4 NOV 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 4 NOV 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Jesus also used this illustration: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread.  Even though she put only a little in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.’” Matthew 13:33

What influence can one person have? How about you? We can see in our day how one person can have a great influence on others for good or evil.  Many people wish to be influencers for their fame and fortune or to benefit others.  When we see something that sparks a passion, we tell ourselves that we are nobody.  Why would anyone listen to me?

In the Scriptures, Jesus uses the simile of yeast to describe the wicked ways of the religious elite and the Kingdom of Heaven.  Both spread and permeate through society like it does in the dough.  On the positive side, the growth of the Kingdom and the multiplication of believers comes through the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit.  He works inside people by changing and preparing their hearts to receive the good news.

When the gospel is activated by faith, it begins to grow inside the person.  It can and does go from person to person rather quickly until an entire society grows in the knowledge of the Lord.  As believers, our life has meaning, purpose, and influence that can impact the people we know and those who are within our network.  The Holy Spirit uses our lives and relationships to affect the place we live and move in.  One person filled with the Holy Spirit, growing in their faith, can have a tremendous eternal impact.

Are you an influencer?

Reading Plan: Psalm 55; Neh. 4:1-23; Rev. 7:9-17; Matt. 13:31-35

3 NOV 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 3 NOV 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Should we pull out the weeds? They asked.  No, he replied, you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.  Let both grow together until the harvest.  Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.” Matthew 13:28-30

Growing up in Florida, I was introduced to yardwork at an early age.  The baton of cutting the yard was handed off to me when my brother left home to be on his own.  I was given instructions on how to use the mower, do maintenance, and best practices to keep it running for a long time. I actually like cutting the lawn and found it to be a good stress reliever. The one thing I didn’t like was pulling weeds.

One thing you need to know about Florida is weeds are the dominant plant and overrun a healthy lawn at any given moment.  You can spend hours pulling weeds and not put a dent in it.  When you put down weed and feed, you think the manufacturer has sabotaged you as weeds multiplied even more.  When you came to the parable of the wheat and weeds (tares), I could immediately relate to the laborers who were angry about weeds.

Jesus was using this struggle that was common to farmers to relate a spiritual truth.  The type of weed is called a tare and it looks identical to real wheat.  A tare only looks like the real thing, but has no fruit and is of no value to the farmer.  Tares are the people who reject the gospel in their hearts but remain in the world as a false convert.  On the surface they are believers, but God knows who belongs to him.  It is the painful reality that God only reveals the truth to his own.

The question is posed, do we pull the weeds? He said, no.  Oh, if I had read this as a teenager, I’d present this to my Dad as an objection to weed pulling.  You will damage the real believer if you remove the fake believer.  Believers are here to influence unbelievers until they too become believers.  Jesus will deal with that situation directly by saving or separating them.  

What do you do with fake Christians or false converts?

Reading Plan: Psalm 40, 54; Neh. 2:1-20; Rev. 6:12-7:4; Matt. 13:24-30

2 NOV 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 2 NOV 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah.  They are in great trouble and disgrace.  When I heard this, I sat down and wept.  In fact for days, I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.” Neh. 1: 2, 4

Have you ever been in trouble? What was the first thing you did when you realized it? I know as a kid I would get this knot in my stomach and fear would wash over me from head to toe.  My mind would work overtime because of the fear of the unknown.   I would scenario all the possible outcomes and wear myself out emotionally and mentally.

As I grew older, I developed a relationship with the Lord and better understood the process of dealing with problems and trouble.  In our passage today, Nehemiah gave us a great way to start dealing with problems both his and others. He listened to what the problem was and determined if it was his or someone else’s.  That can save you some pain! In this case, he owned his wrong which added to the greater problem of the nation as a whole.

To take responsibility for your actions and own it, is a sign of maturity and integrity.  To blame others is our human nature and is not the way.  Nehemiah, then began to mourn over his sin, the nation’s sin, and the condition of their homeland.  He then fasted for days because he was truly sorry for what the Jews had done against God and the result was a broken nation.  He was humbled before God and then he prayed.  Read his prayer again and you will see a great pattern for prayer.  

