Monday, December 14, 2009

Day 330: Rom 4:1 - 7:25

Grace is always such an interesting topic of discussion because no matter what we say or do, it is always human nature for us to think of anything God offers as us something that we must earn or buy. God's grace is something that none of us could ever earn and yet each and everyone of us can have it. All too often, we find ourselves focusing on the part of grace that deals with us when, in reality, God's grace has nothing to do with us and everything to do with Him. Some Christians tend to view God's grace as some sort of "get out of jail free pass," giving them a license to sin all they want. On the other end of the spectrum are the people who think that we must somehow earn His grace by doing as many things as possible right and avoiding doing anything wrong. The problem with both of these beliefs is that they are focussed on the recipient and not the giver. God offers us His grace not because of who we are or aren't, He offers is because of Who He is. And we can see that when we are truly living in the grace of God, the very grace that He gives will provide us with the strength and fortitude necessary to live Godly, righteous lives not in an effort to earn His grace, but as a direct result of the grace He has given.

- Father, I want to live my life in the light of Your grace. I know that there is no possible way that I could earn Your grace, all I can do is humbly accept it and allow You to make the changes in me that are necessary to live the life that You have ordained. -

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Day 329: Rom 1:1 - 3:31

The book of Romans can sometimes be a difficult book to read if you aren't prepared to pay attention and use your brain the entire time. Reading the first 2 1/2 chapters without continuing on with the rest of the book can be both discouraging and dangerous. What we have learned so far, and will continue to learn, is the fact that without the law, grace would mean very little. We have found ourselves living in a society exactly like the one described in this passage where people have attempted to remove right and wrong in an attempt to absolve themselves from any real responsibility. Unfortunately, ignoring a truth could never make it any less true, and in fact, our society's ignorance of the necessity of righteousness has not only proven ineffective at getting rid of it, but has actually done well to support and even prove the fact that we are a lost generation without the desire to obey God's Word. The discussion of law vs. grace can oftentimes be a very heated one, and it is abundantly evident in the fact that God has written an entire book of the Bible specifically on this subject, but we are beginning to learn that Jesus didn't come to simply destroy the law and make it completely useless, but rather He came so that mankind would finally receive the final piece of the puzzle that doesn't cancel the law, but completes its purpose in our lives.

- Father help me to live a life of righteousness without becoming a legalistic Christian. I realize that I have yet to fully understand this subject, but I pray that as I continue to explore the book of Romans, You will continue to reveal this beautiful contrast between grace and the law. -

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Day 328: Acts 27:1 - 28:31

You know, it's really difficult to read this passage of Scripture and not understand the point. Paul had a call from God, the devil tried to stop him by putting him right in the way of the storm, and God saved him from the storm so he could get to Rome. As easy as it would be to just end it here, I feel that would be cheating, so I will do my best to elaborate. God has called each and every one of us to do something great for His kingdom. Although the call on each of our lives may have the appearance of being more or less important, we must realize that we all play an integral part in advancing God's kingdom. And the truth is that no matter how important we may think it is, the devil always knows how important it is and will do everything he can to stop it. Regardless of who you are and what God has called you to, there is a storm in some form or fashion that the devil is trying to throw in your way, but you can take heart knowing that God will keep you safe if you will just trust in him. We must remember that even if everything around us falls apart and sinks to the bottom of the sea, God will always be there to keep our head above the water and if we will let Him, He will use the very same situation that we saw as a disaster and help us get to the place that He has called us to.

- Lord, help me to keep my faith in You when the storms arise. I know that You will always remain faithful and will save me from any storms that the devil might throw my way. You are the One I put my faith in and with You, I can never drown. -

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Day 327: Acts 24:1 - 26:32

I love this part of Paul's story because it is the perfect illustration of the fact that God can take any mess and make something amazing out of it. Paul had been in prison for quite sometime now, and yet his faith not only kept him alive and protected him, but God was able to use Paul's faith to elevate him to a platform that no other believer would have ever been able to preach from. It would have been so easy for Paul to just give up or say that he would tune it down a little just so he could be free, but Paul had his focus on something much bigger than himself. Paul wasn't concerned with his comfort or his "success" or his "ministry." He was focused on God and His will. Our lives are so short and it's so easy to get caught up in our own plans, our own desires, and our own "freedoms," but when we keep our focus on those things, we will never be able to see the enormous path that God has placed right at our feet. I would encourage anyone reading this to consider your current circumstance, and then take yourself out of it completely. Maybe your current circumstance has absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do with giving God an opportunity to change the world around you. If Paul had only seen himself and his lack of "freedom," he probably would have never even considered the fact that thanks to his situation, he had the biggest platform that any believer could ever ask for.

- God, give me the level of perspective that Paul had while he was in prison. He had every opportunity to feel sorry for himself and focus on his problems, and yet he ignored all of that and used his so-called problems as a platform to preach Your Word. Help me to take myself out of the picture when I consider my current circumstances so that I can fully understand how You can be glorified through them. -

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Day 326: Acts 21:20 - 23:35

At times, Christians can have a very inaccurate idea that Christianity is a very clean and simple process. We sometimes tend to view Christianity as more of an escape from conflict and drama, but we can see through the life of Paul and so many other believers throughout history that Christianity is just the opposite. Unfortunately, that very fact is the reason why so many people fall away from the faith after only a few months. We as ministers of God's Word must stop "marketing" Christianity as some sort of "get out of jail free card," and start presenting it accurately with all of it's difficulties and conflicts. We can see in this passage that there was nothing comfortable about the situation Paul found himself in. He had been treating terribly by both of the groups that he had a right to say he was a part of. He had been abused, beaten up, yelled at, and accused and all because he believed in Jesus. And yet throughout all of it, he kept his eyes on the call that God had placed on his life and was looking forward to his opportunity to go to Rome. Just like Paul, we must learn how to look past our current circumstances and start thanking God for all of the blessings that will come as a result of the things we are experiencing now.

