Category Archives: Devotions by John

Devotions by John, His Timing Not Ours, Lying / Deceiving, Parables, Traditions / Holidays

A Parable About Sharing Christ Through Holiday Tradition

This is a parable about sharing Christ with non-Christians through holiday traditions. This is not a biblical parable, but it is similar to historical choices that the church has made regarding holiday traditions.

There were two men, each of whom wanted to share Christ with others. In this situation, they both wanted to reach Buddhists, but they had very different approaches.

The first man decided he would reach them with only the instructions laid out in the Bible. He knew it would be hard. He was dedicated to putting in the hard work to reach and serve them and to bring them only the truth of the God’s word from the Bible. He knew this may not bring the biggest crowds, but he wanted to ensure those who did respond to the message would genuinely be led toward Christ and a fruitful, Biblical relationship with Him. He understood that God must work in someone’s heart and draw them to Him if they are to truly follow Him. Man cannot do it alone. He worked tirelessly and met much resistance. He taught them about the appointed times of God in Leviticus 23 and taught them how and when to celebrate what God had instructed rather than what man had made up. Many were very attached to the traditions and customs they grew up with. Many rejected the message of the Bible, but those that did come truly came to know Christ and His teachings. They had to make hard choices and walk away from many traditions that were dear to them. They had to change even things they enjoyed in order to put Christ first and live His way. For those who judged by counting the number of “converts” or the number of people attending services, this ministry was deemed not very successful. But God saw those who were truly reached for Him and smiled. People had been reached with the truth and come to Him on His terms with repentance, thanksgiving, love and submission in their hearts. Their lives were fully transformed.

The second man observed the limited results of the first man’s efforts. He saw how many of the Buddhists refused to give up their traditions and practices, even if they were willing to listen about Christ. He had a different idea. He was sure he could make it easier for people to come accept Christ if he let them keep many of their traditions and just relabeled them with Christian meaning. He observed the Buddhist traditions and holidays. He compromised purity of the gospel of Christ by blending Biblical teaching with Buddhist teaching. For one example, he embraced Buddha statues. He said they represent God’s provision and abundance rather than Buddha. He understood that God says in the Bible not to worship Him the way that the pagans worship their Gods, but he thought that was too extreme for today’s situation. He could make this a good thing and lead people to Christ by using the pagan traditions. He had many more people show up to his services and accept Christ. For those who counted success by counting the number of people, this ministry seemed much more successful. God, however, was sad. He saw now a group of people who had not repented of their sin. They had not walked away from the things that He said were bad. They had not chosen to put Him first in their lives. They simply added Christ’s name and some of His teaching on top of the traditions and beliefs they previously held. Now they had a blended teaching which kept the people farther from Him, all the while making them comfortable that they had accepted Christ, though they had not changed their lives fully. They gave Christ only part of their attention and obedience. He was not first. Instead, family traditions and pagan worship traditions remained first in their hearts. They had “fit God in” around those other things.

Most Christians today would find the approach of the second man unacceptable. They clearly see that Buddhism is separate and cannot be blended with Christianity to get a godly result that Christ would be pleased with. If I said I was going to put up Buddha statues instead of a Christmas tree, they would confront me on it as wrong. However, if we study the history of Christmas for such things as evergreen decorations, Christmas trees, holly, yule log, gift exchange, and even the choice of Dec 25 itself we would find that all of these things started as pagan celebrations and traditions as part of their worship. The only difference is that the church accepted blending with these things so long ago that most of us have grown up with them as emotionally charged family traditions. Most of us have grown up with them with Christian labels and symbolism painted on top of pagan practices. Rather than turn away from them to please God, many convince themselves that they can make good what God said was bad by attaching different meaning. However, usually when I use the example of a Buddha statue, these same people see it as clearly wrong, because they do not have the bias of having grown up with the traditions, celebrated in the name of Christ. The two are not actually different except in timing.

My sincere hope is that all who read this pray about it, study the history of Christmas, study God’s word for where He says not to learn the way of the pagans, not to worship Him the way they worship and reflect on whether they are ready to really put God first and hold nothing back from him, including precious and emotionally important traditions of man. Let nothing come before Him in importance. Hold nothing back. Yes, it is hard, but you will grow ever closer to Him the more you put Him first in your life in all ways.

I recognize that this is an emotional subject for many and admitting that we should change is very hard. Even if we accept it and change our behavior, there will be much difficulty among family. This is to be expected when we stand for Christ above all others. Jesus said so himself in Matthew 10:23-39.

