Tag: Galatians

Devotional 220: To Seek and Save the Lost

smithaw50Leave a comment
Matthew 18: 10-11 The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:8-10 Jesus Comes to Zacchaeus’ House

8 Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Galatians 6:7-8

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

  The purpose of Jesus’ descent at the Father’s command was not to “hang out” with the lost, continuously dispensing grace to them while they indulged their vices, just like it wasn’t the job of a shepherd to walk with the lost sheep as it meandered, not finding its way back, and putting itself and the shepherd in danger since it had no idea it was lost and in peril.

  His purpose was to cleanse us of sin, the way a found sheep must be bathed to have the dirt of the world removed from its wool so that what it produces will be valuable. It must also be returned to the flock because it isn’t whole without one.

  Too many who have no real relationship with Jesus assume a familiarity with Him they don’t have or seek. They erroneously take for granted that He places no conditions on their redemption, when in fact, it the seeking of Him that will bring them to G-d.

  “Come as you are” does not mean “Stay as you were.”

  Circumstances improve, and people change for the better in the presence of Jesus. He’s always with us, and since He paid the blood price, that means after being grafted in, we will face the hardships He did, up to and including dying while still believing.

  He tells the Jews of Israel that He didn’t come to abolish the law and negate the prophets (Matthew 5:17).

  He tells those who are grafted in that He did not come to bring peace, but division, even into the same household among family.

  We can’t forget that Jesus and the Father are not in competition, and in the end, the Son will purge the Father’s kingdom of His enemies, because He has been found worthy, and the Father has given Him all authority (Matthew 28:18) They are of one mind to remove the scourges of sin and death for all who choose to believe, follow, and do the work of the kingdom.(John 10:30) (Phillipians 2:12-13)

  So to those who are searching, seek Him while He may be found (Isaiah 55: 6-7). And to those who already believe, let us continue to work alongside Him while there’s light. (John 9:4)

 Therefore I pray:

   Lord Jesus, today I confess I have been in remiss in following my Good Shepherd.

   The things and cares of this world catch my eye and fill my imagination, distracting me with thoughts of myself and and that which brings me worldly comfort, and not the security of eternal salvation.

   The rod and staff brought no comfort because I wrongly believed they were to strike me for my errors and rebellion, not to protect me and gather me back to You, to be under Your protection and love.

   Even knowing You, sealed by the Holy Spirit, and written in the Book of Life, I still stray, indulge, and sin. How much more so then, for those who don’t know You at all.

   So today, from the spiritual distress in my soul, I bleat my prayer for You to save me once more, cleanse me once more, and restore me to fellowship and the kingdom once more. Let me plead the blood of the Lamb, that I might be spotless and blameless, humbled and shamed, broken and contrite, before my Father’s throne.

  Rejoice over me with singing as You a give me a heart of flesh, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ezekiel 36:26)

   May it be done to me as You have said.

   Amen.

Devotional 218: Turning the Tables

smithaw50Leave a comment

John 2:13-17

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

Mark 5:35-40

35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

*******

Imagine you enter your father’s house to find it vandalized and robbed, but the people who did it are standing outside selling his things, claiming they had a relationship with him, and a reverence for him as a pillar of the community. Imagine they told you that what they were doing was fine, then questioned your authority to send them away.

Or imagine you are walking with the one highly skilled doctor who can bring your loved one back to life, while the rest of your family is telling you to leave the doctor alone. He then allows you, and you only, to see your loved one restored to life because you believed in him, and walked with him.

Let us remember the words of Jacob when he blessed his sons: “Judah is a lion’s whelp.”(Gen 49:9) Let us also remember the words of Paul: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. (Galatians 6:7)

We can be assured that if the Father has given all authority to the Son, He won’t fail to operate in that authority. In the first instance, He took the time to make one of the very items of torture that would be used to break Him down before He was crucified.

In the second instance, He would not operate in the presence of non-believers, and though He wasn’t angry and zealous, as in the first instance, he still acted in His authority by putting those who ridiculed Him outside.

The tribe of Judah is indeed the whelp of Christ, because while in this world Judah was born centuries before Jesus, Jesus tells us He was with the Father before the foundation of the world. In tracing the genealogy of Jesus, there is both a harlot and a virgin, a murderer and adulterer (David), and an old carpenter, obedient to the word of G-d, given to protect a Son whose birth he had no part in. It only follows that the grace of G-d allows those who aren’t His chosen be given an opportunity to be part of His eternal kingdom under the rule of His Son.

As we see the prophecies unfolding with technology, and the fires, and the rise of the enemy through spiritual blindness and bodily confusion, we are not called to be lukewarm, for in His authority He will spew us out. (Rev 3:16)

Let us then be as the sons of Issachar discerning the times, and not only make the decision, but hold steadfast to it, for the one we choose to serve. We can be assured He will again operate in His authority as the judge of all humanity from every nation at the time of the final raising up, and the separation of those who endured to the end from the ones who fell away. (Matthew 25:31-46)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Cleanse me, forgive me, refresh me, and restore me. I ask so that I may be a light to those around me, doing good works that those whom I serve may see them and glorify G-d, that You might reveal Him to them, that they might be saved.

