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Nehemiah 1:4, Various

The Importance Of Prayer

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 6, 2024

When Nehemiah learns about the deteriorating condition of those living in Jerusalem, he immediately goes to prayer. Nehemiah says in 1:4, “As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” He continued fasting and praying! This began “as soon as he heard.” There was much emotion associated with Nehemiah’s prayer, but the first step in his life was fasting accompanied by prayer. When the Philistines threatened the lives of the Israelites, they looked to the prophet Samuel first for prayer, not weapons. They pleaded with Samuel. “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” Paul tells the Thessalonians to “pray without ceasing.” James tells us that the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much. In my case, prayer is usually a much later step in my affairs. I will get angry, find someone to blame, try to do something about it on my own, and then I’ll get a hold of myself and finally look to God. Nehemiah begins by looking to God.

God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we think He should, but I’m convinced he always answers our prayers. Sometimes, God says “No”. Sometimes, He says, “Not now.” Sometimes, God says, “Yes.” Regardless of how God answers our prayers, we will all benefit from praying. Prayer will calm my emotions as I entrust my daily life and problems to God’s care. Another one of the huge benefits of prayer is that it makes me stop and think. I can’t act or even re-act until I’m done talking with God about the problem. Prayer is how I can wait and reflect before reacting or overreacting. Prayer will help me understand my problem better and bring clarity to the issues. I cannot pray and worry at the same time. Lucado says, “Knees don’t knock when we kneel on them.” Prayer also recruits God’s involvement in all my daily problems. It brings to bear an inexhaustible resource for all my life problems and daily concerns. Prayer is a clear demonstration of my faith in God’s daily presence and interest in the activities of my life.  Like Nehemiah, I want to look to God first, then act. When all is said and done, the answer God gives to my prayer isn’t as crucial as my prayer in itself.

Jesus placed a very high priority on His own prayer life. He would go out of His way to find time to pray in times of trouble. This is clearly seen in the Garden of Gethsemane when he had to face the pain of the crucifixion. But we also see that Jesus would separate Himself from his disciples early in the morning to find time to commune personally with the Father. Boice says, “Prayer is important at all times. Paul instructed the Thessalonians to ‘pray continually’ (1 Thess. 5:16). He told the Ephesians to ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests’ (Eph. 6:18). But especially we must pray in times of great sorrow. Jesus did! He prayed at length and fervently. John Ryle said that ‘prayer is the best practical remedy that we can use in time of trouble.’ Should we suppose that we have a better cure for it than Jesus?”[1]

[1] Boice, James Montgomery. 2001. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

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John 15:4, 4:10

The Connection

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 5, 2024

Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains connected to me, that is the one who will bear much fruit” (John 15:4-5).  What does it mean to “remain connected” to Christ? It makes me think of the sap that runs from the vine into the branches. It reminds me of the Holy Spirit. When we abide or remain connected to Christ, the Holy Spirit flows from Him to us, producing his fruit. I’d like to produce many different kinds of fruit in my life, but first and foremost are the fruits of the Holy Spirit. You know them well: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  I’ve often found I cannot force this fruit to grow. The harder I try, the less I see. I get frustrated and lose my patience. I become self-centered in my focus and lose my love and joy. I become cranky, and kindness & goodness are something I cannot even see from where I am. Gentleness? Don’t even talk about it!

I once read about when Lawrence of Arabia was in Paris after World War I with some of his Arab friends.  Rasnake tells this story well: Lawrence “showed them the sights of the city: the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Napoleon’s tomb, the Champs Elysée’s, but none of these things impressed them. The thing that really interested them the most was the faucet in the bathtub of the hotel room. They spent much time turning it on and off. They found it amazing that one could turn a handle and get all the water he wanted. Later, when they were ready to leave Paris and return to the East, Lawrence found them in the bathroom with wrenches, trying to disconnect the faucet. “You see,” they said, “it is very dry in Arabia. What we need are faucets. If we have them, we will have all the water we want.” Lawrence had to explain that the effectiveness of the faucets did not lie in themselves but in the immense reservoirs of water to which they were attached.”

Jesus goes on to say in the next verse, “Disconnected from me, you can do nothing.” Jesus also said “I am the living water.” You and I are just like a faucet by itself. No fruit comes forth from me until I’m connected and abiding in Christ. He is the source of nourishment through which we can grow the fruits of the spirit. The woman at the well in John Chapter 4 was fascinated by Jesus’ offer of living water that will never run out and that quenches one’s thirst permanently. Like Lawrences’ Arabic friends, she wanted to take it with her. Jesus told her in verse 10, “If you ask, He will give you the living water.”

