Wednesday Morning Devotional

Finding Favor

Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. — Daniel 1:9

Daniel had been forcefully removed from his family and more than likely saw his family killed by the Babylonians.

Where was God?

In just about every conversation I’ve had with a person who says they do not believe in God, it all comes down to this predicament: Evil exists, therefore, there cannot be a God . . . Any god worth his salt simply wouldn’t allow bad stuff to happen, especially bad stuff to them. Honestly, when bad stuff happens to me, I tend to have the reflex reaction of wondering where God is.

In Daniel chapter 1, God certainly could have kept Daniel’s family together. For that matter, He could have kept Daniel’s entire country together. Instead, after refusing to obey despite repeated warnings, Babylon took over Israel. It was complete defeat. The best of everything they had was plundered while the rest was completely and utterly destroyed.

Once again, Where was God?

Verse 9 tells us that God was giving the chief of staff respect and affection for Daniel. You see, we don’t realize just how big of a deal this was. If any other ungrateful exile had complained about the king’s food and drink, they would have been executed on the spot. Even the chief of staff was afraid of stepping the least bit out of line because he knew that it didn’t take much for the king to remove a head. It was clear that Daniel valued and loved God more than he loved and valued his own life.

I have to ask myself, do I?

Do you?

The truth is that this year has brought a lot of trials. At times, I feel like the weight of the world is on me. Repeatedly, I “come unto Him” and He gives me rest. Then, somehow, I pick every single one of those burdens right back up as my day progresses. Could God just magically keep me stress free? Of course He could. However, if He did that I wouldn’t get to see Him unmistakably work on my behalf. I would do like I always do and take my ease for granted which would turn into me taking Him and His provision for granted. Daniel went on to see great and mighty things. He saw God protect from fire. He saw God close the mouths of lions in the lion’s den. He easily read and interpreted writing from the mighty hand of God Himself.

I believe He is preparing me for the same, or at least similar. If I can just figure out how to take my eyes off of my circumstances and focus on Him, He will do for me what He did for Daniel. If I choose to live for Him and refuse to defile myself with the things of this world, I will find favor with the right people. Best of all . . .

I will see His mighty hand do great and mighty things in my life as well as the lives of others.

Later

Adam

Here I am

But Moses said “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” — Exodus 4:13

I have had a rough couple of weeks. I have been on a bit of a roller coaster ride as far as my job (teaching job) has been concerned. I’m finding out the hard way that being a pastor is a lot tougher than it looks. On top of all that, I feel like 40 is forgetting that I still get to do 39 here in a month or so.

I just finished a sermon series on fighting temptation. You can check out the series at http://www.lifelinecc.com if you like. The last part of that series dealt with the sin of giving up. Satan told Jesus that he would just give him all the kingdoms of the world if He would just bow down and worship him. While listening and critiquing my own sermon, I realized what a temptation this has become in my own life. I am being bombarded with thoughts of giving up . . . not necessarily on God, just on the fight. Let me explain.

Satan offered Jesus victory without a fight. No cross, no self-denial, just ease. I believe the majority of today’s Christians have bought in to the lie that we can have the world as well as the promise of Heaven. It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian in everyday living. I see Christian teachers that NEVER leave their seat. I see Christian workers do as little as possible at work. Christian students seem to have no interest in setting a new standard for excellence in the classroom. Basically, Christians make no effort to pursue excellence and separate themselves from worldly people. Christians, especially in the U.S., want maximum reward for minimum effort, just like everyone else. There are many Christians who NEVER talk about their faith with other people. They believe they are simply “good to go”, therefore let’s just kick back, enjoy church, and wait on the rapture. In the meantime, Muslims militantly prepare and arm the next generation to carry on their faith. Many Christians have succumbed to the last temptation.

My greatest temptation right now is to just quit fighting. I mean, why should I keep trying to win students who really don’t want to be there and really couldn’t care less? How many times do I have to endure a lazy kid’s mama blasting me and threatening to “have my job” if I don’t just basically give him or her a good grade? How dare I teach responsibility! Is it really a fight worth fighting?