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36     Your enemies will be right in your own household!’[l]

37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

You can easily study online even using Christian encyclopedia’s like Zondervan or other encyclopedias. The origins are not secret, only that it has been accepted to celebrate God in ways that were developed by pagans for their gods.  119Ministries.com has put together an effective documentary in video form you can watch (The Christmas Question). They have previous teachings available for free you may consider as well (Sunburned – Part 1 and Sunburned – Part 2).

The LORD has also given us instructions on what holy days to celebrate to point to Him and our relationship with Him. They are called the Moedim and are outlined in Leviticus 23 and other places throughout the Bible. You can find scripture where Jesus participated in the Moedim. You will never find record of Jesus celebrating Christmas and Easter (or almost anything we celebrate commonly today) in the Biblical record. Passover is different than  Easter. See what they focus on. With God’s celebrations, the focus is always on Him and not gifts or food or simply ourselves. To learn more, read our teaching on Celebrating God’s Holy Days (Moedim) or scroll through and read from our Traditions/ Holidays category of teachings.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me have clarity and discernment in regards to the traditions of men vs. Your ways. Help me to have courage to change. Help me to put you first. Amen.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Devotions by John, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Parables, Salvation, Share the Good News

The Parable of the Railroad Tracks

We begin by studying a modern-day parable. While this is not a Biblical parable, it is based on Biblical truth and used to help us understand the urgency of God’s instructions to us. Then we will explore further in scripture.

A car with three men inside came to be stuck on the railroad tracks at a railroad crossing on a cold, rainy night.  The three men had certainly heard of trains and were aware that cars were sometimes hit by trains, but did not really believe it to be likely. While the car was stuck, they remained inside because it was more comfortable than stepping outside. They decided to call a tow truck and wait in the car until it arrived or until the rain stopped.

 A man was walking along in the rain, wet and hurried. He wanted to reach his destination quickly and get out of the cold rain. He saw the car stuck on the railroad tracks and briefly thought about checking to see if they needed help. Instead, he walked on assuring himself that it was not his business to get involved and saying that he was sure it would all be fine in the end. Surely they had a phone. Surely help was already on the way. There was danger, but it was not urgent.

A second pedestrian came by and also noticed the car stuck on the tracks. He was wet and cold, too, but felt God would want Him to check on the men and warn them of the danger. He walked over to the car and spoke with the men inside briefly. He warned them that the trains usually come at night and there was real danger. The men inside did not listen, but actually seemed to get aggravated. One even made fun of the man outside the car and told him to go away. The driver did not want to leave his nice comfortable car, especially when it was uncomfortable outside. So they insisted they would wait in  the car.  Not wanting to offend or be considered foolish, the second pedestrian left quickly and went on about his way, shaking his head and thinking to himself that the fools deserved whatever trouble they brought on themselves.

The third pedestrian came along and spoke the same, true warning as the second pedestrian to the men in the car. He warned them about the danger from the train. He said it was urgent, the train always came about this time of night. The passengers of the car mocked him and told him to go away. They would be fine. The tow truck would be coming soon. The third pedestrian considered leaving, but instead he tried again, warning them of the urgency of getting out of the car. He pointed to the warning lights that now had started to go off and said he heard the train whistle. The driver did not want to hear it and said he was fine. He said the lights often go off on their own, probably a malfunction due to the storm. He did not hear the train whistle over the sound of thunder. Finally one of the men in the car got out of the car, with two remaining behind. The third pedestrian hurried the passenger safely away from the car. When the two remaining passengers saw the light from the train, it was too late, they did not know what to do. The train could not stop. Both men perished. Only the one that responded to the warning was saved and only because the third pedestrian persisted in the urgency of the message.

Who served God best? The man who walked by without saying anything? the second man who tried but quickly gave up when mocked? or the third man that shouted the truth even when others mocked him and pushed him away?

If not for the third man, who persisted in the warning, all in the car would have perished. How sad that people deny the impending danger of the train… of hell. They deny the need for a change … a need to die to self and submit to Christ to be saved and thus they perish. But how glorious that God, in His love for us, has made a way for us to be saved!

Christian evangelism is the sharing of the gospel of Christ with those who have not yet received Jesus as Lord and submitted their lives to Him. To share the good news of the gospel… that God loves us so much He became man in the person of Jesus Christ and suffered, died, and rose again to pay the price for our sins. It is always good news! God provides the answer to all of the wickedness of the world, but we must choose Jesus instead of the ways of the world.

For those of us who submit to Christ, evangelism must not be a casual thing or something we do “if we have time” or “when convenient”. It is not something that only some Christians do… but something we are all instructed to do. Jesus Christ commands us to go and make disciples of all the nations.

