13 JUL 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 13 JUL 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. Some of Saul’s servants said to him a tormenting spirit from God is troubling you.” 1 Samuel 16:14-15

Self-reflection and self-assessment are needed in the daily life of a Christian.  There is so much that we face in life that we can become confused about why things are happening to us.  The Old and New Testaments give us insight into the various roots of our problems and how to fix or at least understand our problems.  The disciples ran across a man who was blind since birth and analyzed the situation like a doctor.  Maybe the root of his blindness is attached to the sin of his parents.

Was God punishing the Son because of some sin of his mother or father? Jesus said, no.  This case was to show the manifestation of God’s glory.  What? God made that person blind for a purpose.  Jesus would ultimately heal that person demonstrating his power to heal where there was no human cure.  That should be challenging and encouraging to those with disabilities or limitations.  You can glorify God with your life and have a purpose even in brokenness or suffering.

Sometimes people are damaged and broken due to other people’s sins.  I think we see this a lot and it affects us in such a bad way.  Every day on the news there are reports of drunk drivers, murder, theft, arson, etc. These evil things that people do bring trauma that damages people physically, emotionally, and even morally.  This can shake the foundation of the faithful and further blind the lost.  This is why God has consistently commanded us to love others and turn from evil.

As we see in our passage today, there are also times when God deals the blow of judgment on a person.  The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was given to certain people to empower them in their roles.  Saul had him, but the Spirit was removed when God rejected Saul.  God gave him a tormenting spirit that ate him up mentally and caused depression and fear.  God chooses who he extends mercy to and who he does not.  Saul lost the privilege of being a leader and with it, God punished him for it.

Do you reflect on the life you are living?

Reading Plan: Psalm 18:1-20; 1 Sam. 16:14-17:11; Acts 10:17-33;  Luke. 24:36-53

12 JUL 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 12 JUL 23 Wednesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“But the Lord said to Samuel, Don’t judge by appearance or height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them.  People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

I remember as a child playing pick-up games at school or in the neighborhood.  There would be that awkward moment when all the kids are gathered together to be selected for each team.  The captains would scan the crowd and size up each kid to see if they were worthy to be on their team.  You would think they were the general manager for the NFL or something.

In their mind, they had a standard or metric that they desired to have in a player.  Tall or big or fast or friend, that would fit the bill as a player.  All of us judge a book by its cover whether in business, politics, or personal life.  We look at surface metrics to determine the leader or soulmate we would like.  There is more to a person than that.

Samuel, a Prophet of God, was tasked to find a new king for Israel since Saul had become an offense to God.  Samuel was directed to the family of Jesse.  There he would find the new king and anoint him for this role.  Samuel scanned the crowd of sons and began to size them up based on his own standards.  He saw one right away that met his required metrics and said “Surely this is the one!” God said, nope!

Samuel then ran through all seven sons and none of those were acceptable to God.  There was one more son, David, who was out caring for the sheep.  When he arrived, Samuel saw a young man who was handsome, but not what he expected.  He would be the last one chosen for kickball.  God told Samuel that he looks at people differently than man does.  God looks at the heart, not the physical metrics.  The truth is God forms leaders and places them in power.  Some are placed for our benefit and others for our judgment.  

What standard do you use to size up people?

Reading Plan: Psalm 119:1-24; 1 Sam. 16:1-13; Acts 10:1-16;  Luke. 24:12-35

11 JUL 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 11 JUL 23 Tuesday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!” 1 Samuel 15: 29

There is an interesting thing that happens when someone begins to share their faith.  You find that people will have all kinds of interesting ideas about God.  Some are rooted in religions that are false, but some are rooted in the person’s mind.  People create thoughts about what God is like and how he might treat people.  They are fashioning a god to suit themselves.

This is a violation of the second commandment given to Israel by God.  When a person doesn’t know God or doesn’t like what they have heard about Him, people tweak their idea or massage Scripture to make themselves feel better.  When you are faced with the reality that God is good, holy, and perfect, it can spark a bit of fear in you.  That is because we are not.

