The Value of Godly Habits
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Godly Habits! (WATCH HERE)
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity. This is one reason why meaningful change does not require radical change. Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity. And if a change is meaningful, it is actually big. That’s the paradox of making small improvements.” ― James Clear, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
Habits are powerful…even if I don’t think they are. Habits move us in a direction. The question is, in what direction are they moving us. How do you react to the statement, “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” Does every action really matter? Perhaps a singular one is inconsequential, but actions repeated are votes that sway your identity in a direction that your actions take you.
What might be an example of this?
Perhaps a one time action of not brushing your teeth has little consequence. However, if you do it again…and again…and again and then wonder why you have cavities, root canals, and having teeth pulled, you realize you put a “vote” in for being a person with bad teeth, but not brushing your teeth in consecutive days, weeks, months.
“Small habits can make a meaningful difference by providing evidence of a new identity.”
Spiritual habits are not big changes that happen over night. They are little changes that happen over a lifetime. I love this quote too because it leads us to ask, “What small habits can make a meaningful difference to provide growing evidence of my identity as a child of God?”
Yesterday, we had two baptisms. These two little ones received the grace of God in their connection to the death of Jesus to bury their sins and the resurrection of Jesus to live a new life, because they have a new identity as a child of God. Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
So what do those little ones need in their lives moving forward that will move them toward their new identity found in Jesus? What do we need, who have been baptized, that will move us forward in our identity we find in Jesus?
Godly habits.
Habits that little by little grow us deeper into the identity we have been given as a child of God.
What are those habits?
There is not a list in Scripture that dictate the “habits of highly effective Christians.” However, there are verses that give us glimpses into what the early Christians did on a regular basis that moved them in the direction of their new identity. We are going to focus this week on the ones mentioned in Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
These 3100 plus believers after Pentecost realized that the high of Peter’s sermon and the waters of baptism would need ongoing reinforcement. So they were devoted to doin things that moved them deeper into the new identity they found in Jesus.
They were going to have a habit of connecting to the word of God (Apostles’ teaching).
They were going to have a habit of communing with the Lord and with people.
They were going to have a habit of communicating with God in prayer.
These are the habits that we are going to work at beginning or strengthening this week…Each small step will begin a habit that will, God-willing, move us deeper into the identity we have been given.
Apply: Simply list as many of your habits as you can. Put them in two columns. First column are those habits that move me closer to my identity in Christ. Second column moves me away from Christ to identify in something else.
Prayer: Lord thank you for the new identity you secured for my by your resurrection from the dead. Give me determination and discipline to move in the direction of that identity every day with the habits I develop. AMEN
Is your heart burning?
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Input Godly Wisdom…his Word! (WATCH HERE)
Luke 24:30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
It’s a heart thing.
It’s interesting that the disciples did not respond to Jesus’ dissertation on the Old Testament with the phrase, “Were not our minds blown away by all the information he shared with us?!”
That’s probably how I would have reacted because as I reflect on “Why would I have wanted to listen to this dialogue with Jesus about the Old Testament?” To be honest, I probably was more interested in the information more than the transformation that would happen.
Do you struggle with this too? Do you spend time in the Bible for information? Do you focus on knowing new things over feeling and believing new things?
Maybe it’s just me. But this comment by the Emmaus disciples is worth musing about.
Do our hearts burn within us when God brings his word of truth to us?
Literally the reflection of the disciples was this, “Were not our hearts on fire within us?”
What also is unique about this reaction is at the time Jesus was speaking, they didn’t know it was Jesus. It seems like Jesus wanted to shift the focus from him as a physical teacher to allow the Word of God, regardless of presenter, to do the work on one’s heart. He, as a person and personality, didn’t want to be a distraction to the power of the Spirit at work in the word.
Here’s some reflections…
The Word of God is given to change the heart before it changes one’s actions. How often do we perhaps read the Bible to get an answer of “what to do” before we read the Bible to affect “what we believe”? Many times in Scripture, God prioritizes the heart. He wants the heart to change by the power of his word because he knows that when the heart changes, what comes out of that heart changes. Read and listen to the Word for your heart’s sake.