He began by speaking words of adoration and acknowledging God’s goodness in loving Israel despite her disobedience and unfaithfulness to their relationship.  He then confessed his sins and the nation’s sins.  He asked for forgiveness and committed himself and the nation to God’s commands and covenant.  He pleaded for God to honor his name and give Nehemiah favor with the King to fulfill his plan to restore Jerusalem.  So when you are in trouble look to what Nehemiah did and go to God directly.

What do you do when you are in trouble?

Reading Plan: Psalm 50; Neh. 1:1-11; Rev. 5:11-6:11; Matt. 13:18-23

1 NOV 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 1 NOV 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. Your instructions are more valuable to me than millions in gold and silver.” Psalm 119:71-72

Don’t waste your suffering.  How did that sentence hit you? Our normal or natural reaction to suffering is that we don’t want it, avoid it, and when it happens we want it to be over quickly.  I get it.  There is something more to it because we see in the Scriptures and from life that there is suffering in this world and we are all affected by it.  We can ponder in the moment when we are experiencing it and ask why? 

Rather than ask why, ask what do I do with it? What is there to learn? Can I grow from it? Paul rejoiced in his suffering because he saw it as a tool to both develop him as a person, but also a means to glorify God.  Romans 5, he says suffering will produce endurance, character, and hope.  Paul experienced God in a greater and unique way when he suffered which he wouldn’t have if he had not gone through the trial.

The Scriptures look at suffering as the refiner's fire in which precious metals are purified.  The hotter the temperatures the dross or imperfections come out.  God sovereignly allows us to endure suffering and uses it for our good.  Weakness due to suffering brings strength to our spirit and faith.  As Christians, we do not go through it alone.  God is present with us and will give us the strength to make it through it.  We are delivered through or delivered to His presence.

Our suffering can help others to be comforted when they go through suffering, look at cancer survivors.  We can testify to God’s faithfulness, goodness, and ability to turn our tears into joy.  In comparison to eternity, the suffering we experience now is nothing compared to the joy and health we will have in heaven.  If you are suffering today, may God comfort you, heal you, and give you peace.  May he move you to say like David, ‘My suffering was good for me’.

Are you suffering and don’t know how to process it?

Reading Plan: Psalm 119:49-72; Ezra 6:1-22; Rev. 5:1-10; Matt. 13:10-17

31 OCT 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 31 OCT 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat.  Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore.  He told many stories in the form of parables.” Matthew 13:2-3a

Think about how many people you interact with on a daily basis.  You take the kids to school, go to the store, to the gym, to work, and a variety of other places.  If you were to guess how many people that would be, what do you think? 20, 30, 50? That number will differ for each of us, but God will use our interactions to change the world around us, often one person at a time.

Jesus spent a great deal of time traveling through towns and villages to share the good news, to heal, and to deliver people from demonic bondage.   As news traveled, the crowds began to come to him as well.  He used those interactions strategically, looking for people to become disciples.  In order to do that, he had to filter people out of the crowds who would follow him.

Jesus used parables among other ways to get to the people he desired while conveying spiritual truth to all.  The use of parables was a fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah that states that people will not believe when they hear it.  They will be revealed as spiritually dull unless the Holy Spirit opens their understanding.  The parable acts as a filter in the crowd reducing the number of people who get it thereby finding the needle in the haystack.

As you go through your daily life, you will encounter many people who will not receive the good news that you share or the hospitality you give.  That’s okay because God is using the gospel as a filter so that you will be investing in the few he desires for you to have.  That may only be one person and that may be just the right amount for now.  You can only invest deeply in a few, not a large crowd.

Is God revealing a few people in your life to invest in?

Reading Plan: Psalm 45; Ezra 5:1-17; Rev. 4:1-11; Matt. 13:1-9