Daily Devotion, Feb. 16, 2021, Temptation

“Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

We know that Jesus faced temptation. We remember early in His ministry, Satan confronted Him, tempting Him to disobey God. We may not realize that when Jesus was tempted, He suffered! Temptations caused Him pain. He struggled in His humanity to obey God. Yes, He is the Son of God, but when He took on human nature, He faced the same issues we face.

We all face temptation regularly. If Jesus struggled under temptation, we, too, will struggle even more. Temptations are powerful. They pull us hard in the wrong direction. What is our solution? Jesus will help us as we seek His help. He understands how strong temptations are. He loves us. He has compassion for us. He wants to help us when temptations come. He is willing and able to help us. What a resource He is for us to help us overcome temptation! Are you struggling with desires that pull you away from God? Have You asked Jesus to help? He is able.

Gracious Father, I thank you for this promise that Jesus is available to help me when temptation knocks at my door. I find comfort in knowing that He suffered when tempted. He knows that I give in to temptations all too easily. Remind me to call upon His name when I am tempted. In His name, Amen. 

Devotion, Feb. 15, 2021, Grieving the Holy Spirit

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).

This verse contains a negative thought and a positive thought. On the positive side, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, who keeps us in faith until the day of redemption. Faith in Jesus brings the Holy Spirit into our lives, and He marks us as one of God’s redeemed children.

On the negative side, we learn that we can grieve the Holy Spirit. The word “grieve” (lupete, Greek) is a word a wounded spouse might use about her unfaithful husband. The Holy Spirit loves us. He abides with us to help us in our Christian walk. Using the Word of God, the conscience, and internal nudges, He seeks to guide us. As persons who possess free will, we can, of course, refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit. When we act like our unbelieving friends, and our speech sounds very similar to unbelievers’ speech, we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we dismiss our sins without repentance, we grieve the Holy Spirit. When we know the right thing to do and fail to do it, the Holy Spirit is grieved.

When we offend the Holy Spirit, we do not necessarily forfeit our salvation. We do open ourselves up to the discipline of God. Any time we resist God’s will, the Holy Spirit is grieved, and God will bring discipline into our lives to remind us that He is not to be trifled with. Life goes so much better for us when we submit to the Holy Spirit.

Father, I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. What a blessing it is to be sealed by Him. Help me to make decisions in harmony with His will. Open my eyes to those times when I grieve Him that I may repent and receive Your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Devotion, February 13, 2021

“My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Here is a note from The Believers Bible Commentary (with some editing). “Now Paul adds what is perhaps the best-known and best-loved verse in this entire chapter. We should notice that this promise follows the description of the Philippian’s faithful stewardship. In other words, because they had given of their material resources to God, even to the point where their own livelihood was endangered, God would supply their every need. How easy it is to take this verse out of context and use it as a soft pillow for Christians who are squandering their money on themselves with seldom a thought for the work of God! ‘That’s all right. God will supply all your need.’”

“While it is true in a general sense that God does supply His people’s needs, this is a specific promise to those who are faithful and devoted in their giving to Christ. They will never suffer lack.”

“It has often been remarked that God supplies the needs of His people—not out of His riches, but according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. If a millionaire gave a dime to a child, he would be giving out of his riches. But if he gave a hundred thousand dollars to some worthy cause, he would be giving according to his riches. God’s supply is according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and nothing could be richer than that!”

In other words, be faithful in your giving to others, and God will be more than faithful to you. And remember, God loves a cheerful giver.

Father, I thank You for this promise that as I practice good stewardship of the wealth You have entrusted to me, I will never suffer want. As I give to Christian causes, You make sure that my needs are abundantly met. It seems like the more I give, the more I receive in return. Thank You for providing all my needs through Jesus Christ, Amen.

Devotion, February 12, 2021, blameless

“The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless” (Psalm 84:11).

As was the case with yesterday’s devotion, today we have a promise attached to a condition. God bestows favor and honor on certain people. The promise is not for all people. It is only for those whose walk is blameless. To those who meet this condition, he withholds nothing good.

What does this mean for Christians living under the New Covenant? Our lives are never blameless. I beg to differ! There are two steps we must follow to become blameless. Step one is to obey the teachings of Jesus. Step two is to depend upon His shed blood to forgive us when we fall short and come to Him with repentance. As we live by faith and repentance, we are considered blameless in God’s eyes. The Scripture assures us that “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). If we are forgiven and cleansed, we are blameless.

Many Christians are too casual about their shortcomings. We excuse our sins by saying, “Nobody’s perfect.” God does not want to hear that. He wants to hear, “Lord, I am sorry I have failed you. Forgive me for Jesus’ sake and set my feet on the path of righteousness.”

Do your best to obey Jesus, and when you fail, confess and repent quickly, and you will be walking blamelessly.

Gracious God, I do want to follow Jesus. Please point it out to me when I fall short, and lead me to confession and repentance. I desire to walk blameless before You, In Jesus name, Amen.

Devotion, Feb. 11, 2021

Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).

What a grand promise! Note first the condition. “Whoever follows Me.” This is not a salvation verse. It is a discipleship verse, a topic we have been studying in our Wednesday Bible study. To possess salvation, all you need is faith in Jesus. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Faith brings us the gift of salvation leading to eternal life.

However, some who believe in Jesus do not always follow Him faithfully. I have a suspicion that we all fall short in the “following” department! These lapses do not cancel out the gift of eternal life, but they do plunge us into darkness. As we faithfully follow Jesus, we NEVER walk in darkness. The light we receive from Jesus becomes a light unto our path. If your life seems shrouded in darkness, ask yourself, “Am I following Jesus?” Yes, you believe in Him, but are you following Him?

Peter was one of the great Apostles, but when Jesus was crucified, Peter made a choice not to follow Him anymore. He denied even knowing Him, and this lapse plunged Peter into a time of darkness. He repented and was restored, but he paid the price for denying Jesus. He wept bitterly in the darkness. Jesus will light the way for us, but there is a condition. We must follow Him.

Dear God, I thank You for the free gift of eternal life given to me on the condition of faith alone. I do trust Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I sadly confess that all too often, I fall short of following Him, and I pay the price of walking in darkness. Help me, Father, to be a faithful disciple, trusting Jesus and following Him. In His blessed name, I pray, Amen.