We Need A Physician

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I don’t know the source of this expression, but it’s a good one: The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that a problem exists. Makes sense to me. If you don’t know there is a problem, how will you even begin to address it?

The Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees had a problem. Many think it was the fact that they didn’t see Jesus as their Messiah. That was a problem, but not their greatest one. Their greatest problem, just like ours, was that they were blind to their own spiritual condition.

For example, those religious leaders frowned on Jesus for eating and drinking with “sinners.” It made no sense to them how a man who claimed to come from God would dare eat with such wicked people [see Mark 2:15-17].

I’m sure it was strange to them because their “holiness” kept them separate from sinners. Perhaps Jesus acted in such strange ways because His purpose was redemptive. So it makes perfect sense that He ate with sinners—those who recognized their sin. It’s impossible to cure someone who is convinced that they are not sick. 

The religious leaders in Jesus’ day did not see themselves as sick—sinners. One commentator said they were the sickest of the sick, thinking they had no need of a physician. 

To truly be saved, one must first be convinced of their spiritual sickness. If a person doesn’t see himself as a sinner, he will never see his need of a cure. Perhaps that is why many Christ followers are anemic. In order to move closer to God, we must first confess how far we are away from Him.

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mark 2:17

What is God’s Kingdom Worth to You?

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” You’ve heard that old maxim, haven’t you? The bottom line is, we each have a subjective theory of the value of something. Years ago, I sold a car in order to buy another car. What I discovered that day was, my value of the car as a seller was completely different from the value of the car to the buyer. 

That event came to mind as I read the parables in Matthew 13 this morning. In the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl (verses 44-46), each man found something so valuable, they were willing sell everything they had to gain possession of it. 

Jesus’ point was obvious. Since these parables started with, “The kingdom of heaven is like…”, He emphasized the great value God puts on His kingdom. There is nothing greater or of higher worth than the kingdom of God. And to carry that thought a little further, the kingdom of God is so valuable, we must pursue it with all diligence. We must be willing to “sell” all of our earthly goods in order to be citizens of that realm.

It all comes back to how we value things. Rick Warren makes an interesting point about values. He said, “Show me your day planner and your checkbook, and I’ll show you what you value most.” There is nothing in this life of higher value than to be a child of God, a citizen of heaven. Nothing! So, be diligent. Pursue the kingdom with all urgency. The return on your investment in God’s kingdom is eternal.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! Matthew 13:44-46

Victory: His Part, Our Part

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Oh the subtlety of the evil one. He has duped many Christ followers into thinking that he is so strong they can never be victorious over him, or that he is so weak they can defeat him in their own strength. Don’t be duped! You can live victoriously when God does His part and you do your part.

First, God has given us everything we need to live godly in this world. Paul said that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing when we are in Christ [Ephesians 1:3]. In other words, we have divine resources at our disposal—weapons, if you will. This weaponry is divine, unlike anything on earth. Listen as Paul describes it to the Corinthian Christ followers, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds” [2 Corinthians 10:4]. 

Human resources and human effort alone will never defeat a spiritual enemy. That’s why we need to be aware of, and use, the resources that we have in Christ. He provides what is necessary, we use what He has given us. 

The Christian walk is described in the Bible as a war, a race, and a fight, all of which require human effort. We must completely depend on God’s power and strength, but that doesn’t mean we are passive about it. 

God supplies everything we need to be victorious, but then we are told to:

apply ourselves to good deeds

resist the devil

bring our bodies under subjection

walk in wisdom

press toward the high calling of God

cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit

work out our salvation with fear and trembling

perfect holiness in the fear of God

Everyone of these things calls for fervent action. Therein lies the balance; God supplies everything we need, we supply the effort!

In Christ you have every resource necessary for spiritual victory. But victory will not come if you are merely passive. A victorious life involves daily obedience to Christ and His Word.

By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3

Song of Salvation

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

When John, the Forerunner, was born, his father Zechariah burst out in prophetic song. It was a song of salvation [see Luke 1:68-79]. Salvation, what a great word! In its most reduced form, it means to be delivered from some clear and present danger — to be rescued from a threat or calamity, as we read in Psalm 107.

In one sense, when Jesus healed the sick and broken, He “saved” them. It was salvation from their physical bondage. As a matter of fact, the English word salve has the same root as salvation. 

For the most part, though, Christ followers think about salvation from the standpoint of God’s judgment or wrath against sin. And in all honesty, it’s impossible to grasp the biblical concept of salvation unless we come to grips with the reality of God’s wrath. As the writer of Hebrews points out, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!” [10:31]. The fullness of salvation is seen when we realize that God saved us from His own wrath by pouring out that wrath on His Son.

