Devotionals

“He built the Most Holy Place . . . He overlaid the inside with 600 talents of fine gold.”   2 Chronicles 3:8 NIV

The book of Second Chronicles describes the construction of Solomon’s Temple, the first permanent temple built by the Jews to God.  You can read about it in the second and third chapters, which describe the size and ornateness of the structure.  Oftentimes when we read the Bible, we see terms like “talents”, “cubits”, “shekels”, and “baths” without understanding what they are.  

I’m just going to briefly describe only one feature.  The Most Holy Place, which contained the Ark of the Covenant, measured thirty feet by thirty feet.  Pure gold lined the walls–in fact, 23 tons of it!  At today’s gold price, the value is more than $901 million dollars.  That’s right!  Just a little less than a billion dollars on the walls!

The opulence doesn’t stop here.  Read about the rest of the temple and it’ll blow your mind!  How do you build a house for God?  King David did the basic legwork for the design of the Temple and the acquisition of many materials, but the construction responsibility fell to his son, King Solomon.  In their era, such a building merited being the best ever, and today–over three thousand years later–nothing comparable or better has ever been built.  From an engineering and architectural perspective, that’s simply amazing!

However, Jesus Christ changed everything!  God’s Temple is contained within every believer.  Shortly after Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, the Holy Spirit arrived to guide mankind, and He resides in us.  We’re far more valuable in God’s view than King Solomon’s incredibly opulent Temple!  

Many of us–me included–don’t maintain our temples like we should.  I think God-honoring upkeep requires us to be the very best in our spiritual, mental, and physical condition.  Such effort should be a daily practice.

What are you doing to maintain your temple?  

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for living in us!  We praise You for your amazing love.  Amen.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14 NIV

Yesterday we pulled into a parking place at the mall and loaded our granddaughter in the stroller.  As we approached the entrance, we spotted him on his regular bench outside.  He saw us, too.  My wife and I had hoped that he would initiate contact, which we viewed as  potentially an invitation to speak with him again about the gospel.  

Instead, he hung his head and closed his eyes tightly, refusing to even look at us.  He sent a clear message that conversation with us was not welcomed.  Now we’re down to two strikes with only one more chance at the plate, as we’re about to head out-of-town and may never seen him alive again.  

How sad!  I feel like a failure, but shouldn’t.  We are to make disciples, but the scriptures are crystal clear that more will reject Jesus than accept Him.  In our personal evangelism, sometimes we’ll succeed and oftentimes we’ll fail.  Having the courage to continue sharing Jesus with others is a demonstration of faith.

Today we walked again with our granddaughter and hoped to see the man at the mall for the third and likely final time.  He proved more welcoming today and actually spoke to us as we approached the entrance.  However, one distinguishing feature existed this time:  he wore a bandana with the devil pictured on it.  To us it seemed apparent that he had chosen sides and this juvenile demonstration seemed to be an “in-your-face” response to us.  Strike three, and we are out!  

At least we tried.  Obviously we need to hone our evangelism know-how.  I strive for excellence in everything I do, but in this area my skill level appears pretty average.  My only hope is that we somehow planted a seed in his diseased mind to accept Jesus as the Christ before he passes away.  Unfortunately, at this time it’ll take someone else to convince him as we will be gone from the area. 

Prayer: Dear God, awaken the man at the mall to realize the marvelous, free, and unmerited gift of grace that only You offer.  Help us to become better at making disciples.  Amen.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes . . . “  Romans 1:16a

This website strives to make disciples–that’s job #1.   Even as a long-time Christian–one trained years ago in evangelism–I find that reaching many nonbelievers presents unique challenges.  How do you open the mind and touch the heart of someone who seems unreachable?

My wife and I walk our granddaughter in a stroller in our local mall frequently.  Just about every time, we encounter a rather strange man.  Most people want distance from someone like him.  Yet, we have been drawn to learn his story, so we talk with him regularly.   

