DAILY DEVOTION, April 13, 2022

You are my friends if you do what I command (John 15:14).

Jesus expects those who call Him Lord to obey His commands. This involves three steps. First, we read the Scriptures to learn His commands. We cannot obey commands we do not know. Second, we do our best to obey His every word. We don’t succeed all the time, but if we believe He is Lord, we try to obey Him. Third, when we disobey, we quickly repent and receive forgiveness. Then we try again to obey Him.

This is not a salvation verse but a discipleship verse. Salvation is a free gift we receive when we trust in Jesus. We either trust Jesus as our Savior, or we do not. Discipleship has to do with how well we obey His commands after being redeemed, including the command to confess our sins and try again. Discipleship varies in our lives. There are days when we do well in obedience, and there are days when we fall short. If we are committed to obedience, we are friends of Jesus. We sing “Trust and Obey.” Trust leads to salvation. Obedience leads to friendship with Jesus. The greater our obedience, the closer our friendship. Is it your life goal to obey Jesus?

Father, I know I can never be good enough to earn Your favor. I thank You for the gift of eternal life. Out of gratitude for Your mercy I want to live my life in obedience to Jesus. In His name I pray, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, April 9, 2022

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him  (Mark 5:6). See Mark 5:1-20 for the full story.

A demon-possessed man sees Jesus, runs up to Him, and worships Him. He seems to know that Jesus is the Son of God. The tormented man thinks Jesus has come to torment him. Instead, Jesus heals him. Let’s focus on the phrase “he ran and worshipped Him.” He wanted to get to Jesus asap. That should be our desire also. We do not literally run to Him, but we need to seek Him early and often. Jesus should never be an afterthought. He is the one we should “run” to daily. He is the one we should seek when we have problems.

Only God is to be worshipped. There were times when Paul was thought to be a god and was worshipped but he quickly corrected the situation. He made it clear he was not a god and should not be worshipped. We see no such correcting with Jesus. He accepted this man’s worship. The lesson for us is to make sure we understand the majesty of Jesus. He is God the Son and is worthy of our worship. Learn from a demon-possessed man who Jesus is and how desperately we need Him.

Father in heaven, may Jesus be the One I seek first of all in the course of my life. Even as I worship You, the Father, so may I also worship the Son, Jesus, in whose name I pray, Amen

DAILY DEVOTION, April 8, 2022

He who endures to the end shall be saved (Mark 13:13).

Do you ever look back on your life and have regrets? I do. My father was an accomplished musician on the piano. He wanted to teach me to play the piano. I learned to play “Swans on the Lake” in the John Thompson introductory piano book. I was more interested in sports as a child, so I dropped out after a few lessons. Oh, how I wish I had stayed with it. I would love to be able to play the piano. I did not endure for very long!

In our text, Jesus encourages us to endure until the end of life. Therefore, we do not want to begin the Christian life and then drop out. Will dropouts be saved? Yes, if they return to faith. Peter denied Jesus but then returned to the faith. Those who claim to be Christians but then abandon the faith altogether return to their lost position. Those who trust in Jesus and then endure to the end will certainly be saved. I lost the blessings of playing the piano because I did not endure. Do not lose the blessings that accompany faith in Jesus by failing to endure.

Father, thank You for your patience with me. But unfortunately, I am not always as faithful as I should be. Thank You that my salvation depends not on my performance but on Your mercy. When my life comes to an end, I want to be able to say, “Jesus, I still trust You.” I want to endure to the end. I pray in the name of my wonderful Savior, Jesus, Amen.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you: (Matthew 6:33).

DAILY DEVOTION, April 7, 2022

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).

The 23^rd Psalm is a favorite. It begins with two affirmations. First, the Lord is my shepherd. Second, I shall not want. As Christians, we read these words with the understanding that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We must first ask this question: Is the Lord my shepherd? If that is true, you live life with your eyes on Him, following His lead. Sheep follow their shepherd. Christians follow the Good Shepherd. Am I honestly seeking to follow Jesus? Are you?

Those who follow the Lord lack nothing. They are content. Whether rich or poor, sick or healthy – – no matter our human condition, we lack nothing. If we have Jesus, we have all we need. Even if we are struck with extreme hardship as was Job in the Old Testament, we join with him and declare, “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Those who can declare, “The Lord is my shepherd” may suffer all kinds of hardships in this life. Nevertheless, they have Jesus, so they declare, “I lack nothing.” Those who trust and follow the Good Shepherd will find themselves in green pastures.

Thank You, Father, for this reminder that as I follow Your Son, He desires only to bless me and carry me through the hard times. Even when our earthly pastures seem bleak and barren, we know that, in the end, green pastures await us. I praise You, Lord Jesus, my Shepherd, Amen.