Category: Daily Devotions

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
Acts 2:12

The Perplexing Work of the Spirit

The crowd didn’t know what to think.

Picture it this way: You are in this crowd. You are a member of the Jewish faith. You have traveled a great distance to reach Jerusalem, a place where the language is different from your own. You are there to celebrate the annual Jewish festival of Pentecost. Suddenly, in this crowd of people, you hear something that grabs your attention. You hear the voice of a man speaking to you in your own language. What’s confusing is that all the people around you—no matter what language they speak—are experiencing the same thing. At that moment, in that slice of time, you don’t know what to think.

On that day of Pentecost, that was the perplexing work of the Holy Spirit. On that day, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples of Jesus to speak in languages they had never studied. He did this to proclaim a message that everyone there needed to understand. He did this to proclaim Jesus Christ.

The work of the Holy Spirit is still perplexing.

Go to any place where the good news of Jesus is clearly present. Why do people take the time to come? Why do people go to the trouble? Why do people often plan their calendars around the opportunity to soak up the message of Jesus Christ with others?

It’s all because of the perplexing work of the Holy Spirit.

In the eyes of the world, nothing so plain as the gospel should be so powerful or so life-changing. Nothing so plain as the gospel should have such an impact on so many souls.

But that’s the thing about the message of full forgiveness through faith in Christ. It’s the very tool the Holy Spirit uses to change hearts forever.

However, don’t be perplexed by the perplexing work of the Holy Spirit. Instead, rejoice in it.

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, you are a worker of miracles. You use the message of the gospel to bring us to Christ and keep us in Christ. Empower us to marvel in thankfulness for what you do. Amen.

[Jesus said] “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”
John 17:4

Give Glory to God

When our favorite team enjoys success, isn’t it great how we get to share in that glory, even though we didn’t earn or deserve it? “Hey, Mike, your Brewers are really having a great season. You guys are playing some great ball. Way to go!” We are eager to return that undeserved and unearned glory to our team by cheering for them and telling others about their victories and successes.

Our God is glorious and awesome! He is the Creator and Preserver of the universe. Most glorious of all, he is the Savior of all mankind. There is nobody like him.

He has graciously allowed us to share in the glory of his love by bringing us to trust and rely in him, even though at one time, we were dead in our sins and unbelief. We didn’t earn his love and surely didn’t deserve it. Amazing grace!

Jesus gave glory to his heavenly Father by his death on the cross. Jesus’ death, while bearing the sins of the world, has reconciled God and sinners together. The doors to heaven and eternal life are open for all. That means they are open for you, too!

Strive to give God glory every day as you live for him and seek to do his will for your life. As the Bible says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for bringing glory to the Father by dying for my sins. Thank you also for leading me to trust in you. Help me to glorify your name by all that I say and do. In your name, I pray. Amen.

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
John 17:1-3

Jesus Prays for You

My prayers contain a lot of different people and things that I love. They are about the things that I think about the most and the things for which I am overwhelmingly grateful.

Did you know that the night before his death, you were a part of Jesus’ prayer? That’s right. With everything else on his mind as he prepared to die for the sins of the world . . . you were on his mind. You were on his mind because what he was about to do he did for you. He knew he needed strength to endure the intense suffering necessary to secure your salvation. So, he asked his heavenly Father to give him that strength. He also prayed that you would learn about what he had done for you and that you would come to believe that your sins are forgiven because of what he did.

It is always nice to hear that someone is praying for you. When you share a challenge you are facing–an illness, a loss, a concern—and a friend or family member says, “I’m praying for you.” It shows they care, and it’s a comforting thing to know. And it is comforting to think of God listening to and answering their prayers.

Now think of Jesus praying for you nearly two thousand years ago. Isn’t it remarkable? Whatever illness, loss, or concern you are facing, take comfort knowing that Jesus is aware of it, and cares enough to pray for you.

Prayer:
Righteous Father, thank you for glorifying Jesus through his death and resurrection. Help me to know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Amen

Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17,18

An Eternal Perspective

Imagine a regular day. If you are awake for 17 hours of that day, that means you have a little over a thousand minutes awake. Imagine for one minute of that day, something bad happened. Your car wouldn’t start. You got into a fight with a friend. You felt pain in part of your body. Then after that minute, nothing bad happened. In fact, for every minute of the rest of that day, only great things happened. You were able to eat all your favorite foods. You spent your time with people you love. Everything worked the way it was supposed to.

At the end of this day, how would you describe it? When you thought back, what would you focus on? Would you think about that single bad minute? Probably not. Instead, you probably couldn’t stop talking about the other thousand minutes and all the great things that happened. In fact, maybe even that single bad minute wouldn’t seem so bad in light of everything else.

So far, 2020 doesn’t seem to be a great year for a lot of us. There may be some real problems you are working through and some sadness that you feel. God wants you to find hope in the certainty that these troubles are only momentary. He wants you to give it an eternal perspective. The temporary troubles of 2020 cannot compare with the never-ending years of perfect joy every follower of Jesus will experience in heaven.

Your troubles are real, but God reminds you that from a perspective of eternity, they are light and momentary. Your time with Jesus will be perfect and forever. Fix your eyes on that eternity.

Prayer:
Eternal God, help me to focus not on my earthly troubles but on the eternity I will have with you. Amen.

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7

Minimize Your Anxiety

Minimalism is sweeping the world right now. From buying tiny homes to decluttering their homes, people are getting rid of their stuff. One expert, in particular, Marie Kondo, has sold millions of books, has her own TV show, and has made countless appearances speaking on the joys of minimizing and getting rid of things you don’t need. She encourages people to hold an object and if it doesn’t “spark joy” in their life, they should get rid of it.

What if you could practice minimalism not just with your stuff but with everything in your life?

Long before tiny homes or Marie Kondo, God was encouraging his people to practice minimalism—not physical minimalism but spiritual minimalism. Specifically, he told his people to get rid of anything that made them anxious–anything that kept them awake at night. God wanted his people to declutter all those things that made them wring their hands with worry.

In God’s minimalism, we don’t just take stuff and throw it away. While that may work for that old ski equipment, it doesn’t work for those things that make us anxious. Instead, God invites us to cast those anxieties onto him. He allows us to take those things that make us anxious, give them to him, and let him take care of it. Instead of worrying, God says we can trust him to arrange everything for us.

We can cast our anxieties on God because we know that he cares for us. Not just that he cares about us but that he cares for us. He guides us, watches over us, and provides for us. We can give God anything that makes us anxious because he is actively working all things in our lives to make sure that we are cared for.

What is causing you to worry today? What doesn’t “spark joy” in your life? Give it to God because he cares for you.

Prayer:
Father in heaven, help me to give to you everything that makes me anxious that I may rest in your care. Amen

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4:12,13

No Surprise

Many things can surprise us in this life. An unexpected home or car repair bill may surprise us. The underdog coming back to win the game may surprise us. A phone call or message from a friend we have not spoken to in a very long time may surprise us.

One thing that should never surprise us, though, is that Christians will suffer in this life.

Many people don’t understand this. They think that Christians shouldn’t suffer if God is watching out for them. But, the Bible makes it clear that Christians will indeed suffer in this life.

Christians suffer because they participate with Christ. They belong to him and want to be like him. They follow where he goes and where Christ went, he found suffering. He was ridiculed, ostracized, tortured, and even killed.

However, this isn’t where Christ’s story ends. He rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and is with God the Father in perfection forever. And he promises the same to every one of his followers. So, just as Christians should not be surprised that they sometimes suffer in this life just as Christ suffered in this life, Christians shouldn’t be surprised that they will one day be glorified just as Christ’s glory will one day be revealed.

Do not be surprised when suffering comes your way, dear Christian. Take comfort and look forward to the day when you will experience the glory that will be yours through your Savior.

Prayer:
Holy Father, while I know suffering will come in this life, help me to see it as a participation in the life of Christ. Amen

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
Acts 1:6-8

Wrong Direction

They had seen his glory like no one else, and yet they still couldn’t get their earthly troubles out of their minds. They heard him preach as no one had ever preached. They saw him perform miracles like no one else ever had. They even saw him conquer death. And yet, in one of the last moments they had with him, their concern seemed to be their own earthly problem—they wanted to know when Israel might be a great nation again. They had the right Jesus, but their concerns were looking in the wrong direction.

Jesus didn’t leave them looking in the wrong direction. He told them that those earthly concerns belonged to the Father. He reminded them that they would have something better than a restored kingdom, they would have the Holy Spirit. With the Holy Spirit, they would have the gift of faith to take the Good News of Jesus to not just Israel, but to the ends of the earth.

It’s easy for us to have the right Jesus but the wrong direction. This happens when we focus more on what matters to us than what matters to God. This happens when we care more about our own lives than the lives of others. This happens when we put more energy into our lives on earth than we do into our lives in heaven. Like the disciples, we may have the right Jesus, but we focus our lives in the wrong direction.

But by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus still reminds us today what is truly important. He points us heavenward and reminds us of our mission. He helps us to focus our efforts not on what is temporary but on what is eternal.

He gives us the right Jesus and points us in the right direction.

Prayer:
Gracious God, when I look in the wrong direction, gently restore me and remind me of what is truly important, the work you empower me to do. Amen.

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty).
Acts 1:15

God is on Your Side

On the day of his ascension into heaven, Jesus told the disciples they would be witnesses concerning him, and they were to do so in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

We learn from today’s Bible verse that right after Jesus’ ascension, the number of believers was 120. Wow! It sounds like an impossible task for the gospel to go so far with such a small group!

And yet, who is our God? Our God is the almighty One, the Maker of heaven and earth! Our God is the One who rules the winds and waves! Our God is the God who parted the Red Sea, who turned water into wine, who fed thousands with just a few loaves and fish. That’s who our God is!

How often we forget that, doubt that, or fail to appreciate that. We find ourselves fretting and worrying, getting stressed and anxious. Why so? Have we forgotten that our God is all-powerful? And even more importantly, have we forgotten that our God loves us?

Remember that the same powerful God who could do all those amazing things loved us enough to go to the cross and win forgiveness for us. Jesus, the true God, died for you! You’re forgiven! You’re loved! Loved and forgiven, by the all-powerful Ruler of all things!

And now it’s that all-powerful God, the God who can accomplish the impossible, who’s on your side.

And by the way, what did those 120 believers accomplish? Well, by the end of their lives, the Word had permeated Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and had been taken to Asia Minor, North Africa, and Europe. Was it impossible? Not with God on their side!

Prayer:
O Almighty God, remind me that you are the all-powerful One. Use your power in the way that’s best for me and all people. In Jesus’ saving name, I pray. Amen.

“Live your lives as strangers here.”
1 Peter 1:17

Live as Strangers

Live as strangers? It sounds like pretty shoddy advice when you first read it. You mean we shouldn’t make friends? We shouldn’t care about our family? We should be apathetic about others and not get involved in our community? It can’t mean those things, because Jesus wants people to care about each other in a big way. He even wants us to love our enemies.

The idea of living our lives as strangers in this world, then, has to mean something else. And when you take a look at how Jesus and his disciples lived their lives on this earth, you pick up a pretty good sense of what this verse means. To live as strangers here means to live our lives knowing that our real home is somewhere else.

You and I forget this all the time, of course. And because we do, we get crazy with fear. We fear that if our life here does not meet our expectations and become a big success story, then our life is a failure. And you know what? For forgetting that our true home is in heaven, for living our lives for the here and now, we deserve that fear and a whole lot worse.

But Jesus’ life and death have washed us clean of those failures. And once again, he calls upon us to remember that our life here is not about making our mark. It’s about walking with him in faith. And so, live here as a stranger. For Jesus is coming soon to take you home.

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for washing away all of my sins on the cross. Forgive me for the times I am fearful about this life and forget about true life in heaven. Remind me always of my heavenly home. Amen.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:10,11

One More Sight

The question seems ridiculous, doesn’t it? “Why are we standing here staring up into the sky? Are you kidding? Did you not see what we just saw? Of course, we’re going to be staring into the sky, because that was amazing!”

But then came the exciting announcement. “He’s coming back, you know. And he’s coming back in the same way you saw him go into heaven!”

And just how had they seen him go into heaven?

He had gone up as the powerful one, the one who could simply cause himself to lift off the earth and go up into the sky.

He had gone up with his hands raised in blessing. They could be sure that when he returned, he would not come in terror but to bless his people.

He had gone up showing them his nail-scarred hands, reminding them that their sins were forgiven. They could be sure that when he returned, those same nail-scarred hands would welcome them home to heaven.

The ascension was the last sight that Jesus’ disciples got of him. And in a way, it’s the last time we “see” him, too.

And maybe there’s one more reason that Jesus left us with this sight of him; so that we would hunger for his return! For us believers, Jesus’ return will be wonderful! Oh yes, he’s coming back powerfully, those hands are going to be up, blessing us! Because those hands bear the nail marks, the proof that you are forgiven, that your eternal home is in heaven. That’s what we will see!

Yeah, I guess I can kind of “get” why Jesus ascended the way he did. What a sight!

Wow! What a sight that will be!

Prayer:
O Savior, remind me of your ascension that I might eagerly await that day when you return to take me to heaven. Amen.