FEBRUARY 18, 2022

BIBLE READINGS


Ephesians 4:1-6

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.



Hebrews 12:14

14Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Let’s Choose the Big Picture

It’s no secret that our world seems more divided than ever. We certainly know that from our own beloved Canada is recent times. Whether it is political parties pointing the accusing finger at one another, and attaching labels on each other, or division we have witnessed along the lines of race, religion, vaccinations, or mandates there always seems to be a tension in the relational, spiritual, and political climate of our world.

This week we have reflected on several different things to incorporate into our relationships with people we may not agree with. Loving people because Jesus called us to, showing respect by managing our demeanor, avoiding fruitless arguments, and empathizing with others to see life from their lens are all wise and helpful approaches. I admit that some of what we have looked at seems like too difficult a task to put differences aside, but it can be done.

We could with God’s help “pre-decide” that we’re going to choose people over policies and relationships over rules. What if…

· we exhibited patience

· we listened to understand

· we gave respect to the other as God’s creation

· we focused on what we have in common

· we chose the big picture?

Let’s not forget that God so loved...the world. Every single soul on this planet, past, present, and future, He loves. While we’ll never have His capacity to love people, we are still called to grow in grace and be generous in love toward others.

Don’t you find that having people in our lives we don’t agree with makes us stronger? If we only surround ourselves with people we always agree with, we’ll never be stretched. And as we learn from others, it’s okay if our viewpoints change.

But, as followers of Christ, we have to remember that adopting our own version of the truth is not what God has called us to. We always line up our views with a godly perspective. We are to live according to His truth.

What we can do is represent Jesus by showing love, respect, and empathy, all wrapped with truth and grace.

At the end of the day, the point of loving people we disagree with is unity. Whatever the issue is, we can choose people first. Because if we, as followers of Jesus, want people to know our Savior and Lord the way we do, that’s where we must start. Let’s represent Jesus well so that others want to know Him. And when they do, the Holy Spirit is quite capable of leading them to adjust any viewpoints that are inconsistent with His truth.

PRAYER

Maybe our Prayer to end this week should be the words of St. Francis of Assisi. Give it a listen below and make it your prayer too.

 

 

THE GIFT OF EMPATHY

 

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

BIBLE READING

John 8:1-11 NLT

1Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

THE GIFT OF EMPATHY

I am sure you have heard of the word sympathy. Simply put, sympathy is when we have common feelings of sadness or pity for and with someone else. Empathy has similar beginnings as sympathy, but it’s quite different. While sympathy suggests that you share the feelings of someone else because of a similar experience, empathy implies that you have the capacity to imagine the feelings someone else had, but you haven’t felt them yourself.



It’s easy to sympathize with someone because we’ve walked through the same thing, but empathy requires a bit of work on our part. It’s not something most people grasp or do. But, to navigate relationships with others with whom we don’t see eye to eye, we have to work at this important quality.



Listen With Purpose

When we take the time to hear other people out, we value them by showing love and respect. As we truly listen to them, we can learn why they believe what they do. This helps us to get a glimpse into their lives. As we’re listening, preparing our response while they’re still talking is like getting ready to debate them. The thing we want to look for in this kind of scenario is that the two people coming together value each other more than they care about being right.




Tell me Your Story

Learning someone’s reasons will help us see their view and keep us from judging too quickly. If someone shares the “why” behind why they believe in something you don’t, consider the background they’re sharing. People often land on their worldviews and stances because of their upbringing, which includes both positive and negative experiences. When we allow ourselves to step into their world, for even just a few minutes, we’re less likely to show judgment.

Today’s Gospel reading offers a comparison between law and love. Those who brought the women to Jesus were heavy handed, lacked even a small measure of grace. Where was the woman’s adultery partner? Moses says “stone her.”

