Conviction or Preference

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

We develop conviction by evidence and argument. In our culture, most people choose to live by preference rather than conviction. Preference chooses on the basis of conditions and circumstances. Therefore, as situations change, so does loyalty.

Contrast that vacillating approach with the resolve of the great men and women of Scripture. Like…

Joseph - Despite years of unfair treatment, he never wavered in his convictions. The undeserved circumstances, however,  put him in the right place at the right time to ensure the future survival of Israel [Geneses, 50:20]. Like…

Daniel - He was ripped from his homeland to live in an idolatrous culture. Yet by standing by his convictions, he earned the trust of the Babylonian rulers [Daniel 1:19-20]. Like…

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego - They stood by their convictions, which caused the king to recognize Jehovah as the one true God [Daniel 3:29].

Godly convictions withstand the changing opinions and persuasive arguments of its opponents. The big question is, where do we get, and how do we develop, godly conviction. The answer is easier than you may think. Get grounded in Scripture and trust what God has said. Confidence in God’s Word generates courage to stand by your convictions even amid the many conflicts that enter your life. 

Rather that following your own preferences, make the right choice and stand by godly convictions. Trust God and take Him at His word. As you continue to walk in the way of the Lord, you’ll find that His promises hold true. Daily prayer and study of Scripture go a long way to help you to be firmly rooted in solid, biblical convictions.

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7

Keep Growing in Christlikeness

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

The Bible often portrays the believers’ life as a walk. We are called to “walk in the Spirit,” “walk in God’s ways,” “walk in love,” “walk in truth,” “walk in like manner [of Christ],” et al. The idea of walking suggests that we should never become stagnant, we should continually be growing in Christlikeness. That is the biblical idea of the ongoing process of sanctification [see 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8].  

But what do you do when you are going backwards instead of forward? That happens in the life of Christ followers at times. Obviously, we need to change direction, but how? Here are a few suggestions to correct your course:

• Remind yourself that God keeps his promises. Be confident in that. There are amazing things God promises His people, including wisdom when we ask for it, His abiding presence, His peace, which passes understanding, and much more.

• Anticipate the Lord’s response. What I mean by that is, joyfully expect that your faith in Him will lead to a change in the right direction. 

• Spend time with God in the Word and prayer. In other words, be aware of His involvement in your life. Be sensitive to what the Lord is doing in you.

• Pray with bold confidence. You are His child. I’m not saying to pray in prideful confidence, but rather an overflow of your assurance in Him.

• Obey the leading of the Spirit. This is the true test of your belief and assurance in God. James said that our faith without action is dead [2:17].

Are you becoming more like Christ? If not, what is holding you back? He will make all things beautiful in His time [Ecclesiastes 3:11]. Therefore, don’t resist, but cooperate with His gracious work in you!

And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul? Keep the LORD’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good. Deuteronomy 10:12-13

Lord and Savior

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Never downplay the Lordship of Christ! It’s an issue that has plagued the evangelical church for decades. The idea that you can receive Jesus as your Savior and not your Lord was unthinkable in Bible times. It’s the Lordship of Christ that demands our obedience to Him. Maybe you’ve heard someone say, “I received Jesus as my Savior when I was twelve, but I did not really make Him my Lord until I was forty.” Or maybe you know someone who responded to an altar call some time back, but their present life shows no evidence of concern for following Jesus. Some commentators call either of these, examples of “carnal Christianity,” that is, a belief in being saved even if there is no evidence of a changed life. The truth of the matter is that Scripture refers to good works as a necessary fruit of our redemption.

Let’s be clear, we are justified by faith alone, apart from works [Galatians 2:16]. However, that faith is a living one, and it produces good deeds of service [James 2:12-26]. Those deeds do not justify us, but they do justify our faith. 

The sign of being a Christ follower is our love for Jesus as Savior, and our obedience to Him as Lord. It is a package deal. I doubt it is possible to be in Christ without having a desire to serve Him.

We are starting a new week today. Be encouraged that you are in Christ — if you are striving against sin [He is your Savior], and striving to live faithfully for Him [He is your Lord].

So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?  Luke 6:46

He Came to Preach

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

If you listen to some Christ followers, you’d think that Jesus came into this world to perform miracles, signs, and wonders. As important as they are, they weren’t His primary mission. They actually took second place to His preaching. 

The Gospel of Mark records a morning after a rather remarkable evening of healing and deliverance from demon possession [Mark 1:29-38]. Evidently, many people had already come to the house to see Jesus, but He wasn’t there. The disciples found Him in an isolated place where He had gone to pray. They told Him about the crowd looking for Him, but Jesus told them it was time for Him to preach elsewhere. In fact, He told them the reason He came was to preach [1:38].

Miracles, signs, and wonders do no ultimate good if people reject the gospel. The message of Christ, and about Christ, surpasses miracles, signs, and wonders in terms of importance. He came to “seek and to save that which is lost” [Luke 19:10]. He came to shed His blood “for many for the forgiveness of sins” [Matthew 26:28]. If you diminish that message, there is no “Good News” to proclaim. 

