Morning devotions

Morning devotions ~ Pushing Back

/ The Pastor

And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” [Acts 5:25]

Yesterday we heard that Peter and John were told not to speak about Jesus anymore. They responded that they were going to obey God rather than man. Bold faith.

Today (Acts 5), the apostles are arrested and thrown into prison for continuing their ministry. While in prison, an angel of the Lord opened the doors and told them to carry on. So they did.

[I just love this next part]

The next day the high priest ordered that the apostles be brought to him but when the officers arrived at the prison the apostles were gone. The guards were in place, the doors were locked but everyone was gone.

Where were they? [and here’s the part that I love] The apostles were back doing their thing; teaching and preaching about Jesus in the public square. The high priest had to be baffled and annoyed at their persistence. So in addition to being ordered to shut up, the apostles were beaten and then released.

The apostles’ response?

They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus.

Wow, I love that part but it does make me wonder how I would do under pressure like that. Would I stand up to a stern warning but then back down after being threatened with prison or torture or capital punishment? Would I rejoice that I was counted worthy to suffer for Jesus? Would I continue ministering knowing my very life was in danger?

I hope so and I pray everyday for the faith to stand because what a powerful witness to those who don’t believe; when they see Christians willing to suffer for their faith. Actions speak louder than words. It’s one thing to say you are a Christian but when the chips are down, are you really “all in” or are you all smoke and mirrors; just an allusion with no depth.

Your strength to stand depends not on you but on whether you truly believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose that YOU may be forgiven and thus live for ever with him in God’s Kingdom. So go to God in prayer; asking for the faith to stand and witness to the resurrection. Ask for strength and boldness to continue under pressure. And don’t be afraid.

Hold firm and believe in your heart that you are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. And when push comes to shove, don’t worry, God will push back.

Have a great day serving and witnessing to our risen Lord and may God be praised forever and ever.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Boldness

/ The Pastor

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” [Acts 4:29-30]

There is a lot of opposition to the Gospel in the world today. Civil rights watchdog groups and government organizations are keeping their ears to the ground listening for any rumblings of religious talk in the public square. And when I say “religious talk” I mean Christian. For no other religion seems to be as persecuted as much as Christianity. Even with the stigma that Islam has in the U.S. you still see people being careful about what they say about Islam.

And because of this pressure to conform you often see the Gospel get watered down in order not to offend anyone or Christians backing down and retreating when pressured.

Where is the boldness?
Where is the confidence?
Where is the faith?

As Peter and John were before the council in Acts 4, they were questioned as to where they got their authority to preach what they were preaching. Peter went on to speak with boldness the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The council then gathered to confer; trying to decide what to do with these guys since they couldn’t deny the “noble sign” they performed (healing of a lame man). So the council ordered Peter and John to shut up. They didn’t want this message to spread.

Sound familiar?

Do you have the boldness, confidence and the faith of Peter and John? This faith is nothing otherworldly. Simply look to scripture. Look to God in prayer. Ask for strength to stand firm. Ask for the faith to not water down the Gospel. Ask for the wisdom to speak out. Pray those verses from Acts 4 that I included here and trust that God is with you.

Jesus died for you and rose that you may live. And no one can take that away. Not the government. Not a civil rights watchdog group. No one. Stand strong and speak with all boldness in the name of Jesus Christ.

Praise be to God!

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Rewarded

/ The Pastor

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [Matthew 6:3-4]

Have you ever met a person who likes to make sure others know about the charitable things they do? What they do is great and it helps others but it causes me to wonder what their motivation is. Are they seeking a reward? If so, their reward won’t last long or their charity will backfire as people will think they are arrogant for bragging about it or worse yet, God is not impressed.

Seeking rewards in this life, through things we should be doing anyway, is not the way of the Christian. Seeking praise is this life is idol worship. Seeking attention is stealing glory away from God. Besides, why seek a reward when you have already been given the best reward? And that reward was something that Jesus won through the cross and then handed over to you through faith. Anything we might gain in this life pales in comparison to the eternal life we have through Jesus Christ.

Matthew says here that if you service others in secret, your Father will know and He will reward you. This reward is nothing more than the realization that what you have done has come through saving faith. You can’t earn your way to heaven you can only receive and then worship God through your life ~ all the way to heaven.