Jesus’ response though is one of love and compassion. He challenges the law as her accusers are using it by challenging them that if they are without sin, if they are law keepers, then you throw the first stone. They all gradually went away. Jesus gentle words to the women were not condemnation, but love and challenge, Go, and sin no more.

Empathy is a key component to a healthy relationship. Expressing it allows us to see the person for who they are, to understand a different point of view, and to ultimately, in my view represent Jesus well.

PRAYER

Lord, grant me the wisdom to see the good in each person I meet.

Grant me the empathy to understand their life situation and respect them enough to extend loving support, while sharing God's love with dignity.

Allow me, Lord, to recognize opportunities to stand with others, friend to friend.

Amen.

 

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

BIBLE READINGS

Romans 12:9-10 

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

 

Philippians 2:3-4 

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.



On Monday our devotion emphasized that 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, reminds us that simple gestures and gifts of love are to be our everyday gifts to others, not just on one day a year.

On Tuesday our devotion emphasized that there will always be things in our relationships that we “agree to disagree on.” We concluded with loving others while disagreeing with them at the same time is possible, not easy, but with God’s help by the Holy Sprit we can learn to grow in this area.

Today lets reflect on one important area for Growth.

_______________________

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU RESPECT

To show respect to someone means that we esteem them. Even if we don’t agree with someone’s stance, we can still treat them respectfully. It’s not about feeling respect for them but showing it to them.

If you want to learn how to show respect to others, try spending time with someone who doesn’t agree with you. Showing respect when we think someone else’s viewpoint or belief system is completely wrong can be challenging. There are some things we can do as we interact with others who don’t share our worldview and beliefs.

Ask Questions Respectfully
When we ask questions respectfully, we open a doorway to learn why someone believes what they do. It gives us a peek inside their hearts and minds and allows us to really see them. Instead of making condescending statements when someone shares their opinion, try asking, “How did you come to that belief?” We respect others by showing respect in the way we ask and answer questions.

Watch Your Tone
Disagreeing with someone isn’t a huge deal, and is easy to deal with if the situation doesn’t get heated. But, unfortunately, we get bothered when someone doesn’t see a situation or have the viewpoint the way we do. When that happens, we lash out with our words and display an equal annoyance. So, consider how you want to be treated. Let’s leave that mean or angry tone out of the disagreement equation.

Avoid Arguments
Most arguments are pointless. We only have so much energy each day and to give it to wasteful and time-zapping arguments, including ones on social media, means we have nothing left in our relational reserves for those closest to us. You might say, “But I need them to hear my point!” Why? To win the argument? We can’t change people. We can only change ourselves and be in control of how we respond. Don’t let argument-prone people dictate your actions. Those kinds of interactions do nothing to build a bridge in a relationship. They only strain it more.

What I am suggesting above, is hard stuff right. I tell you from my own personal journey this has been a great struggle, and I have some growing yet to do. As I mature in Christ, I have come to understand that as followers of Jesus, we should set the standard for respect because of who Jesus is in our lives. He doesn’t force us to follow Him but died on the cross so we would. Let’s represent Him well as we encounter people who know Him and those who don’t. Let’s lovingly discuss with our fellow believers, and lets not expect non-Christians to hold a Christian world view. As we show people respect in how we treat them, we can trust that God is working in the situation.

I worked with a gentleman who was a self described agnostic. When I started working with him, he was terribly hard on me, he would watch me struggle with things and stand back and laugh, he would say things to me that he knew were hurtful and offensive, he would play music in our area from a station that played music from the thrities and forties, just wasn’t my taste for music and he knew it. At one point I thought I don’t think I can possibly work with this guy. I am going to see if I can go back to my old job. 

Then one day, he was struggling with a problem, and I stood back and laughed at him, and then I helped him. From that moment on our relationship changed. I never did argue with him about his agnostic views but over time I learned he had been wounded deeply by a Church experience. When he shared his heart with me, I began to see him in very different light. He became one of the best guys I ever worked with. When as a theology student I was asked to preach at a local Church, guess who showed up in support. That’s right, my agnostic co worker. Afterward, he said “you done good, kid”. God was at work through it all. Hey, I even learned to like some of that 40’s music he blasted at our work station.