- Lord, I may not be comfortable right now, but I know that You have a plan for my life and regardless of what I'm going through or why I'm going through it, I choose to do it for Your glory because I know that no matter what, You will always bring us through to the other side if we keep our eyes on You. -

Day 325: Acts 19:14 - 21:19

It seems to me that the story of the sons of Sceva is a pretty accurate depiction of how many treat God's Word today. It's obvious that these men were not using God's Word in order to build faith or further His kingdom. They used His Word as a tool to get themselves a better place in life. We see this so often with musical artists, "Christian" organizations, and even pastors. Our society has programmed us to me always concerned about our own business and our own personal outcome and how far ahead we can get in life, and if we're not careful, we can allow these tendencies to take over our walk with God. We have to understand that although things might go well for us for a short period of time, when we are using God's Word for nothing more than our own personal benefit, it can and will eventually backfire and leave us just like the sons of Sceva - broken, ashamed, and forever an example of how not to utilize the Word of God.

- Father, help me to never be like the sons of Sceva and try to use Your Word solely for my own personal benefit. You have called me to things much greater than my own personal comfort and You have set goals for me that are much bigger than myself, and I know that The gift You have given me will only be blessed when I keep my eyes on You and live for something much bigger than myself. -

Friday, December 4, 2009

Day 324: Acts 17:1 - 19:13

It's very encouraging to see what Paul did regarding the ministry when he first arrived in Athens. We see in Chapter 17 verse 16, Paul had been waiting for Silas and Timothy to arrive. As Paul waited though, he began to grow more and more upset about the evil idolatrous lifestyles that the people were living. So instead of waiting for the boys to show up so they could go to work, Paul took the initiative and went to work on His own. Paul could have very easily just waited around for the other two to show up before he went to work, but Paul understood that his call to preach the Word of God was dependent on nobody but himself. It is an undeniable fact that God has given each and every one of us relationships that either have been or will be instrumental in furthering His kingdom, but we must understand that although God has given us those relationships, we don't have to rely on anyone else to do the work that God has called us to do. If God has called us to something, we don't have to wait around for someone else to initiate it. God's call on our lives is dependent upon our obedience to Him and if we will obey, He will take care of the rest.

- Father, give me the strength to not rely so heavily on other people in my life to accomplish what You have called me to do. I know that you have placed those relationships in my life to help me, but I also know that You are the only One I need to rely on and my obedience to You will help me achieve all that You've called me to. -

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Day 323: Acts 14:14 - 16:40

This passage is a very great one to read after the previous group of scriptures because it is a very interesting contrast. In the last group of scriptures that we read, the devil was trying to halt the Word of God by using very intimidating external sources such as jails and powerful people in direct opposition to God's Word. In these passages, we see him try to stop the Word by much more subtle "internal" influences. The first internal influence we see in these verses is the use of religion to stop God's Word. Although the topic of circumcision for the Gentiles was a valid discussion, there was a very big possibility that the Word of God could have been stopped dead in its tracks if it hadn't been for the men of God who stood up and listened to the Holy Spirit rather than opinions. The other potential roadblock was the potential "church drama" between Paul and Barnabas and their opinions of John Mark. Although we don't hear alot of teaching regarding this part of the story, I believe it's an important part to consider because if you've spent any time in the ministry, I think you will agree that politics and drama can seriously choke out the Word of God if we're not careful. Thankfully, we can see that both of these situations were dealt with in a Godly manner, and once again, God's Word was about to spread farther and faster because these men of God were not willing to be distracted or deterred from what God had called them to.

- Lord, help me to be mindful of the more subtle "internal" influences that may try to sneak in and choke out Your Word. Help me to always stay focussed and remember that I'm not called to avoid conflict, but rather to utilize the conflict in a way that will advance Your kingdom. -

Day 322: Acts 12:1 - 14:13

I would venture to say that most people, after reading this passage, would be able to point out a handful of very specific "roadblocks" or deterrents to the ministry of Peter and Paul, and yet we can see very plainly that the things that could have very well stopped the Word of God just became fuel to the fire. I would venture to say that many of us would be very likely to give up when faced with being put into prison like Peter. And as sad as it is to say this, I can imagine that alot of us would probably just turn and go the other way if we stepped into a town where a demonic wizard was getting all of the attention. All too often, believers live their lives trying to avoid conflict and discomfort and yet we see hundreds of times throughout the Bible that conflict and discomfort are exactly what God's Word needs in order to flourish and spread like wildfire. I would encourage everyone reading this devotional to start considering the difficulties in your life currently and realize that they aren't there to stop you, they're there so you can break through them and experience the kind of victory that only comes from living a life devoted to God and His Word.

- Lord, help me to stop looking at the difficulties in my life as opportunities to fail, but rather look at them as opportunities to be an overcomer. Help me to remember that pressure and discomfort are a huge part of becoming stronger, and although I may not enjoy it now, I have been given everything I need to overcome and grow stronger in my walk with You. -