Devotionals

“Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new’?  It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”  Ecclesiastes 1:10 NIV

When it comes to reading the Bible, I’ve been a sloppy reader.  I don’t know how many times I’ve been through the entire text, but it’s a bunch.  

Only in the last three years have I followed a systematic procedure for consuming it slowly over one year.  This method allows greater focus on 3-4 chapters daily and more detailed study.  I look up the meanings of Hebrew and Greek words, convert measurements, weights, money into English units; check out cities and regions, etc.  It has deepened my understanding of the Scriptures in a meaningful way.   

As a result, I learn things that were never apparent to me previously.  Is it something new?  Well, it’s new to me, but it’s been there for a long, long, time that predates my existence.   

Here’s just one simple example.  Exodus recorded that God instructed Moses to bring two stone tablets in meeting Him on Mount Sinai.  God inscribed them with the Ten Commandments.  This fact is no biggie, but it had escaped my attention for years until a few days ago.  God wrote the Ten Commandments on both sides of the two tablets.  

How many artists’ depictions, movies, animations, etc. have you seen that show them written on only one side?  The answer is all of them.  I have never seen the tablets in any format depicted as they actually existed.  

I realize this discovery may not mean much, except that it emphasizes the importance of not being a sloppy reader of the Bible.  It makes me wonder what else I may have missed.  Have I overlooked something of great significance?  It’s entirely possible.  

Read your Bible carefully and stay focused.  You just might receive an answer to prayer or learn something that’ll impact your life.

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for the inspiration of Your Holy Word.  Open our eyes to seeing Your truth for our lives.  Amen.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:29-30 NIV

I love the infant onesies and shirts inscribed with slogans like “Tiny But Mighty”.  They are so cute!  You and I are “tiny but mighty”, too, even though we’re fully grown adults.  However, it has absolutely nothing to do with us.  

Are you familiar with the GAIA mission of the European Space Agency?  It’s a long-term project to measure the positions and distances of stars with unprecedented precision.  These guys have made some amazing discoveries.  

Our little planet Earth resides in the Milky Way Galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the known universe.  The sun is the star that makes life possible on our planet.  After several years of work, GAIA has mapped 1.6 billion–yes, billion with a “b”–stars in the Milky Way.  Guess what?  They have estimated there are 100-200 billion stars in our galaxy.  That sounds massive, but it’s really quite small in comparison to the whole universe that may extend to infinity.  I don’t have the brain power to comprehend it.  

Why in the world would we think of ourselves as having any significance whatsoever? One thing stands out:  Almighty God.  He made us in His image.  He sent His Son to die for us.  He invites us to live with Him forever if we’ll only accept His free gift of grace.  

He knows every sparrow that falls to the ground and considers us far more valuable.  He knows every detail of our existence–every thought, word, and deed.  He knows the number of hairs on our head.    

You matter to God.  You are “tiny but mighty”, not because of who you are but who He is.  When we think of ourselves as compared to all of God’s creation, it should be incredibly humbling.  We are nobodies, but He considers us somebodies.  Praise the God who loves us!

Are you returning love to Him?

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for You and only You are all powerful, all knowing, all wise, all perfect, the creator of all things, ruler of Heaven and Earth.  We cannot understand why You love us so much, but we are so glad and fortunate that You do.  Amen.

“ . . . every knee in all the world shall bow to me, and every tongue shall swear allegiance to my name.”  Isaiah 45:23 TLB

A few devotionals ago I wrote about Jesus asking Peter THE question, “Who do you say I am?”  Good for Peter–he got it right!  Of course, it seems highly improbable that he’d miss the answer, considering that he had accompanied Jesus for almost three years and witnessed everything He had done.  However, that’s not a given. Judas did likewise, yet he failed this one question test as demonstrated by his subsequent actions.  

We are questioned throughout our lives at every age.  We have to answer so much to so many different people.  Think about questions asked by parents, teachers, bosses, coworkers, friends, attorneys–the list goes on and on.  We literally must respond to hundreds of thousands of them over decades.  

There is one question that every single person since Jesus must answer, and it’s the same one He asked to Peter some 2,000 years ago,  “Who do you say I am?”   There are no exceptions!  One either acknowledges Him as the Christ or denies Him.  Even a conscious attempt to not answer is a denial.  

I submit the stakes are incredibly high.  It is significant in the realm of eternity.  Acknowledging that Jesus is the Christ and making Him Lord of you life is the most important decision one can ever make.  Nothing else comes close.  

