Wednesday Morning Devotional

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. – Acts 15:19

Somehow, Americans have made Christianity seem difficult.  I know a lot of people who say they are Christians.  However, if you take a quick look at their social media, or simply have a conversation with them, you find strange beliefs.  Over the years, Christians have been told that they aren’t “real Christians” if they don’t meet some arbitrary condition that validates them as a Christian (man, I want to go off on a string of examples).  You don’t have to scroll very far to find someone who says, “The god that I serve . . .”, “The god of MY Bible says . . .”  or “Renounce your Christianity if you believe . . .”  Then, they will quote some random verse that is supposed to convince me to think and believe exactly like them.  Nothing, and I mean nothing, screams of idolatry more than using God’s Word to justify your position on things that will not matter in eternity.  God made us in His image, now we are stupidly returning the favor and making Him in ours.  

How does one even get to heaven?  Simple . . . Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved! (Acts 16:31). Put your complete trust in Him.  Give Him the rest of your life.  He becomes your Lord and Master!

What do I do after I get saved?  Simple . . . grow in the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Read the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13).  Remain in your faith and never let Him go.  Just as seed grows from the ground and becomes fruitful, we remain in Him and He makes us grow and become fruitful.  

As I grow, what do I do?  Simple . . . tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ (See Matthew 26) and make disciples.  Give without announcing that you gave.  Fast without acting like you’re starving.  Pray without anyone seeing.  These simple truths along with many others are found in Matthew 5 in the Sermon on the Mount.  You have the rest of your earthly life to study the Word and learn the heart of God and His will for your life.  Build your life on the rock . . . not the sand.  

Unfortunately, the god of this world tries to make people believe it is about anything and everything else.  I’ve started to write a string of examples several times in this post, but I’m afraid that I would not be speaking the truth in love.  I know that I would only be making myself feel better by taking shots at all the stupidity being associated with Christianity.  

Lord, I can see my own hypocrisy in all of this.  I am pleading with You to help me get this right.  I want to love, serve, and honor You with all my heart, mind, life, and strength.  I can so quickly get judgmental towards others.  I can so quickly gravitate towards putting others in their place.  Yet, You call me to none of that.  You simply call me to a relationship with Yourself.  Help me and all who read this to keep Christianity simple.  Help me to love those I can’t currently stand.  You’ve been merciful to me my whole life . . . help me show that same mercy to others.  Amen.

If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  – Luke 6:29

This past Tuesday, we saw Les Misérables.  My wife had seen it before, but it was my first time.  The main character, Jean Valjean, is an absolute scoundrel.   He steals bread to feed his sister’s children, which almost everyone can see as justifiable.  When the priest takes him in, however, he commits an act which is not justifiable.  The priest was his saving grace.  He gave Jean Valjean a place to go when he had no place to go.  When the priest wasn’t around, he stole a silver cup.  It was hard to watch him dump on the priest like that and it made me angry.  There the priest was being good to Jean and he just uses him.  Later the cops catch him.  They find the cup and are ready to throw him back in prison.

Here is where the most powerful part of the play happened for me.  The priest finds Jean Valjean again as he is being arrested.  Instead of being angry and telling the cops to throw him under the jail, he has two silver candlesticks in his hands.  He tells the cops that he gave the cup to him, and he forgot to take the candlesticks as well.  When they let him go, the priest tells him to take the precious metal and become an honest man.  It is this extravagant act of mercy that changes Jean Valjean.

I think this is what is supposed to happen to us when we look at the cross.  Jesus told Peter that He could call on legions of angels to defend him from the Roman soldiers if He wanted.  Jesus even prayed to God to be spared from the cup He was about to consume.  When the answer was “no, there is no other way,” we see our Lord and savior endure the scourging and the cross like no other.  The priest in Les Miz gave possessions of great value to someone who nobody thought deserved it . . . Jesus gave His life.  

Later in the story, Jean Valjean gave an exorbitant amount for Cosette, the daughter of a prostitute that nobody wanted.  He passed on the same grace he had received from the priest, and it changed her life as well.  I couldn’t help but think about how Jesus has changed my life through His over-the-top mercy and grace.  How can I not show the same to others.  

Lord, I hate how sometimes I bring You down to my level.  I’m like Peter reluctantly letting down the fishing nets again out of obligation.  I argue with You, I disobey You, and I treat You as less than the Lord of my life.  Then, You bless me like You did Peter.  You allow me to figuratively catch so many fish that my nets begin to break.  It is in those moments that I fall on my knees and call You “Lord” over and over again.  It is in those moments that heaven meets me here on Earth.  In those moments, I want to do for others as You have done for me.  Help us, Lord!  Use us, Your servants, to bring about revival like this world has never seen.  Amen.

