Daily Devotion - December 31, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:16)
Have you ever faced a trial and thought, “This is because I have not done enough for God.” You’re not alone. My missionary friend, Ricky Grey, confessed to having the same thoughts when his child was born with multiple medical concerns.
Ricky wrote of how every medical setback led to him and his wife wondering whether their righteousness and repentance were enough. The questioning was leading the parents into a dangerous quandary of wondering whether to blame themselves or God for their child’s struggles.
Then the Lord turned their hearts back to the truth of the gospel. We will never be right with God by depending on what we do, but by trusting in what Jesus has done for us. When we trust in the sufficiency of his work on our behalf, then we need not doubt him or blame one another for the troubles of a fallen world.
We trust the Good Shepherd to carry us through dark valleys of this world because he has proven his care, giving us access to it by his cross. Now nothing enters lives hedged about by the grace of Christ except what is eternally best for us and our families.
We don’t trust our goodness to insulate us against all earthly trials, we trust the goodness of Jesus to take us through them to himself.
Prayer: Father, I know we live in a fallen world that you will someday make right. Through the grace unquestionably revealed at the cross, teach me to trust your sovereign love through inevitable trials until Jesus comes or takes me home!
Daily Devotion - December 30, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
I will show my love to the one I called “Not my loved one.” I will say to those called “Not my people,” “You are my people”; and they will say, “You are my God.’ (Hosea 2:23 NIV)
For well-known author Anne Lamott, life was full of sinful pursuits and relational ruins. In so many ways, she was seeking God in all the wrong places. She wrote about her journey toward faith and how she came to understand God’s grace.
When her despair caused her to ask a pastor what it meant to be “saved,” he gave this answer: “It’s like discovering you’re on the shelf of a pawnshop – dusty and forgotten and not feeling very worthy, when Jesus walks in and says, I’ll take her place on the shelf – let her go out in the sun.”
Ann Lamott is still on a journey of faith. Those who know her life acknowledge it has lots of twists and turns. But through that pastor, she started down a new path toward a new life in the sun.
God used her destitution and despair not only to reveal the futility of past paths, but also that he is willing to take those who think of themselves as “Not God’s people,” and make them his.
That’s the same message for us. Jesus took our place in the darkness and dirt of the cross and put us on a new path in his light. So, even if we think of ourselves as “Not God’s loved one,” when we say, “You are my God,” he says, “You are mine.”
Prayer: Lord, thank you for taking me off a dusty shelf and putting me in the sunshine of your grace! I praise you that when I thought I was “Not your loved one,” Jesus took my place so that you now say to me, “You are mine.”
Daily Devotion - December 27, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
You… were taught in him… to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt… and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph. 4:20-24)
Oak tree leaves flapping in the cold winter wind are a sign of their obstinate nature. After other trees have shed their leaves for winter, an oak tree will keep the brown, shriveled leaves of its former life all winter.
Only when the warmth of spring activates latent life in the oak tree do new leaves grow, pushing off the old. New life replaces the old that has hung on.
We spiritually grow in a similar way. As the Holy Spirit stirs new life in us, we respond with new habits of speech and relating to others. The new life is already in us; the ability to grow is already present. But we do not mature if we hang onto features of a past life.
As we use the power of the Spirit to replace old ways of life, new life matures. We grow in grace, thriving in new ways of relating to others by pushing out old habits and patterns.
We never want to conclude that new life is impossible; the Spirit in believers is already sending spiritual power through us. Our responsibility and privilege is to act on the grace already present, cultivating new growth by expressing the new life that pushes out the remnants of what is already dead.
Prayer: Father, you have made me alive in Christ. Help me to live with the new power you have given, pushing out dead remnants of the past with new patterns of speech and life.
Daily Devotion - December 26, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Col. 3:9-10)
What does it mean to be a new creation in Christ? One dimension of this new reality is how the Holy Spirit works inside of us to teach, train, and rewire our minds for growth and maturity.
The supernatural rewiring of the Holy Spirit reminds me of the electric trains I played with as a child. When I wanted the train to go in reverse, I did not push it with my hands. I used a switch that changed the wiring, so the same train that had rounded its track in one direction would now move in a new direction.