The first part of Zechariah’s song starts with thoughts of God saving Israel from their enemies [1:68-75]. But then he moved on to a much deeper thought; that God saves His people by forgiving their sins [1:77]. It’s by His tender mercies that we are saved and have peace with Him; or as Zechariah said, “… the rising sun will come to us from heaven …” [1:78].

That being said, we must be careful not to fall for the popular myth that God is all love and no wrath. That “god” is an idol. The Bible speaks of a righteous God that doesn’t tolerate sin of any kind, and to whom all will give an account of their life. He doesn’t save unilaterally because of His love, He saves those who repent and forsake their sins because of His mercy [Titus 3:4-5].

Do yourself a real favor and open your ears. Take note of how often you hear God mentioned, if at all. Is He the righteous God of the Bible or an idol?

And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare  the way for the Lord. You will tell His people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Luke 1:76-77

The Holy Spirit Lives in Each Christ Follower

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

You can hardly find a singular view of theology on any subject today, and that is especially true of the Holy Spirit. Some Christ followers emphasize certain “gifts” so much that their subjective experiences are valued higher than objective scriptural truth. Others have nearly ignored the Holy Spirit altogether. Either extreme is unwise because they lead to a misunderstanding of how we know the Spirit and how to minister in His power.  

The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is active in each Christ follower’s life in a variety of ways. Here are just three of them:

He is indispensable in saving us

He enables us to obey Christ

He will perfect us in glory. 

The fact that we should not ignore the Holy Spirit is highlighted by Paul in his letter to the Galatian Christ followers. “How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?" [3:3-4].

There is no secret to uncover when it comes to an abundant Christian life. The key is the sufficiency of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to you, and in you, all of which are found in the Bible. So learn to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. He is working in you, if you have placed your full confidence in what Christ accomplished on your behalf at Calvary. He is the key for living a fruitful, spiritual life.

Cooperate with Him as He lives in you, as He encourages you, guides you, enlightens you, and empowers you for every good work [John 14:16-17; 16:13]. When you do, He will daily help you become more like Christ. 

Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with Him, and He with them. And we know He lives in us because the Spirit He gave us lives in us. 1 John 3:24

Don’t Play with Fire

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

I can hear it now, as plainly as day, “Rickey, don’t play with fire!” I can tell you why that warning came from my parents so many times, but then, I’d never get to this devotion. For many, the words “Don’t play with fire” were enough. For others of us, it took a few blisters to get the message — from playing carelessly with matches, to touching a hot stove, to walking on hot, campfire coals, well you get the point.

With these kind of dangers in mind, you can easily understand why the proverb “if you play with fire, you get burned” is so memorable. When handled carelessly, fire causes a variety of injuries. We should pay close attention to the proverb. The imagery can be used in a broader context as a warning to not get involved with potentially dangerous situations or people. When we do, it’s hard to escape injury — “If you play with fire…”

Far too many Christ followers think they can entertain temptation, or stay close to a particular sin and not get burned; fall into transgression. That alone shows us the importance of this proverb. Here’s what I suggest: Avoid those occasions, places, and people where you might find yourself playing with the fire of sin. Don’t set yourself up for failure. Likewise, don’t compromise the holiness to which the Lord has called us.

Can you build a fire in your lap and not burn your pants? Can you walk barefoot on hot coals and not get blisters? Proverbs 6:27-28 (The MESSAGE Paraphrase)

Keep Following

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

Christ followers have two words that they don’t want to use, but if we are honest, we keep them in ready reserve. What are they, you ask? I Quit! We hold them as a sacred possession, like a trump card, ready to use for that insurmountable challenge, or irresolvable problem, or the daunting task. If, and when, that occasion comes, we think “I quit” becomes a reasonable solution.

There was a time when many people that followed Jesus threw up their hands and said, “I quit.” Sure, they relished His miracles and, for a time, hungered for His teaching and leadership, but when He began to explain the high cost of what it meant to really follow Him, many thew in the towel and said, “I quit!” [See John 6:41-66]

I quit! It’s a quick and easy solution, but not the response that should be offered to the Lord. Following Jesus can be challenging at times. Perhaps you’ve experienced some of the frustrations, like rejection, persecution, and the weakness of your sinful flesh. But don’t listen to the taunts of the evil one and be drawn to an incorrect conclusion. 

You are in Christ and He is in you! You are a new creation bought with the precious blood of Christ. You are filled with the Holy Spirit of promise. Because of that, you have sufficient strength to persevere. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Paul said. And so can you.

I quit! Although many people decided to forsake the Lord on that day, through faith we can draw a different conclusion. Because all Christ is to you — what He has done and continues to do — here’s the response needed: Jesus, You lead; I follow You — no matter the cost!

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. John 6:66