I believe the advice from our readings today are worth reflecting on and practicing “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.” That’s showing respect.

TOWARD A GENEROUS LOVE

 

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

BIBLE READINGS



John 13:34-35

34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”



Romans 12:9-19

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”



1 Corinthians 13:4-7 

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

TOWARD A GENEROUS LOVE

We’ll never completely agree with another person on everything. Not a family member, our spouse or best friend, not even a fellow worshipper. The reason for this at least in part is that we are individuals and there is not a single person like you. This means there won’t be anyone with your exact viewpoint on life, politics, money, relationships, or theology. You are uniquely you, and so is the person next to you.

While this may be true that we are all different, we can still love others. Why is it important to love people that we do not agree with? Well, because Jesus said so. He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34 NIV). When Jesus commanded us to love others, He didn’t say that we had to agree with them first. So, what does this Jesus love look like?

Love considers others first.
Love looks for the best.
Love shows respect.
Love seeks unity.
Love isn’t selfish.
Love offers the best.
Love displays patience.

I believe we likely all know that loving others can involve pain. Love means putting your heart out there for someone and they may potentially wound you. As many songs assert “Love stings, Love Hurts”.

Here is what Jesus invites us to do, He says, Love means being generous and thinking about the needs of others before we think of our own. Now that’s counter cultural, isn’t it?

There will always be things in our relationships that we “agree to disagree on.” It could be the way we do our finances—some of us choose to live debt free, others don’t. It could be when we decide to start or end our day—some of us are early to bed, while others stay up late. Some of us think 68 degrees is perfect setting of our home thermostat while for others 72 degrees is the ideal. Or it could be more serious differences that concern politics, social issues, current events, or Christian ethics. I believe, loving others while disagreeing with them at the same time is possible, not easy, but with God’s help by the Holy Sprit we can learn to grow in this area.


PRAYER

Ask God to help you to love those with whom you think differently ask him to show you where you need to grow in this area. 

 

 

 

FEBRUARY 14, 2022

BIBLE READING

I Corinthians 13:4-7

“Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

SIMPLE GESTURES

I Corinthians 13 is the famous biblical love chapter. It’s beautiful because it describes the kind of perfect love that God has for us and through him, we are able to love our spouses, children, extended family, co-workers, and neighbors this same way, yes even our enemies. It’s an active love; a love that is more committed to the other person than our own feelings at the time. It is important to notice that “Gift” giving isn’t even mentioned in this list, I believe the reason is that this love is worth so much more than anything we could ever afford to purchase.

I like a gift as most of us do, I like to give gifts too. Don’t you find that sometimes a gift is a hit and sometimes it’s a miss? I remind you, whether you are the giver or receiver, the gift is never the sum of how much we love or are loved. We can enjoy absolutely enjoy Valentine’s Day as a good excuse to spoil the ones we love and share God’s love in a special way with those who are lonely and hurting. But let’s stay focused: no material thing or sentimental card can ever replace the simple gestures of God’s love expressed every day.

My suggestion today is that is what 1 Corinthians 13 above reminds us of is that simple gestures and gifts of love are to be our everyday gifts to others, not just on one day a year.




REFLECTION

Reading over the key passage, what aspects of love are your strengths? Weaknesses?




PRAY

Ask God to show you practical ways you demonstrate his perfect love to others daily.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!!

 

FEBRUARY 11, 2022

I do not know how you all are feeling today, but as I sit to write our Friday devotion I am feely deep sorrow and grief over the situation that has and is evolving in our country. I have this deep sadness that I hardly can figure out what to write. So I am going to just post a prayer for our country. 

I am thinking that maybe this is something I should have been praying everyday not just at a percieved crisis point. I love our Country. So join me in this prayer, today, tomorrow, .... 