He’s very much physically unfit, dirty, and unkempt.  His hair is curly and long, and it hasn’t encountered a brush, comb or shampoo in quite some time.  Every day his clothing remains the same.  Tattoos cover his hands, and every finger bears its own  large ring.  He’s 45 years old.  Surprisingly, he’s not homeless.  We suspect his residence is some kind of halfway house, but we don’t really know.  He lives about a mile from the mall and  walks there every morning to arrive when it opens at 6:30 a.m.  He’ll spend the next several hours hanging out and talking to passers-by.  Earlier in his life he belonged to a motorcycle gang.  He has reported that if he had continued his involvement with it, he’d either be dead or in prison now.  

Recently we noticed him sitting outside in a solitary location, looking quite distraught.  We walked over to talk to him and find out what was wrong.  His emotions caused great difficulty in speaking.  He reported that he had received terrible news and couldn’t say anything else.  We asked simply, “Are you a Christian?”, and he responded negatively.  It broke our hearts.  This is the kind of situation where the rubber meets the road.  Knowing Jesus as we do, it’s almost unfathomable that someone would not believe in Him.  In his emotional state, I didn’t launch an evangelism attempt to convince otherwise.  He’s in a desperate place, but it just didn’t seem the right time to tell him about the love of Jesus when his receptivity appeared lower than low.  

We returned to the mall a couple of days later to walk off some calories.  There he was, sitting at his usual place.  We went up to him and started a conversation.  He told us that he had a brain tumor and only one to two months to live.  We asked if he planned to pursue a treatment, and he responded “no”.  He wants to die.  We witnessed to him about eternal life and Jesus, but he had zero interest.  He believes that he has a soul, but he doesn’t care what happens to it.  He refused to give us his name, and stated that he just wanted to be left alone with his own thoughts.  Prayer wasn’t something he wanted.  He left us with the message that he’d be dead soon, and we wouldn’t have to see him around any more.

While this attempt seemed to fail miserably, perhaps we have ignited something within him to seek Jesus.  We should have another opportunity to speak with him this week, and we may take another shot at witnessing to him.  We have nothing to lose by being rejected, and he has everything to lose by rejecting Jesus.  

I realize this devotional is a downer that won’t inspire anyone.  Nonetheless, I wanted to share this experience as you may have a similar encounter.  Perhaps it’ll help in your witnessing efforts.  In the meantime, please pray for the man at the mall.  

Prayer:  Give us the courage, dear God, to convince others of your marvelous grace.  Amen.

“So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.”  Genesis 19:29 NIV

Are you sometimes confused by the Bible?  Don’t feel badly if you are.   I’ll confess.  I understand the big picture, but some parts I just don’t get.  Here’s something that’ll make you feel a little better:  no one has it figured out.  In yesterday’s Daily Devotional I wrote about how some stories are like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle–pieces that you haven’t figured out where to place.

Right now I’m reading through Genesis.  Chapter 19 left me scratching my head.  Its the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  In the previous chapter Abraham negotiated with the Lord that if 10 righteous people could be found in Sodom, the city would be spared.  Two angels arrived there to evaluate the situation, and they subsequently destroyed the city.

Here’s the part that baffles me.  Lot and his family were encouraged to leave before the destruction, so  they were obviously considered righteous.  However, some strange events occurred that scream otherwise.  First, to placate the angry mob outside Lot’s house that wanted to have sex with the two angels inside, Lot offered his virgin daughters to them to do as they wished.  Second, after Lot and his daughters escaped to live in a cave outside of Zoar, the daughters purposely got their father drunk and had sex with him to become pregnant.

What in the world is righteous about this family?  They seem to be highly dysfunctional to me.  However, they were the only people judged righteous in the whole city of Sodom!  Just imagine how wicked everyone else must have been!  I don’t understand why Lot and his family were allowed to escape.

