9 AUG 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 9 AUG 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Then calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” Mark 8:34-35

One of the great things that Jesus does in his ministry is being forthright and blunt.  He does not sugarcoat his call on your life and does not hide the difficulties you will face.  There are things that will be true about your life if you desire to belong to Jesus.  There are no rose-colored glasses or promises of health, wealth, and prosperity on this adventure.  If you are being told that by a pastor or friend, they are promoting a lie.

If you want to follow Jesus, you must give up your life and the way you desire to live it.  That is a hard thing to do for most people.  They have plans, dreams, and goals that they want to achieve.  Jesus says, what will it mean to you if you gain the world and lose your soul? The rich young ruler walked away because he loved his life, his possessions, and the future he was building.  Jesus did not die for you in order for you to do what you please.

You were already living for yourself and God was paying your wages in death. When you understand that Jesus purchased your life with ‘his’ death, you will live for him and not yourself.  Jesus gives you life in exchange for the death you were supposed to die.  If you think you are his follower and don’t do what he says, you will face a horrible reality.  Jesus will say he “never” knew you.  

We are also to take up our own cross.  We must understand that we will suffer for being a Christian.  We will be mocked and dismissed because of him.  We will be insulted and labeled with many names and lies.  We will lose jobs, be beaten, jailed and some killed because we belong to him.  If we are not receiving any of this, we may not be living for him.  If you are obedient to Jesus you will see fruit and will suffer.

Are you living your best life now or living for Jesus?

Reading Plan: Psalm 119:97-120; 2 Sam. 9:1-13; Acts 19:1-10;  Mark 8:34-9:1

8 AUG 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 8 AUG 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.  Then they will not be like their ancestors-stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.” Psalm 78:7-8

As a father of seven children, my heart desires that my children will surrender their hearts to God and live a life that is pleasing to Him.  There are two sides to the same coin of salvation.  There is man’s point of view and God’s.  We look to our point of view and become frustrated with our children and other people when they are not surrendering or following the Lord.

As spiritual fathers or mothers, we pour into the people that God has given us.  We teach them the things of God and explain the Gospel to them so they can understand.  It can feel like you are teaching algebra to a two-year-old.  My dad can relate to the frustration of teaching me algebra when I was about fifteen.  I swear that I took a few years off of his life.  

The point is, we desire the people we love to have what we have. When they don’t, it is disappointing and frustrating.  We can often blame ourselves, thinking we didn’t explain it correctly or live it out in front of them. If that is you, take a deep breath and exhale.  It is not up to you.  Salvation is up to the Lord alone.  Man cannot change the condition of his own heart, nor can he gain spiritual understanding apart from God.

The Lord alone must open our minds and enable our hearts to receive the message.  The Scriptures are clear, the Lord will not save everyone.  Many will remain stubborn, rebellious, and refusing to give their hearts to God.  God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are still there.  In this, we find peace as we invest in others because it is about God and not us.

Is your hope anew on God or your ability?

Reading Plan: Psalm 78:1-39; 2 Sam. 7:18-29; Acts 18:12-28;  Mark 8:22-33

28 JUL 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 28 JUL 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“I waited patiently on the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.” Psalm 40:1-3a

How many times in your life do you feel lost, trapped, or down? The reality is, in this life, there will be trials and difficulties.  Life is hard and we have times of dryness in our souls.  What do we do? Is the answer within us or outside of us? David shows us that the answer is outside of us in the person of God.  Building that relationship and learning to trust in Him will help us through all life’s situations.

God knows the difficulties, stresses, suffering, and pain that you personally have faced and will face in the future.  God manifests himself in a special way in those periods of life so that we experience his love and presenece.  We are shaped by our suffering in that God gives us peace, purpose, and even joy during our darkest days.  Like David, sometimes we have to wait patiently.  Isaiah said the same thing, “they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength”. 

 In the waiting, we find God present and listening.  Job who lost all his kids and wealth overnight was devastated and in the fog of grief had a moment of clarity.  Instead of hating God for what was happening to him, he said, “should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never any bad?” He blessed God. David found joy as he saw the hand of God in all of the challenges he faced and was given a song of praise to sing.  Sometimes we are not delivered from the pain, but delivered straight into the arms of Jesus.

Are you standing on solid rock or sinking sand?

Reading Plan: Psalm 40, 54; 1 Sam. 31:1-13; Acts 15:12-21;  Mark 5:21-43

27 JUL 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 27 JUL 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“For you refuse my discipline and treat my words like trash.  Repent, all of you who forget me, or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you.  But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.  If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:17, 22-23

Have you been offended before? That’s a funny question today since everyone seems to be offended about something.  We know what it is like and how that feels.  It is not pleasant and we desire apologies, satisfaction, or straight-up revenge if we are honest.  The offended party must learn to have thick skin and have some patience.  The offender must learn to keep accounts short by correcting wrongs they have done quickly rather than letting them fester.

As we look at social media and the news, we see the root causes of the problems in our culture. (USA) We sin. We do evil. It affects the people around us.  Most people don’t see what they do as evil or bad, it is merely preference and freedom being exercised.  The moral compass of our society is broken and we lack love for our neighbor.  There is One that is offended by how we live our lives and the condition of our hearts.

God hates all sin and evil that we do.  It is actually a sin against God first, even though we sin against our neighbor.  He has written his law on our hearts and we know what is right and wrong.  He has given us his word in the Bible too, but we treat them like trash and do the offensive thing.  God calls all people to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus for salvation.  Without Jesus, you will perish in your sins and suffer in hell.  Nobody wants that! You need to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Are you ignoring God’s claim on your life? Do you treat his word with contempt?

Reading Plan: Psalm 50; 1 Sam. 28:3-20; Acts 15:1-11;  Mark 5:1-20

26 JUL 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 26 JUL 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, where they strengthened the believers.  They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that they must suffer many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:21-22

The brutal facts of life need to be reflected on from time to time.  The Lord himself said that ‘in this life, there will be trials”.   Life in general is hard and even more so for the Christian.  Didn’t sign up for that, did you? Jesus in his paradoxical sermon on the mount, gave the Beatitudes in order to tell us how to be blessed or happy.  That happiness is in the midst of suffering, persecution, and even death for being one of his kids.

Paul demonstrated his willingness to suffer in verse nineteen of the same passage.  He is dragged out, stoned, and left for dead.  What did Paul do? The man got up and went back to town.  He was dealt vicious blows at the hands of those who rejected the message and the messenger.  Paul was not there for the people who reject him, he is there for the people who receive him.  Paul took his licks and stayed focused.  

He went and preached the Good News and made “many” disciples.  Here this! No matter where you go in this world there will be opposition, but there will always be “some, few, or many” that will receive the Lord and become disciples.  Jesus commanded us to go out and do the work of reaching the lost and developing the faithful.  We grow as we go.  Share the message and let it be the filter.  People are like a traffic light, they are either red, yellow, or green.  Don’t waste your time on the red lights because there are too many yellows and greens that are ready to receive the good news or be developed.  

Are you facing opposition and suffering as a Christian? 

Reading Plan: Psalm 119:49-72; 1 Sam. 25:23-44; Acts 14:19-28;  Mark 4:35-41