Weekly Devotion

For me, one of the most awesome parts of being a Christian is that it keeps me open to love and learning from a variety of sources throughout my life. Just when I congratulate myself for understanding life, I am awakened to the fact that I have a lot to learn. When I think I know God’s singular meaning to a certain passage of scripture, I’m blindsided by someone who shows me a whole new truth to that passage. This is where my friend Momma comes in.

It wasn’t until his graduation from college, that God spoke gently to my friend. While still on campus, sitting alone on a brick wall, it was God who revealed the unescapable truth to my friend. “Apart from me you can do nothing,” Jesus told my friend.

A loving relationship can’t grow without giving, without sacrifice, and without active communication. Think about the reassurance you get when you’re talking with your doctor about a serious or concerning issue you’re experiencing.

A loving relationship can’t grow without giving, without sacrifice, and without active communication. Think about the reassurance you get when you’re talking with your doctor about a serious or concerning issue you’re experiencing.

In a world of gray where many lines are blurred, Christian believers must face an ongoing battle of being both authentic and faithful. God’s word as breathed in the Bible, is clear about real (eternal) and worldly (temporal) loyalty. So Christians over the past 2000 years have walked tightrope between adopting society’s acceptable beliefs or following God’s ordained commands.

If God were to ask you what you wanted him to give you, what would you say? Would you ask for health, peace, comfort, wealth, treasures? Would you ask for wisdom?

We have all known people who have made positive imprints on our lives. Not insignificant, trivial tick-marks, but deep spiritual, and lasting etches to our spiritual well-being. I used to read and listen to a lot of self-help gurus. Wayne Dyer, Stephen Covey, Tony Robbins, and Deepak Chopra to name a few.

Eventually, I found self-help to leave me thirsting for more substance, something more penetrating and permanent. But one quote from Wayne Dyer, has stuck with me for 15 years.

In the air of transparency, I must confess that I watched the Presidential Debate this week. In all honesty, I can also say that I only got through about 15 minutes of the debacle. My wife tried it again about 45 minutes later, but the tone was the same. There was nothing to be learned, neither candidate offered the promise of character. They were both too intent on shoving talking points down their opponent’s throat that there was no room for discussion or listening.

Jesus willingly accepted suffering, intense pain, and unjust punishment as a substitute for us. Jesus was wrongly accused and suffered without fighting back in order to fulfill His purpose. Verse 1 Peter 2:24 describes exactly that purpose.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

Someone once told me that they only pray “big” prayers to God because they don’t want to bother him with trivial concerns. Aside from not understanding the power of prayer, this belief also shows a narrow understanding of God’s relationship with us.