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Romans 12:3, Matthew 5:5

Thinking Of Ourselves

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 4, 2024

In Romans 12:5, Paul teaches us that believers make up various parts of one body. It says, “So, we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” What Paul was trying to get the Romans to do was change the way they think about themselves. We love to think of ourselves as independent, unique individuals. There is a sense in which each of us brings something of value to the table, but no one is better than anyone else. We love to hold up our index finger and shout, “We’re number one!” But remember, Chapter 12 begins with exhortations about not being conformed to the image of this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. It’s really all about the way we see or think about ourselves. That’s why verse 3 of Chapter 12 tells us “not to think of ourselves more highly than we should.” This is a key teaching in the Bible. All disputes, all contests, and all competitions were responded to by Jesus when he heard his disciples arguing about which of them was the greatest. The Bible answers that question by teaching us that there is neither male nor female. There is neither rich nor poor. There is neither Greek nor Gentile. All are one in Christ.

This is highly counter-cultural in our country. America dearly prizes individualism, and we always hold up the famous, the glamorous, and the rich as the epitomes of success.  They are always on the news, in the papers, and on the television. Our culture despises anonymity, while Christ honors it. Like those at the tower of Babel, we want to make a name for ourselves, while God has given Christ the name above every other name. God calls us to lose ourselves in and for Christ, but the world calls us to make ourselves stand out. If we can make a name for ourselves, we will be successful. Alan Richardson says it well: “The hatred of anonymity drives men to heroic feats of valor or long hours of drudgery, or it urges them to spectacular acts of shame or of unscrupulous self-preferment. In its worst forms, it tempts men to give the honor and glory to themselves which properly belong to the name of God.”

Truly, this is what Paul is referring to when he talks about not being conformed to the thinking of this age but being transformed in how we think. He wants us to put Christ first in our thinking and our service. If we’re truly going to be successful and hear “well done, good and faithful servant,” we have to put the advancement of Christ ahead of self-advancement. This begins with changing the way we think. A. W. Tozer writes, “We can never get too weak for the Lord to use us—but we can get too strong if it is our own strength. We can never be too ignorant for the Lord to use us—but we can be too wise in our own conceit. We can never get too small for the Lord to use us, but we can surely get too big and get in His way.” God always favors the weak and foolish things in the world over the strong and wise, according to the world. Jesus adds to that idea in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, in Mattew 5:5, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

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Acts 4:12, Various

No Need For A Second Opinion

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 3, 2024

If my doctor gives me a diagnosis with “bad news” and recommends a particularly difficult treatment or radical surgery, I’m free to seek a second opinion.  Some doctors will often recommend that you get a second opinion because they realize their own fallibility and want to be sure they haven’t missed something. That’s admirable. The Bible makes it clear that every human being will die. Not today, thankfully, but one day, you and I will die. No need to seek a second opinion on that one. It’s been the experience since Adam and Eve took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The greatest physician has given each of us a diagnosis. He says the “wages of sin is death.” He says that you and I have sinned. It is “appointed to man once to die…” There is a time for everything; “a time to be born and a time to die.” Our diagnosis is fairly settled.

But this great physician came to heal the sick. He didn’t come for the healthy. They don’t need a physician. He came to heal sinners. Those who are righteous in their own eyes don’t need to be healed. The great physician brought the balm of Gilead, which heals the sins of the world and brings eternal life to all who will allow Him to treat them. Luke records Peter telling the world, in his sermon recorded in Acts 4:12, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” We may not like what the Great Physician tells us about ourselves and our sin. But where else can we go? Peter learned this from Jesus firsthand. When many people were deserting Jesus, He asked Peter if he, too, would leave. In John’s Gospel, Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” Peter had no need for a second opinion because Jesus was the one and only way to the Father and eternal life. Only Jesus had the “words of life.” Like Peter, I don’t need a second opinion. I know I’m a sinner, and physical death will be the wages of my sin. But Jesus brings a saving message to the sin-sick and dying.

I’ve read many testimonies of men and women who have spent their lives seeking a second opinion. They travel the many roads offered by many religions, all promising some kind of “salvation” from life’s situation. None of them have the words of life. There is a very narrow road that leads to eternal life. Few find it. Jesus is that one and only road. While many religions profess their own kinds of salvation and prescribe a particular treatment, there is none that offers what Jesus offered. They teach a wide variety of rituals and practices designed to help us live a healthy, happy, and moral life. They also deal at great lengths with the rituals associated with death and burial. They all fall short of what Jesus offers. R. A. Torrey wrote, “What men need is not morality, but life; not to make death respectable, but to receive the gift of eternal life; not decent interment, but a pathway out of the realm of death. Many men have brought forward their schemes for the “uplift of humanity” (though the results thereof are not yet discernible), but there is only One Man who makes, or ever made, the offer of eternal life. None other has ever said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth on Me though he were dead yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth on Me shall never die” (John 11:25, 26). He only claims to be the “Fountain of Living Waters” (Jer. 2:13; John 4:14; 7:37) and says to all who are suffering the thirst of death, “Come unto Me and drink” (John 7:37). Peter understood it well, there is none other that offers the gift of eternal life.

