Tag Archives: daily devotional

July 4, 2013 · 9:00 AM

A Prayer of Restoration

While my pastor was dismissing our service this past Sunday, he asked, “How many of you pray for our country and president?” It was rhetorical, but still hit home. It’s easy to sit and talk about what’s wrong with our country and about politicians we don’t like. If we spent the same amount of time and energy as Christians praying for both, our country would be in a much better place. I’m going to use today’s post to pray for both our country and our leaders.

Father,

Thank you for the blessing of living in the land of the free. I recognize there are so many other places in the world who are not afforded the luxuries and freedoms we enjoy here. Help us to not take those things for granted and to be better stewards of what you have blessed us with. Help us to use what you’ve given us to help those who are less fortunate.

Today, we are a nation deeply divided over what we perceive to be right and wrong. I’m reminded of the words Abraham Lincoln said: “My concern is not whether God is on my side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” Help us to be more concerned with being on your side than being “right” in these arguments. Heal the divide that our nation has.

Your Son Jesus said that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. We are fighting against each other rather than working on what you want. We are squandering the blessings you have given to us rather than using them for your glory. Bring revival to our country. Call us out of the darkness we are in. Bring us into your marvelous light. Send your Spirit across this nation calling us to repentance. Restore us to right standing with you.

I lift up our president. I ask that you give Him wisdom in how he handles the affairs of this great nation. Give him understanding of how to govern according to your ways. I ask that you put Christians around him who will give him godly wisdom and help him to make good decisions for our country. Show him what path to take this country down. Give him the courage to make an about face in the areas that are against your will and the strength to continue on the paths that are aligned with your Word.

Protect him and his family from those who seek to do them harm. Guard them with your angels. Keep them in perfect peace. Let his family find their strength and salvation in you alone. Send pastors and teachers to them who will share your Word with them. Give them boldness to speak what you would have them to speak. Open the heart of our president to hear what you have to say. Draw him to your side.

I pray for all of our other politicians in Washington D.C. and across the country. I ask that from the smallest town the largest city those who govern them would seek you and your Word for wisdom. Let them come to know you and find common ground in the Bible. Let them live justly, walk humbly and love mercy. Help our congressmen and our senators to work together to bring us out of this recession using the precepts you have given for getting and staying out of debt. Give them wisdom in how we should be reaching out and helping other nations who are in turmoil right now.

This nation was founded on principles from your Word. Help us to return to those principles that have stood the test of time. We as a nation have sinned and left your path. Forgive us. Wash us white as snow and help us to turn from our wicked ways. Cause us to walk in right standing with you once again. Let us see you as our healer, savior and guide.

I ask that you would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Restore families in our nation. Not only is our government divided, our families are too. Bring them back together and bring healing in our homes. Help us to raise godly children. Show us how to put your Word in their hearts so that when they’re old, they won’t depart from your paths.

Thank you for hearing this prayer and for answering it quickly. We need your hand of providence to touch us and guide us once again.

In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen

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July 3, 2013 · 7:54 AM

Worried About the Wrong Things

I got corrected by God this morning. In my prayer time, my mind was busy going on about all the uncertainties in my life. My mind jumped from my job to my car to my future to my family. I was all over the board with questions seeking answers. “What about this? How do I handle that? When will I know about the other?” My mind lit God up with question after question without pausing to listen. My mind would dream of what could happen in each situation. “Why can’t that happen, God”, I asked.

God quietly answered back, “You need to be more like Mary and less like Martha.” Immediately my mind went to the story where Jesus had come to their house. Jesus was in the living room teaching and Martha was busy in the kitchen preparing a meal. Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet hanging on every word when Martha poked her head out of the kitchen and said, “Hey, Jesus, tell Mary to get in here and help me.” His reply to her was what He was telling me.

In Luke 10:41,42 He said, “Martha (Chris), you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it.” I love knowing the details, especially when my future is at stake. I get worked up and worry about them. Jesus simply reminded me that it’s in His hands. I can relax. What I need to concentrate on is sitting at His feet and listening to His every word. That’s where peace is. That’s where my answers are.

