Devotions

Rom 8:1: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  [NIV]

The word used for condemnation is only used in the New Testament in this verse and in Romans 5:16, 18. It is a legal term, speaking of the verdict and sentence issued by a judge in a court of law. Under the law we are all guilty – that’s the verdict.  Because the verdict is guilty, the sentence has been pronounced – death.  That’s condemnation.

For those who are in Christ Jesus, however, there is no, not any, not one condemnation.  None. When a believer sins (and believe me we still do that), we don’t go back to court to stand before a judge, we go to a Father who loves, convicts, disciplines and forgives His children–all because of what Christ Jesus did for us.

Understanding the difference between conviction versus condemnation is one of the hardest things to get deep down into our hearts.  So often we hear the enemy of our souls shouting to us, “if you really were a good Christian, you would not have done that,” or things along that same line.  That’s condemnation’s theme song.

As children of our Eternal Father, we hear conviction. “Child, I love you, I know you do not want to displease me.  Come to me, let us work together, I will forgive and lead you in paths of righteousness.”  That’s conviction’s theme song.

Remember:  Condemnation always leads us away from God. Conviction always leads us toward Him.

Isa 41:13:  “For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”   [NIV]

God takes hold of our right hand. God speaks His assurance into our lives – “do not fear, I will help you.” Not, I might help you, or I can help you, or I could help you. His word to us is I will help you.

 One of the things I miss most now that my children are all grown is little hands reaching up for me to hold. I miss that little hand in mine walking through stores or along pathways. I miss those little hands so trusting. Even my grandsons have grown beyond that hand-holding stage.

There is something exceedingly precious about holding the trusting hand of a child. I wonder if God feels the same way when we lift our hands to Him, when we ask Him to take hold because we are in need of help, or are fearful, or need comforting. I wonder if His heart soars when we place our hand in His and seek His guidance along unknown pathways or ask for His strength when we grow weak and weary.

Jesus said in Mark 10:15 that we must accept the kingdom of God as a little child. I’ve heard many a sermon on what that means, and not all the preachers arrived at the same conclusion. Perhaps it is this, the simplicity of placing our hand in the mighty hand of God—just as our children placed their little hands in ours.

Father, may I never think I can grow beyond my hand in Your hand. Amen.

Ps 89:15: “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.” [NIV]

Each day is getting shorter by a few minutes. Sunrise comes later every morning. We are still experiencing the summer heat, however, so I walk in these early morning hours as soon as it is light enough. That will change as the weather gets cooler in the fall.  For now, though, I head out at sunrise with my MP3 worship music and I sing and worship as the sun breaks the horizon. I sense the presence of my LORD with me as I walk and worship Him.

Ethan the Ezrahite is the author of Psalm 89. You probably haven’t heard much about him. I know I haven’t. He began his song with, “I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever, with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”

Further along he promises blessings to those who walk in the light of the presence of the LORD. While walking in the light, we also learn “to acclaim” or “make an acclamation of joy” about the LORD.

Where God is, there is light. The darkness for believers was dismissed the moment we were saved and the light of God’s presence came into our souls and spirits in the person of God’s Holy Spirit. We may walk through valleys of darkness in this life, but the darkness that was once in us has surrendered to the light of the glory of our Savior.

Thank you for the light of Your presence, O LORD.

“X” marks the spot. I was watching an easy-going murder mystery on the Hallmark Mystery Movie channel the other day. In the story, a young man found a treasure map in something he bought and he decided to search for the treasure.  He used Google Earth to find the lake, figured out the clues and rode his bicycle to the spot of the “X.” After getting permission from the property owner, he started to dig, certain he was going to find pirate’s gold.

Of course, there was no pirate’s gold, but he did find something precious to the old man who owned the property, a long-lost memento of his deceased wife and son. “X” did mark the spot for the old man.

For us, our “X” is in the shape of a cross, for it is in Christ that we find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  Col 2:3: “Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” [NIV]

In one sense those treasures are hidden and we need to search and dig for them by diligently studying our Bibles, praying and worshipping the Lord.  In another sense, however, they are readily open and available to us. God is not seeking to keep His treasures from us. In fact, He has sent His Spirit to encourage and enable us to obtain the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. His Spirit empowers us, but there still must be cooperation and effort on our part.

Father, thank you that in Christ I may find all the wisdom and knowledge I need for life. Give me a great desire to discover the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. Amen.

Isa 53:2: “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.” [NIV]

Ps 27:4: “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” [NIV]

Isaiah 53 paints a word picture of God’s Messiah, the Suffering Servant Savior. It is not a pretty picture. It speaks of bruising and crushing, punishment and wounds, judgment and slaughter and grave. It breaks the heart to read it.

Many movies have been made about the life of Jesus and the portrayals of Him on the cross are more than I can bear to watch–even knowing that the portrayals are done with special effects and make-up. I cannot even imagine what those who loved Him witnessed that day so long ago. There was no beauty to behold then.

Yet, it is precisely because He endured the bruising and crushing, the punishment and wounds, the judgment and slaughter and grave that we desire to gaze upon Him now. Now this One who had no beauty or majesty to attract us, is the center of everything beautiful in our lives. Now our one desire, all the days of our life, is to gaze upon Him and seek Him.

Lord, the most beautiful sunrise is nothing in comparison to you. The most elegant flower of creation pales when placed in Your nail-pierced hands. How I long to stand in Your presence and see with heavenly eyes the beauty which has so captured my heart. Amen.

