The Good Gifts ~ 12/31 devotional

His Word: Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Luke 11:13

Observation and Obedience: Jesus is talking here, the disciples were asking and listening. They wanted to know how to pray. He gives them "the Lord's Prayer", which is a prayer of asking. "Father, reveal who you are. Set the world right. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil." (MSG)

God's Gifts Are Everlasting

His Word: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

Observation & Obedience: God’s gifts to us are innumerable; often beyond what we can even imagine or ask for. But what are we doing with his gifts? Are we putting them on a shelf only to gather dust? Are they doomed to the basement until the next time a “white elephant” present is needed?

Gift: A Reclamation ~

Guest Post by Emily Gehman 

“This is for Christmas and your birthday.”

I’ve lost count of how many times that phrase has accompanied the neatly wrapped—in either Christmas or birthday paper—package handed to me. I don’t complain much, though, because when I do, my brother is quick to remind me it could be worse. His birthday is on Christmas Eve.

The Eternal Gift ~

Guest Post by Deb Potts

His Word:  “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:22-23

Observation & Obedience: Why, oh why is it so difficult to make the switch from our life before Christ to our life after Christ? Down through the ages people who follow Christ have felt the same frustration.

The Gift

Guest Post by Leslie Schonfeld

His Word: Acts 2:38 (NIV) Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Observation: Empowered by the Pentecost experience, Peter delivered this impactful speech. Thousands came to Christ. His passion persuaded them to accept Jesus and all were empowered by the Spirit dwelling in Peter. 

Repent and receive. We often concentrate on the difficultly of repentance. Focused on changing ourselves, we miss the fulfilled promise delivered to us by Jesus death and resurrection. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit when we turn our lives over to Jesus. 

A gift! A present; FREE! No payment needed. Can you imagine if we had rules and requirements receiving gifts? Imagine Christmas morning. The presents entice us from under the tree. We have counted the days, early in the morning we run to them. The anticipation is over. It’s here! We gather with our families but we don’t feel adequate enough for the love shared there. We don’t touch the presents. We are not good enough. Maybe someday; but not today. Each gift remains under the tree untouched as we work to be worthy. 

Sounds a little silly doesn’t it. At my house, as soon as everyone is in the room, the paper flies! Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love to give and get gifts. There is joy in unconditional giving and receiving. Yet, for many of us we have a living gift residing in us that we push aside. Wrapped in a tidy package, we tuck it away in the faith corner of our soul. We point it out when others ask about it but we don’t utilize it.

We need to embrace God’s gift. As we unwrap the Holy Spirit, His presence covers us with comfort and peace. The Spirits indwelling is the source of our strength. When we yield our control to Him; His fruits grow.   Make room for them. His fruits (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) then become gifts we give to others. As we give the Spirit grows. 

Yes, repentance is a necessary part of the Spirit indwelling but it is a process that takes time. The more we utilize the gift the more we reflect God. Paul reminds us of this in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV) “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Spirit through the sacrifice of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Help us to open this gift daily. Grow the fruits in us so we may give to others what we have received from you. Help us to be mindful of this in all we do. In Jesus name, AMEN.

Encouragement: “The Holy Spirit can be with you always and guide you back to Him, but in order to enjoy the benefits of this holy gift, you must truly receive it, and then you must use it in your life. How sad it would be to be given such a precious gift and then set it aside and never use it.” -Margaret D. Nadauld

Because You Are

His Word: Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  Luke 12:7

Observation & Obedience: Do you notice the command in the middle of this verse? Don’t be afraid. If God knows the very number of hairs on our head, why should we even worry that he’s not aware of all the BIG things going on in our life? What we may consider an impossible task, God sees it as another way to demonstrate how much he loves us and considers us worthy of his attention and protection; because we are!

Author, Randy Alcorn, gives good advice for those times when we don’t feel God’s protection; days when we think we’ve been left alone and are not worthy of anyone’s love. “Some days no one but God has the right words. Nothing I can say stacks up against what follows. Read, believe and thank God that even when we don’t sense His presence, He’s with us and at work in a thousand ways we can’t see. But our failure to see is not the same as His failing to be present and to be working together all things for our good (Romans 8:28).

I suggest you read each of these verses aloud. Or, stop on one that really speaks to you and read and reread it aloud. Meditate on it, memorize it, and let God speak to your heart as only He can. These are the very words of God. Shut out all the rest of the voices in the world-TV, radio, magazines, books, internet, email, social media-and listen to His voice alone. 