As a Christian, one way we worship and praise God is through serving others. So do it. Don’t brag about your serving; boost about what God offers all sinners. Don’t worship to show off to others, worship God because He is worthy. Don’t shout from the mountain tops that you are awesome, but shout that Jesus Christ was born for all.

Praise be to GOD always and forever, Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Great Joy

/ The Pastor

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. [Matthew 2:10-11]

What gives you great joy?
~ Seeing a beautiful sunset
~ Your children
~ A healthy looking checkbook balance
~ Athletic success
~ Good health
~ A full sanctuary
~ Peaceful relationships
~ [Fill in the blank___________]

All these things give a sense (false sense) of peace and happiness yet we pursue and worship them. The magi traveled a great distance to find a baby who was King and were exceedingly joyful when the star finally stopped at the place where Jesus was.

Once in the house they fell down in worship; the only appropriate response to Jesus but also, the only one/thing worthy of worship. Health or money or children or big houses or good jobs or many friends do not and can not give life, and therefore they are not worthy.

The magi gave up a way of life and belief system to worship the King. Will you give up your idols and worship the only one who is worthy for ONLY Jesus has given his life for you. Your idols of this world care nothing for you as they can not save your soul.

See in Jesus your hope, your salvation, your Life and be exceedingly joyful. All praise be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ God is more than enough

/ The Pastor

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord ?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. [Proverbs 30:8-9]

I find this an interesting prayer and one I am only half good at. I can pray all day long for God NOT to give me poverty. I mean, isn’t that the prayer of most people? But the next part I can’t say I have ever prayed before:

God, please don’t make me rich.

If you were to pray that line in public you might get some strange looks. Right? But then consider what else the author says:

lest I be full and deny you and say ‘Who is the Lord?’

Dear God, may I never say that. May I never deny you. May I never place riches as my god. My I never become so content that you are nothing more than a vapor in the wind to me. But don’t we already do this? Don’t we already become complacent at times with ease of life? Don’t we already forget to thank and praise God for good things. I guess this prayer is more important than I thought.

But what if you are living in poverty or are very rich. What then? Has God cursed you by placing you in poverty or by making you rich? By no means. Consider what the author prays next:

feed me with food that is needful for me.

This is no doubt the Word of God. This is the faith to know and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. This is asking for the eyes to see our sinfulness and the faith to acknowledge such. This is the faith to bring our sins before the throne of grace. This is feeding on God; that which we truly need. As scripture says, man shall not live on bread alone but from every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:3).

What a powerful and convicting prayer. It is one that directs our attention to where it should be. Poor or rich let God be God and may we praise him as such. Let us pray this together:

Holy God, may I not be distracted with poverty or riches but rather feed me with your Word. And may I never feel so full of your Word that I stop feeding and receiving from you. O God, you are my God no matter the circumstances in my life. May you always be praised and worshiped. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Being wise

/ The Pastor

And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. [Matthew 2:11]

A quick Christmas trivia question for you: How many wise men (magi) were there? Three? Actually we don’t know know. Scripture talks of three gifts but not the number of magi that showed up 🙂

But seriously, these magi (this is where we get our word “magic” and “magician”) traveled a great distance to find this king. And once there, scripture says they bowed down to worship Jesus. And one only bows down to someone who is of higher status or importance than oneself. These magi (magicians, astrologers, worshippers of the stars) knew who they were in the presence of and humbled themselves before Jesus; their new King and Way of life. I imagine they returned home changed.

And really, humbly coming before Jesus in worship is the only appropriate response to Jesus. When you consider what he did for you, how can you not fall down before him. Jesus was born in order to die for you and for me; miserable sinners. Jesus came to bring us to God. Jesus came to defeat death and give us life.

These wise men were indeed wise. They recognized their true King and Way of life. Humbly come before Jesus and worship the one who is worthy; the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Humbly come before Jesus and praise the one who gives you life.

Merry Christmas and Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Seeking

/ The Pastor

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. [Psalm 27:4]

The day after Christmas is the second busiest shopping day of the year. People rushing around to return or exchange gifts and/or to use their new gift cards at all those post-Christmas sales. A flurry of activity in order to find that perfect gift one did not receive.

