Category: Daily Devotions

A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.
Luke 18:18-23

Faith Is Fully Dependent on Jesus

By all appearances, he was a wealthy and successful young man who genuinely wanted to do good things. He seemed to say and do all the right things. In case there was something good he hadn’t done, he asked Jesus for guidance. All in all, he appeared to be a good man who did many good things.

But appearances can be deceiving. He still lacked the one thing that can truly make a person good in God’s sight–a recognition of his sin and trust in Jesus as his Savior.

We can learn much from this young man and his interaction with Jesus. The seeming goodness of our lives is not what makes us a good fit for God’s kingdom. It is only the perfect goodness of Jesus, his complete sacrifice for our sins, and his enduring desire for our salvation that makes us a perfect fit for God’s kingdom.

What must you do to inherit eternal life? Place your trust in what Jesus has done to save you and follow him to the heaven he won for you.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to rest daily in your good and perfect love for me. Amen.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1 John 5:12

Life in Jesus

The doctor walked solemnly into the hospital room. He explained to the anxious family of his unconscious patient, “All medical procedures have been employed and exhausted. There is no life left.”

Doctors offer excellent and compassionate service. But how difficult it must be for them to say helplessly and hopelessly: “There is no life left.” If only someone could grant life! Wouldn’t any doctor or patient and their family give anything and everything for life?

Death proves that there is no life anywhere else in this world of sin. But God sent his own Son to live our life perfectly for us, granting us the eternal robe of his righteousness. Jesus died our death for us on the cross and rose from the dead, triumphant over sin, death, and hell. Only in Jesus is there life, for “he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” In God’s Son, Jesus, there is life with God.

Trusting in Jesus as your Savior, this life is yours, already now, and forever. You have it. Treasure it! Live it! In Christ, you share the grand privilege of encouraging other believers with the life we have in Jesus, and in reaching out to others who do not yet know and have life, eternal life through Jesus.

God bless you this day and forever as you truly live in Jesus!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for winning and giving me life. Help me to live that life and encourage others in that life today and always. Amen.

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
Genesis 32:24-28

Wrestling with God

God doesn’t always give us what we want, at least not right away. Have you noticed this? You pray and pray and pray for something, but there seems to be no answer. Sometimes we become discouraged or angry with God because it appears that he’s not listening. We might even conclude that God doesn’t love us!

To accuse God of not loving us is a sin of the highest order. God is love. He showed that love when he sent his Son to die on a cross as payment for our sins. God’s love for us is greater than any other love we can imagine.

So, why doesn’t God give us what we want when we want it? Sometimes he gives us the opportunity to exercise our faith by being persistent in prayer. Wrestling with God in prayer is a way to demonstrate that we trust he will do what is best for us, in his own time and in his own way.

We won’t wrestle God physically the way Jacob did in this unusual story from the Bible. But we do wrestle with God spiritually in our prayers. Like Jacob, be bold and persistent in asking for God’s blessing. Then, trust that the God of love will answer in whatever way is best for you.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give me the faith to trust you completely. Give me a spirit of persistent prayer that knows you will do whatever is best for me. Amen.

[Jesus said] “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Luke 18:8

Where is your faith?

“I give up.” How long does it take for you to get to that point? You’ve tried it once. You’ve tried it a second time. And then you decide, “I give up.”

There are times when we should simply give up. For instance, if we’re attempting to dunk a basketball through a ten-foot hoop, but we’re only five-foot, two-inches tall—with a vertical leap of four inches—we can try and try and try again, but we’re never going to succeed. We don’t have the necessary gifts.

Other times, it’s a matter of training. Five-year-olds should “give up” driving a car even before they attempt it once! Not only do they not have the necessary gifts, but they also don’t have the necessary training.

Under certain circumstances, it’s appropriate and wise to conclude, “I give up.”

So, is it okay to draw that conclusion about Christian prayer? Is it ever appropriate to say to ourselves and our heavenly Father, “I give up?” Never! And the reason is simple: all things are possible with God. It is impossible to pray for something that God is incapable of giving us. When we place our faith in him, we are trusting the One who has all things under his control, even death itself.

Does that mean that God will always give us what we want? Of course not, because we don’t always want for ourselves what would be best for us. Human parents understand this. Their children might ask to eat ice cream for every meal, but good parents will deny that request—even though they could fulfill it—because they love their children and want what’s best for them.

