Author: Kerry

As for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:14,15

An Unchanging Life-Changing Message

As parents, we were encouraged to read to our children from a young age. It would help to spark their imagination and grow their reading and language skills. I spent hours reading to my oldest children when they were younger.

Eventually, our older children did more of the reading with their younger siblings until they could read on their own. But there is one thing I still read and teach to my children almost every single day. And that’s the message of the Bible. It’s the same message my parents taught me when I was young. It’s the same message I pray my children will teach their children.

That message doesn’t change. The Bible uncovers the truth about a God whose standards of right and wrong don’t change, whose promise to punish disobedience doesn’t change. But the Bible also uncovers the truth of a God whose Son was born as a human being to be punished in our place, who frees us from guilt for his sake and makes us worthy of life in heaven.

That unchanging message changes our lives. It leads us to see and know God as a God of mercy, forgiveness, and unconditional love. It leads us to trust God as the source of true hope and peace for this life and the life to come after we die. As we trust the Bible’s message, we receive its benefits—rescue from guilt and punishment, a place in God’s family, and an eternal home with him.

Every time we hear that unchanging, life-changing message, God is carrying out his eternal agenda for us. He is strengthening our faith to believe what he has done for us so that we continue in that faith as long as we live. And every time we share it—with our children or with others—God is carrying out the same saving agenda in their lives.

Prayer:
God, thank you for changing my life with your unchanging message. Help me to continue in what I have heard and believed. Amen.

Preach the word . . . with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:2,3

The Truth Must Be Told

Imagine that you are given a new job but are told that you will fail. A prophet in the Bible named Ezekiel had a job like that. God said, “Speak this message, but the people won’t listen.” Other prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah didn’t fare much better.

In today’s Bible verse, a pastor named Paul was giving instruction and encouragement to a young pastor named Timothy. But it doesn’t sound entirely encouraging: People won’t want to listen to you. They’ll go to others who tell them what they want to hear.

Paul wanted Timothy to know the agenda God had for him. It wasn’t to tell people what they wanted to hear. It wasn’t to compromise the teachings of the Bible. How much easier his job would have been if that’s what God told him to do. But too much was at stake for that!

What people want to hear is that they are good people and are able to correct whatever might be wrong with their lives. No one wants to hear that they deserve punishment, certainly not the punishment of hell. But that is the truth about every one of us.

Why is it so important that we hear that? Because, if we don’t know how serious our situation is, we won’t realize how much we need what God has so generously provided for us in Jesus.

Jesus is the Savior of the world. The world’s biggest problem is sin that leads to death. Its only solution is Jesus. Jesus paid the full price necessary—his own innocent life and death—to remove our sins and guilt forever. God wants us to patiently and lovingly teach the whole truth of his Word so that people everywhere hear that awesome truth of Jesus loud and clear.

Prayer:
Gracious God, thank you for uncovering the truth about my sin and my Savior. When I speak your truth to others, help me do it with patience and love, but without compromise. Amen.

The LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth.”
Jeremiah 1:9

From God’s Lips to Ours

Seven-year-old Charlie was playing in the yard when he heard his dad call his name. Charlie slowly walked into the garage, where his dad was working. His dad said, “I want you to go in and tell your sister it is time for the two of you to clean up the toy room. Grandma and Grandpa are coming for dinner later, and we want the house to look nice.”

Charlie knew his sister wouldn’t be happy to hear that message, and he wasn’t either. So, instead of relaying the message, he told her, “Dad says we each need to pick up one toy in the toy room, and then we can have a cookie.”

Charlie’s dad was not happy when he walked in later to find cookie crumbs on top of the mess on the toy room floor.

God wanted a man named Jeremiah to give the people a message. He told him to warn the people about God’s judgment for their disobedience. They wouldn’t want to hear God’s message, but God uncovered a clear agenda for Jeremiah: Take my message and speak it to the people. Unlike Charlie, Jeremiah faithfully did what he was told to do, even though he would be persecuted and suffer for what he said.

God wants everyone to know and believe what he says. Many don’t want to hear what God has to say. But God’s agenda for us is clear: Take the message you hear and read in the Bible and speak it to others. Don’t hide it. Don’t change it. Don’t put your own spin on it. Speak the message I give you.

God’s message isn’t always popular with us, and it won’t always be popular with others. It reveals our disobedience and how we deserve God’s judgment. But then it uncovers the truth of God’s love for us in Jesus: Jesus came to die for us, to forgive our fears, and clean up the messes we make in our lives. Jesus doesn’t want anyone to die without knowing and believing that awesome saving message. God gives us the strength to speak his Word faithfully.