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  – Genesis 6:5

I hear it all the time, I even say it, “This world is getting so bad.”  We point to anything and everything to back up the statement.  We talk about the kids, we talk about the parenting, we talk about the lack of respect, we talk about phones, the internet, music, social media, and infinite other sources of blame.  If you talk to a hardcore democrat, they believe with all their heart it is the president’s fault.  If you talk to a hardcore republican, they believe it is a former president’s fault. 

I had to ask the Lord.

The first thing I believe He showed me came by reading Oliver Twist.  I read A Christmas Carol almost every year at Christmastime.  When I finished, I realized I had never read any of Charles Dickens’ other books.  So, I’m about halfway through Oliver Twist.  I’ve got to tell you . . . I’m almost mortified at how Oliver has been treated.  There is a scene where a chimney sweep hopes to obtain Oliver simply because he is so small and will fit in the chimney’s so well.  The people responsible for Oliver were aware of the death rates in that business and were reluctant to let him go, even though they wanted rid of him badly.  The chimney sweep said the business is much better now, that when the fire hits their bare feet that it is highly encouraging and motivating for them to climb on out.  I thought, surely this wouldn’t have been for real.  Unfortunately, this kind of thing was a regular occurrence.  It was the death of a kid named George Brewster that caused laws to be made to protect kids from this back in 1875.  Google that one.

Lastly, I picked up the Bible and started in the beginning like I’ve done for many years.  I didn’t have to read very far.  In chapter six we are told that the hearts of people only thought about evil continuously.  I thought of what this world would be like if I had never experienced the countless conversations I’ve had with people who love God.  I thought about the wonderful times my mind has been laser focused on Him and His presence.  I thought about how my heart overflows with thankfulness from time to time.  Back then, that never happened.  I’ve only been alive for 50 years and have experienced the goodness of God.  Those guys lived 15-20 times that long and never did.  Their hearts were only evil and that evil grew and grew for centuries and centuries.  God decided it was best to wipe them all out.  

It has most definitely been worse.

Lord, I can’t even imagine what I’d be like today if I’d never met You.  My heart would grow harder and harder.  My mind would continually gravitate towards evil.  With the time I have left, help me introduce people to You.  Help me plant the seeds, then You make them grow.  Let those seeds fall on the best soil.  Let them grow until they produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control.  Thank You so much for growing me, changing me, and filling me with the Holy Spirit.  From now on when I think the world is bad, I’ll remember that if You had not intervened in my life, I’d still be lost.  Seek and save that which is lost, Lord.  Amen.  

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. – Matthew 2:9. 

I remember years ago finding out that the wise men didn’t visit the manger.  I was blown away since they were present in many nativities that I had seen.  They showed up at a minimum of several weeks later, but a maximum of two years later. Hence, King Herod had his men kill babies that were “up to two years” old.  I had kind of forgotten about all of this, but I’ve been asked about this a few times this year.  People are just now being blown away by this as I was.   

I also remember learning that the light from the Sun takes 8.5 minutes to reach Earth.  The teacher said that if the Sun were to completely burn out right now, we wouldn’t know it for eight and a half minutes when light would cease for us.  The next closest star is Alpha Centauri.  The light seen from it left about four years and four months ago.  

This makes me wonder about the star placed for the wise men.  How long before they saw it did God place it there?  I know He can do anything He wants.  He can place the star with its light already at its destination, but I like to think that He placed that star years before and watched that light reach its destination at the perfect time.  

How amazing is He?

Here I am 2000 years later . . . and I care.  I had a church ask me to do some fill in preaching for the first couple of months of the new year.  I was asked about how much they should pay.  I simply said, “This church has meant so much to me.  It is the place where I really began to care about God and began to follow His ways.  Do you realize what a miracle it is for anyone to really care enough about this stuff that they allow it to change their lives?  Let me do it for free.”  I don’t think they’re going to let me do it for free, but I’m still amazed at how God knew the spot years ago that I would meet Him for real.  It kind of hit me that the light from that church was revealed to me at just the right time.  