2 Chronicles 20:12

                               

O Lord Our God, 

we do not know what to do, 

but our eyes are on you.

Ephesians 2:14

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility

______________________

LET US PRAY


Lord God, we desperately need your wisdom. You have given us a great country, founded on principles and truths from Your Word. We need men and women who will honor You, trust You, and lead us once again back to You. We pray for servant leaders who love the things You love and who care more about others than themselves.




Give us leaders with discerning hearts, bold faith, and wise minds that model Your character. Teach them-and us-not just what is good, but what is best. Guide them in the way our country should go. Give them purity in their intentions, and godliness in their convictions. Energize their spirits and bodies physically and spiritually and keep them emotionally secure in the knowledge of who You are-and whose they are. Help them to be bighearted and sincere, energetic in goodness, and courteous in their manners.




Raise up leaders with the greatest potential of godly leadership, those who can ease confusion, expose illusion, and heal delusion. You alone hold the power to turn the hearts of leaders, but You listen and use our prayers to move them into right action. Help us to be faithful to care and to pursue Your heart in prayer.




Help our leaders to be quick to admit failure, but ready to rebound in persistent resilience. Encourage them to choose wisely, and when they don’t know what to do, help them keep their eyes on You. Let them take a firm stand on issues that truly matter to You, regardless of the consequences or approval ratings. Make them God-pleasers, not puppets; leaders filled with conviction, not corruption.




As a nation, God, help us to desire righteousness more than rights, and to mirror sacrifice more than selfishness. You know us well, and You understand our flaws. Turn those weaknesses into strengths; bathe us with Your grace and mercy, though none of us deserve it. Fill us with the boldness to choose the kind of freedom that will benefit all, rather than a few. Open our eyes to see others as You do-with godly potential and value. But help us, too, to recognize our own pride in trying to elevate ourselves and others above You and Your purpose for our lives.




We need, You, God. Oh, how we need You! You have exercised nothing but faithfulness and fairness in Your treatment of our country, even when we’ve turned our back on You and forgotten Your goodness to us. Your discipline at times is hard, but You are just. Your purpose is always to draw us close to You, to bless us, and to make us a nation who honors You. You are a good, good, Father-and Your love for us has a proven track record.




Forgive us for wanting our own way and making our own paths-often the ones paved with least resistance. Forgive us for fence-walking, or for ignoring completely the truths that can so easily set us free. Deliver us from mindless quarrels and destinations that lead us nowhere, but away from You. Free us from divisiveness, and melt our hardened hearts to love, not hate, and to heal, not debate.




Our history has cried for king-like leaders who will solve our problems and meet our needs. But there is only one King, and that is You, Lord. We have blindly sought answers from others to life’s unresolved questions through the years, but You are the only wise Counselor. We have longed for peace, but You are the only Peacemaker, and the only Prince of Peace. We've clung to our weapons of warfare, not as measures of defense, but as strongholds of selfish pride. We look at outward appearances; You see the heart. With You, nothing formed against us can prosper. Without You, we are nothing.




Make us a great nation, yes. But more than that, make us good, Lord, with a heartbeat that wants every person of every creed and color to know Your love, Your goodness, and Your worth. Make us wise as serpents, but gentle as doves. Turn our fears to faith, as we look to You and You alone for the future of our country. Give us God-confidence that no matter what happens, we will believe You are not only in control, but that You know exactly what is needed to accomplish Your purpose. Help us not to second-guess Your moves, but to move at Your command, always without hesitation.




We look to You and to You, only, Lord. Help us make wise decisions that move our country in the right direction. Help us to do our part in praying and in staying with what we know is right according to the truth of Your Word. Teach us to make our actions count and our words matter, and line them both up to Your sense of rightness, not ours. Guide us with Your eye; grip us with Your strong arm; teach us what we need to know to make our lives-and our nation-count for you. We pray for our leaders, but we ask You to make us both leaders and followers: leading in the way of Truth, and following those who honor You.


