Tag: word of God

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Who do you honor and worship?

“Lord our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.” Isaiah 26:13 NIV

Israelites knew what captivity looked and felt like. They knew what it was like to have others rule over them. Their people had been led away in captivity several times resulting in hundreds of years of living in foreign lands. They were instructed to honor the kings, emperors, and idols of whatever land they found themselves in. Some followed those instructions and others did not, usually at the risk of harm.

The prophet Isaiah is stating that he and those who were faithful to God, were only going to honor God. He acknowledges that there were times during their months and years of captivity that they could have chosen to do what their captors wanted but they decided to not honor, bow down to, or worship anyone or anything other than their God, their Creator and their Protector. Isaiah is proclaiming that the people of Israel are only worshipping one God, the One True God.

We face the choice of who to honor and worship even today. We are not captive in foreign lands with foreign kings or emperors but we have other ‘rulers, idols, kings’ that can draw our attention away from God. Rulers, masters and kings come in all shapes and sizes and do not need to actually be people. As a society, there are those who spend a lot of time trying to have as much money as they can get, obtaining as many belongings as they can, proving to others that they are worthy enough to be liked.

As we go into the week before Christmas, where we celebrate the actual Lord, I encourage you to look at where you focus your attention. Is it on God or something else?

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Reasons

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15 NIV

Peter, in this letter, is encouraging the followers of Jesus who are being persecuted. The followers were having to answer about their new beliefs to their families, neighbors and communities who were steeped in tradition of Mosaic Law. What Jesus taught was removed enough from the ways of old that His teachings were not widely or easily accepted by elders within the communities where He taught them. Therefore after His ascension, the early Christians were persecuted for their beliefs. That is if they didn’t keep it a secret.

We are not to keep our belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior a secret. We are to be telling others the wonderful news of forgiveness, grace, mercy and love that comes from God. Paul is saying in this verse that the early Christians were to always be prepared to give an answer to someone who asked them about their faith. That is good advice for us today as well.

At this time of year there is a lot of focus on the secular way of celebrating Christmas and the secular reason for celebrating Christmas. It is wonderful to be generous and give each other presents to show our affections for each other. It is wonderful to get together with family and celebrate each other and our relationships. However, as Christians, we have an additional reason to celebrate Christmas and that is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We have additional ways of celebrating that event as well. This additional reason and way of celebrating sometimes brings questions from others within our families and from some of our friends about why we are doing things the way we do them.

The enemy is sneaky and will place people in our lives who will ask us questions, especially at this time of year, that may begin to make us question our faith and the reason that we believe what we believe. By being grounded in the Bible, reading and studying God’s Word, we can have the answers to the questions we are asked about the faith we have, the hope we have, the reason we celebrate Jesus.

I encourage everyone to pray and ask God to help them have an answer ready for those who ask about our faith. We never know if the answer we give may lead someone to follow Jesus.

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Sacrifice of praise

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Hebrews 13:15 NIV

When I studied this seemingly simple verse, I found that it is saying a lot. First there is the idea that the word ‘through’ is talking about how the only way to remove the wall that separates us from God is to acknowledge Jesus as the final and permanent sacrificial offering. Acknowledge that He is the One who came to save the world by removing that wall that separates us from God, giving us the ability to communicate with God.

The next part, “Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise” is thought to be Paul talking about how, as Christians, we are sacrificing all that we are each and every day in order to follow God’s will for our lives. We know that God’s will is better than ours, but the idea of dying to self is hard at times as our desires are strongly rooted in us. However, the willful submission of them in order to follow God’s plan for our lives is our sacrifice of praise.

The last part, “the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.” conveys that we should be willing to speak out to God. That we should not be only thinking thoughts of praise to God but we should be vocalizing them, in song, poems, reciting of scripture or our own created prayers of praise. We are to be voicing our connection to God and expressing out loud how much thankful we are, how much we love our Lord and how much we want to be like Jesus.

So, as I read this verse, at first glance I didn’t take in all that it has to say about how important our public profession of faith in God is. However, knowing that the Christian path begins with knowing that Jesus is the path by which we are able to communicate with the Father, and the sacrifices of our desires for His desires is how we follow, then the idea of publicly professing our belief in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is the natural conclusion.

If we are willing to give up our desires to follow God’s will for our lives, then we should be willing to say all of that in public for others to hear and possibly decide for themselves if they wish to do the same. This is a way of life that is too good not to share and to important to be kept to ourselves.

Do you openly profess God’s name?

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Keep giving thanks

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 NIV

I have written on the 2 verses that precede this verse before. In Philippians 4:6-7, we are instructed by Paul to not worry about anything but with thanksgiving make all of our requests known to God and the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This verse naturally follows as what we are to think about instead of all of the challenges and problems were are facing.

As we end the week of Thanksgiving, many of us have been thinking about what we are thankful for from the big things in our lives down to the little things that we some times or most time take for granted. Having been focusing on the positive things in life for the last week may have changed the mindset of some. I know it always does me good to focus for a while on the positives and push the negatives far from my mind.