I’ll take a stab at what this story means.  The Bible is replete with stories of sinful men and women who God selected for His special purposes.  The list includes murderers, adulterers, persecutors, etc.–the kind of folks we wouldn’t want association with.  He used them in remarkable ways to advance His kingdom.  What these people accomplished is legendary.  Lot must have been one of these special people.  He must have been a decent person who desired in his heart to please God, and in turn, he somehow found favor.

Every single one of us fails to be the person we should be.  None of us measure up to the righteousness of God.  We have sin that separates us from Him.  We need Jesus to provide the pathway to eternal life.  His crimson blood provides the only way to redeem us, and for his obedience and sacrifice, we worship and adore Him.  Like Lot, we can find favor in God’s eyes, too.

What has Jesus done for you?  How have you served Him today?

Prayer:  Thank you for Jesus, His perfect life and example, His obedience, His death, His resurrection, and His kingship in Heaven and on earth.  Amen.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”  Matthew 7:28-29 NIV

What’s the most inspirational place you’ve ever been?  So many answers pop into my mind as I’ve had the good fortune of traveling extensively to many countries.  My top five would be in Israel.  One that really stands out is the Mount of the Beatitudes.  This site is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, between Capernaum and Gennesaret.  It’s a traditional location, meaning that it’s not absolutely certain of being the genuine site.  However, since it has been recognized for 1600 years, the likelihood is pretty high.  

Jesus gave the greatest speech in the history of mankind here–the Sermon on the Mount.  (Read Matthew 5-7.)  Imagine a hillside that slopes gently to the Sea of Galilee in a natural bowl shape.  Sound travels well here.  One can easily visualize Jesus speaking to a crowd that may have numbered in the thousands.  

How do you think you’d feel standing where He may have stood two millennia ago for this event?  For me it caused a broad range of emotions.  Hearing someone read the Sermon on the Mount while looking over the scene proved to be an incredible experience.  Feeling sheer awe and humility come to mind in my memory.     

Why do you suppose Jesus gave His phenomenal sermon here on a hillside in a rural area rather than, for example, the Southern Steps to the Temple in busy Jerusalem?  A major trade route from Europe to Africa passed this location.  It provided a forum for Jesus to reach a large number of people who lived a long distance away.  He spread the gospel to other lands before the disciples did following His ascension.  

In fact, Jesus lived most of his life in this area, and He performed about 40% of all His miracles here.  When you see how much occurred in a few miles along the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee, it’s pretty mind-blowing.  

This Daily Devotional is a recommendation to experience a devotional like no other.  I highly recommend that you visit Israel.  Expensive–yes, but so worth every penny.  It will change your Bible from two-dimensional black-and-white to 3D living color.  You will receive a perspective and understanding that comes only from being there.  Every person I have ever met who has been there wants to return.  You will never be the same.  

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for Your land of Israel.  We are inspired by what You did in this land, what You are doing now in this land, and Your marvelous plan for this land in the future.   Amen

“When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.”  Exodus 34:29

The account of Moses meeting God on Mount Sinai is remarkable.  After being together for many days, Moses descended the mountain with the two tablets containing the ten commandments and he spoke to the Israelites.  The people were afraid, because his faced glowed as a result of being in the presence of God.  As a result, Moses would wear a veil around the people, but remove it when encountering God.  

On an early blog post, I reported my wife’s near-death experience.  Here are some more details about it.  When her heart stopped beating, she arrived at a translucent veil that separated her from Heaven.  She could see through it and yearned to enter, but that didn’t happen.  Her sense was that once she passed through the veil, she would never return to earth.  

The light in the distance radiated a brilliant orange-yellow glow.  it reminded her of a sunset, but one much bigger and brighter than anything she had ever seen.  Nothing escaped being illuminated.  She could see many people milling about, and she felt they were tremendously happy.  Two rows of people lined up so that she could pass through the veil and walk between them, but that didn’t happen.  

