DAILY DEVOTION, May 31, 2022

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³ who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:1-3).

These profound words are worthy of serious reflection. We learn first that Jesus did not invalidate the Old Testaments. God spoke through the prophets. Jesus, however, is God’s final revelation. There is divine wisdom in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament points forward to the coming of Jesus, the Son of God. Once Jesus came, the last days began. God has nothing more to say to us. We are to trust Him and follow Him.

Jesus is the heir of all things. Everything God wants to give to the human race He has given to His Son. When we trust in Jesus, we become heirs of all God’s blessings. We are joint-heirs with Christ (See Romans 8:17).  

Next, we learn that The Son of God created our universe in cooperation with the Father. Jesus is God in the flesh, the express image of God. He is sustaining the universe as you read these words. This majestic Son of God purged our sins. All who trust in His atoning death and forgiven. After His earthly ministry was completed, He returned to the Father. He is now seated at God’s right hand. We learn elsewhere in Scripture that He will once again leave heaven and return to earth. It will be the day of final redemption for the redeemed and the time of judgment for the lost.  

The entire Christian message is summarized in a few words, from creation to the cross to the Ascension. Surely Jesus is worthy of our trust.

Father, as we contemplate the majesty of Jesus, we are overwhelmed that He was willing to go to the cross for us. Help me to follow Him without reservation. Amen.  

DAILY DEVOTION, May 30, 2022

Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28–30

Jesus issues an invitation. It is addressed to those who are weary and heavy-laden, burdened down by the problems of life. He promises rest. He asks us to trust Him, to connect with Him, to take His yoke upon us. It reminds me of two oxen yoked together so they move together. We are invited to move with Jesus, to follow Him, to obey Him. He then promises us that his yoke is easy and His burden is light.

These words of Jesus should cause us to ask a question. I am a Christian, a believer in Jesus. Is following Him easy for me? Many would say “no.” Following Jesus may lead us into difficult situations. But if we walk with Him, it is much more pleasant than walking without Him. Even in the hard places, we can know His presence with us. Because He is with us, we are no longer burdened. We can navigate through the hard places.

If you find the Christian life to be difficult, it is time to ask, “Am I walking with Jesus?”

Father, I have placed my trust in Jesus. I want to walk lock -step with Him. I believe that as I am yoked to Him, my burdens will be lifted. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for this wonderful promise. Amen.

 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other  (Romans 12:10 NLT). 

DAILY DEVOTION, May 24, 2022

Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you (John 14:16).

When the disciples saw Jesus ascend into heaven they must have wondered, “how can we remain faithful to Jesus when He is no longer with us?” Yes, it would have been wonderful to have been alive when Jesus was physically present. However, let us remember that all His disciples forsook Him when He was arrested and faced crucifixion. Yes, Jesus left the disciples alone, but not really. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to be with them always. In a way, the presence of the Holy Spirit is better than the presence of Jesus. Remember, the Holy Spirit is God, the third person in the Trinity. He is no different than Jesus. His presence within our hearts is like having Jesus present within our hearts.

Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us through life and never leaves us alone. When Jesus was physically present, there were times when He was absent from His disciples. He could only be one place at a time in His humanity. The Holy Spirit can be with all Jesus’ disciples all the time. He is with you, available to help and comfort you as you seek to serve Jesus. When we confess our faith in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit. It is like having Jesus with us every moment of every day. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Father, I thank You so much for the gift of the Holy Spirit given to all who believe in Jesus. Thank You, Jesus, for not leaving us alone. Since the Holy Spirit is God and You are God, You are with us always. May Your name be blessed and honored forever and ever, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, May 22, 2022

 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

This is another of the great verses giving us clear directions on how to receive salvation. It begins with the words we speak. We are not to say these words casually but with heartfelt conviction. To confess Jesus as Lord is to believe that He is God the Son. It states our intention to follow Him as our Lord (Master). Some confess Jesus as Lord with little understanding of what that means. We should never speak those words lightly but from the heart.

Then Paul adds that we are to believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus was the final proof that He is the Son of God, Savior, and Lord. I was taught in theological seminary that no intelligent person believes Jesus actually rose from the dead. I was told the resurrection was a myth invented by the early Christians to give more status to Jesus. I assumed my professors knew what they were talking about, and so for several years, I rejected the resurrection of Jesus. I did not understand that failure to believe that Jesus rose from the dead is a fatal error. One cannot deny the resurrection and remain a  redeemed soul.

Paul tells us that the words we speak and what we believe in our hearts must be in harmony. The good news is this. If you do confess (with understanding) that Jesus is Lord, and you do believe in your heart (with utter sincerity) He rose from the dead, you will most certainly be saved. That is God’s promise to us, and God never lies.

Prayer: Father, I thank You that You have repeatedly stated the way of salvation. I do confess to You and to the world that Jesus is my Lord. I do believe with all my heart that He triumphed over the grave. Thank You for Your precious gift to me. In Jesus’ name, I give You thanks, Amen

Marie’s daily verse: The Lord is my rock, my fortress(B) and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).

DAILY DEVOTION, May 21, 2022

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.
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Isaiah wrote these words hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. God revealed to Isaiah His plan to redeem sinners. Some have referred to Isaiah as the 5^th Gospel. It is hard to read these words and not see the hand of God. God revealed how He planned to save a lost world. Jesus came for us. We are the transgressors; We are the ones guilty of iniquity. Jesus took our punishment. He bore our judgment.

The healing referred to in the text is most certainly the healing of our sins. We have gone astray, and our iniquities were laid upon Him, upon Jesus. How amazing is the love of God that He would go to this extreme to redeem us!  Why did He suffer the injustice of the cross? “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”

I look at my life, and I see so much sin and failure. I look at the world, and I see wholesale rebellion against God. How can we ever find salvation? Thankfully, it doesn’t depend on us. God has acted to redeem us. He asks us to trust in His Son.

Lord Jesus, only-begotten Son of the Father, how can I ever thank you for what You have done for me? When I consider the suffering You endured, realizing that You were acting on my behalf, words fail me. It was my sins that nailed You to the cross, and You did it for me and for the world. How great is Your love for us! I thank You, we thank You, for saving us. In Jesus’ name, we offer up our gratitude, Amen

 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

DAILY DEVOTION,  May 20, 2021

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete (Luke 15:10-11).

Do you want to remain in God’s love? Do you want to know His loving presence in your life? Keep the commands of Jesus. Obedience leads to an ever deeper awareness of God’s love. Obedience operates at two levels. First, we are obedient when we faithfully do what Jesus commanded. Love your enemies, forgive, pray often, help the poor, be faithful to His church, etc. The second level is to repent when we fail Him. When we confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive us. Obedience plus repentance leads to abiding in the love of Jesus.

We can tell when we are getting it right when we feel His joy in our hearts. Faithfulness leads to joy. It is similar to what we experienced as children. When we honored and obeyed our parents, we were much happier. When we disobeyed them and experienced their displeasure, our joy vanished. It kinda works that way with God.

Father, I want to remain in our love and experience Your joy in my heart. Guide me to the pathway of obedience that I may faithfully serve You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.