So if we listen to Paul at this time, I pray that we would keep our focus on what is true, what is right, what is pure, what is lovely, what is admirable, what is excellent and what is praiseworthy. By keeping our minds focused on these things, I believe that we keep our minds focused on God, because all good things come from God.

I pray everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that as we move forward to celebrating the birth of Christ, our Lord and Savior, that we continue to give thanks and keep our focus on God. Keep giving thanks!

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Rejoice in all circumstances

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

This is the second devotion for this verse that I promised when I posted Wednesday’s devotional. I wrote about giving thanks on Wednesday and I want to look at rejoicing always today. The world would have us living life by a set of standards that places us in a mindset of negativity and a lifestyle of complaining. As I said on Wednesday, thankfully we don’t have to live by the world’s standards.

As a Christian, we have a different set of standards to live by, the ones put in place by Jesus. His idea of how to live is usually the exact opposite of what the world views as the way to live. The world will tell you that you should only feel and express the emotion that fits with the circumstance you are in. For example, if you are in a disagreement with another person, then you should feel angry or hurt by the situation and therefore you should express anger or sadness, possibly even entertain the idea of revenge. The way that Jesus instructs His followers to face that situation, is to have the emotion of anger or sadness, but to then give it to God, and choose to express love for the other person or show forgiveness for their part in the situation. See, the exact opposite.

The reason that Christians can choose to express joy at any time is because our joy is not determined by our situation, but by the fact that we are God’s children. If we rely on our situations to be joyful, then we are only joyful when the situation calls for it. Situations change which means our emotion changes per the world, but God doesn’t and since we are to base our joy in Him, our joy does not have to change. Even in some of the most difficult times in Christians’ lives, joy can be found.

As a Christian, an expression of joy in a difficult time doesn’t mean that we don’t experience other emotions such as sadness. Jesus isn’t saying we should not feel our emotions, we should, we are not robots. The difference is what we are choosing to do with our emotions at that moment. The world would say we are to remain in the sadness, where Jesus is telling us that we are to focus on Him and remain in the joy that we have because we are connected to Him. We are connected to Him because Jesus is always with us. As a child of God we can remember that situations change but God doesn’t change, we can count on Him remaining the same.

Are you able to rejoice in all things?

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The Sword of the Spirit

“and take the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17b

The sword is the one piece of armor that can be used to attack as well as defend. The sword that a soldier carried was large and heavy and the soldier needed to practice with it so he could get used to it’s weight. If he didn’t practice with his sword, a valuable piece of armor would be useless in battle and may even be an advantage for the enemy.

As the sword is paired by Paul with the word of God, we are able to learn from the soldier that we also need to know how to handle this piece of our armor. Knowing God’s word and using it are different. Many people can memorize scripture, but if they do not use it to promote or defend God’s kingdom, then having that knowledge is not very helpful.

By knowing scripture, it becomes easier for us to draw on it when we are feeling unloved and need to remember that God loves us, when we are scared and need to remember that God is in control. We don’t have to only use it in times of need, we can also recite scripture and talk about scripture with others to spread God’s word. Knowledge is power and action based on knowledge is even more powerful.

I pray that if you are not already grounded in God’s word, that you take action and dive into scripture. God is waiting for you.

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The Helmet of Salvation

“Take the helmet of salvation ” Ephesians 6:17a

The helmet that the Roman soldiers would have worn in Paul’s time would have been made of metal and covered their necks along with their heads. The helmet would have come across their cheeks leaving the nose and mouth exposed. As the design was to provide as much protection to the soldier as possible, it would have been made custom to fit each man.

When thinking about how a helmet can protect the brain, mind and head of a soldier, it seems appropriate to link the helmet to salvation. Protecting our brain and ultimately our minds from what the world tries to inundate us with is a large task. In Romans 12:2 it is written “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The devil knows our weaknesses and for most of us, those weaknesses have to do with our thoughts. If our minds are distracted, injured, or we lose focus, then our minds are on us, not God. That is the state that the devil wants us to be in because when we focus on ourselves we tend to follow our own logic which can lead to us behaving in ways we wouldn’t if our minds were focused on God.

Our salvation is directly connected to God, that is who gave it to us, so not keeping our thoughts in line with what He wants is dangerous for us as Christians. The helmet of salvation reminds us that we are saved by Jesus and that our thoughts are to be on Him and His will, not on what we think we should do. God has a plan for us that is far above and beyond anything we could ever imagine.

How do we keep focused on God and keep our thoughts from take us away from God? By capturing our thoughts as they happen and evaluating them. Do they line up with what God has said in His word? Are they leading us towards God or away from God? As we put on the helmet of salvation, we should ask God to help us with our thoughts so that we can free our minds from the thoughts that distract us from God and instead we can focus on God and His will.

Have a wonderful day.

