Devotional For Men Blog
Word and Spirit
Are you living a Spirit-filled life?
In the description of the tabernacle in Exodus 35 we learn that there’s a lamp and a lamp stand for illuminating the Scriptures. Thousands of years later, nothing’s changed.
What do I mean? As we read, as we live, as we worship, our lives are to be illuminated by the Spirit of God. Without illumination, the stone tablets that contained the Ten Commandments would lie in the dark. Similarly, without the Spirit of God, we will dry up.
His Spirit is like the lampstand – making hidden and darkened things in the word of God visible to us (1 cor. 2:11 and 2 Cor. 3:14). His presence – which is a person, not a feeling – needs to be invited into the things we do, think, and say. He is our Counselor and we are to do all things through His wisdom (John 14:26). We are His temple and He lives in us (1 Cor. 3:16). We are to be sanctified and brought toward holiness by His Spirit (Rom. 15:16). And with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are called to guard the Truth (2 Tim. 1:14).
But what is the Truth? The Truth is contained in God’s word, which is why we can’t live solelyby the Spirit. Without the Word we will drift off the path.
1 John 4:1 reminds us well: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
We don’t want a false spirit, but we certainly want God’s Spirit. Which is why we need the Word and the Spirit.
Spirit of God, would you reign in us? Would you illuminate Truth? Move miraculously in our lives, Oh God, and affirm all Truth that we have learned in your Word. Amen.
Loud Shouts
Give your prayer life a tune up with today’s lesson on Embracing Prayer.
“But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided to grant their demand.” (Luke 23:23-24)
Some call it a mob mentality. People stop thinking clearly and allow emotion to rule. They say things they later regret. These verses describe the scene in Jerusalem when Pilate wanted to release Jesus. The crowd asked for the release of Barabbas the murderer and demanded the crucifixion of Jesus.
That kind of mentality doesn’t always require a mob. This passage makes me think about my own loud shouts and insistent demands on God. Too often, I want what I want – not what He wants – and I want it now!
Obviously God is not like Pilate who knowingly and willfully did wrong in order to save his own skin. God is holy and righteous and just. Yet I wonder if sometimes God gives me what I ask for, even when I ask for second best.
God longs to give me things for my ultimate good – things that will draw me into closer relationship with Him, glorify His name and develop the qualities of Christ in me. Those things don’t always look good from my short-term, earthly perspective. I occasionally see them as uncomfortable, difficult or painful.
My arrogance shows when I insistently make demands of God. Do I know better than He does? Do I want my own way, regardless of what is best?
Gracious God and Father, please don’t give me what I ask for when I ask for the wrong things. Help me to stop demanding and instead be still and know that You are God. You are all wise and all powerful. Help me to want what You want. Amen
Questions: What is the difference between persistent prayers and insistent demands? How do we know how to pray for what God wants?
Peace and Faith
Today’s lesson “Choose Peace” can help you hold on to God’s promises in the midst of the storm.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Walking in peace, with your heart calm even when your life is not, is one of the wonderful benefits of the Christian life. God reminds us to pay attention to what is going on within our hearts and to make some intentional choices.
Your heart is the well-spring of all of your life. It is the place that your reactions, your attitudes, your actions all bubble up from. Some translations say, ““Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” All that you are as you walk through this day, with whatever it holds, will spring from your heart. That’s why God tells us specifically to guard that well-spring. We are wise to check what is residing in that well-spring especially when we find peace has vanished and worry and stress has taken it’s place.
There will always be one of two very specific things in the lead of all the things in our hearts. Faith or Fear. One will always be on the top of the heap. They cannot both occupy the same place. If faith resides there your well-spring will pour out peace and confidence in God’s care for you, even in the midst of uncertain times.
If fear resides there anxiety and depression will be the natural outward flow. Faith or Fear. Every day we choose. Many times a day we choose.
Faith over-rides Fear. Fear over-rides Faith.
God tells us exactly what to do when fear grips our hearts and takes over our minds. Left unchecked it will scatter our faith and our peace like confetti in the wind and leave us anchorless in the storms of life.
Yet God in His love gives us specific instructions as to what to do.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
What a simple formula! Not easy – but simple. Worry is a call to prayer. The moment you become aware of that churning anxiety over ANYTHING, go immediately to your Heavenly Father. Present your requests to Him. Then turn your thoughts and prayers to thanksgiving.
- Thank Him for His promise to never forsake you.
- Thank Him for the power of His name.
