Devotionals, Second Week of December
December 8th, 2020
Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.” – Luke 8:21
As we start the second week of December, the theme for the second week will be “Trust and Obey.” Inspired by what the Lord showed me this morning and the Old hymn written by John. H. Sammis that goes like this:
When we walk with the Lord, In the light of His word, What a glory He sheds on our way ! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and Obey, For there’s no other way, To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey
For contemporary singing of this song, one can check out Don Moen’s play of this song. The words of this song are actually inspiring because, often when God speaks to us, there’s joy and pleasure in obeying, and when we disobey, there’s often a nugging as though we are being harassed by the Spirit, and that kind of emotional dissatisfaction can be quite painful.
Whenever we hear of inspirational stories of how some people’s lives were changed, we tend to associate that with some kind of life-altering events whether moments of crisis or favor for breakthrough, but upon a closer look of Scriptures and the lives of the saints in general, we discover that, often the way our lives are changed is through daily listening to the Word of God and obeying it in what often may look like mundane routine. This is why the Luke 8:21 verse will open our theme this week.
Jesus spoke these words when someone mentioned that his mother and brothers were standing outside waiting for him. It seems like Jesus had these moments when his family would come by where He was ministering, like the time he and his disciples skipped lunch as they continued to minister to people and the family thought he had become insane ( Mark 3: 20-21). So Jesus took that opportunity to talk about spiritual connection to Him and not biological kinship. His brothers and sisters were already standing in front of him listening. It was Peter, John, James, and all the people in the crowd who hung on His words ready to put it into practice.
I have heard a great deal of the honor Jesus has given us when He said that He no longer calls us servants but He has called us friends. This is often quoted as foundational to knowing His mysteries since He tells us everything (John 15:15). But if He calls us brothers when we obey Him, then that elevates us from just mere friendship to kinship. We become co-heirs. A friend may know a lot of secrets about someone’s life, but he does not share in family inheritance. Our obedience to God brings us that kind transition from knowing secrets to managing the family’s inheritance.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have brought me into your family through the new birth and your Son, Jesus, is my brother. I am honored and thrilled by this kinship. Lord, I also thank you for having entrusted to me your very words. They are life-giving and flow with love, joy, and peace. I pray, Father, that you may continue to work in me both to will and to do according to your good pleasure that I see in the words you speak to me daily. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!
December 9th, 2020
For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters- Romans 8:29, NLT
Obedience for the Christian has a purpose: it is “Christ-likeness.” He is our Big Brother and we are to be conformed to His image. It’s like looking yourself in the mirror. What do you see? You. The Father wants His own image restored in the people that He created for His own glory. The way this transformation and conformation occur should not intimidate because God does it all by grace, which is why we are to “Trust and Obey.”
How? First, the Father chose us. “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”- John 15:16 and “ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”- John 6:37. The Lord called us and saved us “While we were without strength.”- Romans 5:6. I like that view of our starting point. It helps us not just trust the Father and obey Him, it helps us trust the process, too. Realizing that His ways flow from who He is, as a good Father. Some English translations use “powerless” instead of “without strength” and the Greek word used for that is “Asthenon” which means “weak or infirm.” From a moral point of view, the fallen sinner cannot change himself, even if he tried, he would fail. A non-Christian cannot become Christlike because this transformation requires “Christ in you.”- Colossians 1:27.
I heard an interesting story of how a famous political leader who changed the world read the words of the sermon on the mount and was impressed by Jesus and wanted to follow Christ’s ways. While he did do many good things, there’s no record that he ever got saved before he died. He was not alone. Since then, there have been many political transformative leaders who embraced non-violent means of social change and yet failed to embrace the Gospel as their power for that transformation. This is where lies the problem. Lasting impact can only come through Christ. Thinking “what would Jesus do?” is not enough. “Christ in you” actually has to do what Jesus would do because only Him can do that. This is our second point to take note of.
