Devotionals

Mark 15:22-24a New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                              22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).  23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.  24 And they crucified him.

In my mind’s eye Jesus looked young, healthy, and energetic on Palm Sunday.  His body had the right weight to height ratio and muscle tone.  He appeared physically fit.  I don’t envision a Jesus with gray hair, a slouch, no energy, a pot belly, and wimpy.  

This era used crucifixion for control.  Convicted criminals hanging on crosses in prominent locations served to show Roman strength and keep Jews on the straight and narrow.  It proved highly effective with such concrete demonstrations.    

A typical crucifixion took a couple of days for the criminal to die.  Inflicting pain for the longest duration was the objective.  Oftentimes the Roman soldiers would finish off the victim with a spear through the abdomen and breaking of legs.  

The Scriptures reflect that Jesus’s crucifixion was particularly brutal.  It started around 9 in the morning and ended around 3 in the afternoon–only six hours.  If you agree with my feeling that He was physically fit, this short time span for Him to die as compared to a couple of days for most victims confirms the horrendous treatment that He endured.  The Roman soldiers didn’t have to finish Him off as they typically did others.  

I find Jesus’s refusal of the wine mixed with myrrh interesting.  This potion numbs the nerves and induces sleep.  Think of normal medical practices today of doing the same to help patients through a procedure.  We desire to eliminate as much discomfort as possible.  We want extra numbing and anesthesia!   

Jesus refused!  He wanted to feel the pain, maximize the suffering, sense the complete experience.  It’s remarkable!  His last six hours of life must have been the most excruciating ever experienced by anyone who has ever lived.  Even more remarkable than Jesus’s rejection of the wine mixed with myrrh is that He did it for us!  Because of His sacrifice, we don’t have to suffer!  All He has asked of us is to believe in Him, recognize his Kingship, and make Him our Lord.  It’s a pretty simple choice.  Thank you, Jesus!  

Matthew 12:35 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                                  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

Do you believe that satan (with a lower case “s”, undeserving of being capitalized as a formal title) and his minions assault you continuously?  Your answer should be a resounding “YES”!  If it isn’t, you need to read the Bible more and increase your understanding.  

Every single day I pray that the Holy Spirit will gird my thoughts, words, and actions, and protect me and my family from the forces of evil.  Is this kind of thinking from Star Wars?  No, it’s the real deal that has existed since our Creator laid the foundation of the universe.  A huge spiritual battle is ongoing.  

Here’s just one tiny example.  If you use your computer often, has the occasion occurred where something unexplainably showed up on your monitor?  Has it ever been something totally off-the-wall–like a swingers ad or pornography?  If you’re on Facebook, has some hacker copied your personal page and started sending notices to your friends to ensnarl them, too?  

This website tries to reach and make disciples.  Its very name is a strong draw for people intent on committing evil.  Not a day passes that somebody or somebodies attempt to hack it.  After all, what greater objective does satan have than to divert someone from receiving God’s grace and escaping his filthy claws?  

At this writing in less than a year’s time, there have been 4,392 attempts to get into this website illicitly.   What do you think they are attempting to achieve?  Do you suppose they have a great devotional or testimony they’d like to add?  Of course not!  I can easily imagine they have a desire to take over control of it and fill jesuschrist.community with all sorts of evil.  

Two powers prevent such theft from happening:  the protection provided by God Almighty and the security software.  Make no mistake–both are from God.  Pray that no evil will ever divert this website from its mission.  Thanks!  

Matthew 13:10-11 &13 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”  11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:  Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Jesus taught with parables, relating a common story illustrative of a spiritual meaning.  Think about the timeframe of His presence on earth.  The Old Testament prophets had predicted His coming exactly as it occurred and they talked about His life.  The Jewish leaders of the time refused to recognize or accept what their own scrolls had revealed to them very clearly!   I can imagine that Jesus’s miracles really tied them in a knot, along with being unable to question and debate Him successfully.  He proved to be a threat to their standing within society by establishing a new covenant not based upon keeping ritualistic laws.  It’s quite human to expect that most Jews’ hearts were hardened by how their religious leaders responded to Jesus.  

In spite of all this evidence, Jesus attempted to reach the masses, but with free will each person had to make up his own mind.  He used parables as His teaching method.  By the way, the prophet Isaiah had predicted this approach 800 years earlier!  People receptive to Him would understand the teaching, whereas those who resisted would never understand.  

Here’s what’s baffling to me.  His inner circle consisted of twelve disciples who stayed with Him 24/7.  On some occasions, even they didn’t understand a parable!  Jesus even chastised them with responses like “Are you so dull?” and “Do you not understand?”  

If a parable shoots right over your head, know that you’re in good company with the disciples.  They didn’t get it all the time, either!  Just keep on plowing forward, recognizing that the parable illustrates a spiritual truth that you need to know, and seek the Holy Spirit’s help in understanding it.    