Ask yourself THE question.  Who do you say Jesus is?  Have you made him Lord of your life?

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for your Son, Jesus.  We acknowledge Him as the Christ, and we worship Him as Lord.  Amen.

“By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.”  Psalm 42:8

A month ago I failed a colon cancer screening test.  I tested positive.  The result did not mean that I had colon cancer.  It merely indicated the possibility with the recommendation to follow-up with a colonoscopy.  

This screening proves correct 87% of the time and incorrect 13% of the time.  When it’s right, there’s a 92% chance of having colon cancer.  It isn’t infallible, but it’s pretty good.  

My dad died from colon cancer 33 years ago.  From diagnosis to death required only 6-1/2 months, and he suffered greatly.  Both detection and treatment have improved dramatically since 1985, and early stage colon cancer has a high survival rate.  Nonetheless, since I carry a genetic link, I have to be diligent in keeping tabs on my own health.  

Last week I had a colonoscopy.  Not only is everything okay, but the gastroenterologist opined that I’m in excellent health for someone of my age.  The screening test turned out to be a false positive.  I beat the odds in dramatic fashion.  

Quite frankly, I had no worry or fear.  The scriptures are replete with guidance that we should not have such concerns.  While it’s easier said than done, if we trust in the Lord, worry and fear are sins.  Also, as someone who beat another type of cancer seven years ago, the prospect of having cancer again didn’t have the same alarming impact as the first time.  

After testing positive on the initial colon cancer screening test, how do you think I prayed?  I simply asked God to carry the burden for me, so that I wouldn’t have to deal with it.  I also requested, that if it is His will for me, the colonoscopy would show no problem and the screening test would be judged as a false positive.  

Guess what?  Both prayers were answered, and in the manner that I had hoped from my human perspective.  Would you consider such an outcome as miraculous?  It would be the case IF I actually had colon cancer during the screening test that disappeared before the colonoscopy.  While possible, I have no way of truly knowing.  I do know that God was involved in a supernatural way with directing me, carrying my burden, and answering my prayers.    

How has God intervened in your life in unquestionable ways?  Have you sometimes found His answers are better than what you may have wished?

Prayer:  Dear God, thank you for your tender mercies–for loving us, for caring for us, for carrying our burdens, and for answering our prayers.  Amen.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”  Matthew 6:26 NIV

What is required to live?   You need to breathe.  Water is pretty essential.  Can’t live without food.  Light is always good.  Who doesn’t need love?  Or forgiveness?  We can’t exist without these things.  

How does the Bible address each one?

“In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”  Job 12:10 NIV

“Whoever believes in me,” as Scripture has said, “rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  John 7:38 NIV

“For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.”  John 6:55 NIV

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  John 8:12 NIV

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love.”  John 15:9 NIV

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”  Matthew 26:28

The bottom line is that we need Jesus.  Without Him we cannot live the good life.  

How are you living for Jesus today?

Prayer:  Thank you, Jesus, for providing us Your breath, Your living water, Your real food and drink, Your light, Your love, Your forgiveness.  Amen

“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  Matthew 12:35-37 NIV

Over the years I’ve provided expert testimony for many intellectual property and product liability litigations.  It’s stressful to be questioned extensively by attorneys who attempt to make white look like black and black look like white.  

One particular occasion registers high in my memory.  For two grueling days I gave a deposition for a case going to the United States Supreme Court.  I was the chief witness, and many dollars and livelihoods were on the line.  Interestingly, I wasn’t a party to the litigation.  I had been subpoenaed by the Defendant and years earlier I had been employed by the Plaintiff.  

Attorneys–I think 18 of them–filled the large deposition room.  I had to take off from work with no compensation from either side, and I had to hire my own attorney to protect my interests.  

For two solid days the attorneys played tag team and asked me countless questions about every thought, word, and deed of mine relative to the litigation over the past twenty years.  They even delved into personal stuff that had no bearing on the case, which I still had to answer over many objections.  My memory was challenged on every single point.  When in a deposition, be mindful that the deponent is only person in the room who is under oath to tell the truth.  If everyone else had started growing a Pinocchio nose for every lie they had stated, before lunch on the first day they would not have been able to fit in the room.  

Do you get the picture?  Do you understand how stressful and challenging this event was?  

