Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional

Adversity, suffering, and hardship are all part of the human experience here on earth. That’s because we are a broken people, living in a very broken world. But when Jesus extends His hand and whispers, “Come to Me.” it’s up to us to make the decision to either act or ignore His invitation. If we decide to try and do it on our own without His help, we open ourselves up to anxiety, depression, and hopelessness…for we are not meant to bear the crushing burden alone. But when we respond to Jesus’ encouraging, “Come to Me.”, He will give us rest, and sustain us in peace and quietness. (Exodus 33:14)

No matter how long we’ve been a Believer, we can’t fall into the spiritual apathy and complacency of “assuming” we know how God will move. Thus, we can never put God in a box…for He will blow it wide open in unexpected & unanticipated ways every time. When Jesus was teaching His disciples about the Second Coming in Mark 13:36, He used the word suddenly…as it would happen suddenly without warning. Which the disciples later experienced on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:2, when the Holy Spirit suddenly descended upon them. It was also with the same kind of suddenness that Saul (Paul) encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. (Acts 22:6) So we can never assume that God will come in a certain way…but we can look for Him to show up… as He pleases. So always leave room for God to move.

We hear this statement uttered by many great men of the Bible when they answered God’s call. We have Abraham replying to God in Genesis 22:1, the prophet Isaiah responding in Him in Isaiah 6:8, Moses reacting to God’s Voice coming from the burning bush in Exodus 3:4, and a young Samuel finally answering the Voice of God in I Samuel 3:4,6,8. The Hebrew word here is “Hineni”, which is so more than just a courteous reply from someone who’s ready to help. This phrase comes after counting the costs, similar to when God tested Abraham in Genesis 22:1. For often God’s testing is through adversity or hardship in order for us to demonstrate the quality of our faithfulness, loyalty, and obedience. So when we say, “Here I am!” it’s a courageous response to God without doubt or hesitation. That’s because, we’ve already determined that we’re available, ready, and willing to obey and serve.

Malachi’s name meant “My messenger”…and in this last Chapter of the Old Testament, Malachi warned the people of God’s enduring faithfulness and their serious unfaithfulness. He also prophesied not only about the coming messenger to prepare the way (John the Baptist) but about the coming of the Messiah. (Jesus Christ) In this verse he describes the work of the Messiah as thorough and seriously uncomfortable…as a fuller’s soap. This immediately gave the people a vivid picture of the work of launderers or fullers, who used harsh alkaline chemicals extracted from plants to remove stubborn stains from clothing. They never washed clothing gently…but aggressively rubbed, pressed, and beat the garment until it was clean and white again. Malachi admonished them that God’s cleansing work and transformational purification wasn’t going to be fun, but painful…but would ultimately be for their good.

The lesson that Jesus taught in Luke 15:11-31 went far beyond just a story of a young son squandering his inheritance. The teaching was directed towards the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law, (the older brother) whose self-righteousness was based on their works & merit, and their attitude that they somehow “deserved” God’s favor. For Romans 3:23 reminds us that, “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” And without His Divine Grace we’d all be lost forever. But it took contrition…a coming to his senses…with true godly remorse and repentance, followed by the seeking of forgiveness and redemption by the young man that we then see the father forgiving and loving his wayward son.

We know that God doesn’t want us to dwell on the past…for that usually includes guilt, shame, and regrets. But He does want us to remember…recollecting His mighty works, reflecting upon His past deeds, and commemorating how He’s worked in our life. Many times this will happen after we have walked out of that dark valley into the sunshine…after the storm of life has passed and we can see clearly for the first time in a while. It’s not that we can’t feel His Presence within the storm…it’s just that in its midst, we’re overwhelmed and hanging on by a thread…so it’s not usually until we’re on the other side can God show us His mighty acts. Then, remembering is an act of worship, of recognizing our dependence on God, and the importance of meditating on both His deeds recorded in Scripture as well as our personal experiences… that help to strengthen our faith. So remembering is good…for it inspires gratitude, encouragement, and hope to face the future.

The enemy loves to get us ensnared in verbal division, disunity, and stubborn decisiveness. So if we find ourselves constantly arguing politics but rarely talking about Jesus…we need to seriously consider that our heart is in the wrong place. That’s because the Kingdom of God is eternal, and someday all kings, political parties, and world rulers will bow down to Him. (Psalm 72:11) We also need to realize that across history powerful governments have risen, only to fall. An example of this is king Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon…one of the most powerful kingdoms on earth…who humbly proclaimed in Daniel 4:3, “How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders. His Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.” God is the King of kings and Lord of lords and the very best thing for us to pray is, “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

When we’re in a season of waiting, it’s never just a season of waiting. Rather, it’s a season of preparation, self-improvement, giving, servanthood, and always sanctification. Throughout the Psalms we see Scripture encouraging us to wait patiently before the Lord…all the while being strong, confident, and keeping His ways. (Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37: 7,34) That’s because waiting can never be passive where we’re just standing by enduring our current situation. No, it’s a time of preparation for God’s purposes and responsibilities to come…and it’s a time of intentional growth in our relationship with the Lord. For a season of waiting requires our responsibility and effort…understanding that the struggle is real to forge on ahead in hope.

It was quite the entertaining spectacle for the people…the likes of which they had never seen before. And so the clamoring crowds followed Jesus, waiting for more impressive public displays of miraculous signs and wonders. To many though, it was just an amusement…with Jesus acting as a performer on a stage. For despite the crowds witnessing numerous miracles, they remained skeptical, insincere, and superficial in their faith. And sadly, this struggle between doubt & resistance and faith & belief is timeless… continuing even today in the hearts & minds of all human beings. For just as witnessing miracles didn’t guarantee faith for those crowds…belief in Jesus has to be a very personal journey of openness and willingness to accept God’s Truth.

Over the past forty years, I’ve been a firm believer in giving God the very first part of my day. Way before the chaos of the world has a chance to seep in and its noise becomes deafening in my mind. For I know He doesn’t want my left over minutes, rushed thoughts, or the remnants of a harried and exhausted day. No, what God desires are those quiet, undivided moments when it’s just Him and me…no distractions, no diversions…just His illuminated Word.