Daily Devotional 10-19-2021
Exo 31:3 I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft God appointed gifted artisans, Bezalel and Aholiab, to construct the tabernacle and all its furniture. They supervised other workers in this holy task. The repetition of “I” in this paragraph shows that with the divine command there is divine enablement. The Lord appoints His workers, endows them with ability and talent, and gives them a work to do for His glory. The work is all the Lord’s, but He accomplishes it through human instrumentality, then rewards His agents.
Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. This is what is commonly known as election. Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Notice first the positive fact of election in the words, He chose us. Then there is the positional aspect of the truth, in Him: it is in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus that all God’s purposes for His people are brought to pass. The time of God’s election is indicated by the expression, before the foundation of the world. And the purpose is that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. This purpose will not be completely realized until we are with Him in heaven, but the…
Daily Devotional 10-13-2021
Col 1:21-22 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds expressed in your evil actions. (22) But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him— Reconciliation is necessary because people are alienated (“cut off, estranged”) from life and God. Before conversion the Colossian believers also were enemies or hostile to God in their minds as well as in their behavior, internally and externally. Sin begins in the heart and manifests itself in overt deeds. It pleased the Father by Him (Christ) to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross. In other words, it was not only the Godhead’s good pleasure that all fullness should dwell in Christ, but also that Christ should reconcile all things to Himself. From this, we can see that the expression of God’s Glory in…
Daily Devotional 8-31-2021
1Th 4:7 For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. Paul’s first reason looks forward to the prospect of future punishment, but his second reason looks back to the purpose for which God called each Christian to Himself. God’s plan for a Christian includes purifying his life. Sexual immorality frustrates the purpose of God’s call. Certain pagan cults promoted unclean ceremonies, but Christ’s plans for a Christian are to clean him up. A holy life demonstrates God’s supernatural power at work overcoming what is natural, and it glorifies God.
Daily Devotional 28-8-2021
Eph 3:8-9 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, (9) and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. Two infinitives state Paul’s functioning in this ministry. First, he was to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Second, he was to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery. Though Paul ministered to both Jews and Gentiles, he was especially designated as the apostle “to the Gentiles”. The Gentiles can know something of the riches of Christ’s. Yet Christ’s fathomless spiritual wealth can never be fully comprehended. Paul was to disclose publicly to everyone, not just the Ephesians this stewardship of God’s sacred secret. This secret had been hidden in God, the Creator of the universe. Even before creating all things…
Daily Devotional 7-18-2021
1Ti 1:13-14 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (14) The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. That Paul had broken the Ten Commandments before his conversion is abundantly evident from this verse. He speaks of himself as formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man.. The first sin is a matter of words only. The second describes suffering inflicted on others for their religious beliefs. The third includes the idea of cruelty and abuse. But Paul obtained mercy. He did not receive the punishment he deserved because he did these things ignorantly in unbelief. In persecuting Christians, he thought he was doing God’s service. Since his parents’ religion taught the worship of the true God,…
Daily Devotional 7-8-2021
1Pe 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. True victory in persecution is to see God behind the scenes working out His wonderful purposes. Peter gives us a four-fold encouragement: No matter what our trials, Peter reminds us that He is the God of all grace. His dealings with us are not based on what we deserve, but on His thoughts of love to us. No matter how fierce our testing, we can always be thankful we are not in hell where we ought to be. He has called us to His eternal glory. This enables us to look beyond the sufferings of this life to the time when we shall be with the Savior and be like Him forever. Just think of…
Daily Devotional 7-7-2021
Jas 4:6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” We are not left to deal with the lusts of the flesh in our own strength. By His grace, more strength is given to us whenever it is needed. He gives more grace when the burdens grow greater. He sends more strength when the labors increase. He adds His mercy to added affliction. He adds His multiplied peace to multiplied trials. God resists the proud, but He cannot resist the broken and contrite spirit. Grace is promised to the humble, not the proud.
Daily Devotional 7-6-2021
Php 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, (13) for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Salvation is evidenced through the personal victory of the believers and the unity of the church. This outworking of the spiritual reality is to be done “with fear and trembling,” i.e. a work that is energized and animated through the fear of the Lord. God works in us so that we could do His good pleasure and accomplish His good purpose. Both divine enablement and human responsibility are involved in getting God’s work done. We become partners with God, laboring together with Him. God causes His own both willing and desirous to do His work.
Daily Devotional 7-3-2021
Joh 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Jesus had great joy in pleasing His Father by living a fruitful life. The purpose of His teaching is to give man an abundant life, not a joyless existence. The commands for His disciples to obey are for their joy. A consecrated life is a joyous and satisfied life as well as God-glorifying life.