JACKS DAILY DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
(1st John 2:1) “If anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (one who will intercede for us) with the Father.”
There is a story told about a guy who had his picture taken.
When he saw it, he said to the photographer, “This picture doesn’t do me justice!”
The photographer looked at him, smiled, and said, “With a face like yours, you don’t need justice… you need mercy and grace!”
Seriously though, that’s the situation we are all in... and we can be grateful that our salvation is not of our works as (Ephesians 2:8) tells us "for by grace are saved through faith and that not of yourselves but it is the gift of God... not of our works of righteousness lest any man should boast.
And the reason God extends mercy and grace to us is because Jesus fulfilled all the demands of God’s justice for us at the cross for all time.
Some folks think that God’s grace (unmerited favour) atones for all your sins up until the moment you make Christ your Saviour.
But from then on, you have to earn it and prove yourself worthy of it by your performance, like a joint effort.
So instead of trusting in Christ’s performance on the cross. alone.. they feel they have to trust also in their own performance.
Here is the problem… there are three ways that we succumb to sin.
There are sins of commission… sins we purposely do...
Then there are sins of omission… sins that are caused by forgetfulness or unawareness...
And then there are sins of disposition... sins we commit or do because it is our nature to sin... that we are disposed to
If you commit one of these sins every day, that’s over 1,000 sins a year… and if going to heaven depends on your remembering and repenting of each of them, what if you forget?
Don’t worry… God has you covered!
The Amplified Bible puts it this way… “If anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (one who will intercede for us) with the Father.
It is Jesus Christ the all righteous, upright and just, who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action”. (1st John 2:1)
Only one person measures up to God’s standards… Jesus!
And when you place your trust in Him, you are unconditionally loved and accepted by God.
From start to finish, from the beginning to the end.
Thank God for His grace… Amen!
Good Day!
If you commit one of these sins every day, that’s over 1,000 sins a year… and if going to heaven depends on your remembering and repenting of each of them, what if you forget?
Don’t worry… God has you covered!
The Amplified Bible puts it this way… “If anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (one who will intercede for us) with the Father.
It is Jesus Christ the all righteous, upright and just, who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action”. (1st John 2:1)
Only one person measures up to God’s standards… Jesus!
And when you place your trust in Him, you are unconditionally loved and accepted by God.
From start to finish, from the beginning to the end.
Thank God for His grace… Amen!
Good Day!
(John 14:6) “I am the way… No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Between the human race and God stands a barrier called sin.
It’s what separated Adam and Eve from the presence of God back in the beginning in the Garden of Eden… and it’s what continues to separate us from a God whom loves us today.
If we are going to be reconciled with a perfect God, that barrier has to be dealt with.
We cannot go around it or over it.
We can’t just ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist.
Sin demands a payment.
Jesus came specifically to make that payment for mankind.
He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death to pay for everything sinful thing we’ve ever done in the past, present, and future.
If your home is on fire, you had better call a firefighter and not a policeman.
If you break a leg, you had better call a doctor and not a firefighter.
If your home is broken into, you had better call a policeman and not a doctor.
If you are drowning, you had better call a lifeguard, not a plumber.
If, as a sinful human being, you want to come to a righteous God, you had better get in touch with the Saviour, because He is the only one who can help.
Jesus didn’t merely say, “Come to me, and I’ll show you the way.”
He said, “I am the way.”
He is the way to forgiveness.
He is the way to peace and joy.
He is the way to fulfillment in life… and He is as close to you today as a prayer.
Here it is… “Lord Jesus, I believe that you died for me on the cross and paid for my sins… and that through faith in you, I am made righteous and reconciled to God”.
“I accept you today as my Lord and Saviour and receive from you the gift of everlasting life… Amen.”
Now even as Jesus told the woman caught in adultery… “Neither do I condemn thee”… He also told her “Go and sin no more”. (John 8:11)
You see sin is still a choice.
We either choose to disobey God and His commandments… or we choose to serve our selfish and will-full sinful nature.
(Proverbs 14:12) “There is a way which seems right unto a man… but it’s the way of day”
Again Jesus is the way… the truth and the life.
Choose ye… this day whom you shall serve… Jesus or sin?
Good day!
(John 2:5) “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
Back in history and the ancient days of the Hebrew culture, there was not a bigger social happening in Jewish life than a wedding.
It usually began with a ceremony at sundown in the synagogue.