Matthew 28:18-20

 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Followers of Jesus should recognize the urgency of sharing the gospel. Those who do not come to accept the offer of salvation through Jesus will perish… will suffer eternal separation from God. How can they accept and submit to Jesus if no one shares the gospel?

Isaiah 52:7

7How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Romans 10:13-17

13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? 15How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news of good things!”

When we obey the command of Jesus to go and make disciples of all the nations, not everyone will accept Jesus, but we can trust God that when we obey His command, He will be with us and help it to be effective.

Isaiah 55:10-11

10“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

11So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Each of us should take time to consider the following in our personal life:

  • Am I a disciple of Jesus? or just someone who accepted Him once and goes to church?
  • Am I constantly learning more about how He wants me to live through studying scripture and prayer and changing my behaviors and attitudes to submit to Him? or am I doing things my way, convinced my way is “good enough”.
  • If I am not a disciple, than how can I go and make disciples of others?
  • If I am a disciple, than am I going and making disciples of others?

To learn more about being and making disciples, please study our teachings, The Great Commission – Making Disciples of All The Nations and The Great Commission – Personal Discipleship Plan.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to be eternally minded, not focused solely on the matters of this world that surround me every day. Help me to see people through your eyes and not my own. Let me have a heart to desire to help others to find Christ, the courage to do so even taking personal risk, and the wisdom to know how to be effective. Help me to remember also that I can not save anyone by myself but it is only through your Holy Spirit that they will turn to you. Help others be willing to make the choice to submit to and follow you when confronted by the truth of the gospel. Help me not give up or be discouraged if I can not see the affects of my efforts to share Christ with others. You may be working in them in ways I will not witness personally. Amen. 

Shalom.

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Devotions by John, Marriage, Righteousness / Serving God

A Virtuous and Capable Wife Is More Precious Than Rubies

What is a virtuous wife? By what standard do we judge? Many people groups have identified different “virtues” over time. We certainly should take care to not just measure against our own preferences and call that virtuous. Similarly, we should not just accept culture’s definition of a virtuous wife. That standard changes over time. We should look to Yahweh and the scriptures He provided.

For example, In Proverbs 31:10-31 we are shown the picture of what it means to be a virtuous woman.

Proverbs 31:10-31

Description of a Worthy Woman

10An excellent wife, who can find?
For her worth is far above jewels.

      11The heart of her husband trusts in her,
And he will have no lack of gain.

      12She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

      13She looks for wool and flax
And works with her hands in delight.

      14She is like merchant ships;
She brings her food from afar.

      15She rises also while it is still night
And gives food to her household
And portions to her maidens.

      16She considers a field and buys it;
From her earnings she plants a vineyard.

      17She girds herself with strength
And makes her arms strong.

      18She senses that her gain is good;
Her lamp does not go out at night.

      19She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
And her hands grasp the spindle.

      20She extends her hand to the poor,
And she stretches out her hands to the needy.

      21She is not afraid of the snow for her household,
For all her household are clothed with scarlet.

      22She makes coverings for herself;
Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

      23Her husband is known in the gates,
When he sits among the elders of the land.

      24She makes linen garments and sells them,
And supplies belts to the tradesmen.

      25Strength and dignity are her clothing,
And she smiles at the future.

      26She opens her mouth in wisdom,
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

      27She looks well to the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

      28Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:

      29“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”

      30Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

      31Give her the product of her hands,
And let her works praise her in the gates.

It is an amazing and timeless list. Some key principles summarized:

  • A virtuous woman respects and supports her husband. She is a very present help, not a hindrance.  Her husband can trust her.
  • A virtuous woman is an energetic, strong, and hard worker. She runs her household in a godly way. This is not an easy task!
  • A virtuous woman helps the poor and needy. Actively serves God in the home and with outreach outside the home.
  • A virtuous woman trusts God and diligently plans ahead. She has no fear of the future.
  • A virtuous woman speaks and gives instruction with wisdom and kindness.
  • A virtuous woman raises her children in a godly way. They stand and bless her.
  • A virtuous woman fears the Lord. She seeks to understand and live out God’s will with all her heart, soul, mind and strength.
  • A virtuous woman should be rewarded and praised! Do not forget this one husbands and fathers of girls.

Women… do not be discouraged. God does set the bar high and challenges us to strive toward it rather than rationalize why we should lower the bar or why today it does not apply. But He knows we are not perfect. It is a goal to work toward, a journey that will never be completed but transforms your life on the way.  Start by taking it in pieces one day at a time. Link up with other Christian women who share a passion to honor God in this way.  (Check out links to two online women’s ministries at bottom of post.)