- Thank Him for His intimate knowledge of every detail of your life.
- Thank Him for His track record in your life when He has been there for you in the past.
- Thank Him that He works all things together for your good as you trust Him.
- Thank Him that He is at work establishing His kingdom in your life.
Your faith and trust in God will over-ride your fear and His peace will actually put a guard around your heart and mind so fear cannot over run you. It’s supernatural and it’s real.
Prayer of action:
Father God,
I confess that I often allow Your peace to slip from my heart. Fear is often my first response to challenges that come my way. May I be conscious today of choosing to trust You with every detail of my life. Help me to have faith to leave the question marks in Your control and to trust You to carry me and to sustain me with your peace that is beyond understanding. Today I choose to put my trust in You. I choose to walk in Your peace.
Fill my heart with childlike faith today I ask in the strong name of Jesus, Amen.
Question: How can you walk in faith and peace today?
Will the Rope Hold?
If you need encouragement during difficult times, someone is always here to pray with you!
The summer between my 3rd and 4th year of university I worked at Yellowstone National Park. It was a great summer, full of adventures and new experiences.
On a day off, I had signed up for a day long class in rock climbing. I was successfully making my way up the side of a mountain when the instructor surprised me with an unexpected challenge, when he said, “I want you to push yourself off and fall on the rope!” Questioning why he would ask me to do this, I hesitated, and he wisely pointed out that, “You will never be a good rock climber until you can trust that the rope will hold you. Push yourself off and fall on the rope.”
I was afraid. Obviously, my trust was in my ability to use my hands and feet to scale the mountain. The rope was a secondary source of security, in case I slipped (which I did not plan to do!). I eventually did let go of my hand holds, and I’m here to tell you that the rope held!
There are times when God seems to say the same thing to me as my instructor did that day. “Take the step, release your hands on what you are holding and see that I’m trustworthy.” The writer of the Psalms wrote, “O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the person who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Just as I would never be a good rock climber without experiencing that the rope will hold. The same is true of my spiritual life. I will never be a responsive Christ follower if I am unwilling to let go of whatever I am grasping when God says, “Let go, trust me.”
Are you willing to let go of the things that give you security? We can only experience God’s goodness when we take those, sometimes scary steps that take faith. Do you trust God is able to hold you securely when you let go of the things that provide comfort or security? What step is God asking you to take? Could it be he is asking you to let go of a relationship, finances or a position … A thought that comforts me is God holds the universe together it is likely He can provide all I need to hold life together … Enjoy the adventure!
Father God, Help me today to truly trust You and to let go of the things I have been putting my trust in. You alone are able to hold me securely! Thank you.
Questions: What step is God asking you to take today? What are the things we look to, other than God, for our security?
When We Miss the Target
Do you deal with undeserved feelings of guilt? We are here to pray with you.
Read the first verse of Matthew’s gospel. Jesus knew David’s ways. He witnessed the adultery, winced at the murders, and grieved at the dishonesty. But David’s failures didn’t change Jesus’ relation to David. The initial verse of the first chapter of the first gospel calls Christ “the son of David” (Matt. 1:1 KJV). The title contains no disclaimers, explanations, or asterisks. I’d have added a footnote: “This connection in no way offers tacit approval to David’s behavior.” No such words appear. David blew it. Jesus knew it. But he claimed David anyway.
He did for David what my father did for my brother and me.
Back in our elementary school days, my brother received a BB gun for Christmas. We immediately set up a firing range in the backyard and spent the afternoon shooting at an archery target. Growing bored with the ease of hitting the circle, my brother sent me to fetch a hand mirror. He placed the gun backward on his shoulder, spotted the archery bull’s-eye in the mirror, and did his best Buffalo Bill imitation. But he missed the target. He also missed the storehouse behind the target and the fence behind the storehouse. We had no idea where the BB pellet flew. Our neighbor across the alley knew, however. He soon appeared at the back fence, asking who had shot the BB gun and who was going to pay for his sliding-glass door.
At this point I disowned my brother. I changed my last name and claimed to be a holiday visitor from Canada. My father was more noble than I. Hearing the noise, he appeared in the backyard, freshly rousted from his Christmas Day nap, and talked with the neighbor.
Among his words were these:
“Yes, they are my children.”
“Yes, I’ll pay for their mistakes.”
Christ says the same about you. He knows you miss the target. He knows you can’t pay for your mistakes. But he can. “God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins” (Rom. 3:25 NLT).
