Tag Archives: Devotional

April 22, 2025 · 5:40 AM

Spiritual Effectiveness

One of the draws for Peloton stationary bikes and some treadmills is the screen in front of it. You can choose a city, a trail or woods to bike or run through. As you’re exercising, you can watch the screen and feel like you’re in that environment covering a lot of ground. However, the truth is that you never went anywhere and you’re wore out. That’s about the same thing that happens to us when we try to be spiritually effective in our own strength and abilities. Our effectiveness only comes through our relationship with Jesus. When we fail to spend time with Jesus, our busyness for Him wears us out and is ineffective. It can feel like we’re going places and making a difference, but it’s only an illusion.

In John 15, Jesus was giving some final instructions to the disciples before His crucifixion. In verse 5 He said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing” (AMP). He used the example of a branch on a vine. We can only Produce fruit when we’re connected to the vine. Once we’re disconnected, we might appear green for a while, but we’re not receiving the nutrients we need to produce anything. His encouragement to them and to us is to stay connected to Him through prayer and intimacy if we want to be spiritually effective. Otherwise our efforts are in vain.

Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.” Have you been so busy for God that you’ve sacrificed your time with Him? It happens to all of us from time to time. That is a recipe for burn out and spiritual ineffectiveness. When we spend time with Him each day, He refills us, strengthens us and makes us produce fruit. God doesn’t call us to do things in our own strength because apart from Him we have none. He is who makes us spiritually effective in our work for Him.

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April 21, 2025 · 5:48 AM

Obedience Through Action

One of the great missionary stories I remember learning about from my childhood was the story of Jim Elliot. He and his wife felt the call of God to take the Gospel to an unreached people in Ecuador. In 1956, Jim and four other men went in to tell the Huaorani people about Jesus. They were killed by the tribe. After two years passed, Jim’s wife felt like God wanted her to go to that same tribe and try again. She, their daughter and the sister of one of the slain men went back to the Huaorani tribe and shared the Gospel. Many people gave their heart to the Lord, including some who killed her husband.

In Joshua 5, the Israelites had crossed the Jordan and were headed toward Jericho for their first battle in the Promised Land. As Joshua was getting near the town, he saw a man with a sword in his hand. Joshua asked Him, “Are you with us or against us. He replied, “‘Neither one,’ he replied. ‘I am the commander of the Lord’s army.’ At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. ‘I am at your command,’ Joshua said. ‘What do you want your servant to do?’” (NLT) He then tells Joshua to march around the city for seven days. On the seventh day, they needed to march around it seven times and then shout. If they obeyed, the walls would come down. It might not have seemed like it would work, but God was looking for obedience through action in order to give the victory.

Isaiah 1:9 says, “If you have a willing heart to let me help you, and if you will obey me, you will feast on the blessings of an abundant harvest” (TPT). What God asks us to do doesn’t always make sense. We must remember that His ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are higher too. He sees what we can’t. Obedience is an act of trust, especially when we don’t understand. However, when we do trust and obey, His blessings follow. I wish we could have an experience with an angel like Joshua, but most of us will be like Elisabeth Elliott and need to obey having only heard God speak to our heart. Are you willing to be obedient even when it doesn’t make sense? Are you willing to trust God for to bring down walls using His strategy rather than yours? If so, your obedience through action will yield the results only God can give.

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April 18, 2025 · 5:54 AM

Easter Reflections

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites had been slaves for over 400 years. The night before they were set free, they sacrificed a perfect lamb and placed the blood on their door posts. They ate a meal of bitter herbs and unleavened bread to remember their time in Egypt and to think about how they were set free. Jesus became that lamb and was sacrificed for our freedom. As you celebrate Easter with family and friends this weekend, take time to reflect and remember what has been done for you. Jesus established a new covenant with us as He sacrificed Himself so we could be free of the slavery of sin and be made righteous with God.

Here is the Easter story in five verses.

1. “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!” So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

Mark 15:14-15 NLT

2. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:30 NLT

3. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

Matthew 27:54 NLT

4. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

John 19:40-42 NLT

5. “He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise [from death to life].”

Luke 24:6-7 AMP

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April 16, 2025 · 5:36 AM

The Garden Of Surrender

After God had created everything, He planted the Garden of Eden, where He chose to place Adam. Everything Adam could want was there, including the Tree of Life and also the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God gave Adam a helper in Eve as well. Yet in this paradise the serpent came to temp them. He had them question the truth of what God said. They ate the fruit in disobedience to God. In this garden, that started off representing abundance, sin and death entered the world because they chose their will over His.

On Thursday night of Holy Week, Jesus and the disciples entered into the Garden of Gethsemane. It was an olive tree grove with a name that means the place of pressing. The trees are dark and wiry. It looked nothing like paradise. As Jesus went off to pray, He told the disciples to watch and pray so they wouldn’t enter into temptation. Jesus felt the pressure of the enemy in this garden too. He sweat drops of blood as He agonized over what was ahead, yet He submitted to God’s will instead of His own. Gethsemane represented pressure and struggling, but it became the place of surrender and redemption.