Jesus said, “My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me. The Father and I are one.” (John 10:27-30, NLT).

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. (Isaiah 12:2)

Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. (Isaiah 49:13)

[Jesus said] Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:27)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)”

Prayer: Read your favorite verse(s) back to God as a prayer of confirmation of his love, attention and protection. 

Encouragement: You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.   Max Lucado

Do You Know Who My Father Is?

His word: 1 John 3:1 See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. (NLT)

What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to. (The Message)

Observation and Obedience: As I sit here in my hotel room after my 6 month check up with my Oncologist, I have to say, knowing that the God of creation, Abba Father, calls me HIS child is comforting. It’s not only comforting, it’s worthy of a Happy Dance, a SHOUT Out, a Thank YOU JESUS! 

But……did you notice the BUT in this verse? But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize who we are, because……..they don’t know HIM. 

We are unrecognizable and the world doesn’t take us seriously. Is that a good thing? Honestly, I’m a bit relieved that it’s not my fault they don’t know Him. In this verse, there’s no blame. They just don’t know Him. 

So with this kind of love from our Father, and no blame, what should our response be to the folks around us who think we’ve flipped a lid or gone off the deep end with all this religious stuff? Hey, it’s easy for me, my father and two brothers are Pastors, what else would I be? The rest of you……what’s your excuse?

It’s not an excuse they’re looking for……really, it’s not. They want to know why? They want to know what difference it makes in our lives? They want to know that it’s not just a Sunday morning church thing. They want to know that there really is a hope for all that’s gone wrong in this world. They want to know He loves them too! They just don’t know. 

That’s where our responsibility comes in. We need to love like He loves. Later on in 1John 3 it says, “This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters.  Suppose a believer who is rich enough to have all the necessities of life sees a fellow believer who is poor and does not have even basic needs. What if the rich believer does not help the poor one? Then it is clear that God’s love is not in that person’s heart. My children, our love should not be only words and talk. No, our love must be real. We must show our love by the things we do.” Because the world is watching to see how we treat one another, how we talk of one another, how we LOVE. 

Satan wants nothing more than to show us up as hypocrites and a lot of talk. Let’s be children who are ready to defend our name by loving like we have been loved. Let’s live it out with a little less talk and a lot more action!

Prayer: I used to pray that God would feed the hungry, or do this or that, now I pray that He will guide me to do whatever I’m supposed to do, what I can do. I used to pray for answers, now I’m praying for strength. I used to believe that prayer changes things, now I know that prayer changes us and we change things. (Mother Teresa) Lord Jesus, help me to love the way that you love. Amen

Encouragement: Pay more attention to your Creator than your critics. Don’t worry about other people’s opinions of you. God never told you to impress people; only to love them. – Dave Willis

God's Love Poured Out

His Word: And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  Romans 5:5

Observation & Obedience:  Enjoy today’s insight into God’ love by Pastor Kenneth Yang of Triumph in Christ in Penang, Malaysia.

God’s love in Greek is ‘agape’. It is His constant and unconditional love for us. In Romans 5:5, Paul wrote that God’s love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Notice how generous God is to us! God doesn’t just sprinkle His love in our hearts, but Romans 5:5 says God pours out His love in our hearts!

The bible also says God is love (1 John 4:16). In fact, if you see Galatians 5:22-23, the first fruit of the Spirit of God is ‘love’. Love is the very foundation in our Christian living, and on this love (loving God and loving others), hangs all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40).

You may say, “Pastor, it’s easier said than done. I find it so hard to love that ‘so and so’. Even the sight of him/her or his/her voice can irritate me!” My friend, stop trying too hard to love someone with your own self-effort and strength. Stop trying to love someone using your mind, willpower or emotions. 

These are all in your soul level. The bible says the love of God is being poured out in your heart (Romans 5:5). Here, Paul’s talking about your spirit level, your inner man. Love (agape) never fails, even when everything else fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). Your friends, colleagues, superiors, or even your family and loved ones may fail or hurt you at times, but take heart, His love never fails.

What you need to do now is simply ‘receive His love’ first. “Pastor, you mean it’s that easy, and nothing else?” Yes, it’s that easy, and nothing else. Just receive; as easy as that. Christian life is a life resting in Jesus’ finished works, and so, we love, we work, and we minister out of our rest in Him.

