Confess and Believe

PRAYER PRACTICE

Prayer Journal – To begin your daily worship today, grab a pen and paper and write out a prayer to God. Not sure what to write? Try using ACTS to frame your prayer. Begin with adoration for who God is. Then move on to confession – being real about where you have fallen short in the last day or two. Give thanks to God for all that He gives (including forgiveness for the sin you just confessed!). And then finish with supplication – with your prayer requests to God. When you are done, tuck this away somewhere (so you can read it later and see how God has answered your prayers) and then move into hearing from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Romans 10: 1-21

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

God's Righteousness; Confess and Believe

by Tom Richards

Today we read about the apostle Paul’s sincere love and concern for his fellow Jews. His “heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” He further states “that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” Paul’s concern was that the Israelites had rejected Jesus and continued to strive to earn a righteous standing with God through the law.

Does Paul know what he is talking about when it comes to the Jews? The answer is clearly “yes’! This is the same Paul (Saul) who persecuted the early Church. The same Paul who was a “Hebrew of Hebrews” as we read in Philippians 3:4-6 “If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless."

Yet Paul came to realize that his pursuit of righteousness through the law did not work. His encounter with Jesus on the “road to Damascus” changed everything; so much so that in Philippians 3:8-9 he describes his accomplishments in his previous life as follows: “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

The unbelieving Jews in Paul’s day clung to the belief that they could somehow earn their righteousness with God. They “did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own.” Do we know people like that? Do we know people who consider themselves to be “good” but do not believe in Jesus? Do we fall into the trap of thinking we can earn our own righteousness with God by being “good”? 

Thankfully, in Romans 10:4 Paul shares the good news that “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." In Romans 10:9-10 he goes further, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” That is great news! That is the gospel!

Father, help us to have the same zeal for our unbelieving friends and neighbors as Paul did for his fellow Jews.  Help us to submit our possessions and accomplishments to your will. Please allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives so that we can share the good news of Jesus to an unbelieving world.  Amen

Remember His Great Love

Acts 20:22-24, 32

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

32“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Paul was a determined man. Once he had his encounter with Christ, on the road to Demascus, there was no stopping him.  In today’s passage we see him following the leading of the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, knowing that hardships and prison are a reality.  But he is determined. Determined to finish the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.  

You see, he experienced that grace first hand when God spared him is life. Once a man persecuting the church, hunting down Christians to be stoned to death, he now relentlessly shares the good news of Christ, counting his own life as nothing in comparison.

How passionate are you for Christ?  We, like Paul, have been given the same task.  Take some time today to consider how the grace of God covers you.  How in his mercy he has called you to him.  He does not see your flaws, your failures, your foolish decisions.  He sees someone with hope and a future.  He sees someone worth dying for.  

Do not fall weary. Finish the task set before you, go where the Spirit leads and testify to someone TODAY the good news of the grace of God.

You before Me

Acts 21:13 (NLT)
¹³  But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” 

'It's not all about me', is a phrase coined from Rick Warren's popular book, The Purpose Driven Life. It is a concept I remind myself of regularly. It is so easy and comfortable even, to make the happenings of each day to revolve around me. They must please me and/or fit into my comfort zone or I bail.

Even as a church, we have a tendency to do this. But as we grow in relationship with Jesus our attitude changes, our hearts expand beyond our small little world and we begin to recognize the masses, starving for what we have. They are so hungry they can't even identify what is it that is missing.

When I consider what it means to live a life worth imitating, I know it won't be easy. Paul was ready to give it all for the sake of The Gospel. Am I willing then to give up my will?  Am I prepared to take a back seat when all others are clamoring for the driver's seat?  Unity...not easy to attain...not easy to maintain...but worth the battle!


Acts 21-3:15

Ephesians 6:10-20 Life on Mission – Pray

The Armor of God

As we envision the Knights in Shining Armor of the past, we might be reminded of how courageous they appeared as the swordsmen raced toward one another upon the backs of  bold and determined steads. They were relentless until one or the other had fallen to his death.

