This Changes Everything

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:3-4

What kind of light do you have shining in your life? Is it the light that says your tank is on E, or is it the light of understanding?

You know, I think this time of year, it's really easy to start running on E. It's busier and higher pressure than any other time of year, cramming in Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, and all the shopping and all the parties and all the events and all the programs and on and on and on.

For the disciples, the highest pressure moment of their lives happened at Easter time, not Christmas time, but it was the very first Easter and Jesus was dead. Or at least that's what they thought. But when Jesus appeared to them and proved His resurrection, He gave them something that lit them up and took away all the gloom. He gave them the light of understanding.

Then He said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.' And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. (Luke 24:44-45)

When the disciples got the light of understanding, it changed everything for them. Never again is it said of them that they were fearful or doubting, caving in to their high-pressure stressful situation. Ever after that moment, they charged ahead as hard as they could with nothing holding them back.

And why were they able to run ahead with so much strength? Because their joy had been made full in fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and the joy of the Lord became their strength. When they had joy in God's presence, nothing on Earth could shake them. Nothing could move them. Nothing could sway them. They were resolute and firm about the purpose of their lives to serve Christ and Christ alone.

Don't let yourself live in the light that's warning you that your tank is empty. Instead, live in the light of understanding so that your joy may be full in the fellowship of God's presence.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for opening the disciples' eyes so they could be filled with Your joy! As You gave that to them, would You please also give that to me, so that I could have that same joy, fellowshipping with You in Your presence?

Amen

The Christmas War

Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars...And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads...And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Revelation 12:1,3-4

Some days I just feel like Israel, don't you? Oh, you don't know what I mean? Well, let me tell you.

What you need to know about Israel is that the devil has been trying to kill them for as long as they've existed, and even before then! In fact, we see a picture of this in our verses today, that the devil, the great dragon, has always been the enemy of the woman Israel and the One who would come from her.

That dragon was there when Abraham tried to pass off Sarah as his sister instead of his wife. He was there when Pharaoh tried to kill every infant male Jew. He was there when Saul tried to kill David, when the wicked queen Athaliah tried to kill the Davidic line that would lead to Jesus, and when Haman incited the Persian emperor to attempt genocide against the Jews only to be thwarted by Esther. He was even there when Herod had all Jewish boys two years old and under killed and when Jesus gave His first message only to be escorted by the crowd to the edge of a cliff.

That dragon's done absolutely everything to try to destroy Israel and is still working to do so today. He's also working to destroy every memory of that Child-Jesus-from our cultural memory. But the existence of Israel simply continues to testify of God's miraculous covering of protection that He gives to them.

I like to think about these things on days when I feel like Israel, on those days when just nothing is going right. I think about Israel and remember that they have wrestled with that dragon devil for thousands of years, and that through it all God has faithfully protected and preserved them to stand firm at the end of every trial.

That's just who God is. It's who He has always been for Israel, and it's who He'll be for you.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You for showing me how faithful You have always been to Israel so that I can know You will always be faithful to me! No matter how bad things get for me, I will choose to look to You for help to stand firm till the end!

Amen

The Best Is Yet Ahead

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

You got a problem? Yeah, a lot of us do, especially these days. But it's important for us to not just see our problem. We need to see the purpose behind the problem.

This is really something we need to know, that all of it-all of it!-not just the fun stuff, not just the easy stuff, even the hard, difficult trials and sufferings and pains, all of it is for a purpose. And more than that, we see from today's verses and the rest of that passage that, while Paul describes five different ways in which we can suffer, he also uses the word comfort ten times. He's doubling down on the comfort of God for every trial and tribulation and suffering and difficulty that we have.

We also know that we're not alone. It might be easy for us to think that Paul, because he teaches us so much of what we hold as truth today, that he had everything figured out and didn't go through the suffering that we experience today, but that simply isn't true.