But to seek to dwell with God; to seek his face; to long to gaze at his beauty; to desire these things, is something that will be added unto you without fail when/if you ask God.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. [Matthew 6:33]

And God’s Kingdom is the best deal out there; available all year long, 24/7. It’s available through faith in Jesus. And the price is indeed right: $0 ~ Free ~ Zilch ~ Nothing. The only cost being the life of Jesus.

Someone once told me that a review of your checkbook will reveal your treasure. Convicting and true.

What do you truly seek? What’s your desire? What do you ultimately want to enjoy? Do you daily seek and ask God to dwell in His courts? Do you long to gaze at his face? Do you look forward to the day when you can inquire of the Lord’s wisdom face to face?

Keep your wish list short ~ God’s Kingdom ~ and you will never be disappointed.

Praise be to God, always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Your reflection

/ The Pastor

As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. [Proverbs 27:19]

Never think or imagine that what you believe about anything goes unnoticed by anyone. Your heart is indeed a reflection of who you truly are.

I have heard people say,

“My faith is a private faith. I believe in God. I just don’t think I need to go to worship to prove to anyone what I believe.”

That is sad and a little hypocritical for you ARE proving something; that you really don’t believe and love the Lord. Worship is not about proving anything to anyone. Worship is about praising God. It’s an outflow of what is in your heart. If your heart is not busting at the seams to worship and praise God then I have to wonder what is in there.

What you believe about God is going to be revealed whether you like it or not:
~ How you live.
~ How you respond to situations.
~ How you love (or don’t love) people.
~ How you react to adversity.
~ How you respond to suffering.
~ How you respond to death.

Your heart reflects the person you are and shines brightly what you believe about God. Private faith? No such thing. Think about what you say and what you do; for they tell others a story about God. So make sure you do your daily heart check up.
~ Pray
~ Read scripture
~ Spend time with God
~ Worship
~ Question God
~ Listen to God
~ Be shaped by God
~ Reflect on your sinfulness
~ Know that through Jesus Christ you are forgiven

And be ready to reflect the glory of God in your life. Be ready to praise God with your whole being. Be ready to live as a forgiven sinner.

May God be praised always and forever. Amen.

The Pastor -|—

Still Christmas

/ The Pastor

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. [Luke 2:20]

It’s still Christmas. And I’m not talking about being in the midst of the 12 days of Christmas. It’s still Christmas in the sense that the Good News of Christmas is still Good News and always will be. I don’t imagine the shepherds glorifying and praising God only for a season. I imagine it continued on and on. They saw and heard amazing news. They gazed into the face of salvation. They had their lives turned upside down (or in terms of my Christmas sermon, “messed up”). I mean, how does one get sick and tired of news like this:

Jesus was born for you that you may know God and therefore everlasting life.

That is amazing!
That is awesome!

A season is not enough time to share the Good News of Jesus for there are many who have not heard. And for those who have heard, we often forget. So continue on your way, like the shepherds, glorifying and praising God for all you have seen and heard.

Praise be to God, always and forever, Amen!!!

The Pastor -|—

Morning devotions ~ Longing and Fainting

/ The Pastor

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. [Psalm 84:1-2]

I like to travel and visit new and interesting places or visit some of my old favorites. One of my favorite places to go is NW Washington. It’s beautiful out there; along the Cascade Mountains and the Puget Sound. I love the seafood and especially seeing friends. And being out on the road can be fun for a while; driving through the mountains, but eventually the traveling and the time away gets old and I begin to long for home. I long for my place of rest and peace.

How lovely is your dwelling place

The psalmist here is longing to go home. He realizes he has been away long enough and is anxiously awaiting the day that he will return to the courts of the Lord. Later in this beautiful Psalm, the author writes, “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

We do live in a sinful and wicked world and the heart wired for the Lord longs to return to it’s creator; to dwell in the lovely place of the Lord. Christmas is a time to remember that God has opened the way for his children to return home. And the way home is Jesus. Through faith in Jesus; in his death and resurrection, we can have the hope dwelling in God’s lovely places someday. And when you see your salvation in Jesus, your heart, too, will long and faint for the glory of God and to dwell in his courts forever.

Sing for joy to our living God for He is Good and Awesome!

Have a very Merry Christmas and God bless!

The Pastor -|—