28 JAN 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 28 JAN 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came, it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.  And now that the way of faith has come; we no longer need the law as our guardian.  For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:24-26

In many of my spiritual conversations with non-believers, the question of being right with God will come up.  The response always trends toward being a good person.  The assumption is that if we are good then that is enough or should be enough to be accepted.  There is also an assumption that all people are God’s children.  Both of those are dead wrong.

When you get this response, realize that these people don’t have a relationship with God and don’t understand the gospel.  It is an opportunity to press the conversation.  The law itself functions as a tool of evaluation to see if you are a good person.  Have you told a lie? Have you stolen anything? Have you looked at another person with lust? If you have broken one, you have broken them all and ultimately failed the test of being a good person.  No one passes this test.  Everyone has and will fail it.

 The law exposes us as sinful and broken people.  We need to be acceptable to God and we cannot get there on our own. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.  The way to become a child of God is through faith in Jesus for who he is and what he has done for you on the cross. We must all surrender our sinful lives and trust in Jesus.

Have you surrendered your life to Jesus?

Heavenly Father, thank you for planning to save me from before the world was made.  Thank Jesus for laying down your life to spare me from the wrath of your Father and give me eternal life in heaven.  Thank you Holy Spirit for finding me, changing my will, opening my eyes and ears, giving me a new heart, and the gift of faith to trust in Jesus.  Amen. 

Reading Plan: Psalm 55; Isa. 51:1-8; Gal. 3:23-29; Mark  7:1-23

Daily Office Year 1

27 JAN 23 Friday - A Closer Walk Devotional

 27 JAN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“The Sovereign Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know how to comfort the weary.  Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will.” Isaiah 50:4

What wisdom are you looking for today?

Isaiah’s writings are full of information about God and his attributes.  It is up to us if we keep it as mere head knowledge or put to use the patterns and information into our lives.  Isaiah lets us know that every morning he wakes up and spends time with the Lord.  He seeks God’s will and ways to bring the message to bear on people’s lives.  He understands that the only good information comes from God.

At the end of this chapter, he warns that if you are only being guided by your own wisdom then you will end in torment.  This is kind of like Dr. Phil, asking that great question, how’s that working for you? Without Jesus, the light that we guide ourselves by and comfort ourselves with is really darkness and unsatisfying.  Been there and done that.  It is not a pleasant state to be.

God is offering his time and wisdom to his children to make sure that we are fully equipped with the right tools to help us each and every day.  There are enough troubles to deal with today, so start the day with God.  He will shine the light of his word on them and give you peace.  He will also give you the tools and insight to live with joy.

Lord, I thank you for your word this morning as it is a regular reminder of your care and concern.  I am grateful for the wisdom you impart that works not just for me, but allows me to encourage and care for others too.  Give me the wisdom I need, to brings solutions to bear on the problems we face. Amen. 

Reading Plan: Psalm 40, 54; Isa. 50:1-11; Gal. 3:15-22; Mark  6:47-56

Daily Office Year 1

23 JAN 23 Monday -A Closer Walk Devotional

 23 JAN 23 Monday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all.  You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.  Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different  kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.” Galatians 1:6b-7

A few years ago I spent a good deal of time working in neighborhoods that were pretty hardcore.  Even in the midst of a high crime apartment complex, more issues were afoot in the realm of spiritual warfare.  It is manifest in various false religions and cults that have made deep inroads such as Jehovah Witness, Mormon (LDS), and Black Hebrew Israelites.

Those are the straight up wrong, but the ones that are just as problematic are the subtle peddlers of false gospel on television.  If it is on TBN or bookshelves at Walmart, it is probably a health, wealth, and prosperity messaging which is “not” found in the Bible.  Paul stresses that even in his day, false teachers were having a terrible effect on the church and the surrounding communities.  They needed to sure-up their understanding of Scripture.

The challenge for the church is regular training and equipping in the truth of the gospel and orthodox doctrine in order to recognize and defend the faith against these false gospels and teachings.  The more that you interact with people in the church and the world, the more you will realize your own gaps of knowledge and experience.  This is how you grow deeper as these gaps are filled with God’s truth.  The next time you encounter people from false religions you might be able to impart truth that will set them free.

Do you recognize the false religions and teachings today? Are you prepared to give an answer?

Reading Plan: Psalm 41, 52; Isa. 48:1-11; Gal. 1:1-17; Mark  5:21-43

Daily Office Year 1

22 JAN 23 Sunday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 22 JAN 23 Sunday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches.  Crowds of sick people-blind, lame, or paralyzed-lay on the porches.  One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years.  When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”” John 5:2-6

Growing up in the 70s, we had all kinds of memorable commercials and jingles to promote everything.  One of those was McDonald’s, “you deserve a break today”.  The idea that we “deserve” something has become an American value or virtue.  In the minds of many people, they are not just looking for a break, it is demanded.

We carry that mindset over to God.  We deserve to receive, fill in the blank because he is a loving God.  We presume on God’s grace and mercy, but don’t understand that he has mercy where he wills. The story in John shows Jesus pass by the masses that needed help and he only healed one.  What about the others? Didn’t they deserve healing? Well, no.

Mercy is not getting what you deserve and grace is getting what you don’t deserve in the positive.  Mercy and grace are dispensed not by our desire, but solely on God’s sovereign choice and his good pleasure.  We have done nothing to warrant God’s blessing, only his wrath.  So, erase the “deserve” from your vocabulary.

Do you desire to receive God’s mercy and grace?

Then confess your sins, repent of them, and put your trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross.  Then and only then, will grace fall like rain on your life as you become a child of God.

Reading Plan: Psalm 63:1-11; Isa. 47:1-15; Heb. 10:19-31; John 5:2-18

Daily Office Year 1

20 JAN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 20 JAN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Slaves obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear.  Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all of your heart.  Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people.  Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.” Ephesians 6:5-8

In the last three years, our nation and much of the world have looked back on history with today’s shifting virtues and values in disgust.  They condemn the current generation for the way their forefathers held or traded slaves.  The history of every nation on earth has had slavery and is not unique to the USA.  God knew from before creation how sin would affect our treatment of one another.  

God also created the plan to solve the issue of our brokenness and sin.  At the same time, God has placed people into the nation we live in, the body we have, and our position in the socio-economic strata.  What we do with that depends on our relationship to God.  His children are instructed how to live no matter where we are or our situation.  Whether rich or poor, slave or free, we can live to glorify God and have a joyful life.

Suffering, persecution, and even death is to be expected if you are God’s child because the world hates God and therefore by extension hates you. There is joy now in the midst of this struggle and hope for the future for God’s children.  God gives a future in his presence and a new heaven and earth to live in.  God will deal with the children of wrath, their future is secure in the lake of fire.  

Are you complaining about life and others or rejoicing into eternity?

Reading Plan: Psalm 31; Isa. 45:18-25; Eph. 6:1-9; Mark 4:35-41

Daily Office Year 1