Isaiah 65:13-14

Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: My servants will eat, but you will be hungry; My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty; My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. My servants will shout for joy from a glad heart, but you will cry out from an anguished heart, and you will lament out of a broken spirit.

Verse 10 of this passage explains that the servants are God’s people who have sought Him. Verse 11 describes a group of people who have abandoned the LORD, forgotten His holy mountain, prepared a table for Fortune, and filled bowls of mixed wine for Destiny. In other words, they were God’s people who sought prosperity and success, rather than God Himself.

Christians can easily become distracted by prosperity and success and begin to seek the emotional high these things supply, rather than the true fulfillment of being a servant of God. God’s promises, however, are with His servants, and only His servants find their hunger satisfied, their thirst quenched, and their hearts fulfilled. Becoming His servant requires seeking Him and not His blessings. His reward is with Him, and seeking rewards outside of Him will only leave one empty.

God calls us to be servants and not rock stars. He fulfills His plans through servants. God called Moses His servant, and Moses did great things. God called Jesus His Servant, and He saved the world through His sacrifice. If God is calling you to do great things for Him, He will first call you to be His servant. He doesn’t need rock stars to attract people to themselves; He works through His servants to draw people to Him. Being a servant of God is the greatest honor we can receive, and with it comes the greatest blessing – true fulfillment.

Have a blessed day!

Romans 11:30-32

As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their (Jews) disobedience, so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also now may receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that He may have mercy on all.

Oh, how the gospel of Jesus Christ frees us! God opened the door of forgiveness to all, including us Gentiles, through faith in His Son. Now, those who have rejected Him have the same opportunity for mercy as we who have believed do. He opens this door for all by shutting doors around those who don’t believe. In this regard, those who don’t believe are outcast from the blessing of God, having great need of His mercy.

I love the Message Bible’s translation of these verses:

There was a time not so long ago when the Jews slammed the door on Him (Christ) and things opened up for you. Now they are on the outs! But with the door held wide open for you, they have a way back in. In one way or another, God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be on the outside so that He can personally open the door and welcome us back in.

Who among us has not felt what it is like to be on the outside looking in? You see what you want but know you are not a part of it. God has opened a door for all to enter and receive His mercy. If you find yourself on the outside, walk through that door and receive forgiveness. The same God who has blessed others is willing to bless you from an abundance of love and generosity. Just as He has opened a door for you, He wants to open it for others, as well. Can you show them the door?

As verses 35-36 in the Message Bible states:

Everything comes from Him;

Everything happens through Him;

Everything ends up in Him.

Always glory! Always praise!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Regardless of which side of that door you find yourself today, you can praise God. Everything happens from Him, through Him, and by Him, and He is most worthy of our praise. We can trust Him to give us a “Yes!” We simply have to say, “Yes,” to Him and walk through that door of repentance. What is on the other side is worth it!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 13:5-6

But I have trusted in Your faithful love; my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. I will sing to the LORD because He has treated me generously.

While David began this psalm in despair, these verses depict a drastic shift from panic to praise as David committed to trust God completely. He praised God based upon the assurance that He would deliver him. David had not yet received the promise, but He determined to praise God instead of complain.

When we still don’t have the answers we need to prayers, our best response is to praise God anyway. Think of all the prayers He has already answered, and trust in the God who has been faithful to you in the past. Just like David, we need to exercise our faith by praising God, even when we don’t see an answer in sight. God dwells in the praises of His people, and when we praise Him, we usher in His presence into our situation.

The Message Bible states David’s matter more clearly:

I’ve thrown myself headlong into your arms – I’m celebrating your rescue. I’m singing at the top of my lungs, I’m so full of answered prayers.

Throw yourself headlong into the arms of God today, where you will certainly find deliverance. Be so full of thanks for prayers He has answered already that you can’t help but praise Him until your current need is addressed. God is just looking to see if He can find faith upon the earth. Be the place where He finds it and displays His glory all over again.

Have a blessed day!

NOTE: This devotion was originally written after the 2016 election. It still holds true today and is worth posting considering the climate in which we currently find ourselves two Presidential elections later.

Philippians 2:1-4 (The Message)

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care – then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front, don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Many people are suffering depression from the election results. The same people who had no mercy or compassion for those on the right when Obama took office can no longer function now that Trump has been elected. Those on the right, however, feel new hope and energy. This merely displays just how deeply our country is divided.