Our heavenly Father wants what’s best for us. And, above all else, what does he want for us? Eternal life! He wants it so much he sent his own son, Jesus, to earn it for us through his perfect life and innocent death. So he’s not interested in giving us anything that would get in the way of that eternal goal.

So be persistent and patient in prayer. Then trust that God’s answer is always best for you—eternally.

Prayer:
Jesus, help me trust the answers that you give to all my prayers. Amen.

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”
Luke 18:6-8

Patiently Await

We’ve come to expect instant gratification. It’s not that we want it fixed, but we want it fixed now. When we begin to feel aches and pains, we expect the doctor to offer a solution after one visit. When a home appliance malfunctions, we want it repaired that day. And when we order something online, we expect to have the item in hand within a day or two. We want it, and we want it now.

Our world of modern convenience has duped us into becoming impatient, and in many cases, sinfully so. That’s not conducive to developing and enriching the life of Christian prayer because patience and persistence are essential ingredients to having one. If we expect immediate results, we’ll become easily frustrated and give up.

Jesus understands what it takes to have a healthy prayer life better than anyone else could. Not only is he true God who hears and understands the prayers of his people with deep compassion and perfect timing. He is also truly human, who during his days on earth “offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7). Yes, to this day, he continues to pray for us at his Father’s right hand. If Jesus’ prayers don’t get instant results, why should ours? And if he hasn’t given up praying and pleading for us every day. Why would we?

Why? Because we’re impatient! Because we don’t get the immediate results from our prayers that we expect. But Jesus reminds us today: the results are coming; we just need to be patient! “Will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you; he will see that they get justice, and quickly.”

When you find yourself impatient for God to answer your prayers, remember that you are one of God’s chosen ones, washed of your sins in the blood of Jesus and adopted into God’s family. Be patient and persistent in prayer. God hears you. And, in his time, he will answer you.

Prayer:
Jesus, help me to be like you in prayer, patient and persistent. Amen.

[Jesus] said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
Luke 18:2-5

Wearing Out Your Opponent

If you’re going to be victorious in an athletic contest, it helps to have more skill than your opponent. But having superior skill doesn’t necessarily guarantee victory. Other factors play into who wins and who loses.

One strategy that less-skilled players and teams employ in order to beat a superior opponent is to turn the game or match into a test of endurance. They may have better players, but if you can wear them out with your plodding game plan, you might be able to beat them.

That’s the very lesson Jesus is teaching in his parable of the persistent widow. This woman is seeking justice from her local judge. He doesn’t care about her case, but she wears him out with her persistent pleading, with the judge finally exclaiming, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” Persistence pays off.

Anyone who has ever begged their parents to buy them something special, only to have their persistence pay off with the item they so desperately desired, knows of what Jesus speaks. If we nagged and nagged, wearing our parental “opponent” down, we’d receive our reward.

If an uncaring judge could be won over with patient persistence, imagine what will happen when you patiently persist in praying to your loving heavenly Father for your needs. After all, he is the one who was willing to meet your greatest need by sacrificing his own son to save you from your sins. Surely, he will respond in whatever way is best when you persistently pray to him for your needs.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give me the persistence I need in prayer. Amen.

[Jesus] said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’”
Luke 18:2,3

The Necessary Art of Pestering

Children are masters at it, even without much practice; it just comes naturally—whining, begging, pleading, pestering.

Young children have an advantage over adults; without as many earthly cares, they can get away with having one track minds. The child who wants Mom and Dad to buy them something at the store asks and asks and asks again. And why? Because they understand the power of persistence, especially when their parents are in the habit of giving in.

But it has to make God wonder about his own children. Why don’t they utilize the necessary art of pestering him? Why is it that, if they even think to ask their heavenly Father for something, they only ask once or maybe twice and then give up?

Could it be that in their heart of hearts, they think that prayer is powerless? Could it be that in the back of their minds, they’re wondering whether they’re making their request to someone who doesn’t actually exist? Could it be that they’ve convinced themselves that, even if there is a God, he’s a miserly ogre and not a gracious and loving Father?

If God has this impression of you, can you blame him? After all, when was the last time you engaged in such unceasing, persistent prayer that you were actually concerned that your heavenly Father might get fed up with you and respond, “Enough! I’ve heard you already!” Truth be told, it’s more likely for sinners like you and me to go many days without offering up even one sincere, heartfelt prayer, much less pelt the throne of God’s grace with one request after another.