In the precious and powerful name of Jesus,
Amen

____________________

 

FEBRUARY 10, 2021

PSALM 139:13

“For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”

I GOTTA BE ME!!

I want to start off today with something I often say when officiating a wedding. Standing in front of me are a Bride and Groom, who have said that the person standing beside them is the choice of their heart to spend their life together. They are in the words of scripture the “two becoming one.” Beautiful isn’t it? Yet, I also add this to what I say,

Real love is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own. But real love is not total absorption in each other; it is looking outward in the same direction --together. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger so you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you dared not risk alone.

It is something like this that happens when we Open our hearts to God, there is a beauty, a oneness, a unity that results, but this does not mean that who you are, your uniqueness as a person somehow disappears.

You see, God will never ask you to be anyone other than who you are. He’s not asking you to be just like other believers. He’s not asking you to copy those around you that seem to be well-liked or accepted. In other words, God doesn’t spend time trying to cover up who we are. Rather, God devotes himself to uncovering who we truly are—who he made us to be.

Psalm 119:13 says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” God formed you wonderfully and uniquely. He gave you a personality, gifts and abilities, and a calling all your own.

God looks past all the exteriors we create to try and fit in. He sees through all our efforts to cover up what makes us unique and different. He sees us for who we really are women and men fully loved and accepted by our Creator.

Craig Dennison writes the following:

“Discovering your identity begins with a journey with God to your heart. If you’re wondering who you truly are, you need not look past yourself, but rather, with the Holy Spirit, take an honest look at yourself. Don’t shy away from your insecurities. Don’t shy away from that which makes you different. Allow God to reveal how he sees you. Allow him to reveal to you the true desires of your heart. And allow him to lay a secure foundation for you built on his unconditional love that you might live vulnerably and honestly.”

Today, allow God to reveal how he sees you. Ask him how he has formed you and made you unique. And allow him to empower you to be yourself today.

___________________________

BONUS

Reflect on some of these scriptures as you prayer fully come before God today.



1. Psalm 139:13-14 You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.


2. Psalm 119:73-74 You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.


3. Isaiah 64:8 Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.


4. Matthew 10:29-31 What is the price of two sparrows–one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.


5. Jeremiah 1:4-5 The LORD gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”


6. Psalm 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

 

 

OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART

 

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

PROVERBS 4:23

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, 

for from it flow the springs of  life.”

_____________

 

 "OPEN THE EYES OF MY HEART"

I have come to understand that if we are going to experience the full and abundant life that God has for us, we must learn to live with an open heart.  Living with this open heart is not always easy, because some of us are wounded and hurt by life experiences, as a result we live a closed off and self-protecting life. We go through our days with protective walls up around our hearts, and understandably so. Yet, in that state of being we can miss God’s nearness, fail to notice the time of God’s visitation.  God is calling us deeper, God’s wants us to know abundant life. He’s calling you and me to encounter him with an unrestricted access. God invites us to a safe, uncluttered, and vulnerable place where we will discover the benefits of an open heart: life, hope, peace, and joy.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Life comes from the heart both physically and spiritually. Just as the heart pumps blood out to the rest of your body, your heart pumps out spiritual life. In scripture “heart” often refers to a person's center for both physical and emotional-intellectual-moral activities. Our heart is the place where God is constantly speaking. God wants you to experience his presence at your very core.

I believe Jesus had this in mind for us, when in John 15:4 he says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” God longs to be with you. God longs to speak to you, guide you, pour out his love on you, and remain with you every day, moment by moment. 

I invite us all to take time today to open our heart to our loving God. Ask God to reveal to you any walls you have built up around your heart. Cast down any walls you’ve built up at the feet of Jesus and open your heart to him. Today, may you find that newness that only God can provide.

 

CENTERED on WHAT?

