Devotions

Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with.

A Scandalous Scene

Luke 23:18-23 18 But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"--a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him." But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.

The dictionary defines a scandal as “that which causes a public outcry and produces an expression of malicious sentiment.” The cross of Christ always has been irrationally and inexplicably an outrageous scandal.

Why all the hatred of Jesus Christ? Why the over-the-top, illogical animosity towards our Lord? Without explanation, such reactions go on even to this day. If you doubt this reality, take an unsaved friend out for dinner. Most likely everything will go rather smoothly as you converse on different subjects . . . until you bring up your love for Jesus Christ and the forgiveness found only in the Gospel. Then get ready.

You can support abortion and gay rights and every liberal agenda in the country, and polite company will, at worst, often smile with deference. In fact, you will usually be applauded for your commitment to absolutely anything. But let someone whose heart is in the grip of this world find out that you have given your heart to Jesus Christ, and you will soon experience hatred or irrational behavior. The very forces of darkness are lobbing their greatest attacks against those who would lift high the Cross of Christ.

There used to be a little boy in our neighborhood who would come over to our house. As a rule, I don’t correct other people’s children--unless they’re on my front porch. One day I heard him repeatedly spitting out the name of Christ in a blasphemous tone, and so I told him, “We love Jesus Christ at our house and you can’t speak of Him in such a disrespectful way when you are here.” I thought that was the end of it until his parents found out that I had corrected him. I tried to calmly request that our beliefs be respected on our property. Well, our relationship with these otherwise fine people never recovered, and they have expressed anger and hatred toward us from that day forward. It’s so irrational; how do you explain it?

There’s a battle going on as Satan and his demonic army spend themselves to incite hatred against the Cross of Jesus Christ. Very few are neutral in this battle; most are firmly entrenched on one side or the other. When you live for Christ and express to others the message of the Cross, you’re going to experience this scandalizing hatred.

But still stand for Jesus. He’s fighting for the souls of all people. He’s seeking to redeem those who spit on His name in scandalizing hatred. What a Savior.

When I consider my crosses, tribulations, and temptations, I shame myself almost to death thinking of what they are in comparison to the sufferings of my blessed Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Revelation is a divine activity; not, therefore, a human achievement. Revelation is not the same thing as discovery or the dawning of insight, or the emerging of a bright idea. Revelation does not mean man finding God, but God finding man, God sharing his secrets with us, God showing us himself.

Jonathan Edwards

The Cross of Christ

"For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

The cross of Jesus Christ is the signature symbol of the central event in the history of civilization. Yet, today we depict the cross as common. Jewelers pound it into all sorts of finery so we can staple crosses to our ears and wear them around our necks. Merchandisers manufacture this symbol of unlimited atonement into fuzzy things for our rearview mirrors or decorations for our gardens. From teacups to T-shirts, people have used the cross to corner the market on crassness. Department stores hawk chocolate-covered crosses for Holy Week. Baseball players and businessmen cross themselves before a big moment. The cross itself has become big business, but it was never intended to be some lucky trinket. This is profanity in the truest sense. Is it any surprise we have lost the wonder of what happened on Calvary?

The resurrection of Christ was the event that accomplished salvation and verified Christ's victory over death, but it was the cross of Jesus Christ that showed us the grace of God. Everything that God wants us to know about Himself comes together in those crossbeams.

Our entire purpose in life is to elevate the Cross. Think on Jesus Christ there. In your mind's eye, picture Him stretched out against the sky. What's He doing up there? Answer: He's subbing for you and me. He's taking God's wrath for your sin. He's satisfying the just demands of a holy God. He's paying the price that God's holiness requires so that you and I can be forgiven. In the place where our blood should have stained the ground, Jesus hung as our substitute.

You can't understand the Gospel until you understand this idea of substitution. Jesus’ death was in the place of every person who has ever lived. I am in that line. You are too. Each of us deserves to die in payment for our own sin, but Jesus stepped in and took that penalty for each of us.

The gospel makes some people sad, some mad and some glad. It is better that people should go out of church mad than merely go out, neither sad, mad, nor glad.