In fact, he tells us in this passage that his troubles went beyond his strength, that he did not have enough strength to overcome or endure the troubles that were overwhelming his life, so much so that he despaired of life. But he thanked God for all this because it forced him to trust in the God who raises the dead. He knew that his strength was not enough, but that God would still raise him from the dead and help him overcome his troubles.

He's saying that it isn't over. No matter what you're facing today, it's not over. It isn't the end! He's saying, Hold tight, because you might be in tribulation right now, but God's deliverance is coming. His promises are true. He will be faithful to His Word. And more than anything else, you are sealed with the guarantee of His Spirit.

That means that God has you taken care of. He has a plan, and He sees you on the other side of what you're going through.

Here's the good news today: You don't have to have the strength; you just have to have the faith and hope to stick with God and follow Him through the trial till His promises come to pass.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that You are Lord over everything that I am facing right now! My circumstances may feel as hopeless as death, but You are the God who raises the dead, and You will help me overcome. I let go of my own strength and I rest in You today!

Amen

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:6-7

Jesus reigns. It's one of those sayings we have in church that's almost cliché, but, really, it would be tragic for us to let this phrase lose its power.

Let's look together at our verses for today and find five aspects of Jesus' reign that will help reinvigorate this phrase in our understanding.

First, Jesus' reign is wonderful. What's so wonderful about it? Well, just think of why He came to Earth in the first place-to take up the whole world upon Himself on the cross so that we could be saved. If that doesn't define wonderful then I don't know what does!

Second, He's also the Counselor. This counselor is a lawyer, one who argues on our behalf. And truly, that is what Jesus does for us every day, so that when we mess up, Jesus just says, You know what, Father? I already paid for that one, and that guy believes in me.

Third, He's our Mighty God. And why would we worship anyone else? Who else has created anything? Who else rose from the dead? Who else holds all creation together with the power of their word? Who else calms storms and gets us through life? Only our Mighty God.

Fourth, He's our everlasting Father. This Father will never leave you, never abandon you, never abuse you, never miss a thing in your life. He is everlasting! And He's our Father, the one who gives us our name, our identity, changing us so completely by bringing us into His very own family.

Fifth, He is the Prince of Peace, the ruler over our safety. The Hebrew word for peaceshalom-is not a lack of conflict; it is safety. And truly we know that the only safe place to be is hiding under the wings of our Prince of Peace.

This is what it really means that Jesus reigns, that when He reigns, these five things enter into our lives and rule over them. If you want that, then ask God for it today.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

You want the best for me, and when You reign over my life You bring such wonderful things with You. Please come today and reign over my life. Be my Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace!

Amen

Fender Mender

There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. Proverbs 11:24-25

Does it really belong to you? You know, your money; is it yours?

Well of course, Bob, it's my money. I earned it. It belongs to me.

Really? I want you to know up front that this devotional is a test of your heart, a test to see what and where your treasure is. The payoff at the end, though, is worth the read, because God wants to do miraculous things in your life if you will simply let Him.

Everything in life ties into the issue of stewardship, and money is perhaps the chief test of our faithfulness. The standard for our faithfulness is Jesus, who gave us more than just all we have, but He gave us all of Himself. And His generosity is such that He withheld nothing from us. He has given us everything-not the crumbs, not the scraps, not after taxes-but off the top, all that He has.

Can you see the heart of God in that gift? Imagine it. Picture it. Meditate on it. Get that thought, that feeling, that concept inside you of God's generous heart that uses what He has for the benefit of others.

Is that how you think of your finances?

Well, Bob, I don't have enough finances to be generous.

I understand that a lot of people are going through hard times right now. But I also understand that God promises to be our Provider when we trust Him and do things His way, which means using our finances the way His Word instructs us.

Read our verses for today. Did you see what they say? They tell us that God blesses those who are generous. Whoever makes their life about blessing other people will be blessed by God, but whoever makes their life about blessing themselves will lose the little they did have.

God's example is that He did not withhold His only Son, giving Him as a ransom for mankind. Yet in that generosity, He gained millions of sons and daughters.