I think it is.

Even as much as I love teaching and preaching the Word of God, it is a fight. Why should I keep on studying? Why should I keep on asking God for fresh revelation and fresh insight? I mean, does the world really need another preacher? Does the world really need another WMD?

I think it does.

My life was changed over the course of time through solid preachers who taught the Word of God and lived the very life it teaches. When I saw them live a Godly life and saw the results of living this way, I wanted to live it myself. Their lives were proof that it could be done. There was something in them that nobody else had that I wanted. Occasionally, people will tell me that they are growing in the Lord because He is speaking through WMD or through the teachings at Lifeline Community Church. No wonder the devil simply wants me to stop. No wonder he wants me to say “Hey, I’m saved, why not just enjoy hanging out with other church people and wait to go to Heaven.” This would render me ineffective, exactly what the enemy wants.

Where are you? Are you fighting? Are you winning? Do you have a burning desire to win the lost? Do you have a desire to work like you are working for Him no matter what it is that you do?

As I write this, my appetite for Him increases. I realize that I have missed Him.

I love Him.

Don’t people fight for those they love?

If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. — Mark 13:36

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” — Isaiah 6:8

Later

Adam

Is it My Turn Now?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28

So I walk into Hardees to buy some chicken for my two young ones. When I get there, there’s already a dude standing in line. He’s standing pretty far to the left of the registers so I figure he is already waiting for his food. Well, the cashier walks over to me and asks me for my order. I order, then go sit down and wait. I hear the cashier ask the dude in front of me what he would like. That’s when I hear very loudly (so I could hear) “Oh, is it my turn now?” One disgusted glance later, I realize what had happened. This guy was in line. He was patiently waiting his turn. He got passed by.

I sat there and thought for a bit about my life. How many times have I felt like God wasn’t being fair to me? How many times have I felt like He was putting someone less deserving before me? “I’m the next in line, God!” Yes, I have felt like God was that particular cashier many times.

I guess it all started in college. I hated watching others leave high school and get a decent paying job. It seemed that they could go buy all kinds of cool stuff and there I was sitting in a college classroom. It honestly felt like I was being ripped off at the time. I probably didn’t complain too much about this because at least I could see the light at the end of that tunnel. Then, I started watching my friends in our early twenties get married, yet I didn’t even have a serious girlfriend. I tried to act cool about it, but I was really thinking “when will it be my turn?” I never gave God a disgusted glance, but He knew that I owned a heart that didn’t fully trust Him.

Then, came the biggie. When Tonya and I decided it was time to have children, I found out making healthy babies wasn’t nearly as easy as I thought it would be. When Tonya first got pregnant, I thought it was finally “my turn.” One miscarriage later, I gave God that disgusted glance, but I let it slide (I’m sure He was intimidated) The next pregnancy came pretty quickly. I felt once again like it was finally my turn. Another miscarriage later, my attitude toward God went sour. I watched teenagers become pregnant left and right, saw my friends with their children, and honestly felt like the guy standing in line in front of me at Hardees. The only difference was, I had to keep watching people get “served” behind me. All this made me pretty angry at the God who at the time was “The Big Cashier in the sky.” He was there to serve me and was doing a terrible job.

It is amazing how two little babies that never made it here can teach a man probably the greatest lesson he has ever learned in this life. I know now why He allowed others to pass me in line. He knew that all of this would finally drive me to a place of true intimacy with Him. I would finally realize that God doesn’t owe me anything. He is not a genie in the sky waiting for me to rub him correctly so he can grant my wishes. He alone is the prize. These difficult times drove me to Him. I talked to Him, wrote songs to Him, wrote letters to Him, and read His Word more than any other point in my life. I am still amazed that the God of the Universe wants that with each and every person who has become His child through receiving His Son, Jesus Christ.

So, one more journey down memory lane later, my food was ready. I went up to get it, handed the cashier some cash, and asked her to give it to the guy who was in front of me when she brought him his food.