When you have been so filled with His love, loving others will not be hard to you anymore, especially those whom you get easily irritated with. God’s love will just flow out easily from your heart, because you have first received and experienced His love.

Beloved, His love is for you to receive freely (Romans 8:32). When you have experienced His love being poured out in you, something in your heart changes, and you just can’t help but to love others freely too. Love will just flow out like rivers of living water (John 7:38) from you to others. 

Prayer: “Dear God, your constant and unconditional love is too much for me to grasp, yet that’s how I want to love others. I know I can’t do it in my own strength and power; I fail every time I try.  Your Word says you have poured, not just sprinkled or dabbed your love into my heart – so it’s there – I just have to receive and recognize it. Help me to draw on the love that is available to me at all times instead of always trying to love others the hard way. I know I’ll never be disappointed. Amen.”

Encouragement: I have decided to stick with love; hate is too great a burden to bear.  Martin Luther King Jr.

You Are Precious....Are You Honoring?

His Word: Isaiah 43:4-5 Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west. (NLT)

Observation and Obedience: This passage speaks to God’s character. It is God’s character that reveals how he will treat and love his true followers.

The part of the this verse that I would like to reflect on is “You are honored”.

The definition of Honor is the privilege of being associated with or receiving a favor from a respected person, group, organization, etc.

We are honored to be called sons and daughters of the Most High God. We are honored because Jesus Christ laid down his life for our adoption rights. We are honored to call God Abba, Father. We are honored to carry His son’s name with us as we approach the throne of grace. How well are we honoring Him? How well do we represent Him to the world? Are we living up to our Father’s name? Are we honor worthy?

We are so quick to call on His name when our worlds are falling apart. But, do we continue to cry out and seek His ways once we feel like we’ve regained control? Or, do we put Him back on a shelf for when we NEED Him again to do something for us? How well would your other relationships fare under those circumstances? And, really, He created us for relationship! That’s it!!! He gives you your next breath because He desires a relationship with you. 

This is always daunting to me, writing about God’s word. I wonder, is there really any way we should do more than just point others to what His Word says. Today, I was reading in Hebrews and what I read, it’s powerful, it’s thought provoking and it’s worth a look, see, hear. 

A Call to Live Worthy of Relationship and Honor

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.  By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.  And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies. For anyone who refused to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy, as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us. For we know the one who said,

“I will take revenge. I will pay them back.” He also said, “The Lord will judge his own people.” It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

“For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved. Hebrews 10:19-39New Living Translation (NLT)

Now, if that’s not enough to give you pause, make you think and reflect on your relationship with God….then open your bibles and keep reading. If you don’t like to read, listen with the Daily Audio Bible App. There’s no better way to get in step with the God who calls you precious and has given you the honor of His Son’s name than getting into His Word. Be worthy of it!

The following prayer is from the book by Francis Chan “Crazy Love”. I dare you to read it and not be challenged and changed!!

Prayer: Jesus, I need to give myself up, I am not strong enough to love You and walk with You on my own. I can’t do it, and I need You. I need You deeply and desperately. I believe You are worth it, that You are better than anything else I could have in this life or the next. I want You. And when I don’t, I want to want You. Be all in me. Have Your way with me. 

Encouragement: He gave us life so that we might seek and know Him. If you merely pretend that you enjoy God or love Him, He knows. You can’t fool Him; don’t even try. Francis Chan – Crazy Love

There's No Place Like Home

His Word: So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…  Ephesians 3:17a

Observation & Obedience: Enjoy today’s encouragement from David Finch of River Ridge Neighborhood Church in Elk Grove, CA.

Did you ever stay in someone’s home and feel awkward there?

•You feel an undercurrent of uneasiness.

• Even though they welcomed you into their home with a smile, you get the feeling that you are intruding on a personal intimate setting where you are not welcome.

• There might be times when you hear whispering behind closed doors and you wonder if they are saying, “Who invited him?” or “When will she leave?”

• When you say, “Well, I guess I’d better get going” they are quick to say with false heartiness, “Thanks for stopping by!” as they hurry to get your shoes and coat.

Since our home is really at the center of our world, we are protective of our privacy and guard our home against unwelcome visitors. Our home is:

•A place of security

•The place where we are truly accepted for who we are

•Where you can be yourself

•A place where you can really let down and relax

•Your retreat from a busy noisy demanding world

•Where you live with family – people who share your name

We have a lot of familiar sayings about home:

•When are you coming home?