It’s when I seek Him first that all these other things are added to me. It’s not when I seek the answers for everything on my mind. It’s when I seek Him. God’s desire for us is to sit at His feet and to learn from Him. Somehow my time with Him gets hijacked by my thoughts and concerns. Instead of listening to His every word, I speak out of turn and try to make my petition known. I want someone to come help me.

Today, after that correction, I sat down and listened. I quit trying to bombard Heaven with all my requests. I quieted my mind, focused on Him and listened. He spoke peace into my life this morning. He’s aware of my needs and dreams. He needs me to be aware of His. God wants to share His needs and dreams with you too. He wants us to be concerned with what concerns Him. He wants us to be His hands and feet. That’s what it is to seek first His kingdom.

Where are you today? Is your mind filled with all of the what if’s? Are you having trouble worrying about all the details too? Jesus said there is ONE thing to be worried and concerned about. That’s sitting at His feet and learning from Him. Take time today to put aside your dreams, needs and concerns. Ask God what His dreams, needs and concerns are and how you can help Him. You’ll find that peace you’ve been looking for and the answers too.

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July 2, 2013 · 7:27 AM

This Year’s Halftime

Today is the first day of the second half of this year. We reached the midpoint of the year sometime yesterday. I think it’s good to stop and reflect on the first half of this year before going into the second half. There are several questions I like to ask myself. Am I where I thought I’d be at this point in the year? If not, what course corrections do I need to make to get to where I want to be by the end of the year? What unforeseen events have happened so far that changed things in my life?

I believe in planning. I believe in setting goals for yourself, both physically, mentally and spiritually. In January, I decided that my personal spiritual goal this year was that Christ would increase in me and that I would decrease. There are areas where I have seen Christ increase in my life this year, but there are still a lot of areas where I’m not seeing the progress that I want to see. That’s where today fits in.

Just like in most major sports, there’s a half time. It’s a time to reflect on how things are going and what changes need to be made. It’s a time to be honest with yourself and God in where you are. I know I’ll never get to perfection, but that shouldn’t keep me from pushing towards it. Paul said, “I don’t mean to say that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection.” Paul understood the importance of understanding where he was and where he wanted to be.

He knew he wasn’t perfect or going to be, but he still pressed on for it. The next couple of verses in Philippians 3 give us more insight into his thinking. The next step is to forget the past and look forward to the future. You can’t change what’s happened so far this year. It happened. What I can do is learn from it, put it behind me and make a course correction with that in mind. I still have to move forward in Christ.

If you’re reading this, life has thrown you some curve balls this year. Chances are, you aren’t where you thought you’d be. That’s ok. You’re right where Christ knew you’d be. What’s happened in your life that has lead you to this point did not catch God by surprise. He’s built it into the plan for your life and who He is forming you to be. You may not be where you want to be, but that’s ok as long as you’re where He wants you to be.

I’ve dealt with set backs. I’ve lived through failures. I’ve watched as my plan for my life got thrown in the trash and burned. I’ve fallen down and tripped in places I never thought I would. I got up, dusted myself off, learned from my past and prayerfully created a new plan with God’s help. Does that mean those things won’t happen again? I’m sure they will, but now I know to keep pressing forward when things don’t happen the way I want them to. I know that my life is in God’s hands. He sees my tomorrow and knows what I need to go through today in order to be the person who can endure what’s coming.

How about you? Have your plans been ripped up and thrown away? Has your life veered off course? Did you envision your life differently than it’s turned out? It’s half time. Get your second wind, listen to what Hod has to say to you about the course corrections He wants you to make, pick your head up and get back out there. Keep pressing for the mark for that high calling in Christ. He will give you the strength you need to finish the second half of this year right where He wants you.