Then the entire wedding party would leave the synagogue and begin this long candlelight procession through the middle of town.
The couple would be escorted past as many homes as possible so everyone could come out and congratulate them… and then they went home to a party that often lasted for several days!
There would be gift-giving, speech-making, dancing, wining and dining.
Hospitality at a wedding was considered such a sacred duty that the master at the wedding could actually be sued for ‘breach of hospitality.’
So running out of food or wine was considered a tremendous insult.”
Obviously Jesus family had a relationship with the family that was hosting the celebration because Jesus mother came to Jesus and told them of the shortage of wine.
It’s a mistake to think that God only cares about major stuff like divorce, bankruptcy, or death.
It’s notable that Jesus’ first miracle was not that of healing the sick or raising the dead or delivering the demonic… but resolving a domestic crisis and rescuing newlyweds from embarrassment.
He also cares about minor stuff like broken dishes, toothaches, grumpy bosses, lost dogs, flat tires, and late flights.
Initially Jesus said to His mother Mary… “My time has not come yet”.
In a sense He was saying… “it’s not my problem what do you want me to do about it”.
But know this… Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives… yes, even emotional trauma and or embarrassment.
The Bible says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you” (1st Peter 5:7).
What matters to you matters to Jesus…. and so we need to respond to Him by doing what He says.
Notice what happened.
He told the servants to gather as many empty containers and jugs that they could find and fill them with water.
Now its quite possible the servants did not want to respond to this instruction because Jesus mother said to them… “what ever He tells you to do, do it!”
What Jesus told them to do didn’t seem rational at the time but when they obeyed, the bible tells us that when they finished filling the last jug Jesus said… “now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet”.
They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.
He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.
Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink… but you have saved the best till now.”
There is no need… there is no problem that Jesus does nto care about concerning you and the life you live.
He tells each of us… “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest for your soul”
Miracles are His specialty… they were when He walked this earth… they have been since his ascension… and they still are today!
And if you will pray, trust God, and obey Him, He will work a miracle for you too.
Good Day!
(James 1:3–4) “The testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”
There is a tension that comes in living the Christian life… we are caught between current reality and future vision… and its not going away.
For the Believer in Christ… It’s a part of life and it can even be said that it is the energy of life itself and the truth is, it isn’t going to change because God has allowed these tensions for a purpose.
There will always be tension, challenges, tests and trials.
But how “we relate” to the tension, how we face it can shift!
And that shift will determine our success and or our failure.
For some this tension of life is something to complain about and try to eliminate or escape, to stress over, to wish was different?
Some will lament, grumble and complain… others will roll up there sleeves and endure.
They view enduring this tension as a challenge, or even as an act of bravery or as an adventure?
This tension can even be experienced as giving “extra relish” to life for without challenge… there is little opportunity to overcome or conquer which are part of growing and maturing in life.
There are perhaps an indefinite number of ways to relate to this tension.
But here is the challenge!
You have the freedom to decide how you will relate to it.
It’s all in your attitude!
Up until now, you may have sought to escape from the tension of life by avoiding being honest about yourself and your current reality.
But with this writing this morning… from now on, conducting a thorough investigation of current reality… can be for you a source of excitement, authenticity, and hope, a journey, an adventure.
This is the road to transformation.
A powerful way to discover where you are resisting “current reality”… is to consider the actions that you know need to be taken… but which you have been avoiding in life.
What are you procrastinating about?
Where do you have “unfinished business?”
Certainly, many times in life it is necessary to tolerate ambiguity for an extended period of time in order to get clarity as to the appropriate course of action.
And often times we can’t find that course of action until we have opened up our heart to the direction of the Lord and His purpose, His will for us to walk in.
God says in His word (Jeremiah 29:11) “For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and give you a future not plans for evil”
But other times, things are already “played out” and the only reasons we are not acting quickly and decisively is because of avoidance and procrastination.
(Psalm 37:23) “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord”
We each need to distinguish between these two categories.
We need to be honest with ourselves and ask ourselves “So, what items in my life am I tolerating as un-done… not out of patience… but out of avoidance and procrastination”?
Some of these may be simple practical items, like chores that need to get done or paperwork to be filed.
But some of these may be relational or inter-personal, like conversations needing to be had… or relationships waiting to be repaired or nurtured.
Some things will come to mind immediately… but take time to think about this.
You may be surprised how much is undone in your life.