Isaiah 29:13-14 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                            The Lord says:                                                                                                                                                                                      “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught . . “

I love the book of Isaiah!  Written 8 centuries before Jesus by perhaps three different authors, this passage came from Isaiah ben Amoz.  In Christianity he is regarded as the first of the major prophets.  I find prophecy a fascinating study insofar as everything Isaiah foretold about Jesus came to realization with 100% accuracy.  His batting average certainly proves that we should take to heart what he wrote so many years ago.  

Isaiah’s words proved so important that Jesus even quoted him in a teaching recorded in Mark 7:7.  Of course, be mindful that Jesus repeated an 800 year old quotation that Isaiah had received from Him! 

Reflect on this question:  how many churches teach their own rules in addition to what is contained within the Bible?  I suggest that it’s just about all of them.  Don’t kid yourself in thinking that I’m promoting any particular church as being better.  Some congregations that claim the greatest adherence to the Bible are oftentimes the worse offenders with their own legalism.  Man-made rules mean nothing!  

At the end of the day, the bottom line is how we relate to Jesus Christ.  It isn’t about a particular church, worship style or human rules.  It’s all about the person of Jesus Christ, what we believe about Him, and how we serve Him.   

Ephesians 5:33 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                   However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

The apostle Paul wrote Ephesians while in prison around 62 A.D.  This bit of advice for husbands to love their wives and wives to respect their husbands occurred 1,957 years ago.  It isn’t new thinking!  

Shaunti Feldman is a great author on husband-wife relationships.  I highly recommend her books for couples to improve their marriages.  About a decade ago she wrote “For Women Only” and “For Men Only” for wives and husbands, respectively.  If you’re married and haven’t read them, I encourage you to do so.  These two books are the best martial relationship books I’ve ever read.  

Shaunti surveyed hundreds of couples about their deepest feelings for each other.  She concluded two irrefutable facts.  First, wives want love.  Second, husbands want respect.  Her discovery confirmed in our era the wisdom of Paul from more than 19 centuries ago!  What proved meaningful for marriages in the time of Jesus Christ is also true of marriages in the 21st century.  At the end of the day, people throughout history really aren’t much different in the way they feel.  

What’s disturbing is that people in our modern era still haven’t figured out this basic truth about marriage.  Wives want love and men want respect.  It’s so simple.  Yet, oftentimes I witness unloving husbands and disrespectful wives.  The frequency I observe these behaviors is stunning.  I understand one of the root causes of divorce.  

The Bible’s wisdom should not be overlooked or disbelieved.  The Good Book contains much sound advice on building a successful marriage.  Take it to heart.  

Psalm 25:5 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                                     Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Over the years I’ve heard many preachers and the followers who parrot them state that the Bible contains the answers to every question that one has.  That’s a powerful statement to make and certainly sounds authentic.  

I have a little problem with it.  In my humble opinion, it isn’t true.  Certainly the Bible is the Word of God and I believe in its inerrancy.  However, as a stand-alone document it doesn’t tell us everything we may want to know.  

Of course, some folks will bristle at my claim, but to derive an answer to many of life’s questions strictly from the Bible requires interpretation, which causes differing opinions and ultimately divisiveness.  It’s why more than 10,000 denominations and countless non-denominational entities exist within Christendom. Does this fact sound like everyone is on the same page?  

It’s a difficult dilemma.  There is only absolute truth and not relative truth, but it seems everyone has their own set of beliefs that they feel are totally correct for themselves.  It’s sort of odd that we read and accept the same Bible but have so many differences.  

Here’s just one tiny example.  Drinking wine–is it a sin or not?  In my reading of the Scriptures the answer is crystal-clear.  However, I can assure you that a lot of folks would disagree with my belief.  

Fortunately we have the Holy Spirit to provide us with direction.  Even so, it appears everyone doesn’t connect with Him the same way.  At the end of the day what’s really important is that all Christians agree on the major points contained in the Bible regarding the redemptive plan of salvation and give each other leeway on the minor points.  Our salvation doesn’t depend on the little stuff that typically divides us.   

Matthew 24:35 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                         “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”  (Quotation by Jesus Christ.)

The New Year invites new beginnings.  We can make no resolution that would be superior to becoming a better Christ-follower.  Several ways exist to make this happen, but this devotional focuses on just one, and it’s simple and easy to do. 

Our pastor urges us to read our Bible one-time through every year.  The church provides a reading plan requiring about 15 minutes daily.  With everyone focusing on the same scripture, we’re on the same topic throughout the year. Free phone apps are readily available that will inform you of the daily reading, and some will even read it to you.  

This 2019 marks the fourth consecutive year that we have followed our pastor’s recommended plan.  it has enabled us to grow spiritually.  However, I believe that another approach is far better.  

Don’t just read the Bible–study it!  Look up words you don’t understand; convert unusual units to English measurements; read about the author and the historical background; compare the daily scripture to referenced verses; check all the footnotes; assess its application to your own life; etc.  Granted, this enhanced process will take longer than 15 minutes daily–perhaps a half-hour or so.  However, the payback is tremendous!  You will grow in your understanding of the Bible far more than what you gain from simply reading it.  

