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This week’s devotions are based on the Week 1 “A Savior Born for You! (WATCH HERE)

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Would you build an ark?

Genesis 6      When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 

5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. 

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. …17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.” 

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

 

Perhaps this is an odd verse of Scripture with which to begin the season of Advent.  It seems like nothing to do with Christmas or even Jesus’ second coming for that matter.  Advent is a season of waiting and does lead us to prepare to celebrate Jesus’ first coming in the manger of Bethlehem, but it is also a season to remind us that Jesus is coming again…and he wants us to be ready.

Ironically in multiple areas of the New Testament, Noah and the flood are referenced and even some of the circumstances surrounding the flood are spoken of as going to happen in a similar way when Jesus returns (As we will see later in the week.)

So why Noah and the flood.

The promise of a world-wide flood would seem unbelievable to many.

The world was wicked and the justice of God was going to be carried out on the world.  However, the reality of the coming flood must have made it to many ears in the 100 plus years that God waited after he told Noah about the flood.  Don’t you think the “news” of the day would carry the crazy guy named Noah building a boat out in the middle of no where?  Yet even after so many years, almost everyone was caught unaware of the flood coming.  

For over 2000 years we have heard about Jesus and the reality of his birth in Bethlehem…and his promise to return.  Yet, perhaps we see what we would call a similar level of wickedness and a similar level of ignorance of these facts in the world around us.  Unfortunately, there is nothing new under the sun.

But Noah lived by the promises of God.  He believed God and did as God commanded.  I’m sure there were times where he questioned why he was getting ark ready for animals of every kind.

But when the flood waters came, I’m sure he was glad he did.

Jesus is coming back…we don’t know when.  But we want to be ready.  Noah built an ark to be ready.  What are we supposed to do to be ready?

This week we will unpack what Jesus has to say to be ready for his return!

 

Apply: What would you have thought about a coming flood and building an ark if you were Noah today?

Prayer:  Thank you for your love and grace which has let us know you will return, Savior Jesus.  Help me not to blow this truth off, but to live this reality every day!  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 11″Explore God” – Meant for More! (WATCH HERE)

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BLESS someone today!

Last Sunday’s message ended with this encouragement.  It wraps up our Explore God series and these last three weeks on engaging with people so God might use you to bring Jesus to them.  Perhaps copy this and put it on your mirror.  Let it be our brief but great devotional reminder as we head into the weekend and the weeks ahead!

B – Begin with Prayer!

L – Listen with empathy, ask questions.

E – Eat with people outside of your faith community.

S – Serve – Look for ways to be a servant to others.

S – Share the story of Jesus and your faith journey.

Let me close by sharing the vision of what it will be like when the fruits of our witnessing are seen around the throne of God.  You make a difference when you share the message that makes a difference!

Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: 

         “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: 

         “Amen! 

         Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. 

         Amen!” 

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 

14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” 

And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore, 

         “they are before the throne of God 

         and serve him day and night in his temple; 

         and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 

         16      Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. 

         The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. 

         17      For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; 

         he will lead them to springs of living water. 

         And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 

 

Prayer: Lord, use me to be your voice to share the good news of Jesus with someone today and every day! AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 11″Explore God” – Meant for More! (WATCH HERE)

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How you speak matters!

Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

“It’s not WHAT you said…it’s HOW you said it.”

How many times have we heard this phrase?  Words can mean or communicate something very different depending on the tone and inflection that are connected to the words.  Even in the texting world programmers have developed countless emoji’s to allow the texter to put some emotion behind an emotionless text.  Everyone knows HOW you say something matters.

It is no different in our witnessing opportunities.

People will tune out to your words when they do not have the right tone.

The Apostle Paul knew it would be easy for every Christian to speak to people outside the Christian faith with a tone that would turn them off.  A tone of judgment comes across as “I am better than you.”  A tone of frustration comes across as, “I can’t believe you believe that nonsense.”  A tone of anger comes across as, “I’m not going to waste my time on you anymore.”

And once someone senses a tone that is incongruent with the Gospel of grace, I’ve lost the opportunity to share a message of grace.

“Let your conversation be always full of grace.”

What do you think this sounds like? Or better yet “feels” like to the one receiving your words? Here’s a few thoughts.

My tone communicates love and genuine concern and care.

My words seek to always represent and point people to the forgiving love of Christ.

My demeanor never communicates anger or frustration, but an empathy that comes from the heart.

The Gospel message is the best news ever.  It is the power of God for the salvation of souls.  We want to get out of the way with emotions and tones that negate or taint grace and simply let God’s grace not only be communicated but be felt.

“Seasoned with salt.”  Salt makes something palatable and tasty.  The Gospel is not devoid of also sharing the reality of sin and God’s law.  However, even when my words communicate God’s will and point out where someone is living contrary to it, my words are seasoned with the life-giving and life-changing reality of God’s forgiveness and love for us found in Christ.  The answer to sin found in the forgiveness in Christ is an example of being “seasoned with salt” that makes a tough message easier to swallow.

“So you may know how to answer everyone.”

Ultimately grace is the solution for everyone.  Virtually any spiritual question will come to a discussion about the saving work of Jesus.  The Apostle Peter encourages us to answer people with gentleness and respect.  We won’t always agree.  But we can always answer with truth seasoned with love.  With gentleness which leaves a conversation respected.

Tone and heart matter for our conversations with people outside the Christian faith (although the same encouragement can be a blessing within the community of believers too!).  When our tone and heart communicate grace, truth and love, the recipient of the words we share will not only hear them as the words of God, but will feel them as coming from a God who loves them.

