Category: Daily Devotions

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
1 Corinthians 10:11

Examples

General George Marshall served as President Roosevelt’s Chief of Staff during World War II, and later served as Secretary of State. Historians rate him as one of the most capable military leaders the United States has ever produced. He also knew the value of a good example.

It is said that, early in his career, General Marshall took command of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. When he arrived, he found the post to be in a run-down condition. He could have chewed out his lower-ranking officers. He could have barked out orders. Instead, he did something else. He got out his own paintbrushes and lawn equipment and went to work on his personal quarters. The officers and enlisted men quickly took notice. They began doing the same thing throughout the post. Before long, Fort Benning was a better place; all because of a good example.

In the Bible you and I have the message of what the Son of God has done to wash us clean of our sin, purchase eternal life on our behalf, and bring us into his family through faith in him.

On those same pages of Scripture, the Lord has also given us examples of real lives lived by real people. They are examples for us to think about, study, and discuss. Many examples are warnings of things the Lord wants us to avoid. But there are good examples, too. Examples that the Lord wants us to learn, notice, and follow.

The greatest example of all, of course, is Jesus himself. Go to the Scriptures. Watch him. Observe what he says and does. Give his example some thought. And follow.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the full forgiveness I have through faith in you. Send me to your Word. Help me learn from the example you give me. Empower me to follow your lead. Amen.

“‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Luke 13:8-9

One More Year

Spring is on its way in the Northern Hemisphere. In some places, farmers and gardeners have already begun planting their crops or tending their trees, hoping that they will produce a crop of delicious fruit later in the season.

But what if they don’t? What if no tomatoes grow on the tomato plants, no apples or peaches appear on the trees? The owner might check for pests and disease and treat them if he can. He might make sure that the plants are getting the right amount of water. He might check the soil and feed the plants with fertilizer or other nutrients.

But if that doesn’t work, he has a decision to make. Does he let the plant grow and settle for a little shade or a splash of green? Or does he cut it down or dig it up to get rid of it?

That was the question the man faced in a story Jesus told. His fig tree wasn’t acting like a fig tree. After three years, it still didn’t have any fruit. He was ready to cut it down. But the gardener asked for just a little more time—one more year of special care for the tree. What patience he showed!

Jesus shows that same patience with us. God designed us and planted us in this world to serve and obey him. But, too often, we only seek to serve ourselves, and we don’t live how he wants us to live. We don’t bear the fruits of love that he created us to bear. What should God do with us?

Praise God that he is patient with us! For Jesus’ sake, he nurtures us with his Word. He prunes us with his law and feeds us with his gospel. He plants us by the streams of his Word, connects us to Jesus by faith, and grows faith in our hearts that bears fruit of love to praise his name.

Now, given new life by our patient and forgiving God, we live to honor him with lives of fruitful service every day.

Prayer:
Merciful Savior, be patient with me. Through your Word of forgiveness, make my life fruitful for you. Amen.

“Unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
Luke 13:3

Making Sense of Tragedy

Dozens are left homeless in the wake of a natural disaster. Victims lose their lives when gunmen open fire on schools. Hundreds die every month in wars and terrorists attack the innocent around the world.

Could these tragedies have been prevented? Who is really at fault? Where was God, when these things happened? Why did they happen?

We’re okay when bad things happen to bad people. Maybe, somehow, they are finally getting what they deserve. Maybe God wants to teach society a lesson about immoral living.

But how our thoughts change when tragedy strikes us or when what happens seem unfair! Why did she get cancer while her friend stayed healthy? Why did his son die in the war zone while mine came back alive? Why do innocent bystanders get caught in the crossfire of violence?

It’s not fair, God! Why do you let bad things happen to good people? If you are truly just and loving, how could this happen?

But why those things happened at those times to those people is God’s business, not ours. It is not our job to judge those who were affected, and God certainly isn’t calling us to judge him. Instead, he wants us to take a good, hard look at ourselves. “But unless you repent, you too will all perish,” Jesus said.