There was a living, breathing human being inside each set of armor. Focusing on one in particular, let's speculate how this jousting match came to be: 

Likely as a young man, the knight began preparing for the day his competition would take place long before it happened. When the helmet was first placed upon his head, it strained his neck and put pressure on his temple. The breastplate made him uncomfortable as it dug into his ribs and made it difficult to breathe. As his belt was tightened, he groaned and wondered how he was going to manage. Placed in one hand was a gold plated shield he could barely lift, and in the other an ornate silver sword that made his arm and wrist ache as he raised it pridefully into the air. He was told that his feet should be at the ready at all times. Though excited about the challenge, he doubted himself and had no idea how he was going to find the strength to do the will of the king.

As time went on, the young knight to be was gaining strength. He listened to the other knights. He read up on the laws and rules of knighthood. He hung out with others who were in the same situation as he was, as well as those with more experience and asked questions that helped him grow as a knight. When he was alone, he worked with each piece of armor individually until he was comfortable with it and then added one after another until he was in full armor. Day after day the heart and soul of this knight grew stronger until he knew he was ready. Did he have a few twinges of doubt from time to time, sure, but overall he had the faith he needed to do the job . 

As we forge ahead with God's promise in hand, we too will be protected by armor, but this armor of the Lord is all housed within us.  

"Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,.....Stand firm then with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take the helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit which is the work of God. And PRAY in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests...." Ephesians 6:10-18

Our armor will feel heavy and awkward at first as well, yet continued prayer and faith will lighten the burden and make this "Life on Mission" well worth the challenge. How are you doing on your checklist?

Ephesians 6:10-20

Are You Using Your Gifts?

Just about everybody likes a gift.

 

On Christmas Day, kids wake up and bolt to the tree to see what Santa Clause has brought. When mom and dad wake up, the kids can’t wait to open the remaining presents.

 

Birthday gifts are always appreciated, but perhaps best gifts are those that somebody gives for no apparent reason at all.

 

Today’s reading is 1 Timothy 4. Paul is writing to Timothy, the leader of the Ephesus church, filling in for Paul who is on a missionary journey. Let’s focus on verse 14, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”

 

The church has several Christ given tasks. The Holy Spirit gives each church member a spiritual gift so that the church can complete its tasks.

 

As interim Pastor, Timothy was given the gift of proclaiming the Gospel.  While this is critical, it takes the use of many more gifts for a congregation to be successful. Paul lists some of the spiritual gifts in Corinthians and Romans. Among them are wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership and showing mercy.

 

Unlike Christmas gifts, I sometimes do not want to know what my spiritual gifts are. Perhaps a better way of looking at it is that I would rather do what I want to do, not what the Holy Spirit has gifted me to do. If I ignore my gifts, then I can rationalize to myself that there are good reasons for not doing more in Christ’s church.

 

And of course, understanding my gifts and utilizing them can put me outside my comfort zone. Changing jobs also puts me outside my comfort zone at first, yet I gladly accept those challenges. The feeling of discomfort does not last long.

 

Today’s reading is something I needed to hear, “Do not neglect your gift.”

 

Perhaps there are others like me in this regard. The church can only be effective if its members utilize their gifts. The Holy Spirit did not give us gifts for no apparent reason at all.

 

Do you know what your gifts are? Are you using them?

 

 

Travel Stories

Have you ever been on a trip, returned home and wanted to share what you saw with your friends and family? Photos were shared and many stories about the travel and the food were no doubt discussed.

Today’s story, Acts 14:26-28, is a lot like that. Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch where they left two years earlier to preach. The Antioch Christians wanted to hear of their travels and wanted to hear the things God had accomplished through them.

Paul and Barnabas had visited many towns and cities in modern day Turkey as well as the Island of Cyprus. They encountered sorcerers, abusive crowds, Jews who stoned Paul, and even people who thought Paul was a god. The stories must have been incredible!

But that is far from the best part. God “had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” The Gospel was now available, not just for the Jews, but for all people, everywhere!

This no doubt caused some problems. The Jews and Gentiles were not exactly the best of friends, although they tolerated each other. There were significant cultural differences and significant religious differences.