Here’s the interesting part.  Their faces glowed radiantly.  She could make out facial outlines but specific features were hidden by the orange-yellow illumination, which matched the color of the primary glow in the distance.  

It doesn’t take much for one to feel that what my wife observed resembled Moses’ appearance after meeting God.  The description that she provided when her near-death occurred matches the Exodus record regarding Moses.  I don’t know about you, but her story inspires me!  It makes me look forward to a future move to Heaven.  

Do you have the glow?  

Prayer:  God, we adore and worship you.  Thank you for being the light of the world.

Amen.

“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us.’ ”  Exodus 32:1 NIV

You know the inspiring story about God setting the Jews free from slavery in Egypt hundreds of years before Jesus, and how used Moses for executing His perfect plan.  Recall how God inflicted ten plagues on the Egyptians while sparing the Israelites; how God hardened Pharaoh’s heart until he finally folded; how the Israelites escaped; etc.  It’s a marvelous story described in Exodus.  

To advance to a later date, God called Moses alone to the top of Mount Sinai and spoke directly with him, giving him very specific instructions on how the Jews should live and relate to Him.  While Moses had interacted with God several times, this occasion was a big-time event that occurred over several weeks.  A key part of what came out of it were the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments.  

Before ascending Mt. Sinai on this occasion, Moses had been instructed by God on how they should live, and in turn Moses told the Israelites.  Do you recall how they responded during his absence?  They did exactly what they had been informed not to do!  

This is the part that really kills me.  Aaron, Moses’ right-hand man, spokesman, and brother, witnessed and participated in everything that had happened from slavery in Egypt to this event.   He knew the deal like no one else.  He became the number one guy in command during Moses’ absence. The Israelites had decided that Moses wasn’t coming back from Mt. Sinai, so they decided to build another god, a calf made out of gold.  After everything they had been through in escaping Egypt and moving toward the Promised Land, and being witnesses of God’s miraculous works, they turned to a false god!  Aaron concurred and led the effort to make the golden calf god!  This blows me away.  How could he be so stupid?  What was he thinking?  

Turn the clock forward about 2,900 years to today where we live.  How the Israelites responded to God resembles how we respond to Him.  We really aren’t any different.  Think about situations that we see or read about on a daily basis.  The Ten Commandments?  We cast them aside and wonder why our society is going down the toilet.  Sanctity of human life?  We murder unborn babies by the millions.  False gods?  Just look around at what we substitute for the One True God.  Righteous living?  Don’t get me started.  You know where I’m coming from.  

I’m critical of Aaron and the Israelites, but we’re no different, even though we’ve had the opportunity to learn from their (and others’) mistakes.  By our endorsement or silence we support sin of all kinds.  What are we thinking?

Prayer:  Dear God, open our eyes to do what is right in Your sight.  Amen.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”  Isaiah 53:5 NKJV

Many of you may be shaking your heads now wondering what in the world is meant by the title of this devotional.  

Christians are divided on the issue of healing.  Are some people cured instantaneously and miraculously by God?  How about gradually and miraculously by God?  Are doctors the primary vehicle for curing someone?  Does God inspire men and women in advancing both treatment modalities and equipment to heal?  Based upon my personal experiences, I know the answers are yes, yes, yes, and yes!  

Does God heal everyone?  Absolutely not!  I confess to not knowing why He cures some people but not others and His timing.  However, my lack of understanding does not in any way negate the fact that He heals.  I submit that people who do not believe in miraculous healing are highly unlikely to experience it as a result of their unbelief.  Here’s the great news:  miracles did not cease two millennia ago!

In the original Greek text of the New Testament, the word sozo occurs 101 times.  It happens 49 times in the four gospels, including quotations by Jesus.  You are likely aware that Bible translators get tripped up over some words that don’t have a single word meaning in English.  Sozo is a great example as it carries multiple meanings.  It is a verb that means to save, to restore, and to heal.  The primary English translation turns up related to salvation.  However, this fact does not diminish that it also relates to healing. 

