Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional

Our character should glorify God as we journey through life. Our desire should be to live and act honorably, with respect and regard for others. For careless words such as lies, gossip, and insults do not glorify God. (Matthew 12:36) Neither do evil thoughts that fill our hearts and minds . (Matthew 15:19) And faithless deeds are useless (James 2:20)…for when we believe that we are justified by a kind of faith that produces no works, we are embracing the heresy of antinomianism. (A big word coined by Martin Luther during the Reformation that means we believe that there are no moral laws that God expects us to follow.) The opposite of this is placing our confidence in our good works to get us to heaven without any faith in Jesus Christ…neither being the Godly character we should be emulating to others daily.

II Corinthians 1:3 tells us that God is the Father of compassion. And just like new clothes, we are to put on His character of compassion, encouragement and consolation. This is echoed in Colossians 3:12 which urges all Believers to “clothe yourselves with compassion.” For when we are covered with Christ’s example, what people see is sympathy & empathy shining forth, not judgment. And this then allows us to care for those whose lives are hurting and broken without criticism. For Godly character is merciful without prejudice.

Over the coming days we’re going to delve into what makes up a virtuous character. That’s because, it’s the foundational character of a person that establishes their actions…for it’s what we do when no one is watching. Our character is ethical traits and moral conduct taught to us by our parents and other trusted people as we’re growing up. And as adults, we learn the hard way that we can’t trust someone solely on the basis of their outward appearance…for there’s so much more to us when it comes to our reputation, decency, and integrity. Noble character is lauded in Proverbs 12:4 & Proverbs 31:10 as being above excellence, and a person who can be trusted completely without question. We should then be striving for Jesus-like character above everything else in the world today.

This verse encourages us to persevere in the face of challenges and discouragements that arise while doing good deeds. But when those actions become a daily, never ending drudgery…a toiling into the future that will only increase in difficultly, it’s so easy to become discouraged. So how can we not only turn our selfish despair around but inspire others in the process? It starts by knowing what God’s Word says…Isaiah 50:4 tells us that His Word sustains the weary, supporting those in need, even amidst opposition and fatigue. And we can also then look to Jesus for guidance and comfort, Who said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This invitation of His is filled with hope, love, and peace…and is an encouragement to come as we are…tired, broken, and overwhelmed…as He offers us the rest our soul so desperately needs.

This passage is more than just wise counsel from the Lord. It’s a call to action, a moral compass to follow, and a summary of what righteous living as a Believer in this broken world should look like. These three divine requirements – justice, mercy, and humility – cover our relationship with others, that we might conduct ourselves with kindness, fairness, and tender affection one for another. It then becomes a quiet lifestyle where we give full acknowledgement to God in every aspect of our personal actions…no matter who we’re dealing with.

Genesis makes it very clear…man was made in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26-27) We are therefore the icons of God, creatures made with a unique capacity to mirror and reflect His likeness and character. But because of the fall of Adam & Eve, our image of God is severely tarnished. But through Jesus Christ, the restoration of the fullness of the image of God in us can be accomplished. But sadly, we still try to fill that God-shaped hole in our hearts with all things worldly…but these idols will never fully satisfy like God will. Nevertheless, we keep pursuing idols to fill the void. I Thessalonians 1:9 sums up our dilemma well, turn to God from idols to serve the only living and true God and you will finally find happiness, peace and joy.

In this passage of Acts 15:36-41, Paul and Barnabas are setting off to revisit the cities of their first missionary journey. Barnabas wants to take John Mark, his nephew along…but Paul refuses, adamant that Mark’s deserting them during their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13) was wrong in so many ways. And so we find both men not willing to budge. Barnabas, who is known as Son of Encouragement advocates to give Mark a second chance…emphasizing the importance of Christ-like grace and forgiveness. While Paul sticks to his guns, claiming Mark is unreliable and not fit for the ministry. And so they part company and go their separate ways. Now this may sound like the proclamation of the Gospel Message took a big hit…but it was otherwise. By going their separate ways, twice the amount of people were reached with the Good News than if they had continued to travel together. That’s because God’s Sovereignty can work through any conflict between Believers to achieve His ultimate plan and purpose.

The promise of prosperity and success in Scriptures have long been misunderstood and misquoted. It doesn’t necessarily refer to material wealth or worldly achievements but rather to spiritual and moral wellbeing. In II Chronicles 31:20-21, King Hezekiah prospered because of his dedication to God with integrity, faithfulness, and a servants heart towards his people. In Joshua 1:7-8, the emphases was the importance of meditating on God’s Word, speaking it out, and obeying its teachings in order that one could achieve true prosperity and success. Thus, a full and triumphant life is then not defined by “things”, but by our obedience, relationship with God, and adherence to His Word.

Yesterday we looked at the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers, with only one returning to praise God. (Luke 17:11-19) It got me wondering about the other nine. They all had joined in together crying out to Jesus for pity…they all had obeyed Jesus to “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” without question… and all ten were healed at the same time. So why was it that only one came back with thankfulness in his heart? (Colossians 3:16) Mark Twain once said, “The world owes you nothing.” But we think otherwise, especially today. The word that comes to mind is entitlement, with the mindset that I deserve this, or I have a right to this…all the while expecting others to provide and support me without any effort on my part. So we end up unappreciative, thankless, and ungrateful, alone in our self-absorbed little sphere. But Hebrews 12:28 reminds us to be thankful and worship God…for a heart full of gratitude is one that truly knows where all good things come from. (James 1:17)

Obviously, these ten lepers knew who Jesus was and were familiar with His ministry and the miracles He was performing. They called Him Master, acknowledging who He was…not asking to be healed, but rather appealing to His compassion & love for the marginalized and social outcasts of the time. But instead of healing them immediately, Jesus tested their faith by instructing them to go and show themselves to the Priest. Now, they could of indignantly balked, being offended and angry that Jesus had not healed them instantaneously…but they obeyed His command. And it says that as they went, they were healed. The next thing that happened was very telling, for only one leper returned to give thanks. Only one came back to express gratitude, only one recognized God’s mercy and blessings in his life. And Jesus was quick to see this, especially since the only one that had come back was a Samaritan. Jesus then said to the man, “Your faith has made you well.” …restoring him totally, not only physically, but spiritually as well.