This Christmas, if you have never felt His life-changing presence, start praying for it.  All you really have to do is ask Him for it.  Then, set yourself up to make it likely to happen.  Go to a candlelight service, watch one online, or just sit alone with the Word.  He probably won’t do it through any of them, but He likes your effort and then will blow you away with how He chooses to reveal Himself.

Lord, I’ll never forget praying for Your presence.  I was at this little church where I’ll be preaching a few times next year.  I knew everyone was feeling something special, but I wasn’t.  I prayed that You’d let me in on it.  Something in my spirit had me not put a cassette tape in the deck of my truck for the first time in my life.  I listened to Christian radio instead.  Eventually, You played “The Best Thing” by the Big Tent Revival.  The Holy Spirit touched my heart, and it was the first time I’d ever felt You.  I knew Heaven was for real and what it will feel like when we get there.  You let me feel it again just the other day listening to a church service online.  It is amazing how, in those moments, I could not care less about the things of this world.  There is really no one else like You.  Bless me and keep me this Christmas.  Make Your face to shine upon me and my family.  Be gracious to us all, Lord.  And God bless us everyone.  Amen

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. – Mark 1:35

What does your time with God look like?  I think it is amazing that we have this verse that tells us how Jesus spent time with His Heavenly Father.  Right after that, it says Peter and the guys went looking for Him.  “Everyone is looking for You,” they said.  I bet they were!  He was healing diseases and casting out devils.  Jesus immediately told them that it was time to go elsewhere.  The guys would have to Him to stay, God told Him to go.

Spending time with God brings about so many situations like this.  He has told me often to do the exact opposite of what people would have me do.  It wouldn’t have been bad at all if Jesus had stayed.  The things people would have us do so often are not bad.  For example, I felt God calling me to the alternative school.  Many people thought that was a bad idea.  Granted, after my first year, I thought it was a bad idea.  But God has used those kids to teach me more than I could ever teach them.  I’m so glad He calls us to go to places we might never choose for ourselves.  

Right now, I get up around 5 am.  I read a chapter or two of Andrew Murray’s “The True Vine.”  If I understand it, I read another chapter.  If I don’t, I read that same chapter again.  That is why I say one or two chapters.  I just completed the book of Romans.  I read one chapter a day.  I’m contemplating my next book of the Bible, but I think I’m going to read Romans again.  I then try to memorize scripture.  It took me about two weeks, but I just finished memorizing Psalm 19:7-11.  I will try to do it here:

The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.

The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.

The commandment of the lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

The judgement of the Lord is true, and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.  Sweeter also than the honey, and the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.

I will check for mistakes, but I won’t correct them here if I messed up.  I find it pretty difficult to memorize this stuff and keep it in my head.  But the Lord helps me without a doubt.

After all this, I pray.  I’ve been praying the Lord’s Prayer and stopping after each sentence to talk to Him.  I may write about this next week.

But for now, what does your time with the Lord look like?  I think this is something we should be sharing with each other.

Lord, there is no one like You.  Thank You for growing me, leading me, guiding me, and correcting me.  I know I’ve probably spent more days not praying to You than praying to You, but I do love You and couldn’t be more thankful for You than this moment right here.  Help all those who claim to know You really begin to spend time with You.  Transform us, then use us to transform the World.  Only You can do it.  Amen!

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  – Matthew 5:8

The media loves to report on fallen ministers.  I just saw one this past week where the minister didn’t even do anything wrong, but his son did.  There are many who read these stories and apply the wrongdoing to all ministers.  You will see comments like, “There is another one,” or “Too bad all these so-called preachers are like this.”  If I didn’t want to follow Jesus, God, or the Bible, I too would use things like this as fuel to keep me from feeling that yielding myself to God was necessary before I die.  Jesus said that the pure in heart exist, I’d rather focus on them and try with all my heart to be one of them.

I heard one of the best answers I’ve ever heard on situations like this earlier this year.  Someone asked a preacher, “What do you think of all these ministers in the news with all this junk on their computers, sleeping around, and stealing all this money?”  He merely responded, “Planes that land safely don’t get reported.”  He went on to describe many wonderful things specific pastors and groups of people were doing in the name of Jesus.  We don’t hear of those because those headlines don’t get clicks.  

I want to encourage you (and mostly me) to keep following Jesus.  It seems like time has sped up.  I remember when I was a kid that we would all say that time drags on by.  Even the kids in my classes today say that time is flying by.  I don’t know what the deal is, but it more than likely has to do with social media, games, and never being disconnected from a steady stream of content tailored by algorithms to make you never think about God or eternity.