•I can’t wait to get home!

•There’s no place like home     (Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz)

•Love makes a house a home

•Are we home yet?

•Home Sweet Home

•Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home (Song by John Howard Payne)

•I’ll be home for Christmas

•I’m homesick

Ephesians 3:17 is written with all these implications about home-life in mind  – “Your heart is His home…, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…”

We have all heard the invitation to “invite Christ into your heart” many times. It is important to know that this is the only verse in the entire Bible that talks about Christ “living in our hearts” or “receiving Christ into your heart” and it is written to Christians!

So what is the message that this verse has for believers? Let’s take this verse phrase by phrase to understand what God is teaching us about Christ’s home on earth.

That Christ – Scripture uses many names for God’s Son: Jesus, Christ, Lord, Savior, the Holy One, the Word, the good Shepherd, Immanuel, the Lamb of God, the Rock, and many more (over 200 names in total). So it is important to know why God chose this name of Jesus when He emphasizes the idea that Christ “dwells in your heart.”

The name Christ is the formal name of the authority of Jesus. He is the anointed One sent from God to earth as the exact image of the invisible God. The name Christ reminds us that Jesus is eternal God who came to earth to bring us forgiveness of sin and to initiate our fellowship with God the Father.

Ephesians 3:17 uses the name Christ to emphasize that the Eternal God has made our heart his home on earth. We are to remember the awesome nature of our relationship with God.

May Dwell – The word translated “dwell” is a fascinating word in the original Greek according to scholar Dr. Kenneth Wuest. It is a combination word made up of two Greek words: The word for “home” and the word “settle down.” We should read this word with its full original meaning – “that Christ might settle down and feel completely at home in your hearts.”

It is the intention of Christ to make your heart the place where he can settle down and feel completely at home. It means that He is not a visitor in your heart, or just making an occasional stopover visit there. Your heart should be His permanent home on earth. He should feel welcomed, not as a guest, but as a full time resident who shares ownership. He should never be thought of as an intruder, a guest who stays too long, or an inconvenience.

In Your Hearts – When the Bible talks about “your heart” it does not mean the physical muscle that pumps blood through your body. In Scripture the heart is the crucial center of your spiritual life; it is the center of your personality, your thoughts, will, emotions, and whatever else lies at the center of your being.

As your physical heart is necessary for life, so the Bible speaks of your spiritual heart as the center of who you are, what you think, how you feel, and your relationship with God.

Through Faith – Christ settles down and feels at home in your heart “through faith.” What does this mean?

The Lord Jesus makes your heart His personal residence when you were saved (John 14:23; Rev. 3:20). But that is not the subject of this prayer. Here it is not a question of His being in you, but rather of His feeling at home there!

We enter into the enjoyment of His indwelling in our heart through faith. This involves constant dependence on Him, constant surrender to Him, and constant recognition of His “at home-ness.” It is through daily living by faith that we “practice His presence.”

Jesus entered your spiritual heart the day you put your faith in Him as your Savior. But this prayer of Paul should resonate in you with a desire for more than that! Christ wants to be invited and welcomed as a permanent resident who is made to feel at home through your daily obedience to Him through faith.

Theodore Epp, (Back to the Bible), wrote “He will be completely at home in our lives to the extent that He is truly Lord of our lives. When we received Him as Savior, He came to permanently indwell us, but our need now is to put Him first in everything so that He will be at home in us.

In order for Christ to control our lives, we must give up the self-life–we must desire to please Him rather than ourselves. This means we will have to say no to our own desires when they conflict with His.”

Is your heart ready to be His permanent home? Paul is praying for a deeper experience between Christ and His people. He longs for Christ to settle down and feel at home in their hearts—not a surface relationship, but an ever-deepening fellowship.

If Christ visited your heart unexpectedly, what would he find there?

•What are your secret thoughts?

•What do you really think of the people in your life?

•What do you invite into your heart and thoughts?

•What are your desires, dreams, and motives?

•Who is the ultimate authority over your heart – yourself or Christ?

Prayer:  You can only find the deep peace, satisfaction, and joy that you are hungry for when you make Christ the permanent, welcomed resident of your heart. Allow Him to enter your heart by daily faith, to make himself completely at home, and permit him to discard the clutter, the selfishness, and the sins that have contaminated your heart.

Encouragement:  Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.  St. Augustine