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The Shield of Faith

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 NIV

The shield was a great defensive weapon. It was usually a large rectangular piece of wood with several layers of animal skins attached to it. The shields were usually large enough that the soldier could crouch down behind it to protect their body. The animal skins were kept wet so that the fiery arrows from the enemy would be extinguished when they hit the shield. A dried up shield would be dangerous to the soldier because it could crack and provide a weakness that the enemy’s arrows could penetrate.

A new soldier had to trust or hope that the shield he was carrying was going to protect him. His faith in the shield grew as he used it and took care of it and experienced it protecting him over and over again in battle. The soldier only knew that the shield could protect him, when cared for, because he experienced it happen in battle, but the first time he used it, he was going on faith that he would be able to block the fiery arrows with it.

Our faith, like the shield, can protect us as well. We need to take care of our faith for it to grow and be effective in deflecting the arrows that the enemy sends our way. The devil’s main goal is to shoot enough fiery arrows of doubt and suspicion at us that we become discouraged and neglect caring for our faith. We care for our faith by being in God’s word and trusting God that His plan is far better than anything we could ever dream of or ask for. When we neglect our faith, it can become dried up like the neglected shield. Once our faith is not cared for, the enemy finds the weak spots and begins sending his arrows to those spots. His arrows can be thoughts of doubt that you can be loved by God, that you can be forgiven by God. These are the devil’s primary weapons to weaken our faith.

If you are facing situations where you are doubting that God loves you or that God will forgive you, please don’t let your faith dry up. Pick up the bible and read God’s promises, begin spending time with God in prayer and find scripture that speaks to you so you can proclaim it over and over again. My cousin was telling me about Psalms 56:3 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” and how that scripture, the promise of knowing that God is trustworthy, was how she had walked through some very hard times in her life. Her faith was renewed as she repeated that scripture and believed and had faith that God was walking beside her through those times.

Unlike a shield, faith isn’t a tangible object that we can see and touch but it is just as real and just as effective in protecting us as a shield is in protecting a soldier in battle. I pray that as you go about your day that you use your faith the same way a soldier would use his shield, to deflect the arrows and schemes of the enemy. Take care of your faith, don’t let there be any cracks where the devil can to begin to pick away at the faith you have. Have a great day.

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The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Ephesians 6:14c

The Roman soldier’s shoes were not shoes like we know shoes, they were spiked on the bottom and laced up over the calf with leather underneath the lacing to protect their legs as much as their feet. The spikes were for defending themselves if they fell on the battlefield, as they could kick the enemy. The spikes also served as traction while they were upright on the battlefield.

So knowing that the shoes were a weapon that could cause harm, it was surprising to me at first that Paul used them as the piece of the armor that talks about peace. I believe that he did so because as much as the shoes were for battle, they could also be wore by those who are bringing good news and peace to those around them. In Isaiah 52:7, Isaiah was talking to the leaders of Jerusalem and Judah when he proclaimed “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace”.

The good news that both Paul and Isaiah were talking about is Jesus. Those who were bringing the news of salvation and the peace that only Jesus could give to the people of Israel was a large task.

It is a large task now as well, but thankfully the church now is much larger than the church in Paul’s time. Salvation is the only way to have peace, the gospel brings the news of salvation to everyone. We need to make sure that we are carrying the good news and peace to those around us, even the ones who we find hard to be peaceful with. Everyone deserves the chance to choose for themselves if they want to follow Jesus or not, but they can’t really make that decision without having the information.

Who can you tell about Jesus today? Can you walk in peace with others today demonstrating God’s love? You can if you lean on Jesus. He will be there for you, He always is. Have a great day.

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The Breastplate of Righteousness

“with the breastplate of righteousness in place,” Ephesians 6:14b

The breastplate was a part of a soldier’s armor used to protect the soldier’s heart, lungs, kidneys and spine, all vital organs to survival.  Also, in Jesus’s time, the heart was considered to be the center of a person’s character, so if your heart was good, you were good. No matter how it was looked at, the heart was an organ that needed protected. Our hearts need protected as well, both physically and emotionally.

When we love someone, we don’t say “I love you with all my mind”, no we say “I love you with all my heart.” When we talk about believing something to be true, we don’t believe it only with our thoughts or mind, but we know it to be true when we believe it with all of our heart. As a child, we feel loved by our family and a sense of belonging to them in our heart, not just as a fact that we know.

I believe Paul used the breastplate for the concept of righteousness because knowing that we are the righteousness of God through Christ is one thing, but feeling it in our hearts is something that is on a deeper level. The devil also knows that we carry our feelings in our heart and if he wants to attack us then he comes after our heart. When we have negative thoughts about ourselves and how imperfect we are, we can dismiss them easier when they are only thoughts, but when we put emotion to those thoughts, it becomes very hard to stop feeling those emotions. We need to protect our heart from all the arrows of lies that the devil will shoot as us in an attempt to have us doubt how much we are loved by God. He would love for us to believe that we are too far gone to be forgiven.

We should put on the breastplate of righteousness every morning to protect ourselves, our hearts, from the enemy who sneaks around only wanting to steal our peace, kill our hope and destroy our eternal life. Don’t let the devil win, make sure and wear your breastplate of righteousness today.