16 JAN 23 Monday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 16 JAN 23 Monday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11

It is interesting that we have made changes over the centuries to what was intended in being the church and how it is to function.  The old saying, form follows function rings true and explains the frustration of many in the church.  Pastors wonder why the people are not embracing the “doing” side of the church and the people wonder why they are not getting the entertainment value from their tithing dollars.  We are off the mark in a big way.

The form of church actually produces the very problem that everyone is complaining about.  Pastors and teachers have become pushers of information and motivational speech entertainment.  The people have become consumers and self focused.  Paul states that everyone is to grow healthy and mature, being able to live the life Christ expects.

The leaders of the church are supposed to be trainers, not orators or entertainers.  The people are to be developed into practitioners to do the work of ministry both in the church and reaching the lost for Christ.  All of us have roles and responsibilities that serve to fulfill the mission we were commissioned to complete.  If the church is not fulfilling the mission, producing mature people, and multiplying disciples, it is not a church.  It’s a country club.

Are you being developed into a practitioner or a consumer?

Reading Plan: Psalm 25; Isa. 44:6-8, 21-23; Eph. 4:1-16; Mark 3:7-19 

Daily Office Year 1

15 JAN 23 Sunday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 15 JAN 23 Sunday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because  the woman said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village.  So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear this message and believe.” John 4:39-41

The amazing thing about this story is how quickly a person can have an eternal impact on others in their sphere of influence.  The woman that encountered Jesus at the well had a brief conversation, became born again, received the gospel, and immediately went and told the people in her town.  There was no additional education, baptism, or guidance.  She just did it.

Her compelling story aided many others to saving faith.  This should compel us to go and share our story of what Jesus has done for us.  Most likely you have walked with the Lord much longer than her, so you should have no problem telling others the story of Jesus.  The only reason we don’t, is because we are disobedient and afraid.   Jesus expects you to go and tell.  

Who is in your sphere of influence that hasn’t heard what Jesus has done for you?

Reading Plan: Psalm 148, 149, 150; Isa. 43:14-44:5; Heb. 6:17-7:10; John  4:27-42

Daily Office Year 1

14 JAN 23 Saturday - A Closer Walk Devotional

 14 JAN 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.  I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.  Others were given in exchange for you.  I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me.  You are honored and I love you.” Isaiah 43:3-4

This is an amazing passage of God's love and compassion for “his” people.  There is a hard truth that a great sacrifice was made by God in order to make a people for himself.  In the Old Testament, all the other people were rejected and the Jews were accepted.  In the New Testament, God exchanged his own Son Jesus so that people from all nations would be a part of his family.

Understand that salvation is not universal, meaning that not everyone will be saved.  God chose from all the nations of the world people that would be his and receive salvation and eternal life.  It is given as a gift to his elect and is withheld from those that are not his elect. This is not a foreign concept in the Bible. 

God did this in Genesis telling Rebekah the future of her twin boys, Jacob I love and Esau I rejected.  He did this prior to them doing any right or wrong.  God’s sovereign love and grace has been the same from the beginning.  He has mercy on whom he has mercy.  It is a marvelous thing to receive unmerited favor from God.  I didn’t deserve his mercy or favor, but he gave it.

If you are God’s child, are you joyful that you are or do you take it for granted?

Reading Plan: Psalm 20, 21; Isa. 43:1-13; Eph. 3:14-21; Mark 2:23-3:6

Daily Office Year 1

13 JAN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 13 JAN 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him.  As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth.  “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.” Mark 2:13-14

One of the things that strikes me in Jesus’ ministry is his consistency in sharing the good news, looking for those that are open, and directly choosing who will be his.  You figure Jesus did good things like healing, exorcisms, and feeding thousands, but at the end of his ministry had only eleven solid guys and hundred plus beginning to get it.

You would fire Jesus if he was a salesman because his pitch to close ratio was terrible.  Jesus wasn’t selling anything, he was finding those that belonged to him, which were few, and developed them into productive disciples.  Many heard the call, but few were chosen.  Do you get that? The disciples met that same ratio when at pentecost several million people witnessed the move of the Spirit and heard the gospel and three thousand came to faith.

Gospel work is to be intentionally done by “every” disciple, seeking the open, and investing deeply in the few.  There is never zero.  There are always some, few, and in some cases many to be found.  There is still work to be done until you are called home or Jesus returns.

Are you consistently and intentionally sharing the gospel?

Reading Plan: Psalm 16, 17; Isa. 42:1-17; Eph. 3:1-13; Mark 2:13-22

Daily Office Year 1

12 JAN 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 12 JAN 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.  Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.” Ephesians 2:15-16

There are many Christians that get bent out of shape with the Sovereign Grace of God to choose people for himself, but never think about or complain that he chose the Jews out of all the other nations of the world.  No one, but the Jews had a relationship with God for much of history.  In God’s plan and good pleasure, he made and is making a people for himself from the Jews and Gentiles.

Praise be to God that he has made “a way” at all because before we were without hope and separated from the love and relationship of God.  We received common graces and mercy, but no thought or love from him.  But God established a reconciling process through his Son Jesus that allows Jews and Gentiles to be a part of his family.  It is through the gate of Jesus all must enter. 

All those that have entered through the narrow gate, rejoice! God’s amazing grace has come to you.

Have you been reconciled to God and part of his family?

Reading Plan: Psalm 18:1-20; Isa. 41:17-29; Eph. 2:11-22; Mark 2:1-12

Daily Office Year 1