“Christ in us” is why we should not be intimidated by obedience. This is why “His commandments are not burdensome.”- 1 John 5:3. His grace is made perfect in our weakness, so we do not need to look to ourselves. We just need to depend on Him. If a father was with his toddler son trying to climb stairs, would the father laugh mockingly if the toddler collapsed a few stairs to hit his head downstairs? Unless that father is a psychopath, that’s unthinkable. Our heavenly Father would lift His children in such circumstances (Isaiah 63:9) and then take their hands and guide them (Psalms 32:8). That’s what He does each time we hear Him speak. The voice of the Lord carries the power to accomplish what God sends it for. Whether it is through Scriptures or through revelations that He speaks into our spirits, it has the power to change our character as well as spur us into action for what needs to be done. As we yield to what He speaks, His words will become spirit and life to us, gradually conforming us into the image of His own son.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you sent your Son to die for me while I was without strength. I also thank you that you speak to us your precious words every day and your power to teach, guide, transform, and grow us into the likeness of your Son is clearly manifest. Help us learn more and more how we can yield to the work of your Spirit so that we can increase into the full stature of Christ. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!
December 10th, 2020
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will- Romans 12:2
“Christ in you” makes obeying God’s commandments and the sanctification process for the Christian possible. It is the reason we understand why being born again is vital for everyone. The religious person who is not born again simply cannot handle the burden of fulfilling God’s requirements and meeting His expectations. Paul writes as much in Romans 8:4, where he clearly states that the demands of the law that had been too much for him in Romans 7 were now being met by living by the spirit.
After we are born again, we understand that “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, the new has come”- 2 Corinthians 5:17. Our goal becomes walking according to the new life and putting behind the old life. This is important if we are going to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, who is our Big Brother, and grow in our Christlikeness. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world” means that we should no longer look around us to see what is fashionable and follow it. What the world says no longer shapes our opinion. This applies to every area of life. From how we dress, to what we watch, to what we read, to how we spend our time and money, the way we approach relationships, work, and basically everything. When Peter tells women that their beauty should not be outward, coming from ornaments and such, he is not being petty (1 Peter 3:3). He is conveying what the Spirit is saying about how not to conform to the pattern of this world in regards to beauty. Because, for the Christian, the most important is the “inner self” and “heart”
In order not to conform to the pattern of this world, we need to have our minds renewed. We need to have the mind of Christ, so that the Christ who lives in us can do what He alone is able to do. When Israel left Egypt, some still struggled with the wilderness life and wished to go back to Egypt. In the same way, some Christians may still have residues of a worldly lifestyle without even realizing how detrimental it is to the pursuit of Christlikeness. “Remember Lot’s wife.”- Luke 17:32. The world we leave behind should no longer inform our future, no matter how shiny it looks. An analogy we can use in our modern times is like the way we program and deprogram computers. This is how we need to renew our minds about money, relationships, significance, and a host of other issues that shape our lives and future. Reading the Scriptures clearly plays a role in helping us to renew our minds and so is listening to the Word preached and also having the mentorship or discipleship with people who are ahead of us and have already learned and practiced the things we are learning anew. Even following Christians on social media helps because “Iron sharpens Iron”- Proverbs 21:17 and with these new tools we can learn from so many people. It helps us discern what God’s will is because we cannot obey what we do not know.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that you have given me a new life in Christ and I do not have to feel burdened by what you command me to do. I pray that you help me as I seek how to renew my mind so that I can have the mind which is in Christ and the Christ who lives in me can continue to grow me into the holy and obedient person you want me to be. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!
December 11th, 2020
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it–not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it–they will be blessed in what they do- James 1:22-25
These 4 verses in James 1 are very helpful for our theme this week of “Trust and Obey.”
In Verse 22, he draws our attention to the fatuousness of merely listening to the Word. The Word of God is powerful but the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9 and 18-23) should correct our wrong thinking that merely hearing the Word of God is salvific. Sure, Paul asks “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?”- Romans 10:4, which tells us that for pagans or unevangelized lands, we cannot just expect that they will start to believe in Jesus spontaneously without hearing the Gospel. But our James 1:22-25 confronts the issues raised in the parable of the sower that make the Word ineffectual for those who have already been evangelized or have Christianity in their culture. They do not lack preachers, they may even have more per capita than other places, they lack obedience. They merely enjoy listening to the Word, but it does not affect how they live. They “deceive themselves.”
