DAILY DEVOTIONALS: 5.6.23

Strongin Grace “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2Timothy 2:1) In the Old Testament, “grace” (used 69 times) is often applied in the sense of personal favors or physical blessings. “For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm84:11). In the New Testament, however, the term (used 156 times) often seems to emphasize God’s personal empowerment or the granting of His unique spiritual favor, as is clear in the wonderful passage Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Once the saving grace has been given, the believer is expected to use that grace with victory in mind—confidence that empowers our spiritual life and witness. We are to be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Hence, we are to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians6:10) as we wrestle against the powers of darkness that battle us unceasingly. Although “[we] can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us]” (Philippians4:13), we must remember that those “things” include the entire spectrum of poverty to wealth and from hunger to satisfaction. God’s grace is strong enough to counter every worldly circumstance. We must remember, however, that even the greatest heroes of the faith endured intense opposition, seasons of pain and privation, and occasionally were tortured to death (Hebrews11:32-38). God’s strong grace is sufficient. “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2Corinthians 12:10). HMM III ------------------- TheBetter Hope “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh untoGod.” (Hebrews7:19) Men and women have many false hopes in this world, one of which is that they can earn heaven by good works. Even though God’s law is a perfect law, it can never make a person fit for heaven because no one can keep the law perfectly. There is a better hope,however, and that hope is “the hope of salvation” (1Thessalonians 5:8) “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians1:27). This “hope that is in you” (1Peter 3:15) is indeed a wonderful hope. In addition to the one in our text (“better”), there are three other adjectives in the New Testament relative to our Christian hope. First, it is called a “good hope.” “Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father...hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace” (2Thessalonians 2:16). Next, it is a “blessed hope.” “Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus2:12-13). Finally, it is a “lively [or living] hope.” “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1Peter 1:3). It is true, of course, that our hope is centered on the eternal future, for “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1Corinthians 15:19). Nevertheless, the proved resurrection of Christ makes it a good hope, a blessed hope, and a living hope. HMM ------------------ Songof Praise to the Creator “Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the LORD with harp: singunto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.” (Psalm33:1-3) Imagine yourself gathered in ancient days for worship, with stringed instruments tuned and temple choir poised to sing a song of praise. The song’s writer had consulted the scroll of the Pentateuch and read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and theearth” (Genesis1:1). Then he lifted his writing implement and carefully crafted a beautiful piece of music masterfully portraying Yahweh’s creation of and omnipotence over all things. Believer, imagine hearing these words sung by our choir and accompanied by professional musicians. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm33:6). We mere mortals can’t help but stand in awe of Yahweh. We have no choice but to submit to His divine sovereignty. Why? Because Yahweh used processes like natural selection and millions and millions of years to create His universe? Because He employed mutations, death, and destruction to craft complexity? Because our God authored “creative engines” like the Big Bang? Ofcourse not! Yahweh directly crafted His creation—“His” word, “He” spoke, “He” commanded—and all of His creation salutes Him! What should be our response? “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psalm33:8). Let us sing the Creator’s praise, for “the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth” (v. 4). CM ------------------- Calledto Discipleship - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit �Matthew 28:19 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/called-to-discipleship/- Listen While it�s true that not every person who makes a profession of faith is a Christian, it is equally true that not every Christian is a disciple. To put it another way, everydisciple is a Christian, but not every Christian is necessarily a disciple. We shouldn�t say, �This doesn�t apply to me. I�m just happy that I�m going to Heaven.� A true follower of Jesus should want to be a disciple. And what is discipleship? It�sliving the Christian life as it was meant to be lived. It�s living the Christian life as Jesus taught it and as the early church understood it. Discipleship is real Christianity. However, I think that some Christians are reluctant to want to live that way because it seems, well, radical. They don�t want difficulty, so they take the path of least resistance.Discipleship is challenging, but it�s fulfilling. It�s hard, but it�s more than worth it. Jesus said, �Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obeyall the commands I have given you� (Matthew 28:19�20 NLT). But we can�t help someone else be a disciple of Jesus if we are not first disciples ourselves. Here�s what it comes down to: Every follower of Jesus Christ should be a disciple. And we should either disciple someone who is less mature in the faith than we are or seekout someone who is more mature in the faith to disciple us. Discipleship is all about growing up. It�s about going to the next level. It�s about really living the Christian life to its fullest, as Jesus meant for us to live it. It�sbeing a disciple and, in turn, going out and making disciples of others. -------------------------------- How Division Can Bring Unity - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! �Luke 12:51 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/how-division-can-bring-unity/- Listen Billy Graham said, �Salvation is free, but discipleship costs everything we have.