Fear is good, for it is the beginning of wisdom.  Isaiah experienced God in a way that shook him to the core and in the 55th chapter of his book he made the statement that “God’s thoughts and ways are not like ours”.  God does not lie, he is the truth.  There is no error, sin, or evil in God.  That is why he defines sin the way he does.  It is those sins that are counter to his nature and will.

He expects his creatures to do his will and to be like him, a reflection of him.  Saul sinned against God and it cost him his leadership over Israel.  He probably thought that God might overlook his sins by banking on the traits of mercy, love, or grace.  How many people when confronted with their sin think God will let them off the hook because he is loving? A ton! God has made a way to deal with our sins from before the world was created.  He doesn’t change his mind but does only what pleases him.

Do you know God’s nature and how he deals with your sin?

Reading Plan: Psalm 5, 6; 1 Sam. 15:24-35; Acts 9:32-43;  Luke. 23:56-24:11

8 JUL 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 8 JUL 23 Saturday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.  Then he said, Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.  And Jesus replied I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 40-43

There is just so much that is beautiful about this passage even in the midst of being the most evil day of the ages.  Jesus demonstrated his love for all of us by taking our punishment and death on the cross.  He drank the full wrath of God so that we don’t have to, making the way possible for salvation.

Two criminals were also crucified on either side of Jesus and an interesting thing happened.   The religious leads came to gloat that Jesus was being crucified and soon would be dead thereby ending the problem.  They mocked him, telling him to heal himself since he was able to heal so many.  They taunted him to come down off the cross and prove himself one last time.

Jesus was able to do all of that and destroy all who resisted with a word, but he chose to lay down his life so that others might live.  Then, the two criminals begin to mock him, but one of them has a change of heart.  He confesses his own sin and owns the consequences.  He yells at the other criminal and rebukes him.  “Don’t you fear God? Don’t you realize who he is and that there is no reason for him to be on a cross?

Then he asks Jesus to remember him in his Kingdom.  Even a few hours away from death, Jesus shows mercy and grace to one.  Jesus says that he will be with him in paradise today.  All of the world religions including Judaism require good works to be done to earn favor from God or the universe.  There is no guarantee to be in a better place after death.  Not so with Christianity.  The Lord can choose someone to be with him at the last minute if he desires to.

Isn’t it a beautiful and wonderful thing when a sinner becomes a saint?

Reading Plan: Psalm 137, 144; 1 Sam. 14:16-30; Acts 9:10-19;  Luke. 23:32-43

7 JUL 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

 7 JUL 23 Friday: A Closer Walk Devotional

“He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the way found there.  He wanted to bring them-both men and women- back to Jerusalem in chains.” Luke 9: 2

Take a minute to think of who some of the most cruel and evil people are today.  There are certainly people that come to mind, right?  Many of these people strike fear and anger in our hearts and minds.  They are doing things that are harsh, maybe thieves or murderers.  In our day, we remember their names like Dahmer or Bin Laden.

After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the church was born and began to spread like wildfire.  So much so, that Jewish leaders began to become jealous and angry.  They tried to stop it from taking root in Jerusalem and the surrounding cities and nations.  The Jews were terrorists to the Christians of that day.  The Christians were jailed without cause, beaten, and murdered.

Where was God in all this? Remember that Jesus himself was killed on the cross to fulfill the plans of God. Jesus told his followers that they would be hated because of Him and would face persecution and some even death. (Matt. 5) Rapid multiplication comes from the blood of martyrs.  At the same time,  the enemies of God will be dealt with, in His way.  Some of them will be shown mercy and grace, and others will be shown justice.

Paul is a great example of this.  He was a Bin Laden of the day and everyone knew his name and was afraid.  But Jesus sought out Paul and made him one of his Apostles.  That encounter changed Paul and he became a fantastic instrument in the hands of God.  He went on to reach many people for the Lord and start many churches all over the Middle East.  

When we face people wicked people today in our daily lives or see dastardly people on the news, pray for them.  You never know how God may change their lives and use them for His glory to bring many to saving faith.  God may do something special in you or through you in the midst of your trials.  Take heart, God is with you.

What do you do with cruel and evil people?

Reading Plan: Psalm 140, 142; 1 Sam. 13:19-14:15; Acts 9:1-9;  Luke. 23:26-31