John the Baptist came preaching repentance. His baptism was a ritual symbolizing spiritual cleansing through the forgiveness of sins to those who repented and believed the gospel, and also prepared the Jews for the coming Messiah. But many in the crowd took offense, wanting rather to put their trust in their lineage or “pedigree” for their righteousness. But it tells us in Galatians 3:6-7, “Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.” We will never get to heaven on the shirt-tails of our Godly father, or on the apron-strings of our prayer warrior grandmother. No, the only way is by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ…and it’s only through repentance and forgiveness of our sins that we have the promise of eternal life.
Category: daily devotional
II Kings 17:14-15 ” But they would not listen and were stiff-necked as their fathers, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected His decrees and the covenant He had made with their fathers and the warnings He had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless.”
Stiff-necked is a great word picture. It comes from oxen resisting the yoke placed on them by the farmer. And when we turn away from God and His Word…we’re essentially doing the same thing. We stubbornly think God’s yoke is too difficult to bear and so in rebellion we throw off the yoke of obedience. But it warns us in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” For we become totally deceived when we think that the yoke of sin is easy to escape out of…for in reality, the bondage of its yoke is far heavier and more difficult to carry.
Philippians 1:6 ” Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Perfecting holiness in us is God’s ultimate plan and purpose for our lives. But we fail to realize that His fundamental goal and objective is the process that we go through…not just the end result. The process of holiness is not a once and done action…but rather a fulfillment in our lives that leads to the full expression and realization of God in us.
Proverbs 13:20 “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”
It tells us in I Corinthians 15:33 that, “Bad company corrupts good character.” Which means, that it really does matter who we hang around with. For without realizing it, those we associate with can sway our thinking about God…moving us farther and farther away from His Will…until we find ourselves doing things that we’d never before consider doing…things totally contrary to His Word. And in the end, the friends we thought we could change, have instead changed us…for the worse.
II Chronicles 15:2 ” The Lord is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.”
James 4:8 tells us to, “Come near to God and He will come near to you.” What does “coming near to God” look like though? It starts with communing or fellowshiping with our Heavenly Father…and that means getting to know Him. It’s similar to when you first started dating your spouse…you talked together endless hours, getting to know each other. God wants us to know Him…and He wants us to trust Him. But we have to know Him before we can trust Him…and that means reading His Word and praying. God assures us that if we seek Him, we will find Him…for He’s longingly waiting for that opportunity to be known by us.
Matthew 8:8 ” The Centurion replied, ‘Lord, I do not deserve to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority…’ “
In this story, a Gentile Roman Centurion had approached Jesus asking Him to heal his servant. This commanding officer not only knew who Jesus was, but had witnessed and then understood the authority by which Jesus taught and healed the sick. For it was by this powerful authority he saw in Jesus that he related. It says that Jesus was astonished and commended him for his great faith and understanding of authority…and his servant was healed that day.
Job 42:1-2 ” Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.’ “
God is not up in Heaven right now pacing and wringing His hands…nor is there the slightest sign of uncertainty or doubt on His face. Rather, God is seated on His throne in total and absolute control of every situation happening today. For there is no person or thing that can successfully oppose or block God’s Will. That’s because His ultimate plan and purpose is always being worked out perfectly to conform to His Will…for with God all things are possible.
Romans 9:20-21 ” But who are you O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? “
I bet sometime in your Christian walk you’ve asked God the same question…”Why did you make me like this?” That’s because we’re never really satisfied with what we have, the spiritual gifts we’ve been given, or the lot in life we’ve drawn. We look at others and think, “Why can’t I have that special Ministry, or gifting, or talent?” The Lord has an ultimate plan and purpose for each of our lives. Some of us are like articles in the house made of gold and silver that are used for special occasions…while many of us are humble, mediocre items that are used everyday made of wood or clay. Each has importance…each is needed to make the house run smoothly. But the most important thing to remember is that no matter the use, whether noble or common, we are all the work of God’s hands. (Isaiah 64:8)
II Chronicles 20:26 ” On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.”
King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were desperate. Enemy armies were fast approaching and they didn’t know what to do. They found themselves in a dark valley of desperation, discouragement, and fear with no way out…but they resolved to trust God. And it’s in that same valley that God worked a mighty miracle…giving them victory over their enemies. That valley of their suffering was changed into the Valley of Beracah…the Valley of Praise. With God’s help, we can grow during those hard times. Our faith can increase and be strengthened in the midst of turmoil, loss, and strife…if we trust God. It’s then that our valley of the shadow of death can also become a Valley of Praise.
II Timothy 4:7 ” I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
At the end of all Believer’s lives we would hope to be able to echo Paul’s words here. Yes, I’ve struggled against temptation daily, but I’ve valiantly tried to remain honest and upright before the Lord. I’ve professed my faith to others…contending for the prize… the victor’s crown of eternal life. And in the end, like Paul, I wish to be able to say with confidence, that I have finished the race and completed the task- the ministry- that the Lord Jesus Christ has laid out before me. (Acts 20:24)
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