Husbands… we don’t get off easy either. Ephesians 5:25 calls us to love our wives as Christ loved the church. He gave up His life for the church and we are to give our lives to serve and lead the ones we love. Measuring up to Jesus Christ is a target we can never achieve, but we are called to work toward it!

Proverbs 31 Ministries and a virtuous woman.org are two separate ministries with an online presence that help women in the midst of their busy lives grow toward becoming a Proverbs 31 woman.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for helping us to have clear record of Your standards. Thank You for raising up virtuous women who want to strive to live according to Your instructions. Raise up more and more virtuous women to live to Your standard for excellent wives. Help daughters to learn from their example. Help husbands to appreciate and support them! Help the husbands also live up to Your standard in Ephesians 5:25 for them as well. In this way, help Your people be set apart from others and be blessed and joyful. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Devotions by John, Grace / Forgiveness, Love, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin, Righteous, Teachable

By What Standard Was Yeshua Judged Righteous?

Most of us that identify as Christians or Messianic Jews would readily accept and recognize that Yeshua was without sin according to scripture. It is a core tenant of our faith. It was through His sacrifice as one without blemish, without sin, that we who sin are forgiven.

2 Corinthians 5:21

21He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We should then ask ourselves, “By what standard was Yeshua judged sinless, and by what same standard then are we sinners?” It would make sense for us to know the standard by which Yeshua and we are judged so that we may try to follow it more closely, even if we will never get to “sinless” in our own actions and attitudes.

Righteousness refers to behavior that is morally justifiable and right. It is God who sets the standards for righteousness, not man. The standards are laid out in His law and through scripture. It is by this standard that Yeshua was judged righteous, by perfect adherence to the law of God.  (Got Questions – What is Righteousness?)

Ultimately, we are unable to do as Yeshua in keeping the law perfectly. We sin. We fall short. We can be forgiven and judged righteous through accepting Yeshua as our Lord and savior. We repent from our sins and try to follow His example and God’s standards as best we can. He is our example.

I find it very unusual then, how many Christians take advantage of the grace of God and declare the law of God to be no more. They declare that Yeshua observed it perfectly, so we don’t have to! But does that really mean that God has changed the standard of righteousness? or just that He extends grace as we strive for it and fall short?

It should seem fairly obvious. Any time a parent is teaching a child, or a skilled craftsman is teaching an apprentice… the answer is the same. I show you the right way to do it and then you try to do it that way. Never does it make sense that because the teacher did it correctly and took time to show us how to do it correctly, really they meant that we should ignore it and do as we please because they love us.  It makes no sense.

Should we break the law and sin on purpose and rely on grace? Paul had strong words for this question.

Romans 6:1-7

   1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7for he who has died is freed from sin.

The simple answer is that we should not just go our own way because we can be forgiven through Christ. In fact, one might even question if we have this attitude, do we really love and submit to Yeshua in the way needed to receive forgiveness.

John 14:15 (Yeshua speaking)

     15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Matthew 5:17-19 (Yeshua speaking)

17“Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! 19Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Paul makes emphatically the point that we should not sin freely to rely on grace.  Yeshua sets us free from bondage to sin, not bondage to the law of God! The law of God is not bondage, it is freedom! (Read more – Is God’s Law a Burden?)

The conclusion of the matter is that the law of God is still our standard for righteousness and we are to obey it rather than traditions and teachings of men. When we fall short, the grace of God is there to catch us and make us righteous through Yeshua. We should strive to understand and follow the full law of God and not make it a menu from which we choose what we will follow and what we will not. (Read more – Understanding the Law – What Does It Mean for Us Today?)

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help Your people to return to Your instructions and turn from the ways of men, even those taught in churches that are not correct. Please open the eyes of the spiritually blind and help all of us to see more clearly how You want us to live! None of us have it right! Thank You for grace and mercy. Please help us not to use that as an excuse to live however we want. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Devotions by John, Evidence in Scripture, Faith / Trusting God, How do I get started?, Study the Word

Not Enough Faith to Reject Jesus…

Scientists, detectives, juries in courts of law… and the rest of us with every day common sense follow where the evidence leads when we want to understand something. Whether we want to know about who committed a crime or who took cookies from the cookie jar the approach is the same. Look for clues and follow the evidence. Witnesses are very helpful in any investigation!

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has substantial evidence and eyewitness testimony confirming the validity of the Biblical events. We do not have to “take it on faith”, but rather seek to understand and weigh the evidence. Let it lead you to the most probable conclusion.

Jesus was a well-known and recognizable person by the time He was crucified. People recognized Him. Crowds listened to Him. He was publicly executed in broad daylight in a brutal way with many witnesses. There were well trained guards at the tomb to keep disciples from taking His body. Even amongst those who reject Jesus none can reasonably argue against the fact that Jesus’ tomb was empty on the third day.