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July 1, 2013 · 8:21 AM

When I Look at a Penny

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I never want to get to the point in my life that I’m too good or have too much that I won’t bend down to pick up a penny. I especially make sure that I pick them up when I’m going through a difficult time. There’s a lot to learn from a penny when you stop and look at it, but most of us toss them aside as worthless. When I look at a penny, I see things in it that help me through tough times.

One of the first things I recognize in a penny is that it costs more to make a penny than it’s worth. The government keeps producing them because they are an integral part of our monetary system in giving back exact change. There are times in my life when I don’t think I’m worth much. When I think of the cross and the price that was paid for me, I realize that it cost more to save me than I’m worth. I then realize that God sees me as worth it and as an integral part of His plan.

I also see on the penny the words “In God We Trust”. Those words are words of comfort in difficult times. They remind me where I need to place my trust when things are too hard to handle on my own. I try to face each trial in my own strength to prove to God that I can handle it. In reality, I feel the trials and tests are there not to test my strength, but my reliance on Him. In difficult times, I can trust in God.

The president that is on the front of the penny is Abraham Lincoln. There’s probably not another president who went through something as difficult as leading a nation divided by civil war. He relied on God to help him navigate that difficult period. One of the quotes I heard that was attributed to him was, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side.” He knew that God’s plan was more important than anything. I can learn a lot from that.

Another thing that stands out to me on the penny is the date. One of the things I like to do when I see the date on a penny is to think back and remember one thing that God did for me that year. When I recount the blessings of what God has done in my past, it gives me hope and strength that He’ll do it again. God has been faithful in my life. I just need to take the time to remember it. When I do that, my confidence in Him is bolstered and I know with Him I can face whatever comes my way.

I know there’s a lot more on a penny than what I mentioned here. You may not have looked at a penny the way I do. I see a lot of value in it beyond what it’s worth because of what it reminds me of. When God looks at you, He sees the same thing. He sees value beyond what you think you’re worth. He sees someone worth dying for. He sees someone worth spending eternity with. He sees what no one else sees, smiles and picks you up when others have discarded you. That’s what I see when I look at a penny. What do you see?

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June 28, 2013 · 6:59 AM

Wearing a Suit at the Beach

Have you ever felt out of place? I did earlier this week. Some co-workers and I went to eat lunch at a place on the beach. After lunch, we decided to walk down a long fishing pier. The beach below was crowded with people swimming and sun tanning. The pier was full of people dressed similarly, but had fishing poles in their hands. The four of us walked down the pier in our dress shirts, ties, slacks and dress shoes. To say people took double takes would be an understatement.

It was hot. We were sweating. We kept walking all the way to the end of the pier though. As people stared, we politely smiled and acted as though we belonged. No matter how much we pretended, we just didn’t. We didn’t have the right attire on for the beach. We didn’t have the right mindset for the beach. We were business minded men in a crowd full of vacationers.

As a Christian, that’s how we’re supposed to be in this world. We are to stand out and to be different. I love how the Message phrases Romans 12:2. It says, “Don’t become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.” At the beach, the culture is dress down, relax and have a good time. We were not well adjusted to that culture. Our presence was noticed by everyone.

In this world, the culture is continuing to move away from God. As Christians, it is not our job to be so adjusted to that culture that we fit in. We are to stand out, stand up and be different. We are to follow Christ even when it’s not popular. In John 15, Jesus said, “If you lived on the worlds terms, the world would love you as one of its own. I chose you to come out of the world.” He chose us to live differently. He said the world would hate us.

If Jesus said the world is going to hate us because we’re different, why do we spend so much time and energy trying to get them to love us? Our human nature wants to be loved and accepted. God’s acceptance should be more important to us than the world’s acceptance. We are called to be salt and light. Salt changes the flavor of everything it touches. Light chases away the darkness all around it. Are people changed by having me in their lives? Are your friends changed by having you in their lives?

Living for Christ in this world is like wearing a suit at the beach. You’re going to stand out. You’re supposed to stand out. In the same passage in Matthew 5 where Jesus calls us to be salt and light, He says, “Let your good deeds shine for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father.” We’re not different just to be different. There’s a purpose to it. That purpose is to draw other to the cross. They should see a difference in our lives versus the lives that live according to the culture of the world so we can reach them.