Lord, help me be one of the planes that land safely.  I don’t need recognition.  There were times in my life where I craved it, but now I simply seek to have a pure heart.  I want to spend eternity with You.  While I’m here, help me live for You and tell as many others about You as I can.  I pray for everyone who reads this today.  Lift them up and let them feel Your presence and realize there is nothing and no one greater than You.  There isn’t even a close second.  Amen.

Changed

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things pass away and all things become new.  – 2 Corinthians 5:17

I remember hearing a preacher say, “If there has been no change, there has been no salvation.”  This statement would not leave me alone.  It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, change avoided me.  I wasted so much time telling God how much better I was going to be and do.  My efforts never lasted more than 72 hours.  

It was during a revival service that I was introduced to being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Somehow, I knew that was exactly what I needed.  I expected to speak in tongues, but all I left with was a hunger to read God’s Word and get to know Him for the first time in my life.   As I read the Bible over the next 15 months, I found that I had avoided a lot of my favorite sins for weeks.  Somehow, I had changed and didn’t even ask for it.  There was no man, preacher, or even myself that could take credit for the changes that had been made in my heart, mind, and life.  God had done the greatest miracle He still does today . . . take a sin loving, world following, God hating heart and transform it.  To this day, I look back in absolute awe and amazement.

Today, it is rarely preached that change is inevitable for a believer in Christ.  Most Americans believe that if any decent thought about God has ever occurred over the course of a person’s life, then they are bound for heaven.  I cannot even begin to describe the fear for a person that I have when they describe their own goodness as the reason they will enter into God’s glory.  I tell them that it is better to simply get to know God through reading His Word than it is to try to be good.  I say this because becoming Christlike is a byproduct of getting to know Him.  

Do you know Him?

Lord, I’m so thankful that You didn’t let me fix myself.  The only effort You allowed me to make was picking up my Bible and reading it diligently.  As I read, You were truly the vine and I was simply a branch.  You began to produce love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness in me.  It is so strange now to think that I can produce any of those on my own.  Bless me and keep me connected to You, Lord.  I could disconnect from the vine and wither so fast.  Please help those who truly think about You to not rely on their own works.  Help them to get plugged into Your word and grow in their relationship with You.  I pray for many that I’m counseling right now . . . help them leave the wide path that leads to destruction, and step on the narrow path that leads to life.  Amen

For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.  – Galatians 1:13

I’ve been doing some research on the foundation of the Methodist Church.  I knew very little of it save the fact that it had a lot to do with John Wesley.  I’m only about 10 hours invested as I write this, but I found a story I hope I never forget.

John Wesley was almost killed twice.  The first was when he was five years old and his house caught on fire.  Everyone was safe outside except for John.  There was no way inside and John was on the second floor unable to get out.  A man stood on another man’s shoulders and saved his life.  John’s mother amped up the spiritual significance of him being snatched from the fire and taught him about God with even more fervor . . . a lesson he never forgot.    

Work conditions were horrid the second time John was almost killed.  He had been kicked out of many churches simply because he preached that every person was a sinner saved by grace.  Church people didn’t like being associated with sinners.  This makes me wonder how accepting modern Methodist churches would be of John Wesley today.  Because he wasn’t allowed in the churches, John would “open-air” preach to any and all would listen.  He especially loved the working class.  

As more and more people got saved under John’s preaching, they were less and less willing to risk their lives for money.  People took on the attitude that God would provide.  This infuriated businessmen who no longer had an abundance of cheap labor willing to work in terrible conditions.  One particular man hired a hitman to kill John Wesley.  When the hitman found John, he had planned to rob him first.  He was angry when he saw that John had very little money.  John simply told him, “My treasure is in heaven.”  The man was even more frustrated at John’s lack of fear while being beaten and threatened with death.  With a calm and confident demeanor, John told his would be assassin that God had a much better life for him to live.  The man found himself unable to murder John Wesley.

Years later, a man dressed very respectably approached John and asked him if he remembered almost being robbed and killed.  When John said yes, the man told him about how God had dealt with his heart and now he was saved and living for the Lord.  Both men enjoyed telling that story throughout their lives.

Lord, put it in our hearts to really live out a life that pleases You.  If we simply could not care less about material possessions and we were perfectly fearless in our walk with You, how many lives would be changed?  I know this is easier said than done, but with You all things are possible.  Help all who read this fall in love with You a little bit more and follow You a little bit closer.  Thank You for men and women in the past who light the way for us in the future.  Amen