Perhaps that is why the Apostle Paul put so much emphasis on preaching. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” [Romans 10:15-16].

In his book Sharpening the Focus of the Local Church, Gene Getz points out that in the book of Acts, “preaching” was always to unbelievers; “teaching” was always to the believers. When Jesus came to “preach,” He was preaching Himself, the “Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world” [John 1:29].

You are a preacher rather you know it or not. That is really a wonderful thing. You are born again and have been entrusted with The Message the world needs to hear. In the words of Andrae Crouch:

I'm gonna keep on singin'

I'm gonna keep on shoutin'

I'm gonna keep on liftin' my voice

And let the world know that Jesus saves

© Words and Music by Andrae Crouch, 1971

They found Him and said, “Everyone’s looking for You!” And He said to them, “Let’s go on to the neighboring villages so that I may preach there too. This is why I have come.”  Mark 1:37-38

Faith in Action

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

“Actions speak louder than words.” How many times have you heard that? Probably a lot, yet there is the ring of truth in its message. It certainly is true of your faith. How you act on your faith speaks volumes about it. Real faith takes risks. Real faith will stop at nothing in order to achieve its objective. An example of that is found in Mark’s Gospel when Jesus healed a leper, who didn’t let anything stand is his way of getting to Him [Mark 1:40-45].

Then there were the friends of a paralytic man, another remarkable example of what real faith is willing to do in order to reach its goal. It happened in Capernaum, where Jesus and the disciples were staying after ministering around Galilee. 

By now, many people had heard about Jesus and they crowded around the door of the house He was staying in to hear Him preach. This crowd presented a problem for the men who had gone there, carrying the paralytic on a cot. Their way to Jesus was blocked. 

It would have been easy for them to go away, hoping that Jesus would be available another time. But these guys were determined to get their friend to Jesus right then, while He was presently with them. They made their way to the roof of the house. The typical 1st century house in this area would have had a flat roof made of mud. Hence, when they “made an opening," they dug a hole to lower their friend down [the literal meaning of the Greek word exorusso, to dig out, or dig through]. 

One commentator pointed out that these men would never have kept going unless they put their faith into action. In this case, they didn’t give up when access to Jesus was closed on all sides. They were so sure of Jesus’ ability that they would stop at nothing to get to Him. 

May we pursue Jesus, our Lord and Savior, with such fervent faith!

They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they made an opening through the roof above His head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:4-5

Growing Faith

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

“The just [or righteous ones] will live by faith.” That’s what Paul told the Roman Christ followers [1:17]. So I have a question for you: How is your faith — strong, weak, or barely existent? I’m not referring to saving faith here. Saving faith is a gift from God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that [faith] is not of yourself, it is a gift of God…” [Ephesians 2:8]. So again, how is your daily-living-it-out kind of faith?

I have an encouraging word for you today. No matter where you are in “living by faith,” your faith can grow [see 2 Corinthians 10:15].

So, how does your faith grow? Interestingly, both saving faith and daily-living-it-out faith comes by means of listening to the Word of God/Christ. When you are hearing God’s Word, the Holy Spirit generates faith in those who have yet to believe, and strengthens the faith of those who have already believed. God uses His Word to bring us to faith, and to strengthen our faith. 

That’s why it is so important to read and hear the Word of God. The Lord strengthens the faith of Christ followers through the teaching of the living and active Word of God. In a way, it’s just like your body. Without a proper diet, you become weak and sickly. The same is true of your faith. And when your faith is weak, you are more readily tossed around by false teaching, and more prone to fall into sin. 

There are opportunities each day to hear the Word of God so that you will grow strong in faith — personal daily Bible study, small group studies, listening to the Word of God being read, ordinary conversations with godly people, and don’t forget Sunday sermons!  

God still uses His Word to make us mature in faith just as He did with the Apostles and early Christ followers. After listening to the Lord one day, the Disciples asked Him to “Increase our Faith!” [Luke 17:5]. Is that your desire too? If you want to grow strong in your faith, take as many opportunities as you can to hear the Word of God. 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 [The Textus Receptus reads “word of God.”]

God Keeps His Word

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

They called themselves Beta Israel (the house of Israel) and used the Torah to guide their prayers even though they lived in thatched huts in Ethiopia. Their neighbors called them Falashas (the alien ones, the invaders).

The first modern contact with them came in 1769, when Scottish explorer James Bruce stumbled upon them while searching for the source of the Nile River. His estimates at the time placed the Beta Israel population at 100,000. It soon became clear that they were, indeed, descendants of Jews who came to Africa in ancient times and had intermarried with the locals.

In 1975, the Israeli rabbinate officially recognized the Falashas as Jews. For a variety of circumstances (including famine and the ongoing civil war), Israel began airlifting thousands of the Falashan Jews to their ancient homeland, Israel. 

We should not be surprised when things like that happen. It’s just another evidence that God is faithful to His Word. In this case, bringing His children home. 

God keeps His Word, His promises. You can count on it. You can never be so far away that His arm is too short to save!

Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north: Give them up! and to the south: Do not hold them back! Bring My sons from far away, and My daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone called by My name and created for My glory. Isaiah 43:5-7a