“During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.”  [Acts 1:3 NLT]

 These same disciples would face brutal treatment and execution (except John who was exiled to Patmos) and to the end they never changed their mind or testimony that Jesus Christ was God. They were certainly convinced!

Scripture goes on to document that Jesus appeared to many more than just His closest disciples after He rose from the dead.

After evaluating the evidence, I realize it takes more of a leap of faith to reject Jesus as our Lord and Savior than to accept Him.

The following books are good reads and add much more detail to empower us to really understand the evidence. I encourage you to read more of the facts. This is one thing you don’t want to get wrong!

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank you for allowing us clear evidence to know that You are who You say You are. Thank You for the evidence we can see that the way to find You is through our Messiah, Jesus Christ. Help us to understand the importance to pursue You! Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Devotions by John, Faith / Trusting God, Share the Good News

Free Offer – with Eternal Benefits! Hurry Before Offer Expires!

We all like “free” offers. It is exciting to get discounts on movies or restaurants or vacation packages! As a matter of fact, when we hear about a free offer, we often race to tell our friends and family and even people we just meet so they can take advantage before the offer expires. We know the offer is not really free, but someone else has paid the price and it is free to us.

How many of us would turn down an offer of a $100 gift card? How many of us would tell all our friends, or even people we just meet at a store how to get the gift card?

God has made us the most compelling offer… and it is free to us, but to truly accept it will change you forever.

Read along in John 3:16-17 [NKJV].

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

It is easy to start taking this offer for granted. Do we still get excited to share it with others as we do when we find a good deal? or do we allow ourselves to get comfortable and only share with those we know already believe? Deep down, perhaps we should ask how completely we really believe if we are not excited to share it with those we are close to. I may not tell someone about a $100 gift card if I am not really sure it is real, even if I am trying to get it for me. I may be more concerned about looking foolish if it does not pan out.

The offer from Yeshua is the best one we will ever receive, and it does have an expiration date. For each of us this offer expires when we do and the price has already been paid, whether or not we accept it.

To learn more read The Message of the Cross – Salvation.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for Your offer of salvation and reconciliation to You. Thank You for forgiveness of sin. Help me to repent of my wrong ways and pursue Your ways. Help me to have the courage and boldness to tell others about You and this wonderful offer of forgiveness! Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Arrogance, Devotions by John, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Humility, Obeying God, Pride, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish

Humility Allows Us to Make Course Corrections

It is very human to have an over inflated sense of confidence in ourselves and what we believe to be true. It is more difficult to genuinely listen to others and try to understand their point of view and possibly even change our minds once we are presented with all the evidence or information for a particular situation.

I have heard an entertaining story (probably fictional) that can help us to remember the need for humility in assessing every situation. We may think of ourselves as if we are a large ship at sea, perhaps a battleship. We proceed with much confidence through even the fog when we cannot see everything clearly.

A certain captain of a battleship was navigating an intense fog. Following the standard practice of those at sea, they may communicate with others by lights and by radio. In one such situation, he saw a light ahead and used the radio to tell the other vessel to change course to avoid a collision. He was surprised when the other vessel insisted that he, the captain of the battleship, change course. Brimming with confidence, he shot back that he was on a large battleship and indeed the other vessel should turn away rather than him doing so.  He was equally surprised by the response… “This is a lighthouse. Repeat, I urge you to change course to avoid collision.” Suddenly in light of the full set of facts the captain understood the situation more clearly and with a bit of humility ordered his ship to correct their course and turn in a different direction.

Confidence is fine, but remember to maintain a certain amount of humility to ensure you understand the full set of facts about a situation. You may need to do more listening than talking… which can be challenging for many. You may need to consider if you need to make a change, even regarding things you had a lot of confidence in as appropriate and correct before the LORD.

Acts 11 provides an excellent example of a group of believers who maintained enough humility to listen to Peter and understand what God revealed to him… and then corrected their course on that subject to better align with what God had revealed.

Acts 11:1-18

Peter Reports at Jerusalem

     1Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying, 5“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, 6and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. 7“I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8“But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9“But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ 10“This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky. 11“And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea. 12“The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13“And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; 14and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

We can easily contrast this with how the Pharisees and Sadducees reacted to Yeshua. They were so confident in their position, they never really considered that Yeshua was actually the Messiah they were waiting for… much to their own peril.  The group of believers in Acts 11 instead listened and evaluated what Peter had to offer. Once they had all the facts, they adjusted their position to reflect what Yahweh had revealed to Peter.