Will you trust God to bless you as you follow His Word?

Prayer Father God,

Thank You for Your Word! I confess that I do not understand how it works that generosity brings a blessing, but I choose to trust You. Please work on my heart and help me to be generous like You.

Amen

High Noon

A woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, Why this waste?' Matthew 26:7-8

Has Jesus become commonplace for you? I can tell you if He has. Just answer these simple questions:

When you hear a passage for a sermon announced, do you think you already know all there is about those verses? Oh, I already know the story from Matthew 26. Yeah, yeah, it's the thing about the perfume bottle and all.

When it's time to join together in worship, are you caught up in the presentation of the music-whether it's a hymnal or worship choruses on a screen, whether it's organ music or guitar, your favorite songs or someone else's-or are you caught up in the beauty and holiness of Jesus?

And when you leave church on Sunday, do you realize that worship never ended, only the corporate aspect of it did? Do you realize that your whole life is a worship service unto the Lord, lived out every day as you prove your love for God by making Him the highest priority in your words, attitudes, thoughts, actions, and time?

The woman in our verses today understood true worship, so when she got a chance to be with Jesus she made the absolute most of it and poured out her whole life to Him. But when the disciples, who ate every meal with Jesus, went everywhere He did, slept in the same places, and did the same things as Him saw her genuine worship, they said, What a waste.

Jesus had become common for them, and this was especially true of Judas. When Jesus declared the beauty of what the woman did, eleven disciples accepted His words. But one of them immediately went out to see how much the chief priests would pay him to betray Jesus.

Maybe you're saying today, You know what? I grew up in church. I've been a Christian my whole life! That's great, but it doesn't make you a worshiper.

In fact, if it means that Jesus has become common to you, it might mean that you are one step away from betraying Him. If you're not sold out to Jesus, then you're open to being bought away from Him.

Don't live like Judas. Choose to let Jesus hijack your life today.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

You are truly beautiful, more wonderful than anything I can even imagine! I confess that I have let my heart grow cold towards You and You haven't been truly special to me for a long time. Please change my heart and hijack my life for Your glory today!

Amen

Heavenly Conditions

And I saw...those who have the victory over the beast...They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!' Revelation 15:2-3

You know the picture of Heaven. We'll all be sitting around on clouds, with wings like angels, and we'll all be playing harps, right?

Well, actually, no. Our verses today talk about certain saints who are standing on the crystal sea and playing harps, but the harps are just a symbol to tell us that they are praising God. And what I want you to see is the song that they're singing. The song that they sing is the song of Moses, and the words they are singing are so powerful for us today.

See, I think it's getting harder and harder for us to put a positive spin on life if we're living it for anything other than the Lord. And it almost seems like sin is winning. But we need to remember what scripture teaches us, that greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world. You can be that witness out there in the world. You can be that light that God's calling you to be. You can sing this song, Great and marvelous are Your works!

Then it says this: The Lord God Almighty. They're singing the song. The first time they sang this song was when all Israel sang together once they crossed onto the other side of the Red Sea.

Now when they got to that Red Sea, they were freaking out because they saw those Egyptians coming down on them fast in their chariots. And they're like, What are we going to do? And all of a sudden, Moses puts that rod out and sees the salvation of the Lord. This great wind comes along and parts the waters. They get over to the other side and they break out in this amazing song, which now these tribulation saints pick up their version of the same song. It's a song of deliverance, a song of declaring that great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, that the Lord God is almighty, that just and true are His ways.

Moses and all Israel sang this song when God delivered them from Egypt. The saints from the Great Tribulation sang it when they had overcome the beast. What are you facing right now? Where do you need the Lord's deliverance? He's there for you, just as He was there for Israel and will be there for the Tribulation saints.

Call out to Him today and let Him give You a song to sing.

Prayer Lord God Almighty,

Thank You that You know what I am facing today! Please come and deliver me, because I certainly cannot overcome these circumstances by myself. Give me a song of deliverance to sing for You!

Amen