January 2021 Devotionals

 Wednesday Devotional - 1/13/21

Prayers:

Pray for those who are hurting right now from the loss of friends and loved ones. We know that there are many within our community that have passed into the loving arms of Jesus the last few months. Pray that the pain of those that we miss will be light, and that we will lean on the knowledge and the power of Jesus through our pain. 

Pray especially for our country at this time. We are going through extraordinary changes, and we need to know that God is in control of it all. Pray for our leaders, both those who are exiting, and those who are coming in. Pray that they will turn to God for their guidance rather than any special interests. Pray that they will not work for just one party, but rather that they will work for the greater good of all Americans.

Devotional:

Again, we are studying forgiveness in our lives. This is from the Bible.com devotional ‘Forgiveness Heals’. I urge you to go to that website and look through all of their devotionals. It is well worth your time and effort!

1 John 1:8-9 (NIRV) says “Suppose we claim we are without sin. Then we are fooling ourselves. The truth is not in us. But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.”

This scripture provides a great assurance of forgiveness, which is that God will forgive us if we only ask for it. Some people have trouble acknowledging that they have sin in their lives. They say “oh, well, I’m a good person!” or “well, it’s not like I’ve murdered someone.” God’s word is clear: we decide ourselves if we deny that we have sinned. If we deny that we have sinned, then we are denying that we need Jesus Christ in our lives. Remember that Jesus came to die for our sins, and that it is through his sacrifice on the cross that we are saved. Therefore, if we confess our sins, God will forgive our sins. And he does even more than this: He will not only forgive us for the sins we know about and confess, He will purify us from ALL unrighteousness.

What does that mean though? Have you ever seen metal being purified? When metals are heated up to purify them, the only thing that is left in the metal is what is meant to be there. That’s exactly what God does with us. He purifies us from all the dirt, filth, and contamination in our lives. We can then stand before God completely sinless and perfect because of what Jesus has done for us on the Cross.

How do we know that God will forgive our sins? Because God is faithful and righteous. He always does good for us, and has never let us down. God always keeps his word! God will forgive any repentant sinner who truly turns away from sin and turns to Him in repentance and faith. When we confess our sins to God, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins. This is His promise to us. 

Wednesday Devotional - 1/20/21

Prayers:

We do not know what today might bring (since I am posting this at 8 AM on Facebook and sending it via email sometime around then). We know that it is inauguration day, and that there are a lot of angry people within our country. Pray today for peace in this transition. Pray that there will be an ordinary day without violence against anyone. Pray that God will lead the new leaders in His will, and that partisanship is put aside for the common good of our country. And pray that we will be vigilant in our faith in God to know that He is always doing good for us no matter who is in charge of the government.

Additionally, pray that our community will continue to grow strong, not just in health, but in spirit as well. Pray that God will continue to bless us in ways that we do not know. Pray that God will use us in ways to bless others. And pray that God will provide the opportunities to do so. As Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”

Devotional:

We are continuing the ‘Forgiveness Heals’ devotional that is found on Bible.com. Again, I urge you to look at that website and find a devotional to do besides this one. It is a great way to deepen your relationship with the Lord!

As we saw last week, God will forgive us of our sins. But have you ever stopped to think about the act of confession? King David wrote in Psalm 51:1-7 “God, have mercy on me according to your faithful love. Because your love is so tender and kind, wipe out my lawless acts. Wash away all the evil things I’ve done. Make me pure from my sin. I know the lawless acts I’ve committed. I can’t forget my sin. You are the one I’ve really sinned against. I’ve done what is evil in your sight. So you are right when you sentence me. You are fair when you judge me. I know I’ve been a sinner ever since I was born. I’ve been a sinner ever since my mother became pregnant with me. I know that you wanted faithfulness even when I was in my mother’s body. You taught me wisdom in that secret place. Sprinkle me with hyssop, then I will be clean. Wash me, then I will be whiter than snow.” This particular Psalm was written after the prophet Nathan had confronted David about his adultery with Bathsheba. If you read the entirety of the Psalm, you will find one of the most famous Bible sayings, which is found in verse 10: “create a pure heart in me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.” This confession is a plea by David to God to cleanse him of his sins. It is a desire to see the wickedness, guilt, and shame taken away from him. 