In Revelation 21 John describes the new heaven and the new earth.  He describes the New Jerusalem, that heavenly city as he is shown it. He notes that there is no temple, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. He also notes that the city does not need sun, nor moon to shine, for the city is filled with the glory of God and “The Lamb is its light.” [Rev 21:23 NKJV]

Light in Scripture often stands for joy, beauty, knowledge and the presence of the LORD. In that glorious city Jesus is the very center of it all.  Charles Spurgeon wrote: “The joy of the saints in heaven is comprised in this: Jesus chose us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us, glorified us: we are here entirely through the Lord Jesus.”

Someone came to my door recently and showed me a drawing of the last days and asked if it scared me.  I smiled and said, “No! I am longing to see King Jesus return!”

I want to walk those streets of gold hand in hand with loved ones who have gone ahead of me. I am longing to sit and talk with great saints of God about deep things of God. I am yearning to abide in a place where all evil has been banished.  More than anything else, I want to bask in the light of the Lamb.

I want to spend eternity saying thank you to the One who “chose us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us, glorified us….”

Thank you, King Jesus.

A Song of Ascents: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” [Ps 122:1 NIV]

It is Sunday morning. I am up early as usual. The first thing I do is grab my coffee, then head to my bonus room and pick up my computer. I upload and send out the daily devotion. Then I open my sermon PowerPoint and notes and review. I pray over what I am going to share and for those who will be present at church this morning to hear. Around 7 AM I’ll hit the shower and get ready. After a minimal breakfast, I’m out the door and heading to the church. I usually arrive a little before 8 AM. Service starts at 10:30 AM.

No matter how tired I am, or my mood, once I open the church doors and step inside I start to praise and rejoice. David wrote in his song how he delighted when he went with others who loved the LORD to the house of the LORD.

I know God is present with me on my couch each morning as I pray, praise and worship Him. I also know that our church building is just that – a building. It’s a tool, nothing sacred about its walls or doors. The delight happens when others join me to praise, worship and celebrate the LORD.  There is something beautiful about sharing my Sunday experience corporately, being in the “house of the LORD” with those who have become family because of our common faith in Christ Jesus.

Father, thank you for those who will come to the “house of the LORD” with me this morning.  Let our rejoicing in You fill the building with praise and worship, and bring honor to the name of Your Son Jesus. 

My grandson, Carter, and I went to lunch last Saturday and then to the new exhibit at the Boise Art Museum (BAM). The exhibit was a collection of modern art, including a Georgia O’Keeffe and a Jackson Pollock.  I don’t want to offend anyone, but I’m not a big fan of modern or abstract art.  I get little out of staring at a painting that is almost all black and wondering what I am supposed to draw from it.

The Jackson Pollock piece at the BAM was one where he used a stick to drop paint onto a canvas.  To me, it resembled the drop cloths I’ve seen house painters use.

I’ve heard that art imitates life … and I’ve also heard that life imitates art.  Which is it?  There appears to be some debate about what comes first and what follows. Either way, if modern/abstract art imitates life, or life imitates modern/abstract art, I think we are in trouble.

As believers in Christ Jesus, we are to imitate Him. We are also to seek out those leaders who speak the truth of God’s Word to us, look at their lives and imitate their faith. We are to consider great men and women of God of every age, because the One we are to imitate never changes. Faith in Jesus should look the same in godly leaders from the 3^rd century as well as the 21^st.

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” [Heb 13:7-8 NIV]

A new school has been built at the end of the street where I walk.  I’ve been watching the building process for over a year; now it is done. Since the construction is completed and the landscaping finished, I expect to see the furniture, equipment and supply trucks starting to roll in.  The school is scheduled to open in August.  Soon the kitchen will be stocked, the library books on the shelf, desks and chairs in each room. Teachers will be setting up their classrooms.

Each day as I walk by I think about how lovely that building is. A lot of planning went into it, a lot of hard work also.  It is primed and ready to be opened and used. However, until that first busload of students arrives eager to explore and learn, the building is useless. It may look good, but it does no good sitting up there on the hill empty of learners.

Each day as I walk by I think about how our Bible is like that building, it does no good sitting unopened on a shelf or coffee table. All the wonderful treasures inside only come when we open it and eagerly explore and learn from it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17:  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. [NIV]

Thank you, Father, for giving us Your Word to teach, rebuke, correct and train us. May we search its depths and discover its riches every day. Amen.

Josh 23:14-15:  “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” [NIV]

“Not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed.” That was Joshua’s testimony at the end of his life.  He then went on to remind the tribes of Israel of what God had promised and how He brought those promises to fruition.  Every promise was fulfilled. Israel made it a lot harder on themselves than it needed to be because of their own stubbornness and rebellion. Still, God brought them out of bondage and into freedom in the Promised Land, just as He said He would.

Joshua then challenged them to live for the Lord and made the declaration that no matter what they decided to do, he and his household would remain faithful to Jehovah. [24:15]

Not one of the good promises the LORD our God has given us will fail either.  And while I’d like to think that I’ve done better than Israel did and made it easier on myself, I know that I’m a lot more like they were than I want to believe.  I, too, am stubborn and rebellious.  I can be pretty adept at murmuring and complaining too!

Still as God brought them out of bondage, so He has brought me (and you).  As God brought them into freedom, so He has brought me (and you) into freedom in Christ Jesus.  And as He took Israel to the Promised Land, He will bring His children (me and you!) into His presence in Glory!  None of His good promises, no, not even one, will fail to be fulfilled.  Hallelujah!  Amen.