Prayer:
God, you’ve given me your Word. Help me to speak it without changing anything. Amen.

[Jesus] said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”
Luke 4:43

A Universal Agenda Uncovered

We live in an increasingly global culture. Many cities and nations are far more diverse than ever before. We can see and hear and experience people and places from around the world on our TVs, computers, or the smartphone in our pocket.

As we experience other cultures, we may adopt certain things for our own. At the same time, there seems to be a greater interest in recognizing, celebrating, and promoting the diversity that exists in our world. We are encouraged to hold on to what makes our own culture unique and different from others.

The people in Capernaum recognized that they had something special. Jesus was preaching, teaching, and doing miracles in their city. They were enthralled and excited and didn’t want Jesus to leave. They wanted to keep him for themselves.

Many in our world today tell us that if we believe in Jesus, we should keep him to ourselves. Faith and religion are matters of personal preference and opinion, they say. And there’s no such thing as a God who is for all people.

But Jesus uncovered his agenda there in Capernaum. He had a message of love and life, hope and peace and forgiveness to proclaim, and it wasn’t just for the people in that city. He said he must proclaim it in other towns. He would later tell his followers to go into all the world and preach the good news.

Jesus came to be the Savior, not just for a few, but for all. Not just for the people of Capernaum but for the citizens of every city on earth. That’s good news because it means that you don’t have to wonder whether Jesus came for you. Jesus came for all. That means he came to be your Lord and Savior, your deliverer, your God. He came to forgive your mistakes and failures. He came to give you eternal life with him.

And now he gives us an agenda—to share the good news of the Savior with others.

Prayer:
Praise and thanks to you, Jesus, because you uncovered your agenda of being the Savior of all people—and my Savior. Help me share that good news with others. Amen.

They tried to keep him from leaving them. But [Jesus] said, “I must proclaim the good news.”
Luke 4:43

An Eternal Agenda Uncovered

Jesus had it all. The people were coming from everywhere to see him. He was a charismatic and engaging speaker. And he could do amazing things. Demons and diseases answered to his demands. Injuries, illnesses, and ailments listened when he spoke. And word began to spread about him.

The lines of people waiting to see him grew longer. The time he spent helping and healing stretched from sunrise to sunset—sometimes even longer. And the people were excited. This could finally be the one. This could be the Messiah, the Savior, and deliverer they had been waiting for.

And who wouldn’t want a Savior like that? One who could solve problems like cancer, cataracts, or COVID. One with whom you would never be hungry or thirsty again.

If we had been there, wouldn’t we have been right with the crowds? “Don’t leave, Jesus! You make our life in this world easier. We want you to stick around.”

And why wouldn’t Jesus want that kind of love and attention?

But Jesus uncovered a different agenda. He said, “I must proclaim the good news.” Jesus didn’t come primarily to feed the hungry or heal the hurting. Jesus came to share the good news. Good news that there’s more to life than what we see. Good news that he came to rescue us from hunger and hurt permanently by giving us eternal life in heaven.

Even though we easily chase after worldly happiness, Jesus wouldn’t let fame or fortune distract him from his divine agenda. He was willing to face rejection, ridicule, and pain on his way to suffer and die for every greedy intention and desire we have. And because he did, we can look forward to something so much better than an easy life in this world. We have the perfect life waiting for us with him in heaven, a life that will never end!

Jesus loves us and cares about our problems in this life too, but his real agenda was to accomplish and proclaim the good news of eternal life for us. And that’s just what he did! Believe it! Celebrate it!

Prayer:
Jesus, your agenda is so much better than mine. Thank you for staying the course for me. Amen.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD. Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Jeremiah 1:4-10

The Lord Will Be With You

You know you must talk to the other person. You even know what you have to say. You know it’s what God wants you to say. But it doesn’t look easy. You’ve never had to do something exactly like this before. You’re feeling awkward, almost like a child.

Does it help to know that the Lord knew you would be in this situation even before you were born? He has equipped you for this moment. He has led you to a clear understanding of his Word. He has given you a humble spirit of repentance and faith in Jesus, your Savior.

Does it help you to know that the Lord will be with you? He is everywhere, of course, but when you speak his words, he promises his special presence. He will not abandon you; in fact, he will strengthen you at that moment.

Does it help you to know that the word of the Lord is powerful? It uproots and tears down, destroys and overthrows, builds and plants. You can count on it accomplishing exactly what the Lord wants it to.

Prayer:
Lord, give me the confidence to speak your truth faithfully. Amen.

[Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read.
Luke 4:16

As Was His Custom

“As was his custom.” It’s pretty easy to read past those words, isn’t it? But the reality is, there’s a world of good news in those words. Remember, Jesus came to this earth because you and I needed a Savior. We’re sinful human beings who deserved to be sent to hell. So Jesus came to this earth, and he died on the cross, paying for our sins.

But that’s only half the story.

Why so? Because God’s standard for going to heaven isn’t merely that our sins be taken away. God also requires that we be positively perfect and completely holy. And you and I must say, “I’m in trouble!”

But you’re not in trouble at all. You have a Savior who not only died for you but who also lived for you. He lived perfectly, in every sense of the term. He perfectly loved God; he perfectly loved his neighbors. He was perfectly kind, just, fair, loving. In the Bible verse for our devotion today, we’re reminded that he worshiped God perfectly: “as was his custom.”

And here’s the really good news—You get credit for what Jesus did. Yes, you get the credit not only for Jesus’ death, but also for his life—the way that Jesus perfectly loved God. God has credited that to your account so that now God considers you to have loved him perfectly, too. Jesus loved his neighbors perfectly: God now considers you to have loved your neighbors perfectly, too. Jesus worshiped perfectly: God considers you to have worshiped perfectly, too, for you have been credited with that perfect life of Jesus.

So, there’s a world of good news in that phrase “as was his custom.” It’s a reminder that in the eyes of God, you are perfect and holy because of Jesus. What a phrase! What a truth!

Prayer:
Lord God, remind me of my status, that you’ve credited Jesus’ perfect life to me, that I might be filled with quiet confidence. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God.
Isaiah 61:6

Some Want Silence

There is lots of support in the world for silencing anyone who speaks about Jesus and his work. Some people don’t like his morality. Others are offended by his gracious offer of unearned forgiveness. People who simply say what the Bible says encounter skepticism and hostility. Many would prefer that Christians simply remain silent.

But God does not remain silent. His word remains powerful. And he gives a couple of titles to people who speak tell others about him.

He calls them priests. Priests in the Old Testament were honored members of society. They served God at the Temple in Jerusalem by making the animal sacrifices that were a foreshadowing of what Jesus would do—sacrificing himself for the sins of the world. After making the sacrifice for the people who brought the animal, the priest would assure them that their sins were forgiven.

Do not be silent. Assure your friends and your family that their sins are forgiven. Nothing is more important.

The other title that God gives to people who speak on his behalf is minister. God says that when you say what he wants you to, you are ministering to people, that is, taking care of them and their needs. They need to hear that God loves and forgives them. You can tell them that, and you will be named ministers of our God.

There will be pressure for you to be silent. But you can speak confidently because you know that God’s message is powerful.

Prayer:
Lord God, open my lips, that my mouth may declare your praise. Amen.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1

Captors Do Not Take It Well

When I was a kid, I had a long discussion with my friend about what we should ask for if we ever found a magic lamp with a genie in it. We talked about asking for wealth, world peace, or whales to be protected from pollution. If I remember the conversation correctly, we settled on asking for the devil to be converted to being a follower of God, figuring that many other problems in the world would be solved by that.

But the devil will not repent. He will not be converted. Our wish was really rather foolish.

As we grow older, we realize the folly of our youth, and we see how often we should have thought, said, or done something else. An honest reckoning of our lives can easily lead us to be brokenhearted as we realize the opportunities, we have often missed opportunities and the lack of love we have often showed.

Jesus was sent to bind up the brokenhearted. He proclaimed freedom for the captives. He won the release of prisoners from the darkness.

Sin, death, and the devil try to hold us captive, but Jesus sets us free. Our enemies can rage all they want. Jesus overthrows them for our good.

Prayer:
Let me see the freedom I have in you, dear Lord Jesus. Amen.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
Isaiah 61:1

Good News for the Poor

Why do rich people often have a hard time listening to the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus? One theory is that they think they have everything they need already, so they don’t realize their need for a Savior.

Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the prophet Isaiah said that he was chosen to proclaim good news to the poor—people who realized that they needed good news! When Jesus began his preaching ministry, he said that those words were written about him. He told people the good news that they were spiritually poor enough to need a Savior and that he was their man.

Jesus is your man too. Whether you live in a mansion or under a bridge, whether what you drive is shiny and new or old and rusted, whether your bank account is full or nearly empty, you were born spiritually poor. So poor, in fact, that you had nothing in your spiritual account. But that is why Jesus came. He came to fill your account with his perfect life. He came to pay your spiritual debt by dying on the cross.

That is good news! It’s the best of news, really. It means you are all paid up with God. It means that through faith in Jesus, you will inherit heaven one day. You who were once poor are now wealthy beyond measure in Jesus.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for making me who was poor, rich. Amen.