In Luke 22:42, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT). Jesus taught us how to surrender to God’s will instead of our own. He chose surrender rather than selfishness. There are times I pray very specifically for things because I desperately want them. However, I add that I ultimately want His will to be done instead of mine. I also ask God to conform my will to His when what I want differs from what He wants. Each of us must learn the discipline of surrender that Jesus demonstrated in the garden. Romans 5:19 sums it up. It says, “Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.” We have life and righteousness because Jesus chose to surrender and obey.

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April 15, 2025 · 5:53 AM

Clearing The Clutter

Mark 11:15-16 says, “When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace” (NLT). Just outside the Temple, there was a large open area called the Courtyard of the Gentiles. It was created so people who weren’t Jews could come to worship God, engage in theological discussions and encounter Him too. This area was filled with an open air marketplace with vendors yelling, livestock making noises and filled with the stench that comes with animals. Jesus was upset that an area God designed for people to engage with Him was filled with of chaos that distracted them from their purpose for being there.

In Luke 10:38-42 Jesus was visiting the house of Martha and Mary. While He was teaching the people, Martha was busy in the kitchen banging pans, moving chairs and serving people. Mary, however, sat at the feet of Jesus hanging on every word. Martha got upset that her sister wasn’t helping take care of everything and everyone. She asked Jesus to rebuke her sister and make her help, but Jesus replied, “Martha, my beloved Martha. Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions?” (TPT). Instead of worshipping, engaging in theological discussions and encountering God, she was not only distracted, but was creating a distraction. Instead of flipping tables, Jesus gently reminded her that she was missing an encounter.

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world” (NLT). If you’re surrounded by chaos, busyness and distractions, it’s time to clear the clutter so you can encounter God. Like Mary, we need to make space to sit at His feet and listen. We need to flip over some tables in our lives that are distracting us from our purpose. God wants to have daily encounters with you. He’s created space. Have you? Find time to be still and honor Him. It won’t be easy, but as Jesus told Martha, it’s the most important thing. It needs to take priority over everything else. Let this Holy Week be the time you cleared the clutter and made room for Jesus.

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April 14, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Divine Interruptions

I didn’t grow up in a church that taught any of the reflective practices of Lent, so when my first ministry job was at a church that did, I had some learning to do. As we approached Easter, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel. I remember making it a point to walk down the Via Dolorosa and stopping at the different stations of the cross before finishing at the Garden Tomb. At Station Five, I came across a man I knew little about. His name was Simon of Cyrene. Mark 15:21 says, “A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus)” (NLT). He was coming in to celebrate the Passover, and through divine interference, he was forced to carry Jesus’ cross, which changed the trajectory of his family. Paul and Luke mention Simon’s sons listed here in their letters to the Early Church.

Take a moment to look back at your life when things seemed to go off the rails. Can you now see God’s hand in those moments? Simon didn’t know it, but when he was forced to carry the cross, he was able to see the Son of God up close. Like the Roman guard, he must have had a moment when he realized who Jesus really was. While he was on his way to sacrifice a Passover lamb, he came face to face with the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. I can see him rejoining his sons at the foot of Calvary, exhausted from the journey. I wonder if he stood near John and Mary as Jesus spoke to them. Did he cry as Jesus said, “It is finished”? I don’t know any of these answers, but I do know that he was chosen by God for this moment. It was no accident that he was the person the guards grabbed.

This story has me reflecting on divine interruptions in my life. In the moment, they take me off schedule, mess up my day, and wreck my plans. Divine interruptions can be frustrating in the moment, but I’ve learned that divine interruptions are where transformation begins. Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail” (NLT). His purposes often conflict with my plans. When I start to complain, I’ve learned to stop and ask, “Lord, is this You?” I’ve been divinely interrupted enough to know to be grateful when He does interrupt me. I want His transformation and purposes to prevail in my life. Without those intersections, I would simply stay on my current trajectory. What about you? Are you willing to invite God to divinely interrupt your plans in this season of Lent?

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April 11, 2025 · 5:29 AM

Purify Yourself

Several years ago a friend of mine was leaving his corporate job to go into business for himself full time. He told me he felt like Joshua as he was about to enter the Promised Land. God had told them to sanctify themselves, and he wanted to know what that was. When I studied it, I found that it could be translated sanctify or purify. This purification was twofold. They were to purify themselves outwardly through rituals, but also inwardly. They needed to prepare their inner person for what God was about to do. How they thought and what they believed needed to match their outward actions in order to attain all God had for them. We all need to purify ourselves as well to take the land God has given us.

Here are some Bible verses on purifying yourself:

1. Get out! Get out and leave your captivity, where everything you touch is unclean. Get out of there and purify yourselves, you who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord.