Consider for a moment how you can apply this truth in your life this week. Do you find yourself in situations where you behave like the captain of the battleship… over-confident in your position and belief and not really listening to others? What changes might help you listen more and understand all the facts involved in a particular situation? This is a great challenge to share with a close trusted friend or family member who can serve as an accountability partner in discussing your progress in this area.

As a side note, I will also highlight an example where many understand Peter’s vision to mean Yah has declared all things good to eat and removed or cancelled the dietary instructions. They have generations of tradition and many church leaders holding that position. However, if we look at how Peter understood the meaning of the dream and explained it to others, there is no mention of changing the dietary instructions. It was all a metaphor Yah used to tell Peter it was ok for him as a Jew to go and eat with the Gentiles and teach them about Yeshua.  For many, they will struggle to really challenge the understanding they have been given from common Christian teaching. However, we should clearly not read into the dream something that Peter himself did not take from it as the primary audience who has all the cultural context we may not.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please give me a spirit of humility and help me to have a teachable spirit. Let me listen to other perspectives about Your ways and Your word and then weigh them before Your word and Your spirit to seek truth. Let not pride cause me to stumble and remain in my ways if they are not Your ways. Let your word be my lighthouse, that guides me, rather than the traditions and teachings of men. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Courage / Fear, Devotions by John, Lying / Deceiving, Parables, Parenting, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant, Traditions / Holidays, Worldliness

The Parable of the Two Fathers

This is not a biblical parable, but one based on biblical teaching and in fact it is a true story many times over.

In a certain town there were two fathers who were neighbors, each of whom had a son. Both men wanted to honor God. They both went to church every week and prayed with their sons every night. They each read the Bible with their son regularly.

The first father truly wanted to submit his life and that of his family to God, even if it was difficult at times. The father was sometimes mocked for being different from those around him when he was standing up for God, and his son noticed. The father refused to lie to his son, and his son noticed this also. This father always remained clear that there is only one God, whom we can know through Jesus Christ. He taught his son that God has already defined what is good and bad and there are real consequences for sin, which is to say… rebelling against God’s instruction and authority. As the son grew older, he sometimes wondered how he could know Jesus was real since he could not “see” him or “touch” him but accepted it because his father was always honest with him. He learned to stand for Jesus even when it was hard, because he learned by watching his father.

The second father was content to continue living his life in the traditions of his parents and grandparents. It felt comfortable, most of his friends and neighbors lived their lives in a similar manner so there was no conflict. He did not feel that God really cared that much about some areas of how he and his family led their daily lives. He told his son that Jesus was the way to God, but he also liked to tell his son seemingly harmless made-up stories about make believe characters. He enjoyed telling his son about the tooth fairy, Easter bunny, and of course Santa Claus. He continued the stories for many years until finally his son would learn on his own that each story was not true. The father even went out of his way to provide false evidence that the stories were true… like money under the pillow for a tooth or telling his son that the bunny hid the eggs and brought him a basket, and of course having lots of presents at Christmas… all from Santa.  He even ate cookies and milk on behalf of Santa. After all, it’s just a bit of fun. What harm can it do?

As the son of the second father grew older, he was confused. The son sometimes wondered how he could know Jesus was real since he could not “see” him or “touch” him. He loved his father, but throughout his life his father had lied to him and even gone out of his way to fake evidence in many make-believe characters. He could not help but wonder if Jesus and the Bible were like the rest of the made-up stories and he had many doubts.

Ask yourself about each of the made-up stories that you may tell… “Is lying to my children about this really honoring God or teaching God’s message effectively?” (To be clear, lying is when you convince your child the made-up story is true… not just telling them a fictional story.) But let’s go further, beyond even lying to your children and the possible mistrust that creates for more important issues later.

Let’s take the story of Santa Claus as a representative example and see what it teaches. I will name a few, you can probably think of more.

  • The focus of Christmas, especially for kids, is “What stuff do I get?” With Santa, the story does not even focus at all on giving but rather only on getting. Trying to tell a child Christmas is about Jesus, but then overwhelming them with presents and made-up stories about Santa is like telling a child to eat a carrot and then putting in front of them a table full of cookies, brownies, cakes, and ice cream. At the very least, the table of desserts is a major distraction. In most cases, the children will remember the desserts long after they forget the carrot.
  • Gifts are not received from parents out of love, but rather you receive gifts because you deserve them. You were “good”.  Rather than a sign of love and sacrifice from parents who worked to earn money and chose to spend it on presents… it is a right to get gifts.
  • Supposed accountability for “bad” behavior (e.g. coal in the stocking) never really happens. There really is no punishment for poor behavior… or perhaps we just need to do more good works than we do bad… and then the bad is ok.
  • There is another person, different from God, that has god-like powers. He is essentially all knowing, very powerful, and can be in many places at the same time. He is eternal. He judges who is good and bad.
  • After spending years lying to children and convincing them that Santa is real, even when they start to recognize it and ask questions, we will then tell them it was all in fun… but trust me about Jesus.