Did he deserve it? No.

Then again, neither did I.

Later

Adam

Mother’s Day

Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him. –Exodus 2:9

I think one of the coolest things in the Bible is the fact that the real mother of Moses got paid to do the “dirty” part of being his mom. Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses in the little ark his mother had made, saw that he was crying, had compassion on him, and adopted him. She then proceeded to “hire” Moses’ mother to nurse him. Moses had two mothers. One mother set him up for destruction. The other set him up for success. Let’s see how!

I don’t really want to bad mouth Moses’ Egyptian mother, after all, she did save his life. Just understand that the culture that she lived in was much like ours in America right now. They had the Israelites working as slaves and did NO work! I’m sure every Egyptian that grew up in that society felt entitled to everything. They basically got to live off of the fruits of someone else’s labor and live their whole lives in “retirement.” Because of this, I just want you to understand that Pharaoh’s daughter loved Moses in the best way she knew how. There’s no way she could have loved him sacrificially because she had never seen sacrificial love. She simply did all the “fun” stuff with Moses. She had the money to take him places, buy him anything he wanted or needed, and basically spoil him. Unfortunately for her, she “hired” out what would be considered “the hard stuff.”

Now, Moses’ Israelite mother, Jochebed, had a different relationship with him. She was a slave, so she couldn’t do the “fun” stuff. She got to nurse him, change his dirty diapers, bathe him, and probably rock him to sleep at night when Pharaoh‘s daughter was too tired and didn‘t feel like messing with him. Jochebed loved Moses in a different and opposite extreme way, she met all of his needs, and genuinely cared for him.

Isn’t this a crazy picture of mothers in today’s society…especially in America? We have so many mothers, especially young ones, who have babies and want to be like the Egyptian mother. They want to take it to school and show off how cute he or she is. They want to push the stroller on the nice weather days. They want to make the baby laugh and have a good time with him or her when it is convenient. However, when it comes Friday and Saturday night and it is time to party and do the things they did to get pregnant in the first place, they want someone else to be taking care of the baby. They want someone else to change the “poopie” diapers and clean the spit-up. They want someone else to stay up all night when the baby is whiny from a 102 temperature. This is precisely why we have an overwhelming percentage of our grandparents becoming parents. When the grandparents should be getting to have all the fun and spoil their grandchildren, they are having to be the primary caregiver because of their irresponsible children who have no education, no job, and are entitled to everything. Okay, so I’m sorry for the soap box…well, not really.

Jochebed only had a few years with her son. She only had a few years to put the eternal God in his heart and mind. I imagine that every time she rocked him to sleep she sang praises to God. She sang catchy melodies to plant the Almighty God in Him. She constantly uplifted the name of the Lord in front of him. And you know what? It worked! Moses always knew about God and when he was older he followed that God and became the author of the first 5 books of the Old Testament. Why? Because of his mother, who got paid to do the hard parts of being a mother. How cool is it that God made the Egyptians finance their own destruction?

When I think about my own mom, she was the complete package. I can remember lots of fun times. I can also remember times when she disciplined my lazy, sorry butt. I can remember having things given to me, and I can remember things being taken away. But, looking back, I can remember that every single Sunday, she had me in church. I remember going to this FCA camp as a teenager and receiving a Bible. Even though I didn’t care anything about it then, my mom loved that Bible. I saw her read it a LOT! It is still her favorite Bible until this day. I can honestly say that it is because of her that my dad and I eventually learned how to follow the Lord. It is because of her that my dad and I will spend eternity in Heaven with her…I love you Mama!

The only advice that I know to give to mothers who might be reading this right now is this: Love God and serve Him with everything you are. Make sure that the Lord is first place in your life and that you are naturally singing praise songs and old hymns around the house. Make sure you have the joy of the Lord in your heart. Make sure that you are praying out loud to Him. Make sure that you are reading His Words and putting them into practice. Make sure that going to church isn’t optional…it’s just what you do every week. I promise…your children are picking up more than you could ever imagine.

The only thing you can give your children that has eternal value…is Him.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Adam

The Prize

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 3:14

When you read this, I will be finishing my 4^th month of being a pastor. Ten years ago, there is no way that I would have ever believed that I would have been the pastor of a church. It isn’t easy trying to manage a family, a teaching job, and the job of being a pastor, but then again, it isn’t easy doing any one of those things. In these 4 months, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of Bible teacher that I want to be.

In my past church experiences, especially as a teenager, I don’t recall ever hearing that God Himself is the prize. I do remember hearing that saying a “sinner’s prayer” would allow me to avoid Hell and go to Heaven. Back then, that was the prize I chose. I thought the Christian life was about Hell avoidance. When I did wrong, I simply said “forgive me, Lord” and treated God like He was obligated to forgive me regardless of my willingness to repeat my sinful behavior again and again.

Years later, I would begin to follow the rules. I found out that following God’s rules produced short term suffering, but long-term reward. In fact, one of the first reasons that I ever tithed is not because I loved God, but because I bought in to a few preachers who taught that my tithe was a “seed.” I looked at it as putting money in the ground simply to grow more money. The thing is, it worked. Tithing forced me look at my overall budget and set financial boundaries. It helped me cut back on the majority of my senseless buying that always ramped up my credit card bill. I have more money now as a result of tithing than I did when I kept it all for myself. For a season, that was the prize I chose.

I say all that to say this: I want to be a preacher that teaches plain and simply that God is the prize. Even though it took me a couple of decades to figure out, there is nothing like having His Presence in and on my life. When I get up early in the mornings, it isn’t simply to read my Bible or pray, it is to set my mind on Him, to be with Him. He is there! Isn’t that amazing in and of itself? God is teaching me the very thing that I hope I can teach others, that He is the prize. He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5) So why didn’t I get excited about that? I got excited about avoiding Hell. I got excited about giving up money to make more money, but I read right over Hebrews 13:5 and Philippians 3:14. I have heard many sermons on Hell avoidance. I have heard many sermons on giving money. I have heard very few on God Himself being the prize. That is what I want to preach for the rest of my life. The World needs to know that there is nothing like experiencing God. He is always there.

Find some time to just be with Him today.

He is the prize.

Later

Adam

The Consequences of Sexual Sin

II Samuel 11

David messed up. He messed up pretty bad. The “man after God’s own heart” somehow became an adulterous murderer! If it can happen to him, it can happen to you, and it can happen to me. Today, you don’t have to look very hard to see that adultery is happening all around us! Turn on the news and someone is making headlines because they had sex with someone other than their spouse.

Fortunately, for those who’d like to avoid this trap, we have King David’s story documented and we can learn from his mistakes. So, let‘s dive in and see what can we learn from David.

In the very first verse of the 11th chapter, we see that David was somewhere he should not have been in the first place. He was in the wrong place. It was Spring time and kings go out to war. David was a king. He should have been fighting. Instead, he was just taking it easy, chillin‘ and bored. Are you fighting? Meaning, do you pray, read the word, and regularly ask God to keep evil from you or lead you not into temptation? Or, are you just bored? Isn’t it amazing what boredom does to a person? Where does boredom lead you when you are on the computer late at night? David’s boredom in verse 2 led him to his rooftop. This was the 1000 BC version of surfing the internet. He clicked on some porn sites and found one he really liked…Bathsheba.com.

Listen, according to one site I found, 90% of 13 to 14 year old boys ADMIT they struggle with addiction to pornography. Another site said that over 13 billion dollars was spent on pornography in the United States alone. That is close to $400 per second! Like it or not, this is a problem! Why is it a problem? Why is it a big deal? Well, It kills marriages, and it destroys our children! How? Glad you asked!

