The Importance of One…YOU!
Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “Timely Teaching for Turbulent Times”
Week 1 of 6: “The Importance of One!”
Full Sunday message, CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: You…A Tax Collector…A ‘Sinner’…A Pharisee…A Teacher
It seems like a start to a joke…One day a tax collector, sinner, Pharisee and teacher of the law were standing around…
A strange mix of individuals, to be sure. One worked for the Romans. Another was a public offender. One prided himself as a religious elite and another respected as a religious instructor. Some thought they were better than the others. And the others knew their place in their society. But the day they all gathered around Jesus, they all had one thing in common – whether they realized it or not… they all needed Jesus.
Luke 15:1-2 Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
It shocked the tax collectors and sinners that Jesus would hang out with them. Normally they were the outcast. They were ready to listen to what Jesus had to say. However, it was the muttering crew that compelled Jesus to speak.
He wanted the whole group to understand his heart. His heart didn’t look at the tax collector and condemn him of greed. His heart didn’t look at the ‘sinner’ and condemn her of adultery (or some other public breaking of the religious law). His heart didn’t even call out the Pharisee for his pride or the teacher of the law for his arrogance (at least in this encounter!).
He told a simple story they all could get…if they had ears to listen.
Luke 15:3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Jesus was ready to initiate a party in heaven in the honor of anyone of them. If the tax collector repented of his greed and turned to Jesus for true treasure…Party! If the ‘sinner’ repented of his actions and turned to Jesus for forgiveness and power to leave a life of sin…Party! If the Pharisee’s pride was crushed and he turned to Jesus in humility of heart…Party! If the teacher of the law turned from arrogance to receive Jesus as the Messiah of which the law pointed…Party!
Jesus was standing in the middle of this group because each one of them was the lost sheep that was worthy of his effort to reach and save from spiritual destruction.
The same is true for you…because you are as important as any of those standing within earshot of Jesus that day. The day his grace connected with your heart is the day Jesus was more than ready to tell the angels in heaven to start a party in your honor!
Apply: How did Jesus connect his grace to you? Take time to thank the one he used to reach you. Who is someone you know disconnected from Jesus? How might Jesus use you to trigger a party in heaven for him or her?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the all out effort you engaged in to reach me with your love and grace. Give me the same heart to bring your love and forgiveness to one more. Amen.
Coming Tuesday-Friday…a tax-collector, ‘sinner’, Pharisee, and teacher of the law…Jesus engaged them all!
Add to Your Faith…LOVE!
Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “STRANGERS in the World”
Week 7 of 7: “Strangers…Is it worth it?”
Full Sunday message, CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: 7 Things to Add to Your Faith to Be an Effective Christian!
You can have all the best skills, the greatest knowledge, and broad range of experience and still be ineffective.
For a Christian, the last component to add to our faith is a key to all we do as a Christian. I can have faith. I can have the inner character of God. I can have experience. I can have self-control. I can keep going and not give up. I can exhibit godliness. I can show kindness to my neighbor. But if I do all this and lack one thing, I will still be ineffective as a follower of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul put it this way:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Why is love such a key quality to have in “increasing measure”?
Growing in love indicates a growing appreciation for the love God has shown to me. (1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.)
Growing in love indicates a humility that is willing to put others before myself. (John 15:13 – Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.)
Growing in love enables me to be a reflection of God and his love to others. (1 John 4:12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.)
Love is the aspect that binds all the other attributes together.
Galatians 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
This devotion series doesn’t complete your growth, but rather outlines a growth plan. As a follower of Jesus, Peter’s encouragement is to possess these seven qualities in “increasing measure.” The result? You will be an effective and productive follower of the Lord Jesus Christ…to his glory and the salvation of souls.
2 Peter 1:5-8 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Apply: What impact have you been able to have with others when the love of Jesus is flowing into you and through you…versus times when it is not?
Prayer: Lord, continue to increase in me all these qualities, but especially love so that I might be an effective and productive impact for you and your kingdom. AMEN.
Add to your faith…GODLINESS & BROTHERLY KINDNESS!
Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “STRANGERS in the World”
Week 7 of 7: “Strangers…Is it worth it?”
Full Sunday message, CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: 7 Things to Add to Your Faith to Be an Effective Christian!
“I’m spiritual, but I’m not religious.”
This phrase is clear and confusing at the same time. It is clear when I understand there are things about the visible church that challenge and frustrate some so they feel it better to practice their faith on their own. It is confusing, because the practice of one’s belief (religion) is a natural manifestation of one’s faith (spirituality).
What we are adding to our faith today is godliness. This is the outward exercise of our faith. It is the making visible in our lives the goodness of God that characterizes us. Godliness is the thoughts, actions and words that reflect and align to the thoughts, actions and words of God.
Do you see where Peter is taking us in our journey of “adding to our faith”? Faith is the inner trust in Jesus as my Savior. This takes over our inner being and character (goodness). It shapes my experiences (knowledge). It challenges me to control my sinful nature (self-control) and not give up (perseverance). One might say these are the “inner transformation” of the Christian faith.
Godliness, then, is outer expression of the inner transformation God has worked.
Add to godliness, brotherly kindness.
The word translated “brotherly kindness” is “Philadelphia.” Sound familiar? The “City of Brotherly Love.” William Penn named this city in Pennsylvania to establish good faith between his colony and the Lenape tribe.
