2018-04-04
Isaiah 6:8 NIV
Isaiah writes, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me!’ He said, ‘Go…!'” (vv. 8-9 NIV). In the preceding Scriptures Isaiah was making all sorts of excuses and telling God why he wasn’t qualified to do the job. But in God’s kingdom, calling trumps credentials every time! And the litmus test isn’t experience or expertise, it’s availability and teachability. If you are willing to go when God gives you the green light, He will take you to inaccessible places and do impossible things. Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Esther, Moses, Samuel, David, and Isaiah all have one thing in common. They all said, “Here am I.” Isn’t it ironic that we spend so much time and energy trying to figure out how to get to where God wants us to go, when all we have to do is simply say, “Here am I”? It’s God’s job to get us to where He wants us to go; our job is to make ourselves available. Like a doctor on call or a police officer on duty or a firefighter on shift, it’s our readiness to respond that God is looking for. Sometimes it’s a simple prompting to go out of our way and love our next-door neighbor. Sometimes it’s a calling to move halfway around the world. But it always starts with the little three-word prayer of availability: “Here am I.” That’s what Moses said at the burning bush. That’s what Caleb said when he finally set foot in the Promised Land. And that’s what God wants you to say today.
Soul food: Jer 22-24; Mark 1:1-8; Ps 6; Prov 8:32-33
2018-04-03
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
The Bible says God “created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” These are devastating times. A billion people are hungry, millions are trafficked in slavery, and pandemic diseases are gouging entire nations. Each year nearly two million children are exploited in the global sex trade. In the few minutes it took you to read today’s devotional, almost ninety children died of preventable diseases. More than half of all Africans don’t have access to modern health facilities. As a result, ten million die each year from diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria, and measles. And many of those deaths could be prevented by one injection. You ask, “What can I do about it?” God answers prayer, so you can pray for those who are suffering. You can give, whether it’s a lot or a little. And you can volunteer. You’re surrounded by great causes in need of people. And here’s why you should get involved: Your life is racing by, and if you aren’t careful, one day you’ll look up and your one shot at life will have passed you by. Some people don’t concern themselves with such thoughts. They grind through their days without lifting their eyes to look. They live and die and never ask why. If you want your life to matter, live it in such a way that the world will be glad you did. You were created and redeemed to “do the good things he planned for [you] long ago.” And when you stand before God, He will ask you how well you carried out your assignment, and reward you accordingly.
Soul food: Jer 18-21; Matt 28:16-20; Ps 69:19-36; Prov 8:30-31
2018-04-02
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 CEV
It’s not easy being a Christian parent in a world where peer pressure feels as if it’s crushing down on you at a million pounds per square inch; where values are at an all-time low and immorality at an all-time high. But with God’s help you can do it! To lead your children to Christ, do these five things: (1) Begin when they’re young, and read Bible stories to them each night. Let them hear you pray for them to know Jesus personally, constantly thanking Him for dying for their sins. (2) As you take them to church, explain what the various rituals and seasons (Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Easter, and Christmas) represent, and why they’re observed and celebrated. (3) Be sensitive to every spiritual question they ask, and take the time to answer their questions in a way they can understand. (4) Buy them Christian DVDs and cartoons that will present Bible truths on their level. (5) Trust the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom at the right time to present the gospel to them, and pray for their salvation continuously. On one occasion D. L. Moody reported “two and one-half conversions” at a service he conducted. Someone said, “I suppose you mean two adults and one child.” “No,” Mr. Moody replied. “I mean two children and one adult. The children can give their whole lives to God, but an adult has only half a life left to give.” And remember, the things we learn best are the things we hear most. So: “Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over.”
Soul food: Jer 14-17; Matt 28:11-15; Ps 69:1-18; Prov 8:27-29
2018-04-01
Romans 4:25 NLT
The Great Houdini promised he’d come back from the dead and talk to his friends. Some actually consulted mediums to see if there was any word from beyond the grave. But there wasn’t! Only one man who promised to rise from the dead, kept his promise. Jesus! And He did it “to make us right with God.” Business transactions in Bible days were relatively uncomplicated. Once the seller laid down a price and the buyer picked it up, the deal was done. On Good Friday Jesus laid down the price, on Easter Sunday God picked it up, and your salvation was paid for. But the greatest proof of the resurrection is found in the transformed lives of people all over the world. The songwriter put it like this: “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!” In one of His final appearances recorded in the book of Revelation, Jesus announced: “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore…Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die” (Revelation 1:18; John 11:26 KJV). Today Christ stands knocking at the door of your heart, saying, “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in” (Revelation 3:20). Unless you know Christ personally as your Savior, you’re without hope in this world and the one to come. The resurrection of Christ is your only hope. Without that you have nothing to look forward to but a hole in the ground. So today repent of your sins and place your trust in the One who died and rose again for you.
Soul food: 1 Cor 15; Matt 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12
2018-03-31
John 2:19 NIV
Let’s examine another theory put forth by those who try to disprove the truth of Christ’s bodily resurrection: the “Swoon Theory.” In his book, The Passover Plot, Hugh J. Schonfield theorizes that Jesus simply swooned, was taken down from the cross, and thought to be dead. Then in the coolness of the tomb He revived, came out, and convinced His disciples that He’d actually risen from the dead. It raises some interesting questions. For example, how come for eighteen hundred years prior to this theory, neither friends nor foes of Christianity ever mentioned it? And what about the Roman centurion who pierced Christ’s side with a spear, and blood and water came out – empirical evidence that life ceased because the blood had separated into its constituent elements? And what about the testimony of the centurion sent by Pilate: a man who dealt and trafficked in death, whose business it was as an executioner to know that Jesus was dead? Then there’s the question of the grave clothes. Jews customarily wrapped dead bodies in grave clothes and used a hundred pounds of spices between the folds, sealing the garments around the corpse, like a mummy. The head was also wrapped. How could Jesus have breathed? And how could a man in such a weakened condition remove the great boulder that sealed His tomb and overcome the Roman guards? It takes more faith to believe that than it does to believe the truth of what really happened! Christ is risen!
Soul food: Exo 12:1-14; Matt 27:57-66; Ps 49:1-15; Deut 21:22-23
2018-03-30
1 Thessalonians 4:14 NIV
Let’s look at some theories peddled by those who’ve tried to deny the resurrection. Some say that because the Gospels were written two to three hundred years after the event, the story was either falsified or embellished. But archaeology disproves that. Now we know that the Gospels go back to the authors whose names they bear, and that the testimony of the resurrection goes back to the decade in which it took place. So there was no time for legend to develop! Some say that the disciples experienced visions or hallucinations because Christ promised to rise from the dead and they fully expected Him to. But in the history of hallucinations there is no incident where five hundred people from different backgrounds ever saw the same vision at the same time. And what about the two disciples on the Emmaus Road who walked and talked with Christ after His resurrection, then ate supper with Him? (See Luke 24:13). Were they hallucinating too? When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost about his “great hallucination,” he was standing only ten minutes away from the tomb (See Acts 2:24). Thousands of people believed; others heard it and didn’t believe. Did no one think of walking down the street to check it out? Certainly those conspiring Sadducees would have taken every opportunity to show that this was simply a hallucination. On coastlines there are lighthouses shining, and attracted by the light, birds fly into them only to end up wounded or dead. That reminds us of the critics of Christ’s resurrection, doesn’t it?
Soul food: Gen 22:1-18; Matt 27:33-56; Ps 22; Isa 53