We see that there are three parts to confession. The first is to acknowledge what we have done to God by sinning. Genuine confession is accompanied by the kind of sorrow that is not only sorry for the things that we have done, but it is truly grievous to our soul. We grieve over the pain that we have caused to the creator of us. When we get to the point of confession, it must be where we are truly sorry for what we have done. It must be to a point where if we don’t confess to the Lord, then you will feel that there is something out of sorts in your life. How many times do we search ourselves, trying to figure out what is wrong in our lives when we should go to the Lord in prayer?

Next, genuine confession accepts whatever judgement God gives to us. We know that God has infinite wisdom, and He knows that we will choose what is worst for ourselves. In God’s infinite love, he disciplines us as severely as necessary to produce holiness in our lives. This is not done out of spite, not done out of meanness, nor is it done out of some sadistic joy. It is done so that we will turn from our evil ways and return to him. Like a good father, he punishes not because he wants to, but to help us avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

Finally, genuine confession revolves around repentance and a deep, heartfelt desire to turn from our sin. When we look again at David’s example in these verses, his repentant nature is evident in his desire to be clean within and to be forgiven. He knew that the root problem was sin and sin alone. He didn’t just ask for forgiveness, but he pleaded with God to cleanse him from within. He wanted to be changed so that he would sin no more.

In our fallen state, the only one who can truly change us from our sinful nature is Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 says “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. But God treats us much better than we deserve, and because of Christ Jesus, he freely accepts us and sets us free from our sins.” When we accept Christ into our lives, it does not mean that we will not be free from sinning ever again. We have a struggle daily between our sinful nature and the nature we receive when we are saved in Jesus. But we have the opportunity to come to the Father through Jesus and confess our sins and to be forgiven forever. As we think about this lesson this week, ask yourself “how can I change my mindset in to confess my sins in order to experience the full gift of God’s forgiveness in my life?” May we always seek God’s will and his mercy in our lives. 

Wednesday Devotional - 1/27/21

Prayers

First, thank goodness that there was no violence last Wednesday. We truly live in the greatest country on Earth where the transfer of power is so peaceful. My grandfather was a US Army Veteran, and had many friends who were in various other countries’ armed forces. Many times, those people would be called upon to help quell violence when regimes and power changed hands. Thanks be to God that we can have that kind of peace in our nation, and that He continues to watch over us.

Second, be in prayer that the Covid vaccine continues to be run out to the public well. I know that many within our community have gotten the vaccine already. Pray that the production of the vaccine will continue, and that the rollout will continue to help to cover us all. I know that some of you are waiting to see what the effects are, so please do not think that this is necessarily an endorsement for any vaccine. Do your homework, pray, and do what God tells you to do. I’m sure that anyone who follows that will be honored and understood.

Finally, be in prayer for those in our community that are sick, not just with Covid but other illnesses as well.

Devotional

We are continuing on our devotional journey with forgiveness. Just a reminder, this particular series is titled “Forgiveness Heals” and can be found on Bible.com in their devotional plans. This week, we will take a look at forgiving others. 

Ephesians 4:32 says “be kind and tender to one another. Forgive one another, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done.” Something that we all want is forgiveness. It is something that we crave, even in times where we might not think that we do. That said, how hard is it sometimes to forgive others for what they have done to you? It can truly be a hard thing to do, especially if it was something that would seem unforgivable to many. 

There is a very simple reason that we are to forgive: because God has forgiven us. No matter what a person has done against you, it pales in comparison to what we have done against God. Yet God forgives us still. Why? Because he loves us greatly. He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die the death we deserve. God forgives us despite our having rejected, cursed, ignored, and neglecting Him.

Because of what Christ has done for us, we should forgive others no matter what they have done to us. I am reminded of a saying that was told to me a long time ago. The person said “when you hold resentment and hatred towards someone, it is likely that the offending person has no idea that you hold that against them. The only person that you are hurting is yourself.” Christ came to die for us not because we asked for it, but because we needed it. And because of that example, we can ourselves forgive others even through terrible circumstances.