And still, our heavenly Father patiently waits and listens. Because of Jesus’ saving work, our sinful lack of persistent prayer is forgiven. It’s as if we have lived lives of perfectly persistent prayer. And we get a fresh start. Let’s take advantage of it! Live a life of persistent prayer starting today!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, grant me the spiritual persistence and stamina I need to offer you my prayers relentlessly. Amen.

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
Luke 18:1

Always Pray

How much prayer is too much prayer? If Jesus is our measuring stick, then none of us is in danger of praying too much.

Luke tells us in his gospel that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). Luke emphasizes more than any other gospel writer how much time our Savior spent in prayer. He’s the one, for instance, who describes most powerfully the intensity of Jesus’ prayers to his heavenly Father on the night before he died. We’re told how “being in anguish, [Jesus] prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Simply put, Jesus prayed frequently and with great earnestness.

Luke also tells us that once, when “Jesus was praying in a certain place,” one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). It wasn’t as if Jesus’ disciples didn’t know how to pray. They certainly understood the process. They had undoubtedly grown up in mostly faithful Jewish families and had learned from their fathers and mothers how to pray. Like Jesus, it was their custom to go to the synagogue on the weekly Sabbath, so they could hear the Word of God and practice fellowship of prayer with their fellow Jews.

So, if they knew how to pray, what were they asking Jesus to teach them? They wanted to know how to pray like their Savior! When they compared their lives of prayer to the Savior’s, they instantly recognized that theirs paled in comparison. Clearly, Jesus knew and understood something about prayer that they did not. They wanted to taste his secret sauce for prayer.

And when Jesus did teach them and us about prayer, what point did he emphasize more than any other? Persistence! Don’t give up so easily or quickly when you don’t receive the immediate answer you want. A life of persistent, unanswered prayers is its own benefit and blessing!

How often should we pray? Jesus’ answer is both simple and profound. He urges us to pray always!

Prayer:
Jesus, grant me a rich measure of faith through your Spirit and lead me to pray continually for every good thing from you. Amen.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
1 John 5:13-15

Confidence

“Are you sure?” Satan still asks, as he tries to rob you of your confidence.

John, disciple of Jesus, points out two things that will deepen your confidence.

First is the sure knowledge that eternal life is yours. You have this confidence because “you believe in the name of the Son of God.” His given name is Jesus, which means “savior, rescuer.” A worthwhile study would be to search out as many of the Bible’s titles and descriptive names for Jesus, you could find. His “name” includes all that he has done for you. It is a revealed fact, then, that God’s Son came into the world as true man and accomplished his mission perfectly. The payment of his life, death, and resurrection for the sins of the world was accepted by the Father as payment in full. Trusting in Jesus and everything his names tell you about him, you may know that you have the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

Next, the wise old apostle teaches you about a second key to confidence. It regards your prayers to God: “If we ask anything according to his will.” God’s will is what God wants. The Bible reveals what God wants us to believe and do as far as we need to know it. And for the things only God knows, Jesus teaches us to trust as he trusted, saying, “Not my will, but yours be done.” Since we are praying for God’s good will to be done, “We know that we have what we asked of him,” whether his answer be “yes,” “no,” or “wait patiently.”

That’s God-given confidence.

Prayer:
Lord, keep me sure. Amen.

As [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Luke 17:12,13

The Amazing Love of God

In Jesus’ day, leprosy was a horrible illness and was incurable. If you caught leprosy, you had to move away from society and live with other lepers. That’s why in our verses today, we meet a group of ten men who were together because they had leprosy. When they realized that Jesus was close by, they pleaded for him to have pity on them.

Unfortunately, this account has kind of a sour ending. To summarize, Jesus healed all ten of them, but only one of them returned to say thank you.

Did Jesus know that would happen? Sure, he did because he knows all things.

Most amazingly, he had pity on them anyway! Most graciously, he healed all of them!

In the same way, our gracious God continues to deal with you and me today. Yes, he knows we’ll fail to appreciate his mercy and often fail to thank him for his blessings.

Yet he continues to deal with us in mercy and with blessing. What a forgiving, loving God!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, forgive me for the countless times I’ve failed to thank you for your mercy, failed to appreciate your blessings. Remind me of your love, that I might be emboldened to live with joy and confidence and might return often to thank you for your mercy. Amen.