Matthew 22:37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
A second reflection is this. The Word of God has power to affect the heart no matter who the presenter of that word. Jesus could have revealed who he was right away, but he allowed the truth of the Scripture to speak for itself. After he revealed himself to the disciples, he disappeared and he just let the Word he shared linger in their hearts. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus was a powerful teacher. However, after his resurrection he knows he will not be around in physical form and allows the Word of God to bring the power to one’s heart. The reality for us? Enjoy those that bring you the Word of God, but remember the power of the Word of God is that it is the Word of God and not the words of men!
And third, the heart that is on fire sparks a life that is on fire. The experience the disciples they could not keep to themselves.
Luke 24:33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
When God moves our heart, he moves us to act. THe power of what the disciples heard and encountering the risen Jesus compelled them to return to Jerusalem and share what they had heard and seen. My guess, this was just the first time and the impact of hearing and seeing Jesus was a driving force throughout their lives.
The Word does the same for us today…it sets our hearts on fire to live for our risen Savior!
Apply: Evaluate if you have been reading the Bible just for information versus transformation. This next week read and listen to God’s Word and ask, “What is God doing with my heart through his word?”
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your Word and your Spirit that works to change my heart. Let all of my life be driven by a heart that is on fire for you! AMEN.
Can I eavesdrop?
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Input Godly Wisdom…his Word! (WATCH HERE)
I wish I could have listened.
Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
What was all included in that conversation that happened over the seven mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus?
It is one sermon Jesus gave that I wish I had the transcript to. What was Jesus’ commentary on himself throughout the whole Old Testament? What passages did he speak to? How did he weave God’s plan of salvation together so that it all made sense as it culminated at the cross?
For whatever reason, the Holy Spirit didn’t record the details, just a summary of the content. With just the summary we get a LOT of insight into what we are take away from the Word of God. Here’s a few thoughts for you to consider.
First: Every part of the Scripture has the purpose of pointing us to Jesus. “Moses” was the reference to the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). When you consider some of the main content of these books you can think of creation, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the exodus, the sacrificial system, the wandering in the wilderness and more. This conversation with the Emmaus disciples gives us permission to keep the priority of reading the Old Testament as seeing Jesus. The Old Testament isn’t a code to decipher, or confusion to unravel. The Old Testament is God’s story to bring the fulfillment of his love and grace to bear in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Second: The purpose of isolating the people of Israel as God’s people wasn’t to elevate a race or a nationality, but to carry the promise of a Savior to fulfillment in Jesus. There were points where the nation of Israel was at the brink of collapse. The kings of Israel and Judah were mostly NOT God-fearing and led people away from the Lord. Enemies could have overpowered the nation on multiple occasions. Even in the middle of captivity in Babylon, God was preserving a remnant…not to preserve a culture, but to preserve the line from which he was bringing Jesus. We can marvel at God’s work through secular history to bring to bear the most important impact to all people of all eras of history.
Third: God is highlighting the inspiration of Scripture. The only way that Moses (written about 1500 BC) and the Prophets (written from 1000 BC to 400 BC) could speak of a single person and a single theme was that God was behind the words they wrote. Jesus didn’t have to “make a stretch” to find his work in Scripture. He simply explained what was. He traced the divine work of God through the words the SPirit inspired men to write. The fact that ALL of Scripture spoke of Jesus who had not yet come yet with the detail of his work is evidence of God’s divine inspiration of all of Scripture. The impact on us? We can TRUST the Bible as the very Word of God.
Fourth: Enjoy discovering Jesus in the BIble. We speak of the Scripture as Christocentric. That means that the main purpose and focus of the whole Bible is to communicate Christ. The Bible touches on science, but it’s not a science textbook. The BIble communicates history, but it’s not first and foremost a history book. The Bible is beautiful prose, but it not just a fine piece of literature. The Bible is God’s Word that is intended to communicate one key message: We are forgiven and given eternal life through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Enjoy seeing Jesus in all the Bible!
Apply: Skim through the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s purpose was to connect the work of Jesus with the Old Testament prophecies. See how many you can find and see how “Moses and the prophets” testify about Jesus.
Prayer: Lord God, thank you for inspiring your wonderful Word to communicate the certainty of salvation to my heart and life. AMEN.