I would not make a new believer stumble because they are not like me, or their gifts will be different, or their faith might be greater, or that You may have a higher use for them than me. Even then, they will fall short in their own righteousness. I ask that You where You depart from us on the road, the Holy Spirit comforts and brings to us what is Yours, as You brought that which is the Father’s, restoring our fellowship and purifying our sinful nature.

I will not surrender my authority given by You to read the Word of G-d for myself, turning it over to those who would lead me astray because in doing so I will follow their voice, and not Yours. I will believe as they believe, and challenge Your authority to chastise and rebuke me in my sin. I will take my blessings and put them into earthly coffers subject to thieves, and not in Heaven’s storehouses to bless others.

Help me not only to remember, but to truly understand, this world is not my home, and my earthly life is not forever. Give me a heart of wisdom, and order my steps, that I may do all You have given me to do. I would be honored and humbled to say, as You did, “It is finished,” that I may hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

May it be done to me as You have said.

I ask in faith, believing I’ve already received.

Amen.

Devotional 212: The Deception of Many

smithaw50Leave a comment

Matthew 24

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand.“

John 10:27 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

In the perilous days to come that will determine who survives the harvest, and who ultimately enters into the Father’s rest, having not been earmarked as an enemy of G-d, we see that our Savior, through time and space in warning the disciples, has in His grace, warned us as well.

It is why the doing of the Father’s will is as important as the hearing of it, and why backsliding, doubt, and compromise are dangerous to the soul. We have all, at one point or another, during one trial or another, felt like giving up. We had unanswered questions, and seemed to be perpetually praying for deliverance that was so long in coming, it seemed it would never happen.

When we refer to such long-suffering, the phrase “…has the patience of Job” used to be a go-to. The fact of the matter is that Job had no say for how long G-d would permit Satan to test him. Neither do we, but we are told to always rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things (1 Thess: 5-17), to ask, seek, and knock (Matt 7:7-12), to abide in Jesus (John 15:5-8)

What Job had was not patience. Indeed, what he suffered would have broken lesser men who were not so grounded in the Lord. His wife, who’d suffered the same losses, gave in to her despair and put it on Job to rebuke God, but he didn’t.

What Job did have was faith, up to and including that if he died, he would still have trusted in God’s goodness to redeem his soul. Where he went wrong was to defend his own righteousness. (Job 13:15) In his trials, his pride took over and his anger got the better of him until God questioned him, and he repented in ‘dust and ashes.’ (Job 42:6)

As we watch Jesus’ prophecies come to pass, just as they did with the temple the disciples marveled at (Mark 13:2), we are to discern the times as foolish men with wealth and power vie to control a world they didn’t make and can’t own. We are also to stand for the Truth among the mockers and spiritually confused and blinded, waiting for a sign they won’t receive because their hearts are hard, even as they proclaim to ‘walk in my truth’, which is of this world and therefore leads them astray. Let us remember, as humanity becomes lovers of themselves, that God is not mocked. (Galatians 6:7)

Today, let us till the soil of our own hearts, that we not be deceived, (Matt 13:8) , and let us also encourage one another to endure to the end, that we might be saved. (Matt 24:13)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, I would not be a fool to proclaim in my anger, pride, or sadness in the midst of my trials, that there is no God. Forgive me for my times of backsliding, breaking fellowship, and going my own way. That is the way of darkness, and will lead to the destruction of my soul, the consumption of my works, and the condemnation of my spirit to the outer darkness, a just decision for my lawlessness.

Help us to realize the world is in crisis, and that self-serving, self-important leaders are vying for control of a world they did not make and can’t own. Let us be sound in our doctrine, and clear in whom we are serving, that their words of worldly comfort and isolation don’t become a tempting snare.

As such, help us be more fruitful workers for the kingdom, not just faithful hearers, that the light in us and the works we perform point to God and give Him all the glory, as You have said. (Matt 5:16)

Today we confess our sins, forgive our brothers and sisters their trespasses, and stay still, that we might know that You, O Lord, are with us, and know us, as we listen for Your voice to guide us out of the worldly wilderness that clamors for our attention, just as the false christs and prophets will in the days to come.

Strengthen us with times of refreshing, heal us, guide us, and restore us, that we may gain a heart of wisdom as we return to our Father through faith in Your sacrifice, and grant that we grow to love each other as You love us.

May Your Word be sealed to my Spirit, now and forever.

Amen.

Devotional 189: Remove Your Foot From Evil

smithaw50Leave a comment

Proverbs 4:

27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.

While the entire proverb warns us and addresses how to walk the Narrow Path to salvation, it is true that for most of us, all things considered, the length of earthly years can make it difficult, and we often find ourselves straddling two states of being: Spiritual and Carnal.

It is the line between corrupting flesh that fights the spirit seeking Christ’s salvation through grace. The Apostle Paul reminds us this is going to be a lifelong battle (Gal 5:17)

We would likely answer, “But Lord, we’re only human….”