As Paul explained to the Philippians, those of us who bear the name of Christ will all go through difficult times. If we trust in Him, we will also suffer for Him. Without doubt, we are living in days of ridicule and even persecution of the church. Therefore, we are to treat each other with love and respect, putting another’s interest before our own.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus taught His disciples that the world would know us as Christians by the love we show toward one another. As the Son of God and having all authority and deity, Jesus humbled Himself to come to earth to live a life as a human and to suffer all that we suffer. He took no advantage of His deity to live among us. He even gave His own life on a cross in order that we might share in His reign and have relationship with the Father as His children. He did it all out of love.

Regardless of which side of this election you find yourself, the proper response is to love others. Embrace those who disagree with you while keeping your God-given convictions from His word. Reach across the aisle to work together with those who disagree, and let your attacks be made toward the true enemy of our souls. The job of the Holy Spirit is to convict hearts, and we must leave that job to Him. Pray. Love. Respect. Let your light shine before men, and be a breath of fresh air to those who desperately need to see the love of Christ in action in this dark world. Be a solution to the problem instead of an antagonist. As we humble ourselves, God will work.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 91:4

He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

God’s faithfulness is a protective shield for us. When we are in Christ, God surrounds us. His faithfulness surrounds Him, and that same faithfulness acts as a protective shield, much like a mother bird protects her young under her wings. In this way, we are hidden in Christ.

In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul encourages believers to look away from this world and toward Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father. The right hand is a place of blessing, honor, and authority. As we surrender ourselves to Him, we become hidden in Him, where we find true life and our real selves.

God’s protective shield around us is a place of obscurity. If we are hidden in Him, we have a close, intimate relationship with Him, leaving us unknown to the world. In fact, the closer you become to Christ, the less you will fit in with this world.

Cultivate intimacy with Christ today. When you make Him your dwelling place, He builds a hedge of protection around you with His faithfulness. He will fight your battles for you and protect you from the storms of life that rage against your soul. He is your hiding place, and He is seated at the right hand of God, where blessing, honor, and authority reside. You will never find a better place to be!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 52:8-9

But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. I will praise You forever for what You have done. In the presence of your faithful people, I will put my hope in Your name, for it is good.

The green olive tree is a symbol of beauty and is used in Romans 11 to describe the Gentiles, who have been grafted into the root – God’s church. Although ugly and rejected as a chosen people, we become grafted into the church through Jesus Christ. In Him we find mercy and forgiveness from a loving Father who takes us from floundering to flourishing in His house.

The psalmist recognizes the fact that God’s faithful love has kept him from withering and has caused him to flourish. The only way he could be a green olive tree in the house of God is because of what God has done for him. The Message Bible states, “I thank you always that you went into action…” Unless God goes into action on our behalf, none of us can flourish, but His love is faithful to us, even when we are not.

Trust in the mercy of a faithful God today, and wait for Him to work on your behalf. You are valuable to Him. He sent His own Son that you might be grafted into His church and experience the fruitfulness of a flourishing life. God is good, and you can trust Him to be good to you.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 71:1-3

LORD, I seek refuge in You; never let me be disgraced. In Your justice, rescue and deliver me; listen closely to me and save me. Be a rock of refuge for me, where I can always go. Give the command to save me, for You are my rock and fortress.

David placed complete trust in God for deliverance. He could do so because he had a long history of relationship with God that proved He was trustworthy. God had rescued him before, and David was sure He could do it again. In crying out, David illustrated two very important truths when facing difficulty. First, we are to approach God will full assurance and confidence. Secondly, we are to cry out. The latter does not disqualify the former; it lends credibility to a long-standing relationship.

David leaned upon what he knew to be true of God’s nature in crying out for help. We should do the same. If we think God is mad at us, judging us, punishing us, or just doesn’t care, we may shrink into depression. If we think we deserve the difficulty, we may be tempted to look for a way out on our own. If, however, we are certain of God’s love for us and know that He has a purpose for us in the midst of our pain, we can cry out to Him in full confidence, knowing that He is with us and will never leave us. He has already judged our sin on the cross, and He patiently waits for us to come to the end of ourselves, where we will cry out to Him and trust Him to deliver us.

The Message Bible has a beautiful translation of this passage:

I run for dear life to GOD, I’ll never live to regret it. Do what you do so well; get me out of this mess and up on my feet.