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2 Timothy 1:10, Various

Not Just Good News!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 2, 2024

The surest cure for the fear of death is the certainty of eternal life. That’s the essential ingredient of the Gospel.  The word “Gospel” sounds very religious to us in the 21st century and conjures thoughts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We think of the “Gospels” as books of the Bible. They are, of course, but the word “Gospel” communicates so much more. It’s the beautiful old Greek word “euangelion.”  The prefix “eu” means good. The stem word “angel” means message. The Greek word for the beings we know as angels literally means messengers. Literally, the Gospel is a “Good Message.” You and I have often heard it called “Good News.”

If you were trapped in a collapsed cave, running out of air, shut in claustrophobic darkness, and becoming overcome by fear, how would you feel if you heard workmen breaking through the rubble to rescue you? One of them shouted, “Hold on, we’re almost through to you.” Would you call that “good news?” I sure would. If you knew you would be rescued, you’d have the hope you need to wait it out and quell the rising tide of panic, knowing that any minute, you’d be rescued. Well, here we are, separated from God by sin, trapped on a doomed planet, facing death and hell. And God Himself became a man, dying in our place, rising from the dead to give us life. Is that good news? Yes, but it’s more than good news. We don’t have a word to describe it. The angels put it: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.”

The salvation of the rescue workers would only be to resume mortal life again. The rescued one would just continue on with the pale of death awaiting them sometime in the future. When Jesus brought Jairus’ daughter back from death, it was only for her to die again sometime in the future. When Jesus called Lazarus from his grave, it was only for him to be buried again sometime in the future. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t good news for the rescued individual and their loved ones, but the good news had its limits. The salvation that Jesus brings is one that transcends every other imaginable salvation. Thus, for thousands of years, the Gospels have brought to the world the ultimate good news to all mankind. The assurance of eternal salvation is based only on God’s promise that everyone who trusts in Jesus Christ alone possesses eternal life. Jesus himself says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life.” That’s what I call GOOD NEWS! Paul reminded his disciple, Timothy, and us, in 2 Timothy 1:10, “…Christ Jesus…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel…”

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Isaiah 25:8, Psalm 119:103

Sweeter Than Honey

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 1, 2024

One of the most important ways I deal with the inevitability of my own death is to focus my attention on the promises of God in the Bible. Nowhere in the world will you find more comfort, assurance, and compassion than in God’s Word.  The Psalms, though not the only book, offer a treasury of comfort regarding our mortality.  One Psalm especially is key to this treasury. It is Psalm 119. The Psalmist, presumably David, writes the longest of all the Psalms with 176 verses.  The subject is God’s communication to man. There are nearly two dozen different titles for this revelation in the Psalm: precepts, laws, rules, commandments, directions, guides, instructions, and so on. The entire Psalm is an acrostic. The first eight verses begin with the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, the Aleph.  The second 8 verses begin with the second letter, the bet, and so on through all 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. Of course, the letters of the Alphabet are the instruments through which God’s Word has been revealed to man. Thus, even the poetic acrostic serves to reinforce the focus on God’s written revelation to man.

In verse 103, David writes, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”  Chocolate is sweet. Candy is sweet. Sugar is sweet. Honey, of course, is sweet. But how can the Bible be sweet? It can only be explained by giving you an example. The following are some of the sweetest words I know:   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.   He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff,  they comfort me.”

I listened to the podcast of Dallas Theological Seminary’s chapel service. Donald Campbell spoke on the sweetness of God’s word. He (in effect) said that these sweet words should excite every person’s taste buds. If they don’t, your taste buds have been dulled by the saccharin of this world’s culture. He went on to quote James Montgomery Boice, who said, “To soothe bitter experiences of life, fill your heart with sweet verses like this.” It brought to my mind Isaiah 25:8. Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah wrote, “The Lord, all-powerful, will destroy the power of death and wipe away all tears.”