 

FEBRUARY 8, 2022

BIBLE READING

JEREMIAH 24:7

“I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” 

 

 CENTERED ON WHAT?

We were made for relationship with our Creator. “We were made to know and be known by him.” This truth defines our identity and our behaviors. This truth is meant to lay the foundation on which we live, think, feel, and act.

I believe we would all confess today that we have lived with wrong things at the center of our lives. I know that I have.  Here is what I found, when my life is centered on self-focused pursuits, like earthly success, admiration of others, identity in my work,  (you add yours), I only found disappointment, exhaustion, and unfulfilled desires. Not the greatest outcomes!!

God says to each of us, there is another way. God says that we can stop this self-c3entered pursuit and start enjoying life centered on intimacy with our Creator. Jeremiah 24:7 says, “I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.”  We are created to live out of the powerful knowledge that our God is real, knowable, loves us, and is closer to us than we think.

What you need to be reminded of today, me too is that

You were made to live with the knowledge of God’s love in every life moment You were made to taste and see that your God is good.

You were made to live in communion with your Creator, that every moment would be filled with the abundance of his presence.

You were made to know that God has life for you. He has love for you. He desires the best for you. God wants your heart.

Today let’s center our life around relationship with him. Let’s root and ground ourselves in his unceasing love and faithfulness. I really, really believe that when we take that step, our lives will be forever changed as we set your eyes (center, focus) on the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

"PROMPTLY and SINCERELY"

 

FEBRUARY 7, 2022

In today’s devotion we are going to focus on the fact that we talked about on Sunday in our Talk, God is first and foremost after our hearts. That’s another way of saying that God wants us to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him.  May the truth of God’s pursuit of our hearts, and God’s grace-filled commitment to us, stimulate a pursuit within us of his heart. What if, as I suggested last week Friday, we were to begin our day with “God, what will we do together today?” as we set out to experience the fullness of his love and compassion.

 

BIBLE READING

PSALM 23:6

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.


MY HEART: "PROMPTLY and SINCERELY"

We have relationship with our Creator not because we sought him out, but because he is always pursuing us. Seeking our hearts.

Ephesians 1:16-18 says:

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.

If we need a fresh understanding of God’s pursuit we need only to pray as Paul did: asking God to enlighten the eyes of our hearts. We need only to look to the pages of Scripture and see story after story of God pursuing those who turned away from him. The book of Haggai describes the heart of God to pursue his people and seek to have them turn toward him.

Here is the beautiful message of the Bible, I remind you of it often, because it’s too good not to share. There is nothing we could do to keep God from pursuing us. There is no sin too great, no distance we could run, that would discourage God from loving us. From the moment we were born God has been pursuing your heart, longing for relationship with us.

God is after your heart right now. He simply wants you to know He is with you and for you. Respond to God’s pursuit today by giving him your heart.

I believe Augustine understood this truth when he declared:

 

 Give God your whole heart in response to his great love and grace for you. Open the door of your heart to him and rest in a revelation of his loving-kindness. May your heart find peace, joy, and fulfillment today in the fact that God will never stop pursuing you.

 

 

 

 

 

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

BIBLE READINGS

Haggai 2:18-23

18‘From this day on, from this twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, give careful thought to the day when the foundation of the Lord’s temple was laid. Give careful thought: 19Is there yet any seed left in the barn? Until now, the vine and the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree have not borne fruit. “ ‘From this day on I will bless you.’ ” 20The word of the Lord came to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month: 21“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother. 23“ ‘On that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like my signet ring, for I have chosen you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Romans 13:11-12

11And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.


2 Corinthians 6:2

2For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

THE TIME IS NOW

I read one time the following: "Sometimes we overestimate what God will do in the short term and underestimate what He will do in the long term." What do think, do you do that? Here is something I keep learning, that when God makes promises, He never breaks them. In Haggai’s time, the people were disappointed and ready to quit when they didn’t see the immediate results they expected. Sounds very familiar doesn't it? Hits close to home for many of us.