Santa is in fact accepted around the world by many because he is absolutely not pointing to God, but rather distracting attention away from God or replacing God completely. Christians and non-Christians alike accept him. In one very recent example, Santa’s picture was used as a spokesman for a billboard campaign by atheists basically saying we can be good without need of God. “Go ahead and skip church! Just be good for goodness sake.” (link to article here). [How an atheist can define “good” while claiming there is no God is an interesting conversation for another day.]

I recognize that this is an emotional subject for many and admitting that we should change is very hard. Even if we accept it and change our behavior, there will be much difficulty among family. This is to be expected when we stand for Christ above all others. Jesus said so himself in Matthew 10:32-39.

32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father,
    a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36     Your enemies will be right in your own household!’[l]

37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

We each must decide whether or not we submit to God fully or hold tightly to the traditions of man. By the way… study of the new testament clearly shows that clutching to the traditions of man was the way of the Pharisees and Sadducees, not the way of Jesus.

God wants his people to be holy (set apart for God’s use) and righteous (living according to God’s commands rather than the world’s). He wants us to put Him first, above everything else.

Challenge yourself to objectively evaluate your traditions and seek first the kingdom of God. Do not dismiss this quickly but rather prayerfully seek God to show you the truth of His word and how to apply it in your life.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Devotions by John, Help / Serve Others, Kindness / Gentleness, Money / Finances / Wealth, Purposeful / Intentional

Give A Man A Fish Or Teach Him How To Fish? How Do We Really Help The Poor?

Many in the world are united in the desire to use their limited resources to help those who are poor and less fortunate or just going through difficult times. Unfortunately, there seems much debate about how best to do so. Whether as an individual, family, community, church, or nation, we must ask ourselves the following question.

“How do we efficiently use limited resources to help as many as possible?”

Common sense and life experience should easily show us that if we simply give money away to everyone who asks without limit or boundary any individual or even a nation will quickly find themselves bankrupt. If you don’t agree… do an experiment with your own money or resources. Set aside a set amount you can afford to lose and offer it to anyone that asks in any amount they ask. You will not long have money to help people and in fact you likely did not help as many people as you could have if you were more disciplined and structured in your approach.

So then, how to proceed? Let us begin with the story of two fishing villages a long time ago.

In each village lived one man who knew how to fish and fish well. Both men prospered.

One day a hungry man came to the fisherman in the first village and asked for help. The fisherman wanted to help so he gave him a fish. The next day the hungry man came back and brought friends and the fisherman again gave them fish. “I can fish a little longer to help others”, he thought. The pattern continued for weeks, each day the crowd was bigger. Eventually the fisherman was discouraged. He could no longer catch enough fish to help everyone. Not only were people going hungry, but they were now angry with him also, shouting “You helped others, why will you not help us?!” Finally, the man was not able to even feed his own family on what he kept for himself and he left the village for another. The village now was left with many looking for free fish, but no one there to provide them.

In the second village, the story begins like the first. A hungry man came to him one day, asking for help. The fisherman gave the man a fish because he saw that he was very hungry. But before the hungry man left, the fisherman also offered that if he would return tomorrow, the fisherman would teach the hungry man how to fish on his own. The hungry man agreed. The fisherman challenged the hungry man that he would offer him lessons only for a short while and offer him free fish even shorter time than that. The hungry man thought this was more than fair… after all, the fisherman owed him nothing… and he was very eager to learn. He showed up early and stayed as late as the fisherman was willing to teach him. He paid close attention and asked good questions. He learned. At the end of the time both were good fishermen. By that time a crowd of others had made a practice to come by to watch. They, too, were hungry and wanted to learn how to fish. Now the two fishermen were able to teach more and when that class learned to fish their impact was even greater. Each new student not only received food to meet their needs for a short while, but then also learned how to provide for themselves and their families. At the end of each class, there were more who knew how to fish and were willing to teach others. The whole village learned to fish and provide for their families. Before long they even heard of a village down the river that was going hungry and a group of them started off to go teach those people how to fish.

Which fisherman truly helped the poor more effectively? The first did for awhile, but then his efforts collapsed. They were unsustainable. The second created capability within those in need to provide for themselves while meeting their immediate needs for a short while. The impact of the second was much more sustainable and changed lives.