We wouldn’t choose to avoid and procrastinate if we didn’t receive some short term “pay- off” for doing so.
By tolerating these items as un-done, what are you managing to avoid?
Is it extra work, or the expenditure of scarce energy, or financial resource, added stress, annoyance, frustration or discomfort?
We all tend to live with a flattering idea of ourselves… and could it be your avoiding something that might or could humiliate your self-image?
But what is the cost for tolerating these same items as un-done?
There is a truth concerning the “tension of life”… and that is “what we resist persists”.
Often, when we choose to settle for a short-term pay-off… rather than pay the short-term price of making a responsible effort… it only costs us more on down the line.
By avoiding the effort, the work or the conversation now… are you only causing yourself more hassle, stress, and breakdown later on?
What you resist persists… but what you surrender to… transforms.
It is one thing to stand firm in our convictions when everything is going well and our faith remains untested.
But how do we react when God seems silent, when everything is falling apart, when our hearts are broken and our dreams are shattered?
It’s then that the trials of this life… the tension of life… tests our faith and provides an opportunity to produce perseverance… a steadfast endurance that develops spiritual wholeness and maturity in us.
When our confidence in Christ is proven unshakable through the fires of adversity… we can face any situation with joy, determination, and ever-increasing hope.
We can trust God to uphold us through it all and reward us in the end.
Thankfully, perseverance does not depend solely on our efforts.
As followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God is at work in us, giving us the power and strength to persevere
Perhaps one of the best biblical examples of a person who developed spiritual maturity by persevering through severe testing of faith… was the Old Testament character Joseph.
He was tricked by his brothers and sold into slavery (Genesis 37:1–36), framed by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:12–36), and forgotten in prison (Genesis 40:23).
But how do we react when God seems silent, when everything is falling apart, when our hearts are broken and our dreams are shattered?
It’s then that the trials of this life… the tension of life… tests our faith and provides an opportunity to produce perseverance… a steadfast endurance that develops spiritual wholeness and maturity in us.
When our confidence in Christ is proven unshakable through the fires of adversity… we can face any situation with joy, determination, and ever-increasing hope.
We can trust God to uphold us through it all and reward us in the end.
Thankfully, perseverance does not depend solely on our efforts.
As followers of Jesus, the Spirit of God is at work in us, giving us the power and strength to persevere
Perhaps one of the best biblical examples of a person who developed spiritual maturity by persevering through severe testing of faith… was the Old Testament character Joseph.
He was tricked by his brothers and sold into slavery (Genesis 37:1–36), framed by Potiphar’s wife (Genesis 39:12–36), and forgotten in prison (Genesis 40:23).
But God was working in Joseph through his hardships, fulfilling a plan to save his family and the future nation of Israel.
Yet, it wasn’t until many years later that Joseph could see God’s hand in his trials.
But then he could say to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
God permitted the testing of Joseph’s faith to produce perseverance, which finished its work by making him “mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
What’s more… Joseph’s determined steadfast endurance brought about “the saving of many lives.”
The one thing we need to truly understand about the tensions of life that we each face is that God is using them to conform us to the image of Christ so that we can all accomplish and fulfill the plans that He has for us.
So I encourage you this morning with (James 1:3-4) “The testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”
Yes there may be tension you are experiencing… but take courage in the following verse of scripture from (Hebrews 10:35) “Cast not away your confidence in Him which has great recompense of reward”.
Finally take the encouragement of (Proverbs 3:5-6) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding ... in all of your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight."
Good day!
(Ephesians 3:20) "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us".
God puts dreams in our hearts and writes a destiny over our lives.
And if we trust Him enough to take Him at His word, we will find ourselves on a journey toward the fulfillment of our dreams.
Unfortunately, the path that takes us to the “promise” is not always easy being filled with thickets and thorns, twists and turns, valleys to cross and mountains to climb.
But friend we must realize that nothing worth having ever comes easy or without opposition.
Storms will come, lions will roar, and fears are confronted. ?
God allows the path to be difficult at times because it His intent and… it is His way of refining us and preparing us for our place of promise.
He is intent on extracting from us that which our enemy would love to leverage against us.
God loves us too much to promote us before we are ready.?
And so, as we follow His lead, we will at different times, find ourselves walking thru certain valleys.
But it’s in those valleys that we learn, we mature, develop hope and yes… faith as well.
Learning to make decisions and good choices are learned in those valleys.