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June 27, 2013 · 8:55 AM

The Walk of Shame

One of the things I love about our car is when you get low on gas, not only does it notify you, the navigation screen automatically shows you where all the gas stations are. If I keep going, the alarm will continue to let me know every few miles that it’s time to fill up. So far I haven’t run out of gas in it. That’s a good thing because I know what it’s like to run out of gas and to have to do the walk of shame to the gas station.

What about you? Have you ever run out of gas? How about spiritually? Again, I’m guilt of that too. I’ve let myself run out of gas spiritually and I’ve stalled. There were things that I did that caused me to run out. One of the first things I quit doing was reading the Bible daily. It was more of a box to check off for me at the time and I saw it as a chore. When I quit reading my Bible, my faith took a hit.

Romans tells us that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God. I can increase my faith by putting God’s Word in me. I wasn’t doing that. I quickly found out that I was susceptible to attacks. It turns out that faith is also our shield that helps to protect us against the fiery darts of the devil. I began to slip in areas I had never had trouble in. I started to go places and do things that I never dreamed I would have.

After that, I noticed that my church attendance began to slip. “I wasn’t getting anything out of it,” I would say. I wasn’t getting anything out of it because I wasn’t trying to. I wasn’t listening because I didn’t want to be convicted of the things I was doing. I didn’t want to chat with people at church so I started leaving as soon as the pastor ended his sermons. I cut myself off from the community of believers.

Hebrews 10 tells us not to forsake the assembling of fellow believers. I looked up “forsake” and dictionary.com said, “to quit or leave entirely.” Because I did it, I know why the writer said we shouldn’t. I left a group of people who loved me, prayed for me and lifted me up when I needed it. Church is more than just a group of believers going to hear a message. It’s a place where we connect and find a sense of belonging.

After I left, it didn’t take long before I ran out of gas. When I couldn’t move forward in my life anymore, I decided to take that walk to the altar. The good news is that this walk isn’t a walk of shame. It’s a walk of rejoicing because God comes in and fills us with His love and restores us to a right relationship with Him. If you’re on empty today, you might have made the same mistakes I did. The good news is that He’s waiting to fill you up again and to restore your life. He did it for me and my church accepted me back with open arms. There’s no shame in walking home.

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June 26, 2013 · 7:11 AM

The Poor Kid at the Table

Yesterday, I went to lunch with several coworkers from different departments in the company. When they suggested an expensive place to eat, I hesitated at first. They said, “What’s the matter?” Then one remembered and said, “Oh yeah. Your department doesn’t budget for food like ours does.” I replied, “I have to think about dinner. I don’t want to spend my per diem on lunch.” Someone replied, “Come on, poor boy. We’ll figure something out.”

I haven’t been the “poor boy” at the table since I was a kid. All these emotions came running back to me. I remembered what it was like to be at the mercy of whoever had invited me to eat. I had to see what they were thinking of ordering so I could order something less expensive. There were a lot of lessons I learned being the poor boy at the table. Lessons that helped shape who I am today.

One thing it taught me was humility. When you’re the one who is depending on someone else, you learn all about humility. You don’t get what you want, you get what they allow you to have. It’s when we can afford to get what we want that we forget about humility. We forget how to depend on someone else. We forget how to depend on God. We tell Him, “I can do this,” and we save Him for bigger things in our life. We start to treat Him like a genie.

God never wanted to be a genie and He doesn’t want us to save Him for the big things in our lives. He wants us to know what it’s like to trust Him for everything. He wants us to know what it truly means to walk by faith. The problem is that walking by faith is scary after you’ve adjusted to a life of walking by sight. It’s at that point that we only look to God in the dark hours of our life. He wants to be there with you in the light and the dark, the good and the bad.