The Word of the Lord is a light to guide you, a counsellor to counsel you, a comforter to comfort you, a staff to support you, a sword to defend you, and a physician to cure you. The Word is a mine to enrich you, a robe to clothe you, and a crown to crown you.

Put Ons and Put Offs
Dr. Richard J. Krejcir

Romans 13:11-14; Ephesians 4:1-6, 22-24; Philippians 2:1-6

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Philippians 2:5-6

Use the Chart Below to Grow

Below is a chart that lists two sets of Fruit and ways of living. One side represents Christ’s redemptive work that we comply to continue by being grateful, pursuing His Grace and applying His Fruit into our daily lives. The other side represents the corruption of sin, the old self that we are called to get rid of. Yet, these old and dirty ways are so alluring, we seem not to want to get rid of them. Go through the next week being fully aware of your attitudes; keep a journal of them. Keep track of your negative attitudes and positive attitudes. Then, notice your feelings and responses in those situations. See what you find and see what happens!

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PUT OFF's

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1. Lack of love I John 4:7.8.20

2. Judging Matt. 7: 1.2

3. Bitterness Hebrews 12:1f

4. Unforgiving spirit Mark 11:26

5. Pride Proverbs 16:18

6. Selfishness Philippians 2:21

7. Boasting (conceit) I Cor. 4:7

8. Stubbornness I Samue15: 23

9. No Submission / Disrespect II Timothy 3:6

10. Rebellion I Samueal 15: 23

11. Disobedience I Samueal 12:15

12. Ungrateful Romans 1: 21

13. Impatience James 1: 2-4

14. Discontent Philippians 4:11-13

15 Covetousness Exodus 20:17

16. Complaining Proverbs 19:3

17. Argumentative Jude 15-16

18. Irritation to others Proverbs 25:8

19. Disrespectful speech John 6:43

20. Jealousy Proverbs 27-4

21. Strife James 3:16

22. Losing temper Proverbs 16:32

23. Bodily harm Proverbs 16:29

24. Anger Proverbs 14:17

25. Wrath James 1:19-20

26. Hatred Matthew 5:21-2

27. Murder Exodus 20:13

28 Gossip I Timothy 5:13

29. Lying Ephesians 4:25

30. Bad Language Ephesians 4:29

31. Profanity Psalms 109:17

32. Idle words Matthew 12:36

33. Evil thoughts Proverbs 23:7

34. Bad Motives I Samuel 16:7

35. Complacency James 4: 17

36. Hypocrisy Job 8:13

37 Other god’s Deuteronomy 11:16

38. Lost first love Revelation 2:4

39 Lack of rejoicing Phil.4.4

40. Worry / Fear Matthew 6:25-32

41 Doubt / Unbelief! I Thess. 5:24

42. Neglect of Bible study 2 Timothy 3:14-17

43. Easily irritated 1 Corinthians 13:5

44. Critical spirit Galatians 5:15

45. Laziness Proverbs 20:4

46. Tardiness/ being slothful Proverbs 18:9

47. Idolatry Deuteronomy 11:16

48. Unfaithfulness Proverbs 25:19

49. Revenge Proverbs 24:29

50. Prayerlessness Luke 18:1

51. No burden for the lost Matthew 9:36-38

52. Burying talents and abilities Luke 12:48

53. Irresponsibility Luke 16:12

54. Procrastination Proverbs 10:5

55. Disrespect of Church Ecclesiastes 5:1

56. Inhospitable 1 Peter 4:9

57. Cheating 2 Corinthians 4:2

58. Personal Bodily harm 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

59. Greed / Love of money 1 Timothy 6:9-10

60. Following the crowd Proverbs 1:10

61. Witchcraft/ Astrology Deuteronomy 18:10,11

62. Gambling Proverbs 28:20-22

63. Preferential treatment James 2:1-9

64. Alcoholism Proverbs 20:1

65. Pornography Psalm 101:3

66. Lust 1 Peter 2:11

67. Perverted sexual relations Leviticus 18:6

68. Fornication1 Corinthians 6:18

69. Adultery Matthew 5:27-28

70. Homosexuality Leviticus 18:22

71. Presumption on the future Proverbs 27:1

72. shameless dress Proverbs 7:10

73. Flirtation Proverbs 7:21

74. Worldly entertainment Proverbs 21:17

75. Worldly music Ephesians 4:29-30

76. Stealing Proverbs 29:24

77. Lack of moderation Proverbs 11:1

78. Gluttony Proverbs 23:21

79. Wrong friends Psalm 1:1

80. Worldly values Matthew 6:19-21

81. Stinginess 1 John 3:17