The flesh dies hard and unfortunately for many, because of pride… they’ve opted to let their dream die before they’d ever allow their flesh to be confronted.
We all have weak spots and areas of inconsistency in our character, and until we see Jesus face to face, we all need His guidance and correction.
He wants to take us from strength to strength and from glory to glory.
(Ephesians 3:20) tells us that “He wants to do abundantly above and beyond all that we could ever ask or think, according to His power that is at work within us.”
But there’s a clincher in this verse… it’s according to His power and His work within us.
To the extent that we allow Him to work within us… it’s to that extent that He does great things through us… and we experience the “unimaginable” in our lives.
After pondering this idea a little more, I envisioned the “valley of dry bones” that Ezekiel talked about in (Ezekiel 37:1-14).
This prophecy speaks about what God will do for “spiritual Israel”, which is the church today.
An obvious theme of the vision is that God can resurrect dry bones.
That He can give literal life to that which is dead and inanimate.
It is a message that He alone can revive His people and turn them into a mighty army.
Last of all, it speaks to us… you and I individually.
No matter how dried up and worthless we may feel, or how dead we are in trespasses and sins… God can restore us to life through His Word and His Spirit.
Bones from relationships and dreams that have died, vision and hope that has died because of a lack of commitment or belief… that the “unimaginable” could be accomplished in and thru us.
Bones that were once the hopes… the dreams… the aspirations that once filled you… but have died because of various reasons or circumstances… bones abandoned because many people refused to die to themselves… to humble themselves and to let God have His way in their lives.
You may be walking through a valley right now… but I want to encourage you this day… don’t let your dream die in the valley!
You may be struggling with thorns, thickets and ruts in the pathway of life that hinder you at times… but don’t let them hinder you from believing in your dream… and what God wants to accomplish in and thru you.
If you’re in a season of refining, lean in.
Trust the loving hand of your precious Savior and know that He will lead you to the other side.
In (Mark 4:35 - 41) Jesus instructed the disciples to get into a boat with Him and they would go over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
During the ride the wind arose and the sea turned very angry to the point that the disciples were afraid that they were going to capsize.
As they were holding on to the sides of the boat, where was Jesus?
He was asleep in the stern.
Jesus wasn’t worried!
He had already said “lets go over to the other side.”
He wasn’t moved or upset by the storm.
He was and is the Master of the waves, the Ruler of the wind, the God of Creation.
He didn’t say “lets go half way and then drown”!
No… He said “lets go over to the other side”.
And with Jesus in your boat, you never need to worry about capsizing, or drowning.
We all need to learn and realize that a failure is never a failure.
No… a failure is a lesson that we get to learn from.
A trial is Gods way of teaching us and bringing us to a new level of understanding and victory.
Instead of giving up, and instead of abandoning your dream… refuse to defend a sense of entitlement and don’t demand to be understood!?
Instead… humble yourself and seek to understand what the Lord is doing around you and in you!
Again lean into the challenge and believe for the unimaginable.
He will faithfully lead you and you will be strengthened as you go.?
On the other side of this refining time can be a fresh perspective of the unimaginable and His new mercies.
Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God… and in due time you will be lifted up and honored before a watching world.
You see the world is looking for leaders, God is looking to use people like you and me to be that leadership.
However it takes vision, it takes commitment.
It takes a dying to self, and a developing of love for others.
Jesus said a new commandment give I unto you… “That you love your neighbor as I have loved you” (John 13:34)
God has plans for you that are beyond your imagination.
They are unimaginable… or beyond your imagination or expectations… but with your hand in His… He will lead you to them and into the promised land of your future.
(Jeremiah 29:11) “For I Know the plans I have for you says the Lord! Plans to prosper you and give you a future, not plans for evil”!
So let Him bring them to fruition by your humbleness before Him and humanity… by your commitment to Him and by your obedience to Him.
Good Day!
(Philippians 4:8-9) "meditate on these things…and the God of peace will be with you".?
(Romans 8:28) tells us that "all things work together for good to those who love the Lord"… and if that is true then when you’re going through bad times… your goal should be to keep a good attitude.
Attitude is everything when it comes to be a successful and overcoming believer in this life!
I remember a professor of mine who taught us that he new who would be successful in his class before the seasons end.
When asked how he new that, he told the class, "by your attitude".
In flight training I'm told that teachers will often tell their class "its not altitude that will keep you in the air, its attitude... you need to learn to trust your airplane and your instruments".