Apply: Evaluate the last spiritual conversation you had. What changes when you replay the conversation with your words full of grace?

Prayer: Lord, season all my words with your grace.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 11″Explore God” – Meant for More! (WATCH HERE)

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Colossians 4:5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 

How we interact with people makes a difference in our opportunities to have a conversation about Jesus.

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Christians in Colosse, he was in prison.  He could have spent his time complaining about the conditions, moaning about how unfair his imprisonment was, and making life challenging for the other inmates or the guards.

But he was wise in the way he acted toward outsiders.  He knew that the way he conducted himself in the prison cell would make a difference in his relationship with the others in the prison.  He didn’t regret the situation, he made the most of the opportunity.

Admittedly, life can get challenging.  Even today you may know that on your agenda is facing a challenging issue whether in your home, at work, or at school.

How we show up in those situations makes a difference.  What impression does it make if our conversations with coworkers are full of complaints about the work, the other co-workers or the boss?  What impact does it make if we saunter into the classroom late and mumble under our breath how much we hate school?  What impression is left with a fellow golfer if every shot has a curse or swear word attached to it?

These examples are showing a lack of wisdom as we interact with outsiders and thus, I would guess, would leave a negative witness mark in others minds.

But what if you would reverse these scenarios starting with a prayer that the Lord would give you a perspective of joy and positivity (not fake) but an outlook that seeks the opportunity in every interaction.

Perhaps you show up at work with a mindset of working hard and wanting to make a difference and do what you can to improve the product, employee moral, or the reputation of the company.  What might happen when those around you notice?

What would happen if you showed up at school and noticed a classmate that seemed down or discouraged and sat next to them and asked “What’s bothering you today?”  What would happen if you offered to help a struggling classmate with a homework assignment?  Do you think those wise interactions might lead to a witness opportunity?

What might happen if during your round of golf or other social engagement you took time to really get to know a person you don’t know very well.  Use the round of golf as a way to connect relationally with people and show you care.  Do you think this wise interaction might lead to a witness opportunity?

I don’t know for sure, but the chances are much greater than the first set of examples.  God is going to give you opportunities today to both act wisely with outsiders and make the most of a witness opportunity.

Remember to start with prayer for God to open that door and give you the words he wants you to share…and then embark on the adventure today to act in wisdom with others so the Lord might present you with an opportunity to witness…and then make the most of it!

 

Apply: What situations/appointments today might be opportunities to act in wisdom toward outsiders or witness to your faith?  Pray about them now!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I have been a fool in my interactions with others.  Open the door of opportunity today that I might act in wisdom and witness with boldness.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 11″Explore God” – Meant for More! (WATCH HERE)

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I believe every Christian earnestly desires to carry out the commission God has given them in Matthew 28.  We recognize both the profound impact of the Gospel and the importance of it for every human being on the planet.  Yet we struggle to share it.

You may have your own reasons, but they may include:

• Fear of what someone may say or not say?
• We don’t take time to listen and therefore answer questions people aren’t asking.
• We are afraid of saying the “wrong thing” and so we don’t say something at all.
• We feel intimidated by our lack of Bible knowledge and feel inadequate when speaking with others.

The list may go on…but are their practical steps we can be intentional about that can help us carry out this very important purpose of communicating Jesus to others?  Yes!

The Apostle Paul writes this in Colossians 4:2-6 which we will look at over the next few days.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

The first encouragement is to utilize the privilege of prayer.

How easy? Right?  Yet so often forgotten.

Prayer shifts the weight off our shoulders to the Lord.  Prayer expresses our dependance on the Lord to equip us and guide us in our efforts to share our faith.  It puts the focus on where it needs to be…the Lord.  Here’s what Paul encourages each of us:

• Be devoted to prayer!  Make prayer a regular and habitual action of your life.  Use prayer until it becomes your first reaction in every situation is to take it to the Lord in prayer.
• Be watchful in prayer!  Remember the disciples who fell asleep when Jesus asked them to watch and pray?  Pray when you are alert; engaged; and fully mindful of what you are praying.
• Be thankful in prayer!  It is easy to simply pray the “Gimme” prayers.  “Dear Lord, give me…”  Be thankful in prayer.  Take time to express your gratitude for what the Lord HAS done in your life that brings you joy and gratefulness. (A simple outline for prayer that helps balance it is “A.C.T.S.” – Adoration (praise God); Confession (Express your sin and need for forgiveness), Thanksgiving (Share gratitude), Supplication (Now you can ask for your needs or the needs of others).
• Pray for others.  Take the time to actually pray for people.  It’s easy to say, “I’ll pray for you.” It’s harder to actually do it.  Keep a prayer journal if that will help.  Think of others needs in your prayer life.  Especially in the great commission pray for God to guide and direct others in their conversations with people outside the faith.
• Pray for God to open doors of witness opportunity.  If God can open a door for Paul in prison to witness to his faith, God can open doors in your work place, your classroom, your family, your neighborhood, etc.
• Pray for clarity in proclaiming the message of Jesus.  Jesus promised his disciples that the Spirit would give them words to speak when pressed on their faith.  The Spirit will also answer this prayer to give you the words to speak when the opportunity arises.

Wow!  The Spirit has just expanded my awareness of things for which I can pray and the attitude by which I pray.  With God’s help, let’s commit to grow in our prayer life and see if God will also not expand our witness life!

 

Apply: Which of the aspects of prayer above will you work at first?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wonderful message of the Gospel and the peace it brings.  Continue, by your grace, to mold me into the witness you would want me to be, opening doors of opportunity today to speak the words you give to another soul. AMEN.