The Isaiah prophecy about Jesus appears in the scripture above.  The original Hebrew word for sozo translates into healing in this instance.  By His death and resurrection we have restoration and salvation.  By the beatings inflicted on Him, we have healing.  

The Old Testament scripture appears again in the New Testament in 1 Peter 2:24:  “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”  What word is used in the original Greek text in this instance to indicate His beatings provide a means for our healing?  You guessed it–sozo!

Are you willing to cast aside any unbelief and allow God to work miraculously in your life?  

Prayer:  Thank you, dear God, for providing salvation, restoration, and healing to our lives.  Amen

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads across Egypt–darkness that can be felt.”  Exodus 10:21 NIV

The book of Exodus includes the account of Moses using various plagues in dealing with Pharaoh to gain the release of Israelite slaves from Egyptian bondage.  They included blood, frogs, gnats, flies, livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death.  God had hardened Pharaoh’s heart, which required extraordinary means to cause him to give up and release the Israelites.  (I would have folded on the first one!) 

As a side note, many people think Bible stories are allegorical.  That is, they really didn’t happen, and they are akin to fairy tales to teach a particular lesson.  Relative to the plaques reported in Exodus, many archeologists believe these events actually occurred to the ancient city of Pi-Ramses located on the Nile River, which served as the Egyptian capital during the reign of Ramses the second as Pharaoh from 1279 BC- 1213 BC.  According to evidence found on the site, archeologists have discovered that the prosperous capital city was mysteriously abandoned about 3,000 years ago.  They attribute the plagues to radical changes in weather and climate patterns of the region–aka the miraculous workings of a supernatural God.    

I love the imagery of “darkness that can be felt.”  Have you experienced it?  Years ago my wife and I visited Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  At 600 feet below ground level in a cavern room, the tour guide turned off the lights for a few minutes.  Of course, our pupils opened to the max position, but we saw absolutely nothing–not even our hands held a half-inch away from our eyes.  In this setting we didn’t dare move a single step.  We know what it’s like to “feel the darkness”.  Likewise, the Bible informs us that the Egyptians couldn’t see or move for three days!  

1 John 1:15b tells us that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”  I envision hell as an actual place that is devoid of God.  As a result, it has no light, and its inhabitants feel the darkness forever.  Heaven is an actual place, too, and God emanates light that is never-ending where everything beautiful is seen.  

Do you have the light in your life?  

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for being the light of the world.  May we forever shine in your holy brightness.  Amen.  

“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.‘ “  Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I love this verse.  In late 2010 I adopted it as my go-to inspiration in battling cancer.  You see, my prognosis wasn’t so good, and my wife and I prayed feverishly that God would direct us to the right treatment.  

For weeks I carried a glass token in my pocket printed with Jeremiah 29:11.  I acquired an inexpensive ring with the verse inscribed around the band.  These constant reminders helped me keep a positive attitude throughout nine weeks of treatments.  

However, I took this verse out-of-context and applied it to my own situation.  Believe it or not, the prophet Jeremiah didn’t have me in mind when he wrote it about 600 years before Jesus.  Scholars believe it was meant for Jews in exile in Babylon, who would have to wait for 70 years before returning to their homeland as God had promised them.  

Wow!  That’s quite a bit different from the way we use and interpret this verse.  It doesn’t quite have the “feel good” factor that we want to attribute to it.  

We are promised that we’ll be able to survive the trial and eventually we’ll prosper.  In my case, I hoped for beating cancer.  Nonetheless, I recognized that I’d be healed one way or another, either here on earth or in heaven.  In my book, that’s victory!  

In my personal view, I could use this verse for my situation, even though it wasn’t written specifically for me.  By the way, God answered our prayers, directed me to the right treatment, and healed me.  Today, seven years later, I don’t feel like I’ve ever had cancer.   

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for the inspiration You provide through Bible verses.  May we apply them properly to our daily lives.  Amen