Another thing being the poor kid at the table taught me was appreciation. I learned to appreciate what I had. I wasn’t going to get anything new for a while. I had to appreciate and take care of anything new that I got. My mom would say, “Those have to last you until Christmas. That’s when we can get you new ones.” Those words would ring in my ear as I had to make a decisions. Other kids got new stuff when theirs broke. They didn’t appreciate what they had. God wants us to be appreciative for everything He’s given us and not to be always wanting something we don’t have.

God gives each of us what we need. We don’t always get what we want. He said that when we’re faithful over the little things He’s given us, He’ll give us more. We have to learn to be humble enough to recognize that the little we have is enough. We also have to learn to appreciate it and take care of it by being faithful with it. When we learn to do those things, He knows we’re ready for more.

There’s always another level for Him to take us to. Have we learned to be happy being the poor kid at the table so He can take us there? Or are we resentful that we’re in this position and are constantly trying to get to that next level on our own strength? I’ve tried it both ways. Yesterday reminded me that it’s ok to be the poor kid at the table. All I have is from God anyway. When I learn to accept what He gives, I’m really the rich one.

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June 25, 2013 · 7:37 AM

Playing Chase with God

Each night when I get home, as soon as my son sees me, he smiles and yells, “Dada!” I squat down to give him a hug, but he doesn’t run to me. Instead, he runs away. With a big grin on his face, he yells, “Come get me, dada.” I chase him around the sofa in circles for several minutes. He giggles and looks back while he’s running. He laughs and says it again, “Come get me, dada!” When he gets tired, he falls down and let’s me catch him. I scoop him up in my arms then I hug and kiss him all over as he giggles.

That’s a perfect picture of what I so often do to God. He shows up ready to love me, but I take off running. I make Him chase me instead of running directly to Him. The funny thing is, He does. He chases me when I run. My heart calls out, “Come get me!” I try to keep an obstacle between us as I run. He continues to chase me until I run out of strength and fall down. He runs over, scoops me up in His arms, hugs me and tells me He loves me.

I don’t know if God loves to play chase, but I can tell you that He’s good at it. We can run and hide, but He always finds us. He knows just where we are and He continues down our path. He wants to pour out extravagant love on us. He wants to hold us in His arms and carry us away with Him. He wants to show us how much He cares for us, but we run. We try to get away. The good news is that we can’t get away to where He can’t find us!

In Psalm 139:7-12, David asked, “Is there anywhere I can go to avoid your Spirit? To be out of your sight?” He liked to run too. What he found was that no matter where He went, God was there waiting for him. When he wanted to hide in the dark, he said, “Darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.” He knew that there is no place he could go to hide or get away from God. You and I know that too, but that doesn’t keep us from running.

I think there’s something in us that loves it when we’re pursued. We love having someone chase after us. It gives us a sense of worth. It lets us know in a strange way that someone thinks we’re worth wearing themselves out over. The good news is that God loves to show us how much He loves us and is willing to play chase with us if that’s what it takes to show us love. He will do whatever it takes to find you and scoop you up just so He can hear you say, “Dada!”

If you’ve been running, I encourage you today to stop and let Him catch you. Let Him pick you up and love on you. We all need it. In Psalm 33:22, David says, “Love us, God, with all you’ve got – that’s what we’re depending on (MSG).” We’re all depending on Him to love us no matter what it is we’ve done or why we’re running away. The good news is that He will love you with all He’s got, no matter what you’ve done. It’s time to come out from hiding and let Him love you.

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June 24, 2013 · 6:56 AM

The Power of Restoration

I got a call this weekend from someone who was going through a rough patch and succumbed to temptation. They reached out to me and a couple of others for help. One of the others and I went to meet them to offer guidance and next steps. It would have been easy to go over there, beat them on the head with a Bible and ask a lot of “why” questions. That’s not how God says we should handle these situations though.

As I drove over there, The Lord took me to Galatians 6:1 that says, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.” My mind changed from all the “how could you” questions to the “how can I help you” questions. I moved away from the accusatory mindset that saw all the steps leading to sin to one that was there to show the path to forgiveness.