In 1681, Charles II of England bestowed a charter upon Penn as part of a debt repayment, and that charter included the land that would become the Pennsylvania Colony. However, Penn wanted to remain on good terms with the Lenape tribe that had originally settled on the land, and so he put the charter aside and purchased it directly from the Lenape people. After making a friendship treaty with a Lenape chief named Tammany, in what is now Philadelphia’s Fishtown (and was called Shackamaxon at the time), Penn named the city “Philadelphia,” which means “brotherly love” in Greek. (Quoted from https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/pennsylvania/articles/philadelphia-got-name/)
William Penn was a Quaker who desired to create a city that reflected this quality of the Christian faith. If that vision was realized, is perhaps open for debate. What is not debatable is that a primary reflection of our faith is how we choose to treat one another. It’s easy to defriend someone. It is harder to do what it takes to make a “friendship treaty” with them. With God’s Spirit adding “brotherly love” to your faith…you can do it!
Apply: With whom do I need help developing a “friendship treaty”?
Prayer: Lord, show me ways to exhibit what you are doing on my inside to the people on my outside. Amen.
Add to Your Faith…PERSEVERANCE!
Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “STRANGERS in the World”
Week 7 of 7: “Strangers…Is it worth it?”
Full Sunday message, CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: 7 Things to Add to Your Faith to Be an Effective Christian!
2 Peter 1:5 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance;…”
Do you know the difference between patience and perseverance?
I can be patient waiting for a box to come from Amazon resting in my easy chair with my favorite beverage. There is no physical effort exerted to be patient. Perhaps patience does demand a level of self-control to not get irritated or upset!
Perseverance, is not a passive waiting, but an active effort to reach a goal.
Yesterday I was running on 1.6 mile trail at a local park. My goal was finish under 29 minutes for two laps or 3.2 miles. The second lap I was ready to give up and just walk the rest of the way. But I had just dropped off our younger daughter for volleyball tryouts and had reminded her of MTIXE (Mental Toughness, Intensity, eXtra Effort). I couldn’t give up – even though I am not in great shape. One foot in front of the next. My legs were tired. My breathing heavy. But I touched the end marker…27:45! (Don’t read too much into this…a morning run doesn’t make a marathoner!) But it felt good to persevere and reach the goal.
Trust in Jesus as Savior is the foundation of saving faith. However, living the Christian faith is a daily challenge, a regular struggle, a race that is tiring…and we feel like giving up. We face criticism. We face opposition. We get tired fighting our sinful nature. We weary from a culture that runs counter to our Christian convictions. It’s tough to live as a stranger in this world.
We feel like giving up.
That’s why we need to add to faith…perseverance. The will and effort to NEVER give up! Losing the goal isn’t just missing a personal best on 3.2 miles, it is missing out on heaven.
When you feel like giving up, remember the goal.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
How can we add perseverance to our faith? Hebrews 12:1-3 helps:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Fix your eyes on Jesus and don’t give up. Add to your faith, perseverance!
Apply: How will setting your eyes on Jesus today help you persevere in the challenges you face today?
PRAYER: Lord, when I feel like giving up, strengthen me to persevere…to keep going! AMEN
Add to your faith…KNOWLEDGE & SELF-CONTROL
Daily Devotions based on the Sermon Series: “STRANGERS in the World”
Week 7 of 7: “Strangers…Is it worth it?”
Full Sunday message, CONTEMPORARY or TRADITIONAL
THIS WEEK: 7 Things to Add to Your Faith to Be an Effective Christian!
2 Peter 1:5 “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control;…”
“Wait until you get out in the ‘real’ world!” I remember this phrase in high school and college when the idealism of a student is challenged by an adult that has lived years in the ‘real world.’ While the theories and philosophies one learns in school fill our heart and create passion for the years ahead…then one hits the ‘real world.’ The theories don’t always work in every situation. The philosophies that sound so certain, don’t seem to always apply.
What is the difference between theory and ‘real world’?
Experience.
Yesterday we added to our faith, goodness, the reality that our faith permeates all of who I am and what I do. Today we add knowledge. The knowledge Peter talks about is knowing something by experiencing something. Take Peter’s own example. When Jesus was walking on the water and startled the disciples, Peter asks, “Lord, if it is you, call me to come out on the water.” Peter knew Jesus could work miracles. When his feet hit the water and he didn’t sink…he knew by experience the power of Jesus…until he doubted and then experienced the consequence of doubt.
Being filled with the goodness and character of God is great…experiencing it day to day is knowing how real and practical the goodness of God is for the ‘real world.’
Peter continues. Add to knowledge, self-control.
Self-control is power over one’s self. For the Christian it is drawing on the Spirit’s power to not give into the sinful nature and allow it to control my thoughts, words and actions. The spiritual battle is very real and powerful within us. You see how Peter is moving us…the more we trust in Jesus as Savior leads to us desiring to be characterized by the goodness of God and to know how real that is in every experience of life. To maximize these reality we must daily fight the sinful nature and not give into it…practice self-control.
Sunday we read from 1 Peter 2:11: Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
The Apostle Paul engaged in the daily struggle.
Romans 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. …24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
A Christian can truly practice control over their sinful desires because they have the power of the Spirit and the victory of Jesus over sin on their side.
Self-control comes from Spirit control.
Self-control keeps us focused and effective for the Lord.
Apply: Evaluate your experiences today. What do you learn about your Savior and your faith through that experience? What is the sin that challenges you? Ask for the Spirit’s help to practice self-control and overcome it.
Prayer: Lord, lead me to both experience the reality of my faith each and every day as well as learn more about my faith from every experience. Spirit, help me abstain from sinful desires today which wage war against my soul. Amen.