In a similar way, the Holy Spirit changes our thoughts and desires. In one sense, we are still the same person with the same body and appearance. But, in another sense, all of those aspects of our being are now moving in a new direction.
Once we were moving away from Jesus; now we are moving toward him with thoughts and desires controlled by the knowledge of One who loved us and gave himself for us. Even when we sin, our betrayal of our Savior convicts our hearts. We long to put off sinful practices, and actually have the power to do so.
What has happened? God has supernaturally rewired our hearts to love and serve him – something impossible prior to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Knowing and experiencing his re-wiring gives us confidence to move in the direction he empowers.
Prayer: Father, thank you for the fact that my old life is past, and I have new life in Jesus Christ. May the new life the Holy Spirit is wiring into my thoughts and desires motivate me to love, serve, and obey you more each day.
Daily Devotion - December 25, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deut. 31:6)
A generation ago, the captivity of some American hostages in Iran had stretched into the Christmas season. Bowing to political pressures, the terrorists allowed the hostages to celebrate Christmas together with TV cameras rolling. That’s when hostage Kathryn Koob, an American embassy worker, softly sang “Away in a Manger.”
The last verse, sung in the terrorists’ presence, was the most poignant: “Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me, I pray.”
The words conveyed the hope and courage that is available to Christians in all generations and circumstances. It is the strength that comes from knowing that our God is always with us.
Jesus came to this earth to be with us despite our sin, and he sent the Holy Spirit to abide with us until he comes again. He will never leave us or forsake us. We can face the greatest of trials or terrors with assurance that nothing separates us from his love.
Circumstance will change, his love will not. Trials will vary, his presence will not. Problems will pass, his purposes will endure. He is near. So, take courage.
Prayer: Lord, you are with me through hardships. With you I can face anything. You will never leave or forsake me! So, give me strength from trusting your constant presence.
Daily Devotion - December 24, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6)
God gave his Son many titles: “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace.” Each reminds us that God provides blessings for us that we cannot provide for ourselves.
He gives counsel beyond our wisdom. He provides might beyond our strength. He offers Fatherly care to orphaned hearts. And, He sends his peace to comfort anxious hearts, relieve burdened souls, and transform troubled lives.
Christ’s titles display the essence of the gospel to reveal the grace of God. His names signal his provision — not for those who think they have their lives all fixed and tidy, but for those who name him as their wisdom, strength, love, and peace.
When we call him by the names his Word supplies, we are confessing he must provide what we cannot. Professing his titles invites his provision: to our cries will come his counsel; to our weakness will come his might; to all who call him, Father, he says, “My child”; and, to our anxiety will come his peace.
Hallelujah! What a Savior for a world of sinners like me!
Prayer: Lord, thank you that when I am confused you give me counsel, when I am weak you give me strength, when my childish resolutions do not last you remain my Everlasting Father, and when I am anxious you give me peace in Christ!
Daily Devotion - December 23, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. (Rom. 4:4-5)
I heard an old tale about a man who died and faced the Angel Gabriel at heaven’s gates. Gabriel told him, “In order to get inside you need 100 points, so tell me all the good things you’ve done.”
Assured of his qualifications, the man excitedly recounted his accomplishments: He never cheated on his wife, he attended church, he supported missionaries, and he helped the needy. “Fantastic,” Gabriel responded. “You have five points!”
Upon hearing this, the man cried aloud in desperation, “What? At this rate, the only way I’ll get into heaven is by the grace of God!”
Then Gabriel welcomed him inside.
The man had discovered that we can’t stand before God because of anything but belief in Him who justifies the ungodly!
Our faith in the grace provided through Christ is our great and sure hope. To all who confess their need of him, the King of Heaven says, “Come in.”
Prayer: Lord, I look forward to the day I’ll be with you in the joys of heaven. Thank you that my qualification is not by anything I have done, but solely through faith in the grace you have provided! I have no hope of heaven but for Jesus. Please help me live the thanksgiving He deserves.
Daily Devotion - December 20, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me... For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:9-10)
Perhaps the first children’s song we learned was Jesus Loves Me. The song teaches us about Jesus and also about ourselves: “Little ones to him belong; they are weak but he is strong.” We may get too old for the song’s tune, but should not mature beyond its truth.