The Lord had spoken the same thing to my friend who went with me. He opened up the conversation with, “We’re here to help you, not to condemn you.” He went to Romans 13:12 that says, “So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” We explained that there is not one of us who is perfect. None of us go without sinning. What sets us apart is that we remove those sins and step back into God’s light.

I read Proverbs 24:16 that says, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.” I explained that if we’re not able to get up on our own, we should do what they did and call others to help them. I reiterated that we were not there to hold them down, but to offer a helping hand up. I’m sure they had already beat themselves up over it and that the Holy Spirit had convicted them. The problem was that they didn’t know the way back to the right road.

I’ve been thinking all weekend about how many people fall and just stay down because they don’t know how to reach out for help or are just too embarrassed to. I’ve been there. I was ashamed and embarrassed because I knew better. I didn’t want to admit that I had messed up and gone in the wrong direction. I didn’t want to let others know that I didn’t have the strength to get back up and that it was easier to just stay down. Thankfully someone saw me there and offered a hand to get me back up.

Who do you know right now that has fallen? Have you gone to them and offered a helping hand or just talked about them to others? Our command is clear. We are to go and restore someone in that condition. We are to pray with them and give them the tools and safeguards they need to keep them from falling again. When they fall, go and put your arm around them and walk with them. Isn’t that how you would want to be treated if it were the other way around?

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June 21, 2013 · 7:08 AM

The Push for Paradise

One of my favorite stories in the Bible that doesn’t get a whole lot of attention happened on mount Calvary. As Jesus was being executed on a cross, there were two other men who had committed crimes worthy of being crucified beside Him. As people came by to look at the crucifixion of Jesus, they yelled at Him and insulted Him. They called Him names. Even the two men who were being crucified with Him began to taunt Him.

As the day went on, one of them noticed that Jesus was different. After a while he went from scoffer to protector. He yelled back at the other criminal, “Don’t you fear God even when you’ve been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” He knew he had lived a life that was worthy of dying on a cross. He wasn’t denying that he deserved to be there.

Instead of using his pain to lash out at Jesus and take the spotlight off of himself, he took another road. Facing death, and in earshot of the people who were mocking Jesus, he decided to reach out for forgiveness for his sins. He looked over at Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus looked over at the man who had earlier mocked Him and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

I’m sitting in front of a hospital right now. I have a friend inside who sent me a text last night. She has surgery this morning and told me last night she wasn’t sure she’d survive it. She told me she knows she hadn’t been a good person. That’s ok. God doesn’t let “good” people into Paradise. He lets those who call on His name and believe in their heart that He died for their sins in. If “good” was a requirement, we’d all fail the test.

Jesus isn’t looking for good people to save. He’s looking for anyone who will believe. He doesn’t care if you’re a child or if you’re about to die. What He cares about is if you believed in Him and asked for forgiveness of your sins. I knew someone once that said, “That’s not fair. Why should someone who lived a terrible life be allowed to convert before they die and go to heaven when I’ve lived right my whole life?” I replied, “How is it fair that Jesus had to pay for your sins?”

In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, Jesus told of a man who hired workers early in the morning to work all day. He told them what he’d pay them at the end of the day. All through the day he continued to hire workers offering them the same pay as the early ones. Even at an hour before quitting time, he hired more for the same price. The early ones were mad when they got paid. They felt they deserved more, but He reminded them that they agreed to the price and that it was his money to do with what he wanted.

Whether you accepted Christ early in life or late in life, the reward is the same. You get to go to Paradise. God doesn’t want anyone to die without accepting His son. He allows us to accept Him no matter how bad we’ve been or at how late in our lives it is. His offer to you is salvation even if you’ve mocked Him or other Christians. You may not feel like you can forgive yourself for things you’ve done, but you aren’t the one holding the keys to Paradise, He is. He’ll forgive you no matter what. I’m walking into the hospital this morning with Him to give a final push for Paradise for my friend.

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