The word “repent” means “turn around.” God wants to use the tragedies of life to turn our hearts away from our sin that leads to death to our Savior who gives us life.

None of the tragedies of Jesus’ day or ours can compare to the apparent injustice that Jesus experienced. He was the sinless Son of God. But he was convicted, condemned, and crucified for crimes he never committed.

When he suffered and died on the cross, Jesus switched places with you. He took your accusations against God, your questioning God’s love, your holding onto sinful ways, and he gave you his perfect trust, love, and obedience. He faced hell to give you heaven. He endured death to give you life.

When tragedy strikes, may God’s love at the cross quiet our questions and turn our hearts to Jesus in sincere repentance and joyful praise.

Prayer:
God, life doesn’t always make sense. When tragedy strikes, help me to trust your love in Jesus my Savior. Amen.

If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
1 Corinthians 10:12

Be Careful

A child holds a family heirloom for the first time. “Be careful!” his mother warns. “We don’t want to break it.”

The sidewalks and roads are icy, when a loved one ventures out. “Be careful!” someone warns.

Some friends are hiking along a trail. The terrain is uneven. One misstep could send someone tumbling down the steep hill to certain injury or even death. “Be careful!” the leader warns.

We need such warnings in our spiritual lives too. We face temptations every day. The devil wants us to think those temptations are no big deal. Either it won’t really hurt us if we do what he wants us to do, or we are strong enough not to give in.

But God warns us, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” The devil is not your friend. His temptations are not games. If you let your guard down, if you underestimate the enemy, you will fall.

And every spiritual fall is fatal. Whether you are tempted to lust or to lie, to hurt or to hate, to ignore someone in need or to ignore God’s Word, every misstep wreaks havoc on our relationship with our heavenly Father. And the devil’s ultimate goal is to lead us to turn our backs on God entirely, so that we miss out on his mercy, so that we miss out on heaven.

The devil desperately wanted Jesus to fall too. God sent Jesus to fight the devil in our place. If Jesus gave in to temptation, God’s plan to save us from sin and death would fail. But Jesus never let his guard down. He didn’t listen to the devil’s whispers or believe his lies. He didn’t fall. Jesus won the fight. The devil lost.

Now Jesus doesn’t leave us to face temptation alone. Whenever we are tempted, we cry out to him for help, and through his Word he arms us for battle to give us the victory.

Prayer:
Jesus, I am weak. You are strong. When I am tempted, give me your strength. When I fall, forgive me for your mercy’s sake. Amen.

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us… No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful.
1 Corinthians 10:11,13a

Real People

The Bible records history, but it’s not like other history books. It tells the stories of individuals and their relationship with the Lord. It shows real people—warts and all—people who struggled, people who fell, people who failed.

The Bible is filled with stories about people like you and me. And that’s exactly the point. God tells their stories for our benefit. He wants us to put ourselves in their sandals. What were they facing? How am I like them? How was God working in their lives?

God tells us their stories to warn us. We can easily think, “I would never do that. That would never happen to me.” The devil tries to convince us that temptations are no big deal, as long as we don’t fall for any of the “big” ones. God does not want us to let our guard down and become easy prey.

So he tells us the sad stories of sinners who have fallen into the devil’s traps and believed the devil’s lies. He shows us how the devil works, so that we are ready to fight against him. You see, the devil never really changes. He uses the same lies today as he always has. So, when we let our guard down and fall for those lies, we aren’t alone.

But, above all, God tells us their stories so that we see his faithful love shining throughout history. Despite the foolish failures of one generation after another, God did not turn his back on them.

Instead, he promised to forgive them and kept that promise when he sent his own Son to face temptation. He was tempted too, but he didn’t fall for those lies. He was without sin and lived the life that God demanded of all of us. Now, for his sake, God forgives every time we fall, every time we fail.