Even the Apostle Paul did not outgrow the confession of his weaknesses. If that seems humiliating, then we have not fully grasped the blessings of Jesus’ love.
Our Savior delights to show himself strong on behalf of those who confess their need of him. When we acknowledge that our sins and our trials are beyond our resources, then we are signaling for our Savior to rescue with his.
Our grownup tendency is to trust our abilities. Childlike faith that trusts Jesus’ love and power, confesses, “Jesus, I need your help.” Then, the same Jesus that loves the little children responds, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Prayer: Father, thank you for promising sufficient grace. Help me rely on my Savior’s strength more than mine by a willingness to boast of my weaknesses that require his rescue.
Daily Devotion - December 19, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
The shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. (Luke 2:15-16)
Many of us grew up singing the Christmas carol “Oh, little town of Bethlehem.” But we may have become so familiar with the lyrics that we’ve neglected to marvel at the message they carry.
At the time of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem had become a town of little importance – fallen from it’s renown as David’s city. In fact, most people avoided it on their way to Jerusalem.
Still, God’s graceful design was to use the dingy town to bring his Son into the world. On that day, Bethlehem shone so brightly that we would sing of her: “The hopes and fears of all the years were met in thee tonight.”
The King of Glory came to a forgotten town, in an oppressed land, to be laid in a cattle trough, by a disgraced mother, of a transient family, and to be announced to the world by lowly shepherds. Where’s the grace in all of that? You know.
God chose the weak and despised things of this world to display his glory, so that when we are forgotten, weak, disregarded, disgraced, displaced, poor, and lowly, we will remember that God does not despise coming to us. So do not fear to come to him.
Prayer: Father, just as you used the flawed features of the insignificant town of Bethlehem to display the glory of Jesus’ grace to persons like me, so also convince me that you can use me – even me – to bring his good news to others.
Daily Devotion - December 18, 2024
It all begins with an idea.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6)
Isaiah writes this passage during a sorrowful and somber time in Israel's history. God’s people had turned their backs on him, and the light of hope seemed all but extinguished.
That would be a sad story for sure — if that were the end. But it’s not! Isaiah prophesied that God had a plan for turning his people back to him! The prophet proclaims, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.” This prophesied Son would be the Savior of the World, offering God’s counsel, might, love, and peace!
At times such a Son may seem distant from us, lost in the sentiment of a Christmas song, or banished from our hearts by serious sin. Whatever the cause of his seeming distance, recognize Isaiah wrote to a people whose sentiments were idolatrous and whose sin was great.
If you think you do not qualify for God’s counsel, might, love, and peace, then think again. If people like these were to receive help from Jesus, then people like you and me can expect it, too.
If we didn’t need his help, then Jesus would not have come. Sin never needs to be the end of God’s story. Let him write Jesus’ ending for you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that my sins need not be the end of your story for me. Help me remember that my Savior came because I needed saving, and turn my heart to seek his counsel, might, love, and peace.
Daily Devotion - December 17, 2024
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matt. 1:23)
Jesus could have remained remote in heaven’s realm, but he didn’t. As an infant in a manger, a child in Nazareth, and a Savior on a cross, he knelt down into the dirt of our earth and our shame to demonstrate a near and holy love. Even his name communicates this love: Immanuel, means God with us.
The announcement of our Savior’s name was not the first affirmation of our God’s presence. When God walked with our first parents in the Garden of Eden, sealed Noah’s family in the ark, spared Abraham’s son with a provision of sacrifice, delivered Israel from Pharaoh and through the Red Sea, dwelt among his people in the Wilderness, rescued them from enemies, spoke through prophets and apostles with his Word for us, and put his Spirit in us – in all these, our God was demonstrating the Immanuel principle: He is with us!
Why is the Immanuel principle displayed so often in Scripture? The answer is that we can face any trial, walk any path, deal with all the pains of a fallen world so long as we know God is with us. He is!
If you know that God is with you, then you can face anything. So, by his Word and Spirit, God is with you every moment of every day, so that you can face everything with him. God is with you!
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you are with me. May the truths of your Word be the witness of your Spirit in my heart, assuring me that you will walk with me through anything. May I fear nothing because in everything my God is near!