Guess what?  Every single one of us will be accountable to Jesus Christ as the final judge.  We will be responsible for every thought, word, and deed of our entire lifetimes.  By comparison, my two days testifying for the Supreme Court amounts to child’s play.  

Do not despair!  As a true Christ-follower–one who acknowledges Him as the Messiah and believes in His sacrifice for our sins on the cross and resurrection from the dead, and who makes Him the Lord of his life–we will have a blank slate with no sins recorded or remembered.  It’s a marvelous reality promised to us by Jesus Himself.  Unfortunately, non-believers have the bitter reality of being judged for their sins–not a pleasant thought when considering that perfection is the high bar for one to attain enough holiness to enter Heaven.  

Are you a Christ-follower?  If not, what’s holding you back?  Today is the day to change the trajectory of your life.  

Prayer:  Thank you, Jesus, for paying the price on our behalf and serving as the judge who wipes away our sins.  Grace is the sweetest word, and we worship You for it.  Amen.

[Jesus is speaking]  “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”  Mark 8:29

Jesus’s question to Peter is incredibly profound on many levels.  Think about these three.

First, Peter had accompanied Jesus for almost three years when He asked the question.  Peter had witnessed His miracles:  walking on water, calming the storm, healing the sick; raising the dead; feeding the thousands; restoring sight and sound to the blind and deaf, etc.  He had also heard Jesus’s words and parables, so full of wisdom and guidance.  

Second, while the Bible informs us that this event occurred in the general region of Caesarea-Philippi, historians have pinpointed it to the specific city of Banias.  You’ll recall all the many references to people worshiping Baals, the false gods, in the Old Testament.  Banias was the location of the Pan Sanctuary for the god Pan and the Baals.  Jesus asked Peter the question squarely in the center of enemy territory.  Don’t you find this fact absolutely fascinating?  

Third, God referred to Himself as the I AM in the Old Testament.  For example, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites:   I AM has sent me to you.’ “  (Exodus 3:14 NIV).  In the next verse He refers to himself as “THE LORD”, which in Hebrew in this case means “I AM”.  When Jesus asked Peter the question, do you think He used any voice inflection to give him a strong hint–something like “Who do you say I AM?”

How do you imagine Peter felt and thought when Jesus questioned him?

When you read the Bible, open your mind and spirit to really capture what the verses are saying, the historical and cultural context, and how everything ties together.  The more you dig for understanding, the more the Bible will come alive.    

Prayer:  Dear God, we know you are the I AM and that Jesus is the Messiah and also the I AM.  Forgive us for our sins.  Help us to grow in spiritual maturity and make disciples as you commanded us to do.  Amen.

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:48

In a previous devotional I wrote about my experiences in trying to lead others to Jesus Christ.  Perhaps 95% of them hoped they had been good enough to merit entry into heaven.  Somehow they visualized a great scale of justice mounted at the throne of God.  All their sins would be piled on one side and all their good deeds on the other side, and whichever one weighed more would determine their eternal destiny.

Let’s use the example of a really righteous person.  Assume they reach the age of accountability at 8 years old and live to be 78 years old.  That’s 70 years of being responsible for the good and bad in their lifetime.  As explained yesterday, there are sins of commission and omission.  Think about your very best behavior in a day’s time.  How many sins would you commit?  Be honest!  

Getting your kids ready for school is like a three-ring circus, and you say something critical to them or your spouse–count 1.  Morning traffic to work is a bear with crazy drivers and delays, and you let out an expletive when a guy cuts you off–count 2.  You arrive late to work and your boss makes a snide remark, causing you a little hate inside–count 3.  You go to lunch but take extra time when you should have been working because you’re still mad at your boss–count 4.  The server forgot to charge you for the coffee with your meal, and you consider it good luck and don’t pay for it–count 5.  You pass a homeless man begging for some change and you write him off as a lazy bum–count 6.  You get the picture.  

This list is short!  Think about your own thoughts and behavior.  Realistically, how many sins would you accumulate in a typical day?  

Just imagine that you are an absolute saint, so you only sin 3 times in a day.  I don’t know if it’s even possible for a person to sin so little, but let’s go with this figure.  Let’s also assume you are able to maintain this saintliness for the entire 70 years of your lifetime accountability.  Such an almost perfect life would be legendary and worthy of accolades.  Step aside, Mother Teresa!  