David had at least eight wives. He had several more that were not named. You know what looking at porn did for him? Well, after that experience, none of the wives he had “measured up.” These were wives of the King! I guarantee you they were all very beautiful. But Bathsheba’s image was burned into his mind and he couldn’t get it out of his head. Think about it: can you remember any of the pornographic images you’ve encountered? When you start comparing those images to your spouse, you begin to feel like you are “missing out” on something. You start feeling like you made the wrong decision to marry because you aren‘t “happy.” You fall into that devastating trap called sin.

If you are a teenager, you are preparing for your marriage right now. You are to prepare for your future spouse the same way you want your future spouse to prepare for you! Keep unclean things from your eyes that you may only have eyes for the one you choose to spend the rest of your life with! You may brag now to your friends about how many times you’ve had sex, but you won’t be so proud of it on your wedding night. Plus, something tells me you won‘t be bragging about all those experiences to your new spouse! God’s rule against committing adultery is in place to protect you, not to keep you from having “fun.” It’s to provide you with time to work on the things that will actually make a solid marriage: Education, patience, integrity, trust, honor, dignity, and promably the most important one, self control. Basically, you learn to do all the stuff that everyone else seems to roll their eyes and wink at today! Let me tell you, these are all qualities that God honors whether you are a Christian or not.

Sin has consequences! Perhaps the harshest consequence to David’s sin was “the child born to you will die!” Let me tell you, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten so mad at God from reading the Bible as when I first read II Samuel 12:14, I made sure He knew that I thought that was the most unfair thing I’ve ever seen. (I’m sure I intimidated Him)

Yet, the same thing happens every single day. Marriages are ripped apart because of sexual immorality and it’s the kids who suffer. I’ve asked many kids many times “what is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?” So many say “when my mom and dad divorced .”
Likewise, here is something else that happens every single day. A teenager gets pregnant.
Most of the children that actually make it to being born in this situation grow up without being raised by both of their parents. These children never know what it’s like to grow up with a mom and dad that love each other. Kids want nothing more than to be loved by their parents. If they are not, they find some pretty cheap substitutes for that love. In many cases, the daughter will become pregnant, then the baby gets aborted. Read verse 14 one more time from this perspective . . . “Because by doing this, the child born to you, will die”

As hard as this may be to believe, we should all be glad that the innocent get punished in place of the guilty. Not glad that it happens every day, but glad that it happened on the cross at Calvary two thousand years ago. That injustice is the only reason anyone even has a chance to be reconciled to Him and spend eternity with Him! Let me explain.

Romans 3:23 says “all have sinned.” Telling lies, taking things that don’t belong to you, gossiping, pre-marital sex, drunkenness, pornography, abortion, it does not matter which ones you and I struggle with, it’s all sin, and we’ve all sinned!

Romans 6:23 says the “wages of sin is death.” This is physical death and spiritual death in a real place called Hell. I know, I can hear it now, ”well, I don’t believe God would send anybody there.” All I can say is that I wish you were right. But first, ask the rich dude in Luke 16:23 if anyone gets sent there.

Disobedience to God is serious! Sin is serious! How serious? So serious that someone or something has to die as a result!!

Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated His love for is in the fact that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9 says “if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Thank GOD He made a way! No matter what your sins are, forgiveness and reconciliation are all found in the same person, His name is Jesus!

John 14:6 says “I am the way, the truth and the life, nobody comes to the Father except through me.” Not only did He make a way, He made the way, the only way!

I sinned, and that baby boy born in a manger had to die.

Jesus, I am so sorry for the way I chose to reject you and live a life in opposition to your will. May I never live my life in a way that hurts you again.

Later
Adam

Zombie

and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. — Matthew 27:52

When Jesus died on the cross, tombs literally broke open. There were people who had been dead that came back to life. I remember the first time I read this in the Bible. I was absolutely astounded.

Today, I realize that I was a walking dead person before I gave my life to Christ. Here is the definition of a zombie: the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose. So, yes, I appeared to have the semblance of life because I was breathing. I may have had breath, but I was mute. I could not speak of the things of God because I did not know God. I was will-less because I had not offered my body up as a living sacrifice. Remember Romans 12?