Run for dear life to God today, knowing you will never regret it. He is an expert at getting you out of messes – even the ones you create for yourself. Our messes serve to create reliance upon Him, and crying out to Him is never the wrong thing to do. His desire is not to bring you disgrace but for you to bring Him glory. He can make the whole mess work out for your good, so cry out to Him with full assurance that He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 25:7

Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me because of Your goodness, LORD.

If ever there were a verse that seemed to reflect my life, this would be it. I feel as if I’m continually going before the throne of grace to ask for mercy, not to reap what I’ve sown. By His mercy and goodness toward me, I have changed much from my younger days, but I still have a lot of transformation that needs to occur. His kindness, however, is designed to draw us to repentance, and when we truly see the error of our ways and turn to Him, we will find forgiveness that has the power to change our life in a remarkable, significant, and visible way. Hallelujah!

Sins from immaturity and rebellion at an age when we should know better both need forgiveness. In fact, we never outgrow the need for it. True maturity is found in recognizing that we are dependent upon His grace, mercy, and favor, and we and are not beyond the lures of sin.

The Message Bible makes David’s prayer a little more clear:

Forget that I sowed wild oats; Mark me with your sign of love. Plan only the best for me, God.

Only the heart which has truly repented and turned to God can pray this prayer. Only the one who believes she is truly forgiven can ask for God’s grace and favor, in spite of her shortcomings. Otherwise, she will work herself to death trying to pay for what she has done, or she will sink into depression, thinking all is lost. Receiving forgiveness requires faith. Transformation requires faith to move forward. The goodness of God enables us to both receive forgiveness and move forward with a renewed mind.

Thank God for His goodness today. When you become completely dependent upon His goodness, you are in a good place. He is a good, good Father who gives good gifts to His children, and we are all wise to believe nothing less when we come to Him in humility. Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, and He will withhold no good thing from us. Believe He is working all things for your good today, and rejoice in the goodness of God.

Have a blessed day!

Luke 11:9-10

So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened unto you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

In verse 1 of this chapter, the disciples had asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Jesus gave instruction using what we have come to know as The Lord’s Prayer. Afterward, He explained the importance of persistence in prayer. We are to pray while trusting God’s goodness and willingness to answer.

Persistence, as described in this passage, is more than just tenacity or endurance. It indicates shameless boldness before God’s throne of grace. The believer is to be bold in prayer, believing God will answer.

Hebrews 4:16

Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help at the proper time.

The widow in Luke 18 displayed persistence in both a tenacious and bold approach to God’s throne. She would not allow the unjust judge to rest until he granted her request, and she made her request for justice boldly. While the unjust judge granted her request simply so she would leave him alone, our God is gracious, compassionate, merciful and willing to meet our needs and answer our requests.

Jesus, our great High Priest, sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. He understands our weaknesses completely because He lived this human life. Since He can sympathize in our weakness, He is at God’s right hand giving us a good word before the Father.

When you are applying for a job, it helps to have a good relationship with someone in authority within the company who can give you a good reference and recommend you. You can’t get any higher authority than Jesus! He’s recommending you to the Father and asking Him to grant you His very best!

I love the Message translation of Hebrews 4:16: So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Let’s take the mercy and accept God’s help today. Go boldly to the throne of grace, and pour out every need. Ask specifically for what you want. Your great High Priest is interceding for you as you ask, seek, and knock.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 118:5-6

I called to the LORD in distress; the LORD answered me and put me in a spacious place. The LORD is for me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? With the LORD for me as my helper, I will look in triumph on those who hate me.

What a word of hope for the discouraged in this passage!  I’m so very thankful that God hears us when we call and that He is always for us and not against us. The enemy is called the accuser of the brethren because he continuously accuses us and tries to pronounce judgment upon us. God, however, is for us and is always working as our helper. Even when things don’t seem to go our way, He is working on a better plan for us. Hallelujah!

The word, “distress,” indicates a place of constraint, restriction, or lack of room to move. In other words, you feel stuck. You can’t go back, but you can’t move forward, either. The enemy threatens attack, and the best thing you can do is to cry out to God. When you do, He hears. He is always on your side, and He is working everything out for your good and His glory!

If you feel stuck today, know for certain that God is on your side. He has not abandoned you, and He has brought you too far to let you go. He has invested in you, and He will put you in a spacious place where you can move, grow, flourish, and be productive. Don’t be afraid or discouraged. God will cause you to triumph over your enemies. Jesus died so you could be victorious and overcome. The same resurrection power that raised Him from the dead now lives in you. When you can’t go backward or forward, get ready to move up! God is your helper, and He is for you!

Have a blessed day!