Here’s the bad news.  This almost perfect person would be guilty of about 77,000 sins!  By comparison, I could add a few more zeros to the figure for my own life.  

Heaven is perfect and without sin.  Do you think someone with 77,000 sins would be allowed in?  How many good works would it take to tip the justice scale favorably on their behalf?  

The bottom line is that none of us are good enough to go to heaven on our own merit.  Only one perfect man, Jesus Christ, has ever succeeded in accomplishing what we are so incapable of doing.  The sinless Son of God took our sin so that we may live forever with Him.  

Prayer:  Thank you, Jesus!  Amen

“I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.  As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.  For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.”   Romans 7:15-20 NIV

My dad was a railroad man, so when I see C&O I automatically think about the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (now CTX).  Some of you may even be reminded of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a national park.  

Regardless, today’s devotional concerns sin, which is usually not a comfortable topic for discussion.  Do you know that all sins can be categorized as one of two types:  sins of commission and sins of omission?  I refer to them as the C&O we should recognize in our own lives.  

Sins of commission are the sins we know not to do, but we commit them anyway.  Think about the Ten Commandments and others mentioned in the Bible.  If we violate a commandment–and I feel all of us have if we’re honest with ourselves–these are the big sins for which we’ll receive full credit.  

The sins of omission are trickier.  They occur when we fail to do good when the opportunity arises.  For example, if your neighbor is hungry because of some inability to feed himself, and you know his condition and have the ability of helping but you decide to not do so, that’s a sin of omission.  

The scripture is from Paul.  I think everyone of us can identify with it.  I confess that I struggle with sins of both commission and omission.  Does it mean we’re failures?  Absolutely not!  It means we’re human and have a natural tendency to sin.  The great news is that we have an intermediary who paid the price for all our sins–every single one of them.  That’s not just good news–that’s great news!

Have you thanked Jesus today for taking your sins?

Prayer:  Thank you, Jesus, for Your tremendous obedience by being sacrificed with extraordinary torture and death on the cross for me!  Your love is incredible, and I worship you as Lord of my life.  Amen

“ . . . go and make disciples . . . “  Matthew 28:19

Years ago I served in our church’s evangelism efforts.  The way it worked was simple.  Any attendee to a worship service who wanted to learn more about salvation could request a personal visit from someone who could explain it to them.  Just a handful participated in this outreach.  We visited by invitation only at a time selected by the requestor.  We didn’t make a sales pitch for our particular church.  Our sole objective was to lead people to Jesus Christ.  That’s all.  

Initially when I started doing this, I felt a little nervous.  As explained in a previous Daily Devotional, sharing Jesus with your children and grandchildren is a great way to start developing one’s evangelism skills.  However, to grow as a mature Christian and fulfill Jesus’s directive to make disciples, you need to up your game by talking with adults who are unbelievers, who are hurting, who can ask tough questions, etc.  Believe me:  you will learn a ton about people that you never imagined.  With more practice you’ll be able to respond to all kinds of situations and become more comfortable in sharing the gospel.  

I’d start out with making small talk–complimenting their home, asking about their family, work, interests, etc.  This approach helps both parties become comfortable with each other.  I’d follow by sharing my own testimony of how I came to know Jesus as the Christ.  My personal story would lead to THE question:  “Are you confident that you’ll go to Heaven one day?”  This is where the rubber hits the road.  

Their answers would open up the real discussion.  I learned that people have an incredible range of beliefs that aren’t biblical.  Some believe in heaven but not hell.  Some think that Jesus is one path but not the only path to heaven.  Some think Jesus is a fictional character.  The list continues on and on.  

One opinion emerged time and again–so often that it surprised me.  They would say something like, “I sure hope so.  I think I’m a good person and maybe good enough to get in.”  In my experience of witnessing to unbelievers searching for the truth, I’ve heard this response probably 95%+ of the time.  

Of course, I’d follow-up with the complete story, explaining why goodness doesn’t get it, and only by the redemptive grace afforded by Jesus Christ can one be saved.  You can’t imagine how eye-opening the explanation proved to be for many people.  It was different from anything they had believed previously.  Some people would accept Jesus as their savior on the spot, and others would politely state that they’d reflect on what I had taught them.  I hope to meet everyone of them in heaven one day.  

How can you become more effective in reaching others for Jesus?  What ideas from my experience might you use?  

Prayer:  Teach us, Lord, how to reach others for You.  In Jesus’s name.  Amen.