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Job 10:8-12, Romans 8:35f

God Is Always Good

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 31, 2024

I frequently meet people who have rejected God because of evil in the world. Usually, it’s more an emotional response to personal pain and suffering than an intellectual, rational position chosen because it makes more sense. Rather, the existence of God and the non-existence of God are both steps of faith, not reason. Satan’s attack on Job was intended to bring him to personally “curse God” to his face. There are many facets of the idea of “cursing,” but one of them would be to deny God’s existence. The New Testament teaches us that it’s by faith that we please God. Faith is not merely believing that God exists but that He rewards those who seek him. God exists, and His intentions towards us are always good. To curse God would be to deny one or both of these aspects of faith. There cannot be a good God with all the suffering in the world. If there is a God at all, in light of all the suffering in the world, he cannot be a good God.

Job’s pain and suffering caused much consternation as he attempted to reconcile his suffering with his Faith in God and God’s goodness. He did not deny them. Job was puzzled over how the God he knew existed and was a good God could allow such catastrophe in his life for no apparent reason. It’s the same struggle we all have. The challenge for us, like Job, is whether we will continue to have faith and affirm His existence and His goodness when we pass through the trials of life. Satan seeks to destroy that faith. Many of Job’s comments to God are affirmations of his faith in God and God’s goodness in spite of his suffering. He says, “Your hands fashioned and made me…Remember that you have made me like clay…You clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.”

Paul informs us in Romans that there isn’t anything that can separate us from God’s everlasting love. Beginning in Romans 8:35, Paul indicates that such experiences as tribulations, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, and death are not indications that God has quit loving us, as some might interpret them. “Paul assures his readers that God’s love is steadfast. So, we are protected by such truths in the midst of persecution. Having faith means believing God—trusting Him to tell the truth to keep His promises. It is this faith that protects us from falling away from Him.”[1] Our prayer in a similar vein might be, “Father, though I am suffering right now, I know you are there. I know you are good. I know you made me and that you will never desert me because you love me with your everlasting love. You preserve me in bad times as well as the good times. I praise your name.”

[1] Baker, William R., and Paul K. Carrier. 1990. James-Jude: Unlocking the Scriptures for You. Standard Bible Studies. Cincinnati, OH: Standard.

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Job 9:18, 42:10

The Balm Of Forgiveness

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 30, 2024

Job’s friends failed to comfort Job in his sorrow. Instead, they debated the cause of his situation, putting the blame on some sin that must dominate Job’s life. In Job’s reply to his friends, he continues to assert his righteousness in spite of his suffering and their accusations. But he understands, in contrast to his friends, that he was in no position to argue with God. God is too wise. He cannot wrestle with God. God is too strong. He cannot even plead with God. God is too aloof in this time of suffering. Through it all, the pain does not stop. Job laments in verse 18 of Chapter 9 that God “…will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness.”

It doesn’t take near the depth of pain that Job suffered to invade my life to make me bitter. Sometimes, it comes when I don’t get what I want, or I get less than I expect, or I feel slighted, or any number of less significant hurts than Job experienced. Loss, disappointment, pain, and suffering are just part of life. People hurt people. Sometimes we are hurt intentionally, and sometimes it’s unintentional. All of us have experienced it. We are all tempted to respond with bitterness, and sometimes, it clamps down on our lives like shackles on our legs and won’t let us go. I’ve noticed that bitterness can be more painful than the hurt I allowed to cause it.  I allow my stomach to churn, my mind to storm, and my soul to turn dark. Bitterness is one of the most dangerous plagues a Christian might catch. It will eat away at the vitality of our spiritual as well as our physical lives. It is indeed a “cancer of the soul.” Hindson says, “Bitterness is a deep, harbored hurt that poisons the soul. It eats away the vitality of your spiritual life like a cancer of the soul. It is the opposite of forgiveness.”[1]

One writer suggested that “there is a cure for this plague. One of the most beautiful words in any language is the word ‘forgive.’ The word is a common one, but the essence of the word is in the last part, ‘give. ‘” He argues we must “give” a release to the one we’ve perceived as having harmed us. I don’t mean that we need to put the blame on God and forgive Him. God never does wrong. “He is the very standard of right and wrong. The very idea borders on blasphemy and, at best, certainly is absurd.”[2] But Job needed to forgive his friends for their lack of compassion when he needed it most. He surrendered to the omnipotent hands of God and accepted his fate. He said that he would not accept only good things from God. He would also take the bad as well. But God insisted that Job forgive his friends. It was with Job’s prayer for his friends that God acted on his behalf. Job 42:10 says, “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Forgiveness is the balm that heals bitterness.

[1] Hindson, Edward E. 1999. God Is There in the Tough Times. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers.

[2] Adams, Jay Edward. 1989. From Forgiven to Forgiving. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

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