REFLECT


As you think about the scriptures above here are a few questions to ponder.

What “seed” is still in the “barn” in your life?


What are your hopes?


What harvest are you looking forward to?


A FINAL THOUGHT


The way I see it, God has chosen us, just like He chose Zerubbabel to lead in Haggai’s time. What a special picture to be a signet ring, an emblem of God’s identity. When we give our hearts to Him fully, we carry His identity. How will you recommit yourself to building up your spiritual strength? The time is now.

PRAYER


God, I’m willing to wait to see results on Your timing, but I’m ready to do Your work now.


Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your life to include me as a builder of our Father’s house. Amen.

CHALLENGE

Commit to start each day by praying, “God, what will we do together today?”

 

FEBRUARY 3, 2022

BIBLE READINGS

Haggai 2:15-17

15Now then, consider from this day onward. Before stone was placed upon stone in the temple of the Lord, 16how did you fare? When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten. When one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were but twenty. 17I struck you and all the products of your toil with blight and with mildew and with hail, yet you did not turn to me, declares the Lord.

John 14:23

23Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.


Romans 8:28

28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

HUNGRY I COME TO YOU

Just like in the Old Testament, hard times can drive us to seek God with a hunger for Him that is sometimes lessened in easier times. While bad things aren’t always from God, it’s true that God sometimes allows hard things in our lives to drive us to seek Him more. Author C. S. Lewis called these experiences "God's Megaphone" God's amplified voice of love seeking to awaken or alert us to long and hunger for him more deeply. I have found, perhaps you have as well, God never disciplines us to punish us. He always disciplines out of love and care to restore us to himself.

That is what we witness in the story described in Haggai. The people didn't stop believing in God, nor did they did they forget the call to build the temple, they just became distracted by other things, and those other things were of lesser importance. Doesn't that happen in your life? It sure happens in mine! It is easy to be distracted isn't it? The Psalmist says "My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God." (Psalm 84:2) Now that is hungering for God. Near the end of Psalm 84 the Psalmists proclaims

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withholdFrom those who walk uprightly.

How do we walk "uprightly"? Well the answer is by our obedience to God, as John 14 says above by "keeping his word." Notice the promise John 14:23 ends with is that God will make his home in us. What better outcome coould there be!!

REFLECT

What hardships has God allowed in your life?

Did you respond to these difficulties by drawing closer to Him, or did they push you further away?

REMEMBER

God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3

PRAYER

“Lord Jesus, my soul aches at the mere mention of Your name. My heart leaps for every rumor of Your coming, and each possibility that You will manifest Your presence. I’m not satisfied with mere spiritual dainties. I’m ravenously hungry for You in Your fullness. I’m desperate to feast on the bread of Your presence and quench my thirst with the wine of Your Spirit.”

(Prayer from Tommy Tenney, Experiencing His Presence: Devotions for God Chasers)

 

FEBRUARY 2, 2022

BIBLE READINGS

Haggai 2:5-9 NIV

5‘This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And my Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.’ 6“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty. 8‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty. 9‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

Exodus 6:6-7

6“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

YOU ARE FREE

As I was thinking about our readings today, the words of the Apostle Paul kept going through my mind. THose words found in Galatians 5:1 "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

In verse 5 above, Haggai recalls a time when God’s people were slaves in Egypt, and God set them free. Today I have a short exercise for us, that I believe will help us to remember the "freedom that Christ has set us free" from.

REFLECT

What has God set you free from in the past?




What do you need God to shake loose from you right now?




Where do you need His glory to be revealed to you?




Are there areas of your life where you need to experience more freedom?




Where do you need to experience more of His peace?




Prayer

God, will You reveal Your glory, freedom, and peace in the weakest parts of me? Lord, continue to show me these parts that need to be rebuilt.