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. — Romans 12:1-2

So it was, kneeling by my bedside as a 22 year old, I laid my life down as a living sacrifice. I told God I would no longer conform to the pattern of this world. I let Him know that I would constantly renew my mind by reading His Word and filling my head with solid Biblical teaching and solid Biblical music. I might have said the prayer of salvation as a 16 year old, but I chose not to lay down my life. For that little span of 5-6 years I chose to give God my sin, but not my life. I would live my life driven by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose. In other words, I would do what I wanted to do, “ask for forgiveness” when convicted about it, and think I was right with God. Then, I would repeat the cycle over and over again. I would remain will-less, especially of His will.

As it stands now, I am so thankful that Jesus gave His life for me. Even though it was a long process, I am even more thankful that I was brought to a place where I would truly give my life to Him. At the time, I did not like it. Satan had me convinced that a true, Godly life was a rip-off. Somehow, only with massive amounts of help from Him, I chose to believe God’s Word instead of my wishy-washy feelings.

As time went on, this tomb broke open. I picture it as a seed being in the ground for a while. Soon, that seed had to burst open and produce some green . . . New life! The body of Adam Hopkins was raised from death to life.

Has yours?

Happy Easter

Adam

Drop the Rock

“The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” — John 8:5

I am so glad social media didn’t exist when I was younger. I have done some stupid stuff. Stuff I know some people would have whipped out their camera and posted for the world to see. I have hurt people with my actions all in the name of being “funny.” It might have seemed funny at the time, but looking back now, it was just hurtful. Not only was it mean, but back then, I would have defended my actions. I would have told you they were “no big deal,” or said “mind your own business.”

Well, fast forward a couple of decades and here I am typing this WMD for many to read. I rarely watch the news, but when I do, it is mostly people who have done stupid stuff . . . Some stuff, of course, is more stupid than the other stuff. Some stuff can’t be undone. In fact, nothing you or I have ever done can ever be undone . . . But it can be forgiven.

In John chapter 8, there was a woman caught in the act of adultery. I still don’t know how she committed adultery all by herself, but apparently that was the case. It is almost astounding to think today how having sex with someone who was not your husband two thousand years ago was such a big deal. Could you imagine someone dragging a girl today “caught in the act” being drug out in the open with the accuser shouting “this woman was caught in the act!”? Absolutely nobody would care. In fact, it would probably be the person who dragged the woman out in public that would be beaten up for embarrassing her. Times sure do change.

When someone clearly does wrong, let’s say they are “caught in the act,” what is your reaction? In my observation, most people are rock launchers. They jump at the chance to throw some rocks at people’s skull and get some “payback.” They love to “give them what they have coming to them,” or “give them what they deserve.” Every time I see the vultures swarm around the offender, I hear Bon Scott sing “If you want blood . . . You got it!” It’s just one of those songs that won’t go away.

Now, if you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, you get to react however you want. Well, as long as your reaction is legal (I’m assuming nobody wants to go to jail). You may act in mercy, and you may act in vengeance. However, if you call yourself a Christian, you must choose mercy. The simple definition of mercy is “not getting what you absolutely deserve.” I know what I have done in my past. I have done stuff that I would just die of embarrassment if I knew that you knew. Fortunately, at the foot of the cross, I met Jesus. He convicted me of my sins, forgave me for my sins, and taught me how to never do them again. He gave me a new heart that wanted to do what was right and didn’t gravitate toward doing wrong. He chose to be merciful to me. He certainly didn’t give me what I know I still deserve.

How could I not show others the same mercy that was shown to me? Jesus gave us the ultimate example of how to be in the story. Check out verse 7:

They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

Who in the world am I to ever throw a rock at anyone?

Who are you?

Drop the rock!

When I stand before the King of Kings, I want mercy. I need mercy. The only way to get it according to His Word, is to give it.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” — Matthew 5:7

Later

Adam