Whether an individual, family, community, church, or nation… giving away free stuff without limitations and boundaries to all who ask for as long as they ask encourages sloth and laziness and in the end is unsustainable. At the very least, it does not multiply the impact of the help as effectively as teaching others to be able to provide for themselves and then teach yet more people how to do so.

The most significant example of the success of this strategy may actually surprise you. It started over two thousand years ago with a poor carpenter who had a very important message to share with the world. He helped many people, feeding the poor, healing the sick, and sharing His message with people. His ministry lasted only three years and yet it has global implications even today, over 2000 years later. That carpenter was Jesus Christ.

Jesus took time to help those in immediate need, and did so with great compassion. However, he ensured that he also invested time in teaching his 12 disciples how to learn and then teach others. Additionally, he spent even more dedicated time and invested more in three closest to him… Peter, James, and John. This method that Jesus used is called discipleship. He made disciples, or “learners” who then could go and teach others. It creates a wonderful multiplication effect that magnifies the impact of what you are trying to accomplish.

If Jesus had not focused his efforts through discipleship, but rather only spent all his time meeting the short term needs of the poor, the message would have been contained and died with him or at best with his closest followers.

We should take similar approach in our efforts to help people both physically and spiritually today. Help to meet the immediate needs, within established boundaries and guidelines that help ensure sustainability and teach and prepare those in need how to grow and develop skills to take care of themselves so they are not dependent forever on an individual… a church… or a nation’s government. When individuals are completely dependent on another in this way, they become like slaves or indentured servants rather than enjoying the fullness of freedom God intended for them.

Shalom

This post was created in partnership with GrowGodsMoney.org. 

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please grant me, and all those who follow You, wisdom and compassion in helping others. May we be loving, kind, and effective as we reach out to help one another. Thank You for teaching us Your ways. Please continue to open our eyes to how You want us to live and to love one another and You. Amen. 

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Devotions by John, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Government, Obeying God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Submitted / Servant

Will You Live Fully for Yahweh? Or Will You Compromise When Threatened?

There are times when the decisions of those governing our nations have significant impact on our personal lives and may truly test our devotion and commitment to our LORD. It is not hard to see this playing out in our world today. Whether it is related to COVID or the government response to it which threatens personal freedom in many cases across the globe or whether it is persecution in Muslim countries like Iran and Afghanistan or atheistic countries like China, choosing to live boldly a life publicly committed to Christ can cause many to make difficult choices affecting their lives dramatically.

This is not a new situation. We can see an example of this in 2 Chronicles following the split of the kingdom after the death of Solomon. The Levites in Israel were removed by Jeroboam from their God given duties and he appointed his own priests and places of worship. The Levites had to make a choice about whether they would remain in such a situation or not. They would have to decide whether to leave their pasture lands and property behind in pursuit of living for Yahweh or whether they would make excuses to remain in the ungodly situation they found themselves in.

2 Chronicles 11:14-17

Jeroboam Appoints False Priests

      14For the Levites left their pasture lands and their property and came to Judah and Jerusalem, for Jeroboam and his sons had excluded them from serving as priests to the LORD. 15He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and for the calves which he had made. 16Those from all the tribes of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD God of Israel followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers. 17They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and supported Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.

This is not theoretical for people all around the globe today. It is real. Will I choose to live for Yahweh? Will I choose to proclaim Yeshua as the way? or will I go silent? Will I let government and employers determine how I will live because of the persecution that will follow… losing a job or losing one’s life?

I am fortunately not in a situation where my life or that of my family is at stake. I am, however, potentially impacted by government and employer mandates that may conflict with my faith. Most of us have to make a decision about how openly we share our faith in our workplace and what the implications may be. I am trying to prepare myself ahead of time for such a time as I see others experiencing today. I ask God’s help and I decide up front what I will or will not do. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD, even if there are significant ramifications.

I encourage each of you to seek God on this before you find yourself in such a situation. Be prepared. Take steps to get out of debt and live less paycheck to paycheck so you are not so dependent on employers or government. Can you stock up food? Can you save 6 months spending in the bank to give you cushion if you lose your job? Can you start gardening some of your own food? Can you build up your skills to be able to generate income on your own? There are many such steps as these to consider and consider them prayerfully.

I invite you to pray for me:

Father, please help me to prepare for difficult times that may come. Help me to be courageous to live for You and You alone. Let me not be coerced to live differently for fear of losing my job or my life. Help Your people everywhere with this type of situation. Raise up the righteous and be their shield. Strike down the plans of the wicked. Amen. 

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

—-

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.