Confused? Need clarity?
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Input Godly Wisdom…his Word! (WATCH HERE)
We can get confused.
As events unfold in the world around us, we can get confused or not fully understand what is going on. This perhaps leads to a level of anxiety, worry and stress.
If you permit me another reference to the eclipse of Monday, there were people stating that the pathway of this eclipse and the last two eclipses made a mark on the US that signified the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Predictions were being made to a rapture event or some other significant spiritual event and some even the second coming of Christ.
The eclipse has come and gone. The predictions have as well.
While some of these predictions based some thinking on verses from the Bible, as I read them, they were a stretch from what God actually said about the end of times, most of which there is not a rapture event and no one knows the day or time. So I was pretty convinced the moment of the eclipse was not going to be the end of the world because the clarity of scripture helps clarify what others are claiming.
The Word of God perhaps doesn’t clarify every single event in your life personally or the world around you, but it does give guidance and context…and sometimes specifics. As Jesus interacted with the Emmaus disciples the evening of his resurrection, he helped them remember what the Scriptures said about the events they were discussing. When the truth of the Scripture came into the discussion, clarity emerged.
But sometimes we, like the Emmaus disciples, are slow to believe what the Bible says.
Do you see yourself in this account?
Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
The Scriptures clarified the confusion these followers of Jesus had. Are you confused about situations in your life or around you? Try searching the Scriptures for the clarity God loves to give.
Apply: Have a specific question you’d like help to see if Scripture speaks to it? Feel free to reply to this devotion email with your question!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for in all things you love us and give us your word to guide and clarify life so we might live with certainty and clarity in all things. AMEN.
The day after…the glory lingers!
This week’s devotions are based on this week’s message: Let Easter Change you: Input Godly Wisdom…his Word! (WATCH HERE)
“You had to be there.”
We were given an unbelievable view of the total solar eclipse and it certainly is a memory that will linger for a long time. You try to capture it on a camera. You try to put what you saw into words and you realize it’s hard to capture the event in its total grandeur, mystery, and awesomeness.
Let me try a little bit to share.
We live in Georgetown, Texas where the totality occurred from 1:37pm to 1:40pm – just over three minutes. The big question mark was if we were going to be able to see it because a thick cloud cover was predicted with only 5% break…or 95% coverage. We debated driving a bit west and north where there was to be 20% coverage. But decided to stay put and go over to a park next to Georgetown Lake. The clouds came and go. As totality approached we would catch glimpses of the growing coverage through our glasses and a break in the clouds. As the clock ticked, we wondered if we would get to see totality or just experience darkness with the sun and moon hidden behind the clouds. As the time got closer we noticed a break in the clouds that was getting bigger and bigger. By 1:25 there was clear skies above us which remained until about 2pm…a 30-40 minute window where God opened the heavens and showed us the glory of his creation. Those at the dam (Georgetown Lake is formed by an Army Corp of Engineers dam) cheered when totality was realized. The difference of 99% coverage and 100% coverage was almost night and day. For three minutes we looked around and heard birds chirping, saw the aura of a sunset all around us, looked up without our glasses to see the corona of the sun glowing with the moon covering it completely. As the three minutes came to an end the “diamond ring” appeared and what a brilliance that was. We all (my wife, younger daughter, sister and her two girls) spent the next hour just marveling at what we had just witnessed. Certainly we live in a universe created with the brilliance and precision of our almighty Lord and Savior!
I thought I had seen a total eclipse before…but after the experience yesterday, I don’t think I have…I would have remembered it much more vividly.
Psalm 19 is what I would like to leave you with to meditate on today…especially if you witnessed the total eclipse first hand, but even if you look at pictures of others you did, you can say with King David:
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.
…14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Our younger daughter already said, “I’m going to North Dakota in 2044. This was so cool!”
When you experience the glory of God, the work of his hands, and the magnificence of his creation…you just have to be there.
Apply: What testimony to God have you experienced in his creation? If you experienced the eclipse, what was your meditation and reflection?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the awesomeness of your creation and the opportunity to see it clearly on display yesterday. Every time I see your glory in creation, lead me to marvel at your power, love and grace for me and all people. AMEN.