Give my suggestion a try for a few days.  Once you start digging in, you’ll realize that the Bible contains so much than you ever realized.  Over my lifetime I’ve been a voracious reader, and I’ve found the Bible to be the most fascinating, enlightening, and helpful book I’ve ever read.  After all, it is God’s word!  

Matthew 25:21 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                              His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  (A parable of Jesus Christ.)  

A couple of times yearly a friend and I from way back meet for a meal.  He’s a highly successful businessman.  Without exception, every time he tells me how happy he is.  I suspect he’s simply trying to elevate himself in my eyes.  He‘s very driven and wants to be viewed favorably in life as well as business.  I’m positive he’s trying desperately to convince himself of his own happiness.    

A few years ago he discarded his first wife of several decades for the reason that she no longer made him happy.  He married a second woman, who subsequently divorced him in a few years.  Now he’s in a relationship with another woman with no intention of remarrying.  He pursues this lifestyle with the mistaken belief that it will provide happiness.  I’ll also mention that he’s terrified of dying.    

I view my friend with pity.  Even though he has achieved great successes by the world’s standards throughout his lifetime, he’s still searching for something that satisfies–i.e., provides true happiness.  He’s quite intelligent, but cannot see what should be so obvious to any believer.  

Jesus Christ is the source of all good things.  He is the One and Only who satisfies and gives us happiness.  A pursuit of Him provides great rewards on earth and in heaven.  It also gives His followers comfort rather than fear in dying.  I cannot imagine any greater pursuit for our benefit.  

Matthew 7:13-14 New International Version (NIV)                                                                                                                           13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  (Quotation from Jesus Christ.)

My college experience proved different from just about everyone I’ve ever known.  I entered a demanding 5-year program that required one to be in the top 2% of high school graduates in the country to qualify for it.  As I recall, 454 students enrolled.  On our first day of orientation, the dean instructed us to look to the people directly in front, back, left, and right of us.  He informed us that within a year only one of us would still be in the program.  He didn’t lie.  The demands upon us required a weekly commitment of 112 hours, so we had 56 hours remaining every week to sleep, eat, do laundry, shower, enjoy ourselves (what’s that?), etc.  The attrition continued for the remaining years as more people flunked out, dropped out, changed majors or transferred to another university.  After completing dozens of difficult courses, researching a thesis and passing the final oral exam, this original class yielded a grand total of 14 graduates for a 3% graduation rate.  Nothing like it exists in engineering colleges today.  The experience has provided a lifetime of benefits.   

I think about this as being akin to Jesus’s teaching about the narrow and wide gates.  The narrow road isn’t easy.  It’s rough, tough, and hard to stay focused.  Many obstacles disguised as temptations abound to discourage and redirect you away from it.  The far easier path would be to avoid the challenges of pursuing righteousness and take the wide road to the wide gate.  However, in pursuit of excellence and one’s eternal reward, aim forward and upward to be judged worthy of passing through the narrow gate.  

Which path are you on today?  

Deuteronomy 4:28 New Living Translation (NLV)                                                                                                                        “There, in a foreign land, you will worship idols made from wood and stone–gods that neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.”

The Bible is replete with examples of people who worshiped false gods over centuries of time.  The ancients chose man-made idols fashioned out of wood and stone and often overlaid with gold and silver over God.  They even ritualistically sacrificed their own children to them!  

When reading about such false gods today, we shake our heads in complete disbelief.  We attribute behaviors of two to three thousand years ago to people being primitive,  uncivilized, ignorant, etc.  

Let me share something that you may find surprising.  False gods abound today in many parts of the world, and I’m not referring to third world countries, although they have their share of them!  

In Japan one can visit Buddhist temples and find wooden gods like Daibutsu located in Nara’s Todaiji.  Known as Big Buddha, it’s simply a giant wooden god with a head covered in gold.  It’s not simply an ancient attraction.  Worshippers bow before it, burn incense, wail, and leave money.  On New Year’s Day, Daibutsu is visited by over 200,000 people.  Similar examples, albeit on a much smaller scale, exist all over the country.  

In Taiwan I once visited a Confucian temple in Taipei.  The first stop was a cafeteria line selling complete meals to worshipers for giving to one of the dozens of gods, each of whom had its own altar.  They were simple wooden statues–some quite bizarre–and highlighted by materials like silver and semi-precious stones.  One particular altar contained a huge pile of cafeteria trays of food.  I learned that it was the money god.  

Our little town of about 60,000 contains two Islamic mosques and one Hindu temple.  Also, I’m certain one can find a Wiccan clan here as well.  Don’t get me started on false idols–money, prestige, possessions, etc.–that people have today!  

When you think about the majesty and power of God, it’s unfathomable that many people today still worship false gods–just like the ones reported in the Old Testament.  It’s astounding!  It merely reflects the importance of Jesus’s last command before His ascension, when He told us to make disciples.  Think about what you can do to reach others.