82. Moral impurity 1 Thessalonians 4:7

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PUT ON's

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Love John 15:12

Search my sin John 8:9: 15:22

Tenderhearted Colossians 3: 12

Forgiving spirit Matthew 6:14

Humility James 4:6

Death to self John 12:24

Humility Proverbs 27:2

Submission Joel 2:12.13; Romans 6: 13

Broken will Matthew 6:10

Surrender Galatians 2:20-21

Obedience Hebrews 5: 9

Thankfulness Ephesians 5:20

Patience Luke 21: 19

Satisfaction Hebrews 13:5

Yield rights Colossians 3:5

Gratefulness I Corinthians 10:10

Contentment Hebrews 13:5

Favor in love Philippians 2:3,4

Respect for authority Ephesians 5: 21

Trust, put others 1st I Corinthians 13:4

Esteem others Luke 6:31

Self control Romans 5:3.4

Gentleness I Thessalonians 2:7

Self control Galatians 5:24,25

Self control Galatians 5:24,25

Kindness I Corinthians 13 :3

Love Romans I Corinthians 13:3

Restrain tongue Proverbs 21:23

Speak truth Zechariah 8:16

Edify I Timothy 4:12

Restrain tongue Proverbs 21: 23

Pure speech Proverbs 15:4

Pure thoughts Philippians 4:8

Spiritual motives 1 Corinthians 10:31

Zeal for Christ Revelation 3:19

Sincerity 1 Thessalonians 2:3

Meditation on God Psalm 19: 14

Fervent devotion Revelation 2:5

Rejoice I Thessalonians 5.16

Trust I Peter 5:7

Faith Hebrews 11:1

Bible study/ Contemplation Psalm 1:2

Return good for evil Rom 12:19-20

Not easily provoked Proverbs 19:11

Diligence Proverbs 6:6-11

Wholeheartedness

Colossians 3:23

Worship God only Colossians 1:17-18

Faithfulness Luke 16:10-12

Give back good Romans 12:19-20

Praying Matthew 26:41

Witnessing / Compassion Act 1:8

Developing abilities 1 Corinthians 4:2

Responsibility Luke 16:10

Attentiveness Proverbs 27:1

Reverence Psalm 89:7

Hospitable Romans 12:13

Honesty 2 Corinthians 8:21

Glorify God with our body 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Seek God Matthew 6:33

Fear God Proverbs 3:7

Worship of God only Deuteronomy 6:5

Good stewardship Luke 16:11

Love our neighbor Luke 6:31

Abstinence Proverbs 23:30

Pure thoughts Philippians 4:8

Pure desires Titus 2:12

Moral purity 1 Corinthians 7:2-5

Abstinence 1 Thessalonians 4:3

Marital fidelity Proverbs 5:14-19

Moral purity 1 Thessalonians 4:4,5

Trust God's will James 4:14-16

Modesty 1 Timothy 2:9

Gentle spirit 1 Peter 3:4

Spiritual pursuits Galatians 5:16

Edifying music Ephesians 5:19

Working/Giving Ephesians 4:28

Temperance 1 Corinthians 9:25

Discipline 1 Corinthians 9:27

Godly friends Proverbs 13:20

Eternal values 2 Corinthians 4:18

Generosity Proverbs 11:24-25

Moral purity 1 Thessalonians 4:4

(“Put On” and “Put Off” list inspired from a Young Life Training Book from the 1970s)

It is our prayer that these “put on” and “put off” lists are convicting to you, as we all far short (and certainty I include myself). We must strive to pursue excellence in our character that influences our attitude and all we do in life¾from serving God to building healthy relationships. Because, one of the main factors in building Christian maturity that must come into play is removing what is wrong and replacing it with what is right¾taking off sin and putting on Christ. For us to live the Christian life with distinction (that is, to practice a life of obedience and love) is imperative, as we cannot do it without the sacrifice of getting rid of what inhibits our growth in Christ. This means we are to put on Christ and take off ourselves. Thus, we must be willing and, by His enabling, remove our selfish will and pride, and mimic His character to the best of our abilities. And, for this to happen we need to wake up! Clean yourselves up! We are to put aside our wrong thinking, wrong actions, and fallen character, then clothe ourselves in Christ’s character. We must put away all the works of darkness, and seek, in all things, to be conformed to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord as well as our Savior.