Isaiah 52:11 NLT

2. Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”

Joshua 3:5 NLT

3. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

I John 3:2-3 NKJV

4. All these promises are made to us, my dear friends. So then, let us purify ourselves from everything that makes body or soul unclean, and let us be completely holy by living in awe of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 GNT

5. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

James 4:8 NLT

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April 10, 2025 · 5:30 AM

Learning Through Pain

One of the mantras that I’ve heard for a while is, “Change before you have to.” I wasn’t always sure what that meant, but I’ve found out a few times in my life and wished I had. Many times the Holy Spirit has sounded the warning alarms in my life, and many of those times I’ve hit the snooze button. His warnings are letting us know that if we continue on the path we’re on, we’re headed for trouble. When I’ve disregarded them, I’ve fallen flat on my face and gone through some painful times as a result of my sin. Sometimes I’m so hard headed and want to do things my own way that the only way I’ll listen or make the necessary changes in my life are to go through a painful time so that next time I’ll listen. God is more concerned with our holiness than our comfort.

It’s hard to put some things in perspective as you read the Bible. In some books, you may cover hundreds of years of history. I keep thinking, “How did they mess up again so quickly? Why won’t they learn?” Yet, their track record is better than mine a lot of the times. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God said He sets before us life and death, blessings and cursing, and that the choice is ours. He wants us to choose life, but when we don’t, their are painful consequences to help us to turn back to Him and to remind us not to go down that path again. It works for a while, but our brains are bent toward trying to do things our way instead of His. Pain is often one of the best motivators for our brain, and it can condition it to not repeat mistakes.

God knows you and I aren’t perfect. He knows we’re going to mess up. Thankfully He doesn’t wipe His hands clean of us and give up. His grace is greater than our biggest mistakes and His offer of forgiveness is open to us. God will do whatever it takes to bring us back, even if it means pain, discomfort or embarrassment. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways” (GNT). He knows there are a lot of stubborn people like myself who need those painful reminders to come back home. The Prodigal Son lasted in his painful experience as long as he could before he finally decided to go back home. You and I have the same opportunity to return to a waiting Father who will run to us, love us and put the family robe and ring back on our finger if only we will return.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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April 9, 2025 · 5:43 AM

Obedience Brings Victory

Have you ever felt God leading you to do something that didn’t make sense? I’ve felt that way several times. Once I was facing a serious challenge to my character. My initial strategy was to go on the defensive and then attack. As I mapped out my plans, God had a different strategy in mind. It was to be still and quiet. It was the opposite of what I felt should happen. What I wanted to do made sense, and what God was asking didn’t. I had a choice to make. I could choose to do what made sense or I could obey. I decided to obey. What God asked me to do worked out better than anything I could have done.

In Joshua 6, the Israelites faced their first enemy in the Promised Land. Jericho had thick, intimidating walls. Israel didn’t have siege equipment or battering rams. I’m sure Joshua met with his military leaders to devise a strategy. Then he met the captain of the Lord’s army. He was told to simply march quietly around the walls for seven days. On the seventh trip around the wall on the seventh day, they were to blast trumpets and shout. It didn’t make sense, but Joshua had learned that victory comes through obedience. He followed God’s strategy, rather than his own, and God destroyed what had been impossible and intimidating.

Zechariah 4:6 says, “The angel told me to give Zerubbabel this message from the Lord: ‘You will succeed, not by military might or by your own strength, but by my spirit’” (GNT). So much in life depends on obedience to what God desires for us to do. However, we must first stop and ask what He wants in each situation. I don’t know what intimidating walls you’re facing today, but I do know that His strategy will work better than yours. It may not make sense or seem like the right thing to do in the moment. It might even seem crazy or counterintuitive, but remember that obedience brings victory. Follow His leading and plan, then watch the walls fall before your eyes.

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April 8, 2025 · 5:41 AM

Taking Assessment

I recently retook an assessment that I had taken several years ago. I taught a class on it for a few years, so I know why the assessment is asking the questions it asked. As I took it, I had a thought. I could give answers that made myself look really good, or I could answer truthfully. I wanted to get an accurate assessment of myself more than I wanted to look good for someone else. I answered truthfully and several of my flaws were revealed with red marks on the results. I sat on a coaching call answering questions explaining what was going on inside me when faced with certain situations. I figured the only way to improve is to have an accurate assessment.

Many people in the Bible were assessed by God. Saul’s heart was exposed when he was confronted by Samuel regarding his disobedience. He made excuses as to why he didn’t obey, as he tried to make himself look better. When David was confronted on his disobedience and sin, he admitted it and sought forgiveness. There are places like Psalm 139:23 where he says, “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts” (GNT). He understood the need for personal, spiritual and motivational assessment. If you’re going to grow or get better, you must be willing to expose those areas.

In 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Put yourselves to the test and judge yourselves, to find out whether you are living in faith.” How strong is your faith and belief? Only when it is tested can you truly know. It’s easy to say what you believe when you’re not being tested. However, being faced with a hard time, or a hard truth, will reveal what’s inside. It’s important to regularly assess where you are in your faith and growth as a Christian. Are you taking steps to be more Christlike? Are your roots growing down deep or are they shallow? The only way to know is to ask God to examine you and put you to the test. Don’t be afraid to ask God to show you areas of growth that are needed. Get an honest assessment, see it as an opportunity to build Christian character and growth, then make changes as necessary.

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