult for me as I’ll be conducting a second funeral for a friend in 2021. I was especially helped by John 14 today as well as reminded to draw all of my strength from the Lord.

Father, Thank you for your commandments. They are not hard or burdensome but actually very freeing. How much anxiety I bring on myself when I try and figure things out and do things my own way. It’s when I lean into you, trust you, abide in you, that I find myself energized and empowered by the Spirit. I ask for your blessing today to abide in you and strength for a difficult day. I rejoice that Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us. 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.

Mary at the Feet of Jesus (John 10 – 12)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

A few years ago I made a 3-4 hour journey to purchase a puppy for our family. Somewhere along the trip back we bonded. I became his master and he became my dog.

In the evening my wife will let him out to go do what dogs do in the yard one last time before bed. Then She will call him to come in, but often he ignores her. She can get kind of frustrated waiting for him to respond and so I’ll go to the back and call him in. As soon as he hears my voice he comes running back in. He knows my voice. He knows who he belongs to and he responds when I call.

Jesus wasn’t worried about the religious leaders who were posing as gateways to the kingdom of heaven. He knew they were frauds and He knew those who belonged to Him would respond when He called. Those who didn’t, wouldn’t. At the end of the day there were only two real responses to Jesus and that was to either follow Him to eternal life or don’t.

We see this dynamic continue to play out through the gospel with religious leaders (the very people you would expect to receive Him) rejecting Him and common, ordinary folks trusting Him. Folks like Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Every time we see her, she is at the feet of Jesus. Grieving her brother and anointing Jesus’ feet here in John but also learning at his feet in the gospel of Luke. Mary knew Jesus’ voice and reponded when he called. Do you?

Father, thank you that when you call your sheep they hear you and respond. Thank you for the amazing work you did in my heart to respond to you when you called. I pray that I would always have ears to hear what you would say and that I always respond with trust and obedience. Thank you for the power of the resurrection demonstrated in Lazarus, perfected in Christ. In Jesus Christ Name Amen

Resources:

Last Year’s Post

A Few Tips on Consistently Reading the Bible

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

Opening the Eyes of the Blind: John 7 -9

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Imagine sitting in a college classroom at the beginning of the semester and an individual gets up to introduce the curriculum. They seem like they know what they are doing. Their voice carries authority like they know what they are talking about. Then another man stands up and starts correcting the “teacher.” The second mand reveals that he is the real teacher and he is also the author of the text book you will be using.

The imposter, who was pretending to be the teacher, doesn’t want the real teacher/author to speak. He takes his case to the court of public opinion and wages a political war saying that the real teacher couldn’t possibly know what he was talking about because of where he was born. The imposter casts doubt on the circumstances of the real teacher’s birth, and he even charges him with being delusional.

As you observe it becomes clear, only the true author/ teacher has the truth and knows what he is talking about. The more the imposter accuses the real teacher of being delusional, the more his own delusion is revealed. If the imposter wants to learn the subject at hand, they must not fight the teacher but humble themselves to receive what the real teacher offers.

The Jewish leaders didn’t want to believe Jesus because of the region where he lived. He was from Galilee and did lots of ministry in that region. Galilee had recently been brought back under Jewish influence and several Israelite settlers moved back to this region. It was akin to the old Wild West in the United States.

The leaders also rejected Jesus for healing on the sabbath. They had misunderstood God’s law in a serious way. They presumed an authority over God’s word, but were really ignorant of what it taught. What God had intended to free people, they were using to ensnare them.

Through these chapters today it is apparent that there are two reactions to Jesus. Some come to Him and believe while others have rejected Him. Those who reject Jesus claim to have the answers, but ultimately reveal themselves to be spiritually blind. This forces us to consider what our reaction to Jesus is. Have you trusted in Him for eternal life or are you rejecting Him?

Father, Thank you that Jesus has come into the world. Thank you that He has come to show us the truth. We pray today that we would be those who recieve you with humbility. Where we are blind, we ask that you would open our eyes to see. Guard us from becoming arrogant and delusional. Thank you for your amazing grace. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Resources:

Last Year’s Post

John 7

John 8:24

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

Day 53: 2 Corinthians 1-3 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

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Today’s reading comes from 2 Corinthians 1-3 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online. You can get a copy of the New in 90 reading schedule here.

Paul begins 2 Corinthians by praising God for his comfort (1:3-7). I am thankful for the grace of God in comforting us when we go through various trials. I am grateful for the opportunity to comfort others because we have been comforted (1:4). The Christian has a

In chapter two, Paul advised the church on how to forgive those who have been addressed by the church for their sin. Sometimes we don’t take pause to think about how Satan might attempt to manipulate us (2:11). This is one of the reasons why it is so important to walk close to God everyday. If we are out of God’s word, the lines get blurry and legalism and an attitude of superiority can set in. We are not to hold people’s sins continually before them… ultimately, God is their judge.