· So do we get what the Christian life is about?

· If so, what are we doing about it?

· Following these precepts will keep the church healthy from the disease of strife, gossip, arrogance, apathy, envy and conflict!

Go through each line item slowly, one at a time, and ask:

What do I need to put off?
What do I need to put on?
How do I do that?
How do I fail in this area?
How can I do this better?
In prayer, for the next 82 days, seek what you can do to put into practice the Christ-centered life?

© 1983, 2006 R. J. Krejcir Ph.D. Into Thy Word Ministries www.intothyword.org

A genuine Christian should be a walking mystery because he is surely a walking miracle. Through the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian is involved in a daily life and habit that cannot be explained.

Blaise Pascal

God is Good Even When Life is Bad

Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, . . . youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food.
Daniel 1:3-9

When things are going smoothly in your life, you might not find it hard to believe that God is good. But if life takes a bad turn and something devastating happens, you might ask, “How could a good God allow this?” If you know that kind of pain, then you can empathize with the Old Testament prophet, Daniel.

Across the pages of Scripture that detail Daniel’s life from teenager to old man, you can write “sovereignty at work.” God was directing his life whether he saw it at the time or not.

Do you know his story? One bright day in Jerusalem when Daniel was just a teenager, he was captured as a POW and was ripped away from everything warm and familiar. Daniel’s enemies were working a cruel strategy. They singled out the best young people--the All-American teenagers voted MVP and ‘Most Likely to Succeed’ and brought them to their capital city near modern-day Kuwait. Their plan was to brainwash these kids with their culture and eventually make them leaders. Daniel was given a foreign name, Belteshazzar, forced to learn a new language, and fed a new diet.

Had Daniel decided what God was like by looking at his circumstances, he would have become a disillusioned, confused, angry, young man. Kidnapped from his homeland, forced into slavery, most likely castrated to become a eunuch in the palace, Daniel’s eyes were still on God. Don’t gloss over these facts like they’re from some made-for-TV movie--this story is true in every detail. Imagine the suffering connected with his circumstances, yet Daniel went through the fire . . . successfully. This certainly gives us hope that we can make it through our firestorm, too.

No doubt a painful situation comes to mind right now from either your past or the present. You may wonder how a God of love could have allowed some devastating injustice. Yet I would bet on the fact that you’ve not yet come full circle. There will be a day when you will look back and see how God’s sovereign hand was at work. Truth is, He is in the center of the situation that troubles your heart right now. He’s right in the middle of it. Just because you can’t see Him, doesn’t mean He isn’t there and working all things together for good.

Lord, I know You are at work in my life and circumstances…even when I don’t see Your hand. I know You are working all things together for good. Help me fix my heart on You no matter how long I must wait to see a bigger picture. I believe You will bring all things around for Your glory.

The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.

Earlene Larson Jenks

I beg every devout Christian not to despise the simplicity of language and the stories found in the Old Testament. He should remember that, however, simple the Old Testament may seem, it contains the words, works, judgments and actions of God himself. Indeed the simplicity makes fools of the wise and the clever, and allows the poor and simple to see the ways of God. Therefore submit your thoughts and feelings to the stories you read, and let yourself be carried like a child to God.

There is no blessed way of living, than the life of faith upon a covenant-keeping God - to know that we have no care, for he cares for us; that we need have no fear, except to fear him; that we need have no troubles, because we have cast our burdens upon the Lord, and are conscious that he will sustain us.