The Lord would answer He remembers that (Psalm 103:14)

What is given to us to remember is that we are spiritual beings, souls that will be returning reconciled from sin, under the blood covenant of mercy and grace that we entered into with Jesus, who sealed it with His sacrifice by taking our place and punishment on Himself.

In that, the Son reminds us that we are beholden, and should fear He who is able to cast the soul as well as the body to be consumed in the void. (Matthew 10:28)

Our feet may straddle two worlds for a variety of reasons, such as an immediate way out of bad circumstances, monetary rewards based on your silence, sexual favors for advancing careers….etc.

In those moments, we can waver and compromise, even backslide, in our service like the sleeping disciples of Gethsemane. We can view it as when the Word says Satan left Jesus ‘until a more opportune time.’ (Luke 4:13)

Today, let us repent of the earthly sin that creates such opportune times for demonic spiritual conditions that bring us both drama and tragedy in the world, and rebukes from the Throne of Grace that will one day be the Throne of Judgment.

If we stand with Christ and fellow believers, keeping one foot in the world is a conscious choice we are making to choose curses over blessings, for there is no compromising with sin for our Father. He can’t look at it, and He will never forget it without the blood of His Son covering us.

Such is His heart toward us.

Let us remove our feet from evil, rededicate our hearts, guard our mouths, rethink our choices, and consider the motives of our actions as we return to the Narrow Path to follow the Good Shepherd, who possesses the only Name under heaven by which we can be salvaged, reconciled and blameless, to our Father as we dwell in the presence of His glory forever.

Therefore I pray:

Even now, Father, we may stand in sin before You as You turn away, waiting to hear our confessions, our pleas for Your mercy, help, and judge the sincerity of our hearts towards You.

Before men, You affirmed Your Son, once among a multitude when He was baptized, and once again in the midst of Moses and Elijah, in the presence of His closest disciples.

It is, indeed, good for us to be here with Him as well. Today, we open the door to his knock, and prepare our hearts to receive the Gospel, repenting for the Kingdom of Heaven at hand.

I repent of using grace for license, for procrastinating in blessing others when I have time and resources and means, for compromising in my service like an unprofitable servant. I would not be cast into the outer darkness, weeping. Today, I ask that You not blot my name from the Book of Life, and help me not to corrupt the seal of my sinful spirit to your Holy Spirit.

Today, O Lord, through the power and might of the Name of Jesus, I remove my foot from evil, and turn neither to the right nor left, not looking on wickedness and giving rein to deceitful, perverse lips.

Receive me once again into the fold of Your flock, Father, and deliver me from evil. I remove my foot, and set my face to once more follow Jesus, loving You and Him with all my heart, body, mind, and soul.

May Your words be sealed to my spirit, now and forever.

Amen.

Devotional 146: Friend, Why Have You Come?

smithaw50Leave a comment

Matthew 26:47-50

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” 49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.

Look at the greeting Jesus uses for His betrayer, whom He already knew was going to do this through the power of Satan (Luke 22:3-5). 

Why would He use such a term to describe such a man? We aren’t told much about the calling of Judas, but we do know that he’s the Apostle who was, ultimately, the weakest. He’d been privy to all of the teaching, all of the miracles, the signs, and walked among the rest of them, but his heart wasn’t rocky soil, and he fell off the path.

Jesus told them:  15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

He was watched by the others as well, and wasn’t above stealing. When he rebuked the pouring out of the fragrant oil on Jesus, and protested that it might be used for the poor, John tells us: John 12:6 

6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.

His eyes were ever on this world. Perhaps he saw traveling with Jesus as a way to avoid work and still survive without begging. But his next to final act was an ultimate rejection of all his experiences, and a turning away from the faith to such an extreme degree that there was no way for Him to repent of it once it was done.  (Matthew 27:4)

As Jesus had taught, those who heard and saw Him, and still did not believe, would come under greater condemnation, and Judas, with that kiss, sealed his eternal fate.

I imagine Jesus’ greeting was sad, and heavy with pity in that He saw one who was falling away, and because he was being used as an instrument that Satan said would he would use at a more opportune time (Luke 4:13) there was nothing Jesus could do to stop it as the Father was allowing it. (John 17:12)

As we go through our days, our routines, the seasons, the passing years, and the trials of our  lives, are there times we betray our Lord? Times when our faith is a rootless mustard seed? There are always those moments where the crossroads come, where the rubber of our faith meets the road of the world’s evil, and we find ourselves with a choice.

In our weak moments, our hearts are as vulnerable to the accuser’s whispers as Judas’ heart. We are likely to deny Him (Matthew 26:72), to become frustrated with our lack of understanding things that He says tells us to do. (John 6:50 – 60) 

We are prone to turning to self (1 John 2:18 – 20), and to being deceived (Matthew 24:23-25). And Paul tells us that the war between spirit and flesh is for life (Galatians 5:16-18)

We are told to believe, be steadfast, bold, fearless, at peace with others, to forgive, to do good works that glorify G-d and not ourselves. We are told we’ll be raised on the last day to one of two possible eternal fates: one to life, one to damnation. (Matthew 25:31-46)  depending on the choice we make.

Yet our savior calls us always, when we falter even