So when someone repents we are to forgive, just as we have been forgiven.  We have to be careful not to let Satan rob us of the joy and freedom found in forgiving people their sins against us, because we want to nurse a grudge.  Satan uses this attitude of unforgiveness to cripple us not the one against whom we nurse the grudge.

FATHER, Thank you for how you have brought comfort to us in the midst of the trials that we face. We are grateful to be able to comfort others with the comfort you have given us. We pray for grace and discernment in comforting others. We ask for grace to forgive those who have hurt us. Guard us from unforgiveness. Thank you for the grace to lead your people. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

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Day 33: Acts 4-6 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

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Today’s reading comes from Acts 4-6 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

The prayer for boldness was certainly granted (4:29). However, it seems like praying for boldness is much like praying for patience… God just might bring circumstances into your life where you have to be bold. He certainly did this with the Apostles and the others there. I wonder do we pray for boldness today or are our prayers tempered with more requests for security and safety?

Gamaliel offered some wise advice to the council (5:38-39). If it’s of God it will stand, if it’s not it will fall away. I think many churches face a similar kind of conflict today. They argue or dispute over evangelistic initiatives, discipleship processes, etc.  Be careful what you resist. To be sure, we all want to resist the influences of Satan on the church, but we want to be careful not to resist our LORD if he is calling to spread the word in a bold and different direction.  Many great moves of God were begun in opposition to those who thought they had a lock on what God wanted.

Even the first church in Jerusalem had some tension and strife. Annanias and Saphira were jockeying for attention by lying about how much they gave (5:1-11) and widows were feeling neglected (6:1-7).  Sadly the experience is much the same in many churches today. There will always be those who seek to meet a personal need through undue recognition as well as those who haven’t learned to be content in whatever circumstances they find themselves.  There are legitimate needs and concerns that arise in any church and I am thankful for deacons that God has called to serve the church along side of the pastor and free him up for the ministry of the Word.

FATHER, I pray for boldness in sharing our faith today. May you give us great courage in our conversations with others to make sure we discuss matters of eternal significance.  We ask for wisdom and discernment to know what things come from you and what things are “man-made.” We thank you for those you have called to be deacons. We are grateful for their ministry both to the church and to the pastor. Thank you for the grace to lead your people as an under-shepherd. IN JESUS NAME, AMEN.

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

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Day 10: Matthew 8-10 (NEW TESTAMENT 90)

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Today’s reading comes from Matthew 8 -10 follow the link provided here to read the ESV online.

What sticks out to me in these chapters this morning is the issue of faith and belief.  Jesus could and would heal, but those asking for healing knew that the power to heal wasn’t in their hands, it all belonged to Jesus. They weren’t just sending good vibes through the universe as if positive thinking would heal them. They weren’t trying to ignore the illness or deformity that plagued them, as though if they fooled themselves into thinking they were healthy it would make them healthy. NO… we see time and time again, there was a real and raw feeling of emptiness and brokenness that only Jesus could answer.

Go back with me to the paralytic man (9:1-8). Jesus said to the crowd, “For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?” (Matthew 9:5). Think about that question for just a moment. What does this paralyzed man want to hear? What is the desire of his heart?  He is broken. There is no other cure. There isn’t a miracle surgery out there that can change his condition. He is desperate… has come for healing and so if Jesus just merely wants to please this man and his friends, all Jesus has to do is heal this man and He’s got a fan.

But Jesus isn’t looking for a fan, He is looking to bring real healing into this man’s life, a healing that is deeper than this man even knows to look. He has come to heal the rift in his soul. He has come to forgive his sins and reconcile him to God! So he says, “Your sins are forgiven.” 

What does it cost to heal this man? Seemingly it’s just a few words upon the divine lips and this man is restored to health? What does it take to forgive this man of his sin? The story of the gospel of Matthew is not over. This pronouncement sets Jesus on a course for the cross.

Here is how I am praying through this passage today.

LORD, I thank you that you are a healing God. That in your kingdom there is no sickness or disease. I thank you that those of us who have been crushed by infirmity will find true relief in you. I praise you that sometimes we get a glimpse of the kingdom coming by seeing miracles of healing in our own day. Today, I ask that you would be pleased to work that kind of miracle for a friend of mine who is suffering. I lift up the many individuals I know who are sick and struggling with infirmity. I want to thank you that you are a forgiving God. Thank you for forgiving me. Today I pray for those who are lost in their sins and don’t know it. I ask that they would find true forgiveness through the mercy of the cross. I pray that we would all receive and realize the greatest gift of your grace. Thank you for calling me into ministry and giving me the charge to lead your people. I pray that you give me great grace and insight in preaching the gospel and pointing people to you . IN JESUS NAME. AMEN

What did you take away from today’s reading? What are your thoughts or questions? Feel free to comment below and enter the discussion.

Find out about New Testament 90 – Here

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