Marie’s daily verse: Proverbs 17:17: A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. 

DAILY DEVOTION, Oct. 4, 2021

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalm 19:1).

Most of us common folks affirm the existence of God by observing nature. We look into the heavens, and we think, “There must be a God who created all this.” R.C. Sproul tells of hearing a debate on the radio involving three learned theologians. They argued in very technical language about the existence of God. When the radio audience phoned in their questions, one lady said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you guys. Why don’t you just open your eyes and look out the window.” This theologically untrained woman understood Psalm 19:1!

The existence of God is not a complicated matter. Yes, we can present complex arguments, but maybe we should just look out the window. Nature shouts to us loud and clear. All of this did not happen by accident. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Anyone who cannot grasp that our complex universe demands an intelligent Creator needs to open their eyes.

Gracious God, our Creator, it is true. The heaven and all creation declare Your glory. Open the eyes of those who cannot see that they may bow before you in humility and faith. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen. 

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

I learned a life lesson on my first job at a dairy store in Richfield, Minnesota. I worked there all the way through high school and college under three different owners. I guess I was part of the furniture!

The first boss I had was arrogant.  He liked to give out orders and then correct us harshly if we made mistakes. He treated us like dirt.  Being teenage boys, we secretly did what we could to disobey him. We had no respect for him. He was eventually replaced, and the new supervisor was kind. He did not give orders. He always asked us to do something with a “please” and “thank you.” We went out of our way to please him. While I cannot remember his name, I do remember how he treated us.

A few days ago, we talked about Jesus as our friend. Yes, we are to obey Him, but he issues commands as a friend, in a kind manner. He certainly could lord it over us. He is the Son of God! Instead, He chooses to treat us with kindness. His commands are not burdensome. He does not order us around like a cruel dictator. He speaks to us out of love and friendship. We went out of our way to work hard for a supervisor who treated us with kindness. Should we not go out of our way to work hard for Jesus?

Our Father, kind and gracious, I thank You that Jesus relates to us as a friend. I do want to obey Him because of His kindness. Because He is one with You, Father, in possession of awesome power,  He could treat us with harshness and threats. I am so grateful that the God I serve is kind. In His name, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, Sept. 29, 2021

Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will  (Ephesians 1:5).

Predestination is a scary word for many Christians. What does it mean? I believe It means that God predetermined a plan. That plan revolves around His Son, Jesus. It is God’s will that all who trust in Jesus are adopted into the family of God. By faith, we are set free from our old father (Satan). As Christians, we have all the rights and privileges that belong to God’s children.

Some understand predestination to mean that God predetermined who would be saved and who would be lost.  Then He acted to convert those predestined to salvation while ignoring the lost. I don’t like that idea, but I respect those who hold it. I believe God predestined a plan to save all those who would trust in His Son. When we hear the Gospel (the good news) and place our trust in Jesus, our Messiah, and Savior, God receives us as sons/daughters. It is the plan that is predestined, not the people.

Why adopted? Are we not all children of God? No, we are not! We are born into this world with an inclination to do our own thing, ignoring God.  We become children of God by adoption when we trust in Jesus. What a blessing it is to know that we are in God’s family.

Father, I thank You for adopting me as Your child. I confess that before I received Jesus, my life was a mess. Thank You for loving me and forgiving me. Thank You for Jesus who did everything necessary to make me into Your child. In His name, I pray, Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, Sept. 28, 2021

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:15).

Jesus is speaking to His apostles. They have made a transition from being servants (slaves) of Christ to friends. Early on, the apostles did not know everything Jesus taught. Now they know everything the Father revealed to Jesus. A servant just does what he is ordered to do. Friends know each other’s hearts. Rather than simply responding to orders, friends of Jesus know His heart and act out of a loving relationship with Him.

These words apply to us as well. We are privileged to know even more about Jesus than did His disciples when He spoke those words. We have the full, complete, and final revelation of the Gospel of Jesus in the pages of Scripture. Yes, He still commands us, not as a boss or supervisor we hardly know, but as a friend.

We sing, “What a Friend we have in Jesus.” It is one of my favorite hymns, reminding us that Jesus is not simply our Savior and Lord. He is also our friend. He is a friend like no other, and if Jesus is your friend, you can call upon Him for every need. If Jesus is your friend, He will take you by the hand and lead you into heaven when you leave this life.

Father in heaven, I am so grateful to learn that Your Son is my friend. He has already gone the extra mile for me, taking my sins into His body on the cross. I want to honor His friendship by doing my utmost to introduce Him to others, that they may receive all the benefits that come with friendship with Jesus. Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, Sept. 27, 2021

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Mark 8:34).

There are two phases to the Christian life. Phase one is to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and our Savior. Salvation is a gift we receive by faith. Once we have entered the Kingdom of God by trusting in Jesus, phase two begins. We become disciples of Jesus. This is the difficult part of the Christian life. Receiving a gift is easy once we know that a gift is being offered.

Discipleship can be a challenge. Jesus does not soft-pedal what it means to be a disciple. It calls for self-denial even to the point of death. We like the free gift idea, but we are not so enthusiastic about self-denial! We all struggle to follow Jesus faithfully. However, true Christians try. When I see a person who says, “I believe” but makes little or no effort to follow Jesus, I wonder if his faith is genuine.

Discipleship can be a rough path. It was rough for Jesus, for Paul, and all the disciples. There are, however, beautiful blessings that come to those who are truly seeking to live as faithful disciples. The happiest people I know are those who are living as faithful (not perfect) disciples.

Father God, I want to be faithful to Jesus. I want to follow Him. Therefore, please forgive me when I stumble and guide me on the right path. I want to follow His leading daily. Amen.