The same is true with Gods Word.
It’s not your feelings or your knowledge that will bring you over the top.
Its trusting what He (God) said He can do and will do.
Dr. Viktor Frankl, a Nazi Holocaust camp survivor said… "If prisoners felt they could no longer
endure the realities of prison camp life… they would often find ‘a way out’… in their mental life.
Escape was often found by learning to "dwell on and in" the spiritual domain… the one that the SS was unable to destroy.
Spiritual life strengthened the prisoner, helped him to adapt, and thereby improved his chances of survival".
Escape was often found by learning to "dwell on and in" the spiritual domain… the one that the SS was unable to destroy.
Spiritual life strengthened the prisoner, helped him to adapt, and thereby improved his chances of survival".
Here is some practical advice on keeping a good attitude in bad times.
Always believe the best about others, but don’t get bent out of shape when they disappoint you.
Nobody is perfect, including you.
Just be grateful for the people that bring you joy and endeavor to be counted among them.
When you are tempted to retaliate, judge or become impatient with others… say to yourself, "This is an opportunity for me to model a great attitude for the glory of God".
Now you may be thinking… "But this person is driving me crazy".
Then refuse to be a "passenger" and go along with them.
Take back the wheel… get into the driver’s seat of your life… and determine which direction you’ll go and what attitude you’ll have.
The Bible says… "what so ever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy… meditate on these things…and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9)
Listen folks life… is too short to let it be filled with anger, hostility, bitterness or disappointment.
They are like vehicles we ride in thru life and you can choose which vehicle you want to ride thru life in.
Today follow Paul’s instruction to the Believers in (1st Corinthians 11:28)… “So let a man examine himself, and see if He is of the faith”
Check your attitude today and see if it is in line with the word and the will of God.
If you find it lacking in certain areas… turn to God in prayer and tell Him… “Lord… this is what I see and I realize that it doesn’t quite fit into your will for my life. Would you forgive me and help me change it? Amen”
Now as you would practicing any sport or learning any new musical instrument… start practicing a good attitude.
As the Bible tells us in (Romans 13:14) “put on a good attitude”
Again here is what makes up a good attitude; "whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy... meditate on these things…and the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9)
Good Day!
(1st John 4:18) "perfect love expels all fear"
God cares about you too much to leave you in any doubt about His love.
The Bible says His "perfect love expels all fear".
If God loved us with an imperfect love, we’d have cause to worry.
Unlike "human love" God keeps no checklist.
"Human love" on the other hand… keeps a checklist of our sins and short comings and consults it often.
God keeps no such list! His love casts out our fear because it casts out our guilt.
John writes, "…if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart…" (1st John 3:20)
When your feeling like God is a thousand miles away and that He hasn't forgiven you, its all right to question your feelings but don’t question God.
Go back to His Word… it outranks self-criticism and self-doubt.
Nothing fosters confidence like a "clear grasp" of God’s grace, and nothing fosters fear like ignorance of it.
The fact is if you haven’t accepted God’s grace, you’re doomed to live in fear.
No pill, pep talk, psychiatrist or earthly possession can put your mind at ease.
Those things may help numb your fear, but they can’t eradicate it… only God’s grace can do that.
Have you accepted Gods forgiveness thru Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection?
If not why not?
It was all done for you and I and the rest of humanity.
No we don’t deserve it… but God provided it because He loves us and is not willing that any should perish (2nd Peter 3:9)
(Romans 10:8-10) “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”.
The Bible says, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us…and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1st John 1:9)
(Psalm 139:5) “You cannot run from God nor can you hide from Him, he watches day and night and knows the heart of men”.
(Amos 9:3) "Though they hide on the summit of Carmel,I will search them out and take them from there… and though they conceal themselves from My sight on the floor of the sea I will find them there”
Stop your running and hiding to day… let God restore you and bring peace to your life.
The place of confession is also the place of cleansing and restored confidence towards God.
Your prayer can be as simple as this… "Lord, I admit I’ve turned away from you, please forgive me. I place my soul in Your hands and my trust in Your grace…. In Jesus name I trust believe and pray Amen".
Never forget that Gods main purpose for creating you was and always is, to have a relationship with you!
Why?
Because He loves you!
Good Day!
Never forget that Gods main purpose for creating you was and always is, to have a relationship with you!
Why?
Because He loves you!
Good Day!