Since he was sinless, he could.
Since he loves you, he did. “This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10 NLT).
He became one of us to redeem all of us. “Jesus, who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters” (Heb. 2:11 NCV).
He wasn’t ashamed of David. He isn’t ashamed of you. He calls you brother; he calls you sister. The question is, do you call him Savior?
From Facing Your Giants
© (W Publishing Group, 2006) Max Lucado
Used by permission
Question: Are we sometimes “ashamed of Christ” when we are talking with non-Christians? (See Mark 8:38)
The Church is for Sinners, not Saints
Do you struggle with guilt and want to talk to someone about it? Contact an online mentor today.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:10-13)
When I first became a Christian at age 22, I thought church was only for perfect people. Or at least people who could act perfectly on Sunday mornings. I didn’t understand that the purpose of the church is to give a hand to the sick, not pat the healthy on the back.
Jesus often ate at the same table with “sinners”, and when he did, the Pharisees questioned why He did so. Jesus responded by saying “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12) Author Brennan Manning puts it this way: “The church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners”. That’s encouraging, because I often don’t feel much like a saint. Do saints lose patience with their brothers and sisters in Christ? Lose their temper? Sometimes even lose that passionate fire for the gospel?
The apostle Paul recognized his own moral failures when he says: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” But Paul continued by noting “for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
So at the same time as we acknowledge our sin, by trusting in Jesus’ righteous sacrifice on the cross for our sins, we can gather together to strengthen and encourage each other in our faith, so that we can continually strive towards becoming “perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
Lesson: Never feel unworthy of worshiping God in repentance and faith with your fellow believers, because Jesus welcomes you to His table!
Question: Do you sometimes feel guilty or unworthy of worshiping God? Why do you feel that way?
Patience and Faith
Finding peace in troubled times
“The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3
I should have gotten up earlier. Why did I choose a flight this early in the morning? If I hit one more red light I’m going to miss it. I will have to park in short term parking for a long-term trip. I just can’t miss this trip. I have to be at the meeting on time and there are no back-up flights. Maybe I should have gone the night before.
All of these thoughts were in my mind as I sped, a little over the limit, down the highway towards the airport. As the departure time drew closer, my chest tightened.
Then I caught an ear to the sermon on Christian radio. “Faith and patience are tied together”, he said. Oh really, I thought. Yes, he said… “If our faith is in God we will have undeniable patience. The two are inextricably intertwined. If my faith is in Him and I have surrendered my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, then I won’t worry about whether I make that flight.” Or really, I thought, how does this guy know I am on the way to the airport. I listened further and more intently.
What if my making that flight is not in God’s plan? If I am totally dedicated to him then I should not fret or worry about the future, schedule wise, health wise, financially wise or any other wise.
This is a translation of the 23rd psalm from a Japanese Bible. It says it all:
The Lord is my Pace-setter, I shall not rush;
He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity,
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals,
He leads me in ways of efficiency through calmness of mind,
And His guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things to do each day,
I will not fret, for His presence is here,
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity,
His timelessness, His all-importance, will keep me in balance,
By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquility.
My cup of joyous energy overflows,
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruit of my hours,
and I shall walk in the pace of my Lord and dwell in His house forever.
That gives life a new perspective. Let God be your pacesetter, your provision for everything and above all a peace about life.
Question: Do you need God’s peace today?
Glory to Glory
How can we pray for you today?
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
You are being transformed into the likeness of Christ, from glory to glory. What is glory? Glory is honor, renown, and splendor in abundant, copious amounts. It’s heavy and thick and all consuming. That’s still hard to grasp, and even harder to apply to our lives, but let’s try and break it down.
Examples are always good when defining difficult words. So what is glory?
- Glory is what filled the temple – there was no more room in it (2 Chronicles 7).
- Glory is what will fill the earth, like water fills a sea (Habakkuk 2:14).
- Glory is the light that shone off of Moses’ face after he spoke with God (Exodus 34:35).
So how do we practically move from one degree of glory to the next? Here are some ways:
1. There is glory in seeking God (Prov. 25:2)
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, not to frustrate us, but to spur us on to investigate him. When we dive into a matter that God has hidden Himself in, glory waits. Think about the potential for finding God in our everyday lives! Desiring glory is not vanity, nor is it selfishness, it is simply seeking God’s presence. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6) Find a hidden glory today.