Paul’s preaching bridged the gap between the religious differences. The saving grace of God through Christ’s death and resurrection was meant for even the Gentiles. Christ displaced the multiple gods that the Greeks had, such as Hermes, Zeus, Neptune, Artemis and so forth. However, the Jewish Christians were going to have to live with many of the cultural differences, regardless how distasteful some of them might be.

Today we have the same obligation to preach Christ crucified that Paul had 2000 years ago. Our risk of being stoned or driven out of town for doing this is probably remote. However, we do have to deal with cultures that are different than we are used to, and I am not speaking of just ethnic differences.

There are things that some non-Christians do that irritate me. However, when trying to reach them with Christ, I have to overlook my irritation and carry out my assignment.

That is what Paul did, and that is what I can do too!

Philippians 1:12-30

Philippians 1:14 (NIV)
"Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly." 


Study materials on Philippians 1 tell of two ways the Gospel had been advanced as a result of Paul's imprisonment.  First, Paul made no secret about the fact he was in prison because of his love for Christ.  Because he was a follower of the man they had recently crucified, and he made it known, everyone was aware of Paul's predicament.  Even the soldiers who stood guard over him knew of his loyalty to the man from Galilee.  Instead of falling into self-pity or demanding his own release, Paul took this opportunity to make the Gospel known.

The second way the Gospel was advanced as a result of Paul's circumstances was it made his followers bolder, it helped to convince them they too could tell the world about Jesus and the salvation which He brought to the world.  This is a stunning fact, when you consider that the opposite would be true of most.  Fear would permeate followers of any other god, but disciples of the True God drew courage from Paul's example.

I still wrestle with the question, how would I act?  I am growing more and more confident that I too would be able to withstand the flaming arrows of the evil one.  I have been drawn to Ephesians 6:10-18 for a number of days now.  The message gained from reading about putting on The Armor of God seems to be so relevant to life these days; more so than in the past.  So, you may see more of this in the weeks to come.  The only way to spread the Good News of Jesus is to know it.  The only way to know it is to read, study and practice it.  Then we can, "speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly." 


Read Philippians 1:12-30 here

Listen to Philippians 1:12-30 here

John 1:1-14

The following verses are some of the most poetic lines in Scripture.  Having just finished the Christmas season the meaning of these Words ring familiar.  Monday we read in the first chapter of Genesis, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Today we are called to the beginning once again where we discover in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.


John 1:1-5 (NIV) reads like bullet points / a parallel with Genesis 1

• In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
•  He was with God in the beginning. 
•  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 
•  In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 
•  The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 

Can you identify when God became real to you?  Do you know when the Word became real to you?  I recognized there was a God early in life, as a very young child.  Like many children do, I grew up and found myself in a place where I still believed, but that belief meant nothing to me, until, someone allowed themselves to be used by God to reach me.  Has this happened to you?  Is this a story you should be telling so as to impact someone else with the Good News? 

Everyday is a day to proclaim the Gospel; to tell some one about the light that shines in your life.  There are many ways to do this, and today is the day to begin.  No one is guaranteed a tomorrow.



Read the John 1:1-14 text here.  Listen to an audio reading of the John 1:1-14 text here.

Test the Spirits - 1 John 4:1-6

I had a man at my house the other day to install a satellite system so I could get television reception in my new Northwood’s home.  He asked me if my husband was retired.  I am hesitant to let a total stranger know that I am alone in this big house, so I simply responded with, "We bought this place last year knowing it would be three years before retirement."

It bothered me that I wasn't straight forward with the young man, as he was just trying to be friendly.  A short time later when he was up in the loft installing a unit he asked me if I was Christian.  I said yes and he shared he saw my Bible lying open and felt safe to ask.  It was then it felt okay to share with him that I was alone.  He told me I was never alone because I was a Christian.  Wow - I did not expect that blessing.

"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. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God," (1 John 4:1-2)

Living in a world where we seldom hear someone profess Jesus Christ as their Savior it was a real treat to hear this young man tell me that with Jesus I am never alone.  Then he invited me to his church on Sunday.  I need to be willing to be used by God like this stranger did.

Read the 1 John 4:1-6 text here.