The Anatomy of a Journey
Jill Carattini

The lections of Lent are full of God’s love of journeys: crossings from darkness into light, blindness to vision, the familiar to the unexpected, thirst to a place of provision; journeys beside still waters, through dark valleys and green pastures to a table prepared in the presence of enemies; pathways from Tyre through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee to a valley of dry bones, the tomb of a friend, and a well in Samaria.(1) Along the way, we are given constant reminders to keep watch and be alert. We hear in the stories of those before us that whatever journey on which we find ourselves, there are surely signs of God stirring, a kingdom emerging, and unexpected hope rising to life. “[T]he hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (John 5:25). God loves the very anatomy of a journey, not for the sake of perpetual motion, but for the sake of guidance and restoration the Spirit brings along the way.

The story of Philip in Acts chapter 8 formally introduces us to a word God exemplifies throughout the journey stories of Scripture. Heeding the command of the Spirit to get up and head toward the south, Philip encountered an Ethiopian man on his way home from worship in Jerusalem.
The man was reading from the book of Isaiah, so Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” The man replied, “‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him”
(Acts 8:31). The words chosen by the Ethiopian in this exchange were absolutely crucial. He invited Philip not to spell things out for him but to guide him. Eugene Peterson explains, “The Greek words for ‘explain’ and ‘guide’ share the same verbal root, ‘to lead,’ and have a common orientation in and concern for the [scriptural] text. But the explainer, the exegete, leads the meaning out of the text; the guide, the hodegete, leads you in the way (hodos) of the
text.”(2) Philip was given an invitation to do far more than explain an ancient text. He was invited to join the journey, to climb into the chariot, spend some time on a similar path, and show the Ethiopian how to walk in it. Philip answered the invitation by coming nearer and sitting down beside the one who asked. How much more does God do so for us.

Throughout the historical accounts of God’s people on journeys great and small are the signs of a God who goes with us, who acts as our guide through the blinding experiences of sin and sorrow, who makes us lie down in green pastures, who leads us beside still waters, and who restores our souls. This is not a God who has sent a manual on how to walk through life successfully, occasionally offering from a distance an explanation of the text. On the contrary, it is a God who answers the journey of life as nothing other than Immanuel, one who is with us, one who sends the Son to show us the way and the Spirit to guide us as we learn to walk in it. “For how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” (Romans 10:14). Far more than simply explaining the answers, God came near enough to physically show us, leaving us with one even greater who “guides us into all truth”
(John 16:12). The God who loves journeys is ever moving in such a way as to assure us that we never need walk alone.

In the same way that our lives model the twists and wanderings of the biblical narratives, our journeys in the days heading toward the celebration of Easter lead us beside quiet waters and through valleys of shadow and death. But we do not walk alone. Once again we are guided to the Cross, taken by one who never deserved to be there yet went willingly, lead by the lamb himself to the place where he took away the sins of the world. Peterson describes the gift of Christ as our guide, “It is the difference between the shopkeeper who sells maps of the wilderness and the person who goes with you into it, risking the dangers, helping to cook the meals, and sharing the weather.”(3) On our way into the wilderness of holy week, might we keep alert, stay awake, and treasure the presence of one who leads us to the great and unexpected hope of the reign of God.

Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

(1) Genesis 12:1-4a, John 4:5-42, Genesis 44:1-17, Psalm 23:1-6, John 9:1-41, Ephesians 5:8-14, John 11:1-45, Ezekiel 37:1-14, etc.
(2) Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 128.
(3) Ibid., 128.

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Augustine of Hippo

God Covenant

God made a covenant with us. The word covenant means "coming together." God wants to come together with us. In many of the stories in the Hebrew Bible, we see that God appears as a God who defends us against our enemies, protects us against dangers, and guides us to freedom. God is God-for-us. When Jesus comes a new dimension of the covenant is revealed. In Jesus, God is born, grows to maturity, lives, suffers, and dies as we do. God is God-with-us. Finally, when Jesus leaves he promises the Holy Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, God reveals the full depth of the covenant. God wants to be as close to us as our breath. God wants to breathe in us, so that all we say, think and do is completely inspired by God. God is God-within-us. Thus God's covenant reveals to us to how much God loves us.

Jesus Christ did not say, "Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right."