In Verse 23-24, he gives an analogy of looking oneself in the mirror and then immediately forgetting how one looks like. First, if we were to look at what this means from a physical point of view, the absurdity of it means that if someone had a twin brother and walked in the street after forgetting how he looks like, he would pass by his brother without recognizing him. But this analogy is supposed to alert us to something deeper, and more spiritual, like what Paul alluded to when he said “Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror.”- 1 Corinthians 13:12. The issue here is that since we walk by faith and not by sight, what is described to us in the Word is more like a mirror reflection. You can’t stretch your hand and greet the person in front of you. You can’t attempt to run into the mirror to meet that person. It is merely a reflection of the one standing behind the mirror. We were created in God’s image, but as fallen creatures, we no longer have that. The redemption Christ brought is our hope to restore that image, and throughout the Gospels and the New Testament, we see what it means to be Christlike. He is the last Adam. He is the one we should look like. He is the first-born brother we are supposed to have similarity as those seen in twin brothers and sisters. That’s what we are supposed to be seeing in the mirror of God’s Word as we read it or hear it preached. But if we go out and forget that, then this analogy applies to us.
In verse 25, James tells us how the Word we hear will bear fruits for the kingdom of God. It will start by looking in the mirror, of course, “looking intently into the perfect law of liberty.” And seeing clearly “the truth as it is in Jesus.”- Ephesians 4:21. It is that truth that gives us liberty (John 8:32), as we are saturated with the presence of His Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17), and allow ourselves to be carried in that anointing from the Holy One wherever we go and whatever we do, letting the Word of God influence our thoughts, words, and actions, in a such a way that they are all in continuing harmony with “the truth as it is in Jesus.” This is how we will be blessed in whatever we do. Now, Christians with a slave mentality will miss the part “they will be blessed.” It’s like they want the instructions of the Word without the blessings attached to obeying the word. That’s basically being an unbeliever. Faith means we believe what the Word of God promises, all of it. The word “blessed” in Greek here is “makarios” and it means a “happy person who is to be envied.” Paul tells us that this is one of the goals of preaching the Gospel in Romans 11:14. He hoped Jews would be envious of the Gentiles and because of that, turn from their error to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, if we do not want to be blessed, are happy with just the instructions manual, not the blessings that accompany obeying the Word, we are missing the point of causing people to be envious of what we have become in Christ, and creating thirst in them to rush for the living waters, so that they can get some for themselves and be satisfied, too.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that I see your Word full of Christ in all His glory. I see your Son who taught beautiful and wonderful words of life, who healed the sick, raised the dead, and gave His life as a ransom for me, and then rose victorious, and is alive today. The Christ who sits upon the throne, the soon-returning King. I pray, Father, that you help me prepare myself to meet your Son, so that when He appears, I will be gloriously transformed like He is. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen!
December 12th, 2020
Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people”- Deuteronomy 4:6
The blessings of obeying the Word of God are many and do not just apply to individuals. They can also be seen throughout Scriptures to have corporate and national implications. A pastor who is obedient to God will be blessed, his family will be blessed, his church will be blessed, and if we were to see such obedience at state level, with all churches in the state walking in obedience to God, that entire state that is blessed with those churches would be blessed as well. We see this model throughout Scriptures.
In the Deuteronomy 4:6 verse we have today, we see that the obedience that was commanded to Israel would result in making the nation to be respected in the eyes of other nations. It’s not uncommon to hear political leaders talk about “our standing in the world.” And it seems that God did care about such standing in the world for the nation of Israel. Yet, it is these same commandments that would have given them dignity that they broke with catastrophic consequences. First, it started with idolatry as they lost sight of Jehovah and what He had done for them. Then, they started to feel that the laws for worship of Jehovah were more of a burden than a blessing, that they were impractical. In Malachi 1:13, for example, we read their attitude about sacrifices they had been instructed to make. “And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD” God had given them so much but they were not giving Him their best as He had instructed. Thank God that, for us in the New Testament, we need no such sacrifices as Jesus has shed His blood for us and He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away our sins. And yet, If God commands something to us today, like He had done for Israel, it is for our good and there’s blessing in obeying, which they seemed to have ignored. This was a direct violation of what was instructed in Deuteronomy 15:21. Their disobedience also extended to the Sabbath. They broke it and when they did, God allowed them to be taken into captivity for 70 years just so the land would enjoy its Sabbath rest that they had deprived it (2 Chronicles 36: 21). Then many other sins like violence, debauchery, marrying foreigners who did not know Jehovah, followed suit. God’s name was blasphemed among the gentiles because of Israel (Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:20; Romans 2:24). This had serious consequences for Israel. And today, God is still as zealous for His name as He has ever been. Obedience still matters. We have to find out what God’s will for our lives is and obey Him.