Because of God’s real love, we are not rejected but rescued from sin and restored to fight temptation with the strength that our faithful God promises through his Word.

Prayer:
Faithful God, forgive me when I fall for the devil’s lies. Give me strength to overcome temptation. Amen.

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Exodus 3:14

I AM

How well do you handle change? If you are like most people, you welcome certain changes and dread others. Some changes give us the excitement of a fresh start. Others make us long for how things used to be.

Our world is constantly changing. The way we communicate, travel, and even think is different than it was a generation ago and just keeps changing. And often, we change right along with it.

Sometimes people expect God to work the same way. God, the world is changing. People don’t think and act the way they used to. If you want to stay relevant, if you want to meet the needs of people in the 21st century, you’ve got to change.

But do we really want a God who is always changing? Do we want a God whose love for us changes from one day to the next? Do we want a God who makes a promise one day and changes his mind the next? Do we want a God who listens to our prayers one day and ignores them the next?

God once called himself something that may sound strange to us. He said, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

When he calls himself “I AM,” he wants us to know that he is a God who does not change. His unconditional love will never change. His promises of mercy will never change. His power to keep his loving promises will never change.

What a comfort that is! No matter how fickle and unfaithful we are to God, he is always ready to forgive our failures and rescue us from the wrath that we deserve. No matter how much may change in our lives, God will always hear our prayers and answer them in perfect love. We can count on him at all times, knowing that he will bless us here on earth and forever in heaven, just as he promised.

Rejoice that, in a changing world, we have a faithful and unchanging God!

Prayer:
Faithful Lord, thank you that your love and promises to me never change. Amen.

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Exodus 3:7,8

The LORD Cares

“Nobody cares.” What a terrible thought! Whether it is the teenager who feels he has no one to talk to or the widow who feels that everyone is too busy to bother with her, the thought that no one cares is dreadful. Although the person who feels this way may not be aware of just how much people do care, the most important thing to know is that God cares. He ALWAYS cares. When his people cried out to him from slavery in Egypt—God cared. He was concerned about their suffering, and he came to their rescue. He used Moses to deliver them from their bondage and bring them to the Promised Land.

God cares about you. He ALWAYS cares about you. When you cry out to God in your suffering—God cares. When you doubt that he cares, when the circumstances of your life seem to say that he doesn’t care, just look at Jesus’ suffering on the cross. He went to the cross to free you from your slavery to sin and death. He promises to bring you to heaven one day. The One who cared about you enough to do all of that certainly cares enough to deliver you from whatever other trials you are facing. When you are tempted to think, “Nobody cares,” look to the cross and be certain that the LORD cares.

Prayer:
Thank you Jesus for proving your love for me at the cross. When I am down, when I doubt your care and concern, lift my eyes to your cross and comfort me with your care. Amen.

In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.
Ephesians 1:7

Celebrate Being Debt Free

If you are like most people, you are dealing with debt. You have house payments, car payments, and credit card bills. And then there was that furniture you bought last year with no payments due for twelve months. And now the twelve months are over. Debt can be overwhelming. It can feel like a great weight pressing you down—a weight you feel you can never escape.

Whether or not you are like many people when it comes to financial debt, you ARE like every human being when it comes to spiritual debt. You owe God for every sin you have ever committed.

You could try to ignore your spiritual debt. But that would not make it go away, any more than ignoring your credit card bill. You could try to pay off your debt to God, except that you have no currency with which to pay it and with every day you live, you commit more sins and rack up more debt. Spiritual debt is overwhelming. It feels like a great weight pressing you down—a weight you feel you can never escape.

But the Bible has good news for you. God says that Jesus has freed you from your debt. His blood was full payment for your sins. The great weight of your guilt has been lifted. It was placed on Jesus when he hung on the cross, so your spiritual debt never needs to bother you again.

Imagine finding out that someone had paid off all your financial debt—your house, car, credit cards, and even that furniture you purchased. Imagine the weight that would be lifted! Imagine the celebration you would enjoy!

You don’t need to imagine that your spiritual debt to God has been paid. It has. Jesus paid it. So let go of your guilt and celebrate the freedom of your forgiveness!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I know that I could never pay the debt I owe because of my sins. But I also know that you paid that debt for me. Thank you. Keep me from feeling the weight of a debt I no longer owe so that I can be free to spend my life celebrating the forgiveness you earned. Amen.

I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day . . .
Luke 13:33

Stubborn

One hundred fifty-five years ago, during the American Civil War, an army of Union soldiers had become frustrated. For years, this Union army had fought under many different generals. But, no matter who was in charge the result was always the same. They would fight a battle against the Confederate Army, things would get messy and bloody, the Union general in command would lose his nerve and call a retreat, and the war would drag on.

But, then a new general arrived by the name of Ulysses S. Grant. At first, it seemed nothing had changed. Under Grant they had a sharp battle against the Confederate Army. Things got messy and bloody. The next day they received orders to march. “Here we go again,” the soldiers thought.

But, when they arrived at a fork in the road, instead of marching north in retreat, Grant led them south toward their enemy. Ulysses S. Grant was the general they needed. He was a stubborn, determined man. He continued pressing and pressing, attacking and attacking until, eventually, victory was won.

Ulysses S. Grant may have been a stubborn, determined man when it came to defeating the Confederate Army. But, even he cannot out-stubborn Jesus. When it comes to his love for you, Jesus is the most stubborn and determined person in all creation.

Remember that. Remember that when your burdens stubbornly stick to you. Perhaps it’s an ailing parent, a drifting child, uncertain finances, health problems, loneliness, or regrets from your past that you cannot seem to forget. Perhaps it’s just the wear and tear of living in a broken, sinful world.

When your burdens stubbornly stick to you, remember that Jesus is determined to keep his every promise to you. That is what he sealed in his blood on the cross and guaranteed with his empty tomb. He proved his love for you then and he’s not backing away now. Because when it comes to Jesus’ love for you, no one can out-stubborn him.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, your goodness and love pursue me with a dogged determination. Move me to see your stubborn grace in my life. Amen.

The Lord Jesus Christ . . . will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21

A Walk

Here’s an assignment for you: The next time you visit a hospital, make it a point to take a thoughtful, deliberate walk through that hospital. Look around. Take in what you see.

Behind every door there’s a story, an unfolding drama. There are some who are recovering from accidents and will soon be getting on with their lives. There are others with life-changing injuries. There are patients who are getting treatment for a stubborn bug and will soon be going home. There are others who are undergoing a barrage of tests in hopes of discovering what the problem is. There are families who arrive with balloons and funny cards because a loved one gets to come home. There are families sitting quietly in waiting rooms because they know a loved one is never coming home again.

Such a walk will remind you of one thing. No matter how healthy you are, you are only one bacterium away, one moment’s inattention away, one positive test result away from finding yourself lying in a bed that’s not your own, watching a wall-mounted television, with strange machines beeping at your side. It will remind you that, in this world of sin, each of us possesses a lowly body that’s far more vulnerable and frail than we care to admit.

But such a walk can also remind you of something else. The lowly bodies we have now are not going to be lowly forever. We know this because Jesus has made a promise. He has promised to transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

And so, there it is. The same Son of God who took on a human body to live in our place, sacrificed his body on a cross to pay for our sins in full, and raised his body back to life—this same Jesus has promised that the lowly bodies we have now will not be lowly for long. Disease, accident, age, death—these things do not have the final word on our bodies. Jesus does. And his Word says that when he raises his followers from the dead one day, our bodies will be glorious—no more pain or disease or injury or death. What a transformation!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, for the time being my body is frail and lowly. But not for long. For this I thank you. Amen.