� That makes sense because some people don�t give their lives to Christ for fear of what othersmight think. In Luke 9 we find the story of a man whom Jesus called to follow Him. But instead of following Jesus, the man said, �Lord, first let me return home and bury my father� (verse59 NLT). It�s important for us to understand that the man was using a common figure of speech that meant �I can�t do it right now. Let me wait until my parents have died and are buried,and then when it�s more convenient, I�ll follow You.� He was making excuses, and people do the same thing today. They don�t want to follow Jesus because they don�t want to jeopardize a relationship, or they�re afraid that itmight cause tension in the family. That�s right. It will. Jesus said, �Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other! From now on families will be split apart, three infavor of me, and two against�or two in favor and three against� (Luke 12:51�52 NLT). However, this is division that can ultimately bring unity. It�s friction that can ultimately bring peace. Let�s say, for example, that someone becomes a Christian and their family resents it. In fact, their family makes fun of them. But then as the believer makes a stand, onefamily member comes to Christ. Then two more become Christians. And then one day, an entire family that was full of nonbelievers is now a Christian family that is leaving a godly legacy to the next generation. Are you willing to say, �Lord, I want to love You more than anyone or anything else�? That�s a good place to begin. --------------------------- Prerequisitesfor Christian Unity �If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit,if any bowels and mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.� (Philippians 2:1-2) Churches haven�t changed much in 2,000 years. The call to unity in these verses is as needed now as it has always been. Let us examine the prerequisites for unity found here. Consolation in Christ: The Greek word translated �consolation� is frequently translated �exhortation,� and that seems appropriate here. The �exhortation in Christ� immediately follows this passage where His beautiful life of humility becomes the exhortationto unity among believers, since disunity ultimately comes from pride (v. 3). Comfort of love: Comfort could be rendered �encouragement,� implying a tender act of incentive. The agape love that the Holy Spirit produces in the life of a believer produces the incentive to unity. When believers truly love one another in this fashion, unity prevails. Fellowship of the Spirit: The Holy Spirit makes possible a precious relationship between believers. Through the Spirit�s empowering, our wills can be molded into Christlikeness, enabling us to live in unity with our fellow saints. Bowels and mercies: In the Western world, the heart is referred to as the seat of our innermost affections, here called �mercies,� or, literally, �compassionate yearnings and actions.� When Christians have tender compassion for one another, divisions cease. The four prerequisites for unity are then Christlike humility, Spirit-produced agape love, a yielding of the will of each believer to the Spirit, and tenderheartedness toward one another. May God grant that they will know we are Christians by our love. JDM ----------------------- ActionVerbs �Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.� (Psalm148:5) The concept of �fiat creation� is opposed by evolutionists and all who believe in the so-called geologic ages. Nevertheless, this is clearly the teaching of the Word of God, and God was there! Psalm 148 exhorts all the stars to praise the Lord, and then notesthat, as soon as God spoke, they �were created.� Similarly, �by the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.... For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast� (Psalm33:6, 9). It is worth noting that whenever the verbs �create� and �make� are used in reference to God�s work of creation, they are never in the present tense. God is not now creating or making stars or animals or people as theistic evolution requires; at the end of the six-day creation period, in fact, God �rested from all his work which God created and made� (Genesis2:3). This is the teaching of the New Testament also. �The worlds [that is, the space/time cosmos, the �aeons�] were framed [not �are being framed�] by the word of God [not �by processes of stellar evolution�], so that things which are seen were not made of thingswhich do appear [not �out of pre-existing materials,� as required by theories of chemical and cosmic evolution]� (Hebrews11:3). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself confirmed the doctrine of recent creation. �From the beginning of the creation [not, that is, four billion years after the solar system evolved] God made them [Adam and Eve] male and female� (Mark10:6). Thus, those who believe in the geologic ages are rejecting both the biblical record and the authority of Jesus Christ in order to attain ephemeral acceptance by the ungodly. This is a poor exchange! HMM --------------------- Growing More Like Christ - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. �Ephesians 4:15 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/growing-more-like-christ/- Listen After I accepted Christ on my high school campus, I could have so easily fallen through the cracks. But one day a guy named Mark, whom I had never met before, walked up tome and invited me to church. Basically, he discipled me. He also invited me to his house, where I met his Christian parents. We had Bible studies together around the dinner table, and Mark helped me get through my early days asa follower of Jesus Christ. Soon I found myself doing the same for other new believers. When Jesus walked our planet, He spent a lot of time with twelve handpicked disciples. And in Matthew 5 we find this interesting detail: �One day as he saw the crowds gathering,Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them� (verses 1�2 NLT). After this came the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus gave that message to His disciples who were gathered around Him. The point is that Jesus took time with them. They listenedto Jesus and followed Him around. Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a disciple, but every Christian should want to be one. It doesn�t mean that you must be perfect. But you should want to be a growingdisciple of Jesus. Jesus commanded His followers to �go and make disciples� (Matthew 28:19�20). It takes one to make one. Discipleship is really about living the Christian life to its fullest. Can you be there for someone else who is new in the faith? If you know someone who has recently accepted Christ, will you seek them out and invite them to church? Would yoube willing to help them grow spiritually? That is what new believers need. -------------------------- Fruit Production - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father �John 15:8 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/fruit-production/Listen One of the first things we do as Christians is produce spiritual fruit. Jesus said, �When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to myFather� (John 15:8 NLT). If we are really disciples of Jesus, then we will have spiritual fruit, or evidence, in our lives. For example, you stop doing sinful things and instead do godly things. That will intrigue some people in your life, and it might even perplex them. But it�s one way to producespiritual fruit. Another way is to give praise and thanks to God. Hebrews 13:15 tells us, �Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegianceto his name� (NLT). When you�re in church singing praises to God, that is producing spiritual fruit. A change in your conduct and character is also spiritual fruit. The Bible tells us, �But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!� (Galatians 5:22�23 NLT). However, spiritual fruit doesn�t grow overnight. For instance, you wouldn�t pull up a chair in front of a fruit tree and just sit there waiting for fruit to appear. Of course,you could do that, but you wouldn�t see anything. But if you were to set up a camera with time-lapse photography in front of that tree, you would see dramatic growth. The same is true with spiritual growth. We may not seeany changes happening because it takes time. We need to start by saying, �I want to take up the cross daily and follow Jesus because I want to find the life God has for me.� And we will find our purpose and meaning in life by putting God first. ----------------------------- Resultsof Religious Compromise �And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thouhelp the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.� (2Chronicles 19:2) Jehoshaphat was a godly king of Judah who faithfully served the Lord, but he made the tragic mistake of forming an alliance with ungodly king Ahab of Israel in fighting against their common enemy Syria. After all, he reasoned, they were �brothers,� both descendedfrom Abraham, so they could join together in battling the Syrians. As a result, although God continued to bless Jehoshaphat during his lifetime, this compromise eventually resulted in great tragedy in his family when his son and successor, Jehoram, married Ahab�s wicked daughter Athaliah and then slew all his own brothers,and soon he himself died of a loathsome disease (2Chronicles 21:4, 6, 19). The road of compromise eventually ends in a precipice, especially in matters regarding the integrity of God�s Word and His saving gospel. The timeless principle for Christians today is given in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15: �Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?...or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?� This warning and command is at least as greatly needed today as it was in Paul�s day. Spiritual, moral, and religious compromise seem to be endemic in the Christian realm today, in both doctrine and practice, and God would warn us that tragedy is imminent inthe generation of our children, if not before. �Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing� (2Corinthians 6:17). HMM ------------------------- A Holy Obsession - by Greg Laurie � www.harvest.org So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own �Luke 14:33 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/a-holy-obsession/- Listen When one of my granddaughters was little, she loved to collect stuffed animals. Whenever I traveled, she asked me to bring one home for her. But one day when we were talkingon the phone, she said, �Papa, I�m not obsessed with stuffed animals anymore. I�m just obsessed with talking to you.� That warmed my heart. And I thought about how, as believers, we should feel that way about our relationship with God. We should all be able to say, �Lord, I�m obsessed withtalking to You, walking with You, hearing from You, and knowing You.� In Luke 14 Jesus made this statement: �So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own� (verse 33 NLT). The New King James Version translates it thisway: �Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.� Does that mean it�s a sin to have a car or a house or money in the bank? Of course not. From the original language, we could also translate this verse �So you cannot becomeMy disciple without surrendering your claim to everything you own.� It�s a recognition that God is the owner. God is in control of it. We recognize that we�re simply stewards of what we have for a period of time. To be His disciples, we must turn over the title deeds of our lives to Christ. We are not actually owners; we are stewards. Everything we have will be passed on to someoneelse one day. It is not wrong to have a career, but it is wrong if a career has you. It is not wrong to have possessions, but it is wrong if your possessions have you. Things have theirplace, but not the most important place. As Christians, our only real passion and obsession in life should be Jesus Christ.