2. There is glory in humility before God (Prov. 18:12)
Humility comes before glory. As we draw closer to God, the dark corners of our life that house pride and selfishness are exposed. We were created to experience the glory of God, but we need the humility to carry it. Case in point? The Israelites, after they had left Egypt and had been given parting gifts from the Egyptians, used their gold to fashion an idol, which they worshiped instead of the glory of God. We need humility to rightly receive the glory.
3. There is glory in tribulation (2 Cor. 4:17)
One of the ways God teaches humility is through tribulation. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” We experience painful trials in this fallen world, but tribulation does something unique: it eliminates plan B. Oh, yes, we can choose to turn away from God, but pain often creates a watershed moment –we turn to God or we turn away. So what can we do in the face of tribulation? Experience the glory of saying “Yes and Amen” to God (for an example of this unconditional praise, see Habakkuk 3).
4. There is glory in God’s presence
Hopefully this is painfully obvious by now, but God’s presence is glorious. He will one day fill the earth with His glory, and in the meantime, He is doing it through us. Seek to bring God’s kingdom to earth. May we invite the thickness of glory to reside in our homes and work places.
And we, with unveiled faces, are being transformed into the image of God, from glory to glory.
Glory in the search.
Glory in humility.
Glory in trials.
Glory in His presence.
God, I want to see your glory. Reveal yourself to me. Amen.
Question: Where do you most often find the glory of God?
Faith of a Criminal
Who is Jesus to you?
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
This is a very familiar passage of scripture, but take a minute to consider the faith of the second criminal. He feared God. The other criminal mocked Jesus, but this man knew he deserved the death sentence. He believed Jesus lived a sinless life. The criminal knew Jesus had done nothing wrong.
He believed Jesus was God’s Anointed One. He understood that one day God would send the Messiah to save His people. While others doubted, this man recognized the truth in his dying moments. He believed Jesus had the power to save him. Even though Jesus hung dying on the cross next to him, this criminal asked Jesus to remember him. Death could not prevent Jesus from receiving the kingdom God established for Him.
What about us?
Each of us deserves death because of our deeds. We cannot show contempt for God and escape His justice. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galatians 6:7)
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, has the power to save us. “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) No situation, no sin, no shame is too great for His power.
Gracious Heavenly Father, give me faith like the criminal who died next to Jesus. I believe You have the power to save me. Amen
Questions: What do you learn about faith from the criminal? Where in your life do you need to experience the power of God?
Peace and the Holy Spirit
Can we pray for you today?
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
Jesus has given you a promise and a gift. YOU have been given this gift. It’s the gift of peace. Do you want more peace in your heart? The peace Jesus gives is unlike any thing the world calls peace. It is peace IN the turmoil of day-to-day living. It is a peace that steadies you and a calm that encases you even with life is not calm around you.
Jesus told His followers that after He returned to Heaven God the Father would send them the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, who would teach them all things and remind them of everything Jesus had said. Jesus knew that His followers would need a Helper, an Encourager and a Comforter to keep them sharp in their faith and to fill them with this peace. He knew that they, and eventually us, you and I, would need to be reminded of the things Jesus taught and of the peace that He has for us.
He gives us one instruction as He promises this peace. He tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
“Do not let ….” Here again it sounds like we have a choice to make … and we do. We can choose to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with this peace and we can choose to remember all Jesus taught us about living in His strength. We choose. Faith and fear cannot occupy the same space nor can peace and turmoil occupy the same place in our hearts.
A number of years ago a dear friend of mine received some challenging news about her health. She ran to the Lord and asked the Holy Spirit to fill her with peace. Daily she traded in the fear that came to rob her and daily she received the peace that the world could not understand. Her doctor even told her she was in denial. Yet she wasn’t. She was simply living in the promise of peace that has been given to each of us as Jesus’ followers. The world cannot grasp this kind of peace.
Today if peace is short in your heart and mind remember that Jesus has given it to you. His Holy Spirit is there to remind you and to teach you how to live in that peace. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with peace.
When fear comes to nibble at your heart or rush through your door to trouble you – stop and remember that you can make a choice. “Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Though the trouble may remain the peace of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit pouring peace over your heart, will carry you through.
Prayer of action:
Father God,
Today I need the help of the Holy Spirit in allowing Your peace to fill my heart and soul and mind. May I not live in turmoil but choose to trade in my fear and my troubled heart for Your amazing peace and strength. It’s a gift I receive from You by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In the strong name of Jesus I pray, amen.
Question: How can you choose peace today?
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