Compare these consequences of Israel’s sin with its apogee during the reign of Solomon, the son of David. Solomon’s fame because of his wisdom went far and wide to the point the queen of Sheba came all the way from Africa bringing treasures to the king. She had tough questions to ask and he answered them. She concluded: “The report I heard in my own country about your achievements and your wisdom is true. But I did not believe these things until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, not even half was told me; in wisdom and wealth you have far exceeded the report I heard. “- 1 Kings 10:6-7. The reign of Solomon is a type of the coming Millennial reign of the Messiah and yet it gives us a taste of possible blessings a nation can enjoy when God is given His rightful place. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.”- Psalms 33:12.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you for all the blessings that you have promised to us when we obey your Word. Individual blessings, the blessings for the church, and the blessings for the nations that honor your Holy name. Father, we pray that you give us the strength and courage to put you first and follow what you have taught us, so that your name will be revealed among those who do not know you and you will be glorified among them. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen !
December 14th, 2020
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel- Acts 9:10-15
In the first century, Damascus, in current Syria, was a big Christian center. Saul, whom we know as apostle Paul, had gone there on a mission to shut down the city Christian community. He planned to drag them, get them beaten, and possibly some of them could have been stoned to death. He had already done that in Jerusalem. On his way to Damascus, he encountered the risen Lord Jesus Christ, fell to the ground, the dazzling light blinding him, and he heard from the Lord that he was actually persecuting Jesus Himself. “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”- Acts 26:14, he heard. Meaning that resisting Jesus’ will to spread the Good News was a futile endeavor. Saul then wanted to know what the Lord desired him to do and Jesus told him to continue his journey into Damascus and wait for new instructions. It is at that time we see the Lord revealing Ananias about all of this and sending him to pray for Saul.
First, the Lord calls Ananias by name. He knows all our names. Some young Christians can sometimes feel that they are insignificant in God’s eyes, to the point that God does not even know who they are, but He knows all of us by name.
Second, the Lord sends Ananias to a specific location, He tells him the house and the owner. We do not know if this was a day vision or night vision, which could be like a dream. It is possible for both interpretations. What matters is that Ananias was aware this was Jesus giving him instructions in a vision. The Lord had also orchestrated a similar vision with Saul, who had seen Ananias come to lay hands on him. At that time, Saul was actually physically blind. So, the vision he had was clearly spiritual in nature and was not what you would call “an open vision,” since his eyes were blind. We have to come to a realization that even though the Scriptures are the most glorious way God speaks to us through, they are not the only way God will speak to us. We may hear his voice in our spirits. We may see dreams in the night. He may use coincidence in events of providence. He may use another person. God has many ways to speak to us. Of course, we always have to make sure it is biblical.
Third, Ananias was reluctant to go. He had heard a lot of negative news about Saul, but Jesus knew the change that had taken place. This should encourage us that Jesus can save the most wretched and hopeless sinners. Even those who zealously persecute the church can be saved by Jesus. Pharisaism did not prequalify Saul to encounter Jesus and secularism or atheism are not roadblocks to Christ making His way to a sinner. Jesus can change anyone’s heart in an instant. He finally convinced Ananias not to be paralyzed by fear and just go to do what He was instructed. Ananias obeyed. If Ananias had resisted these instructions, Jesus would have been able to find someone else to do it. But it would not have been a testimony of submission on Ananias’ part. We call Jesus ‘Lord’ because we are prepared to obey Him. In fact Jesus asked, “why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say ?”-Luke 6:46. We are truly and only then saved, if Jesus is our Lord, in fact. By calling Jesus ‘Lord,’ we acknowledge our submission to His will. If this is not the case, then He is neither our Lord nor Savior. Ananias followed the instructions knowing that Saul had been called to be a minister of the Gospel. I believe that there are future Pauls-Peters-Billy Grahams- Reinhard Bonnkes- who are still out there, waiting for someone like Ananias to come and help them out in their spiritual darkness.
Prayer: Father God, I thank you that your grace is irresistible even to the most hardened sinner. If this were not so, we would be hopeless as we would be left to our own devices. Thank you for the salvation of apostle Paul and the great ministry he had in his generation that left us with so many rich revelations of your person, will, calling, and plan for the church of the gentiles. We pray, Lord, that you call more laborers into your vineyard who are as passionate for your kingdom’s expansion like he was. Father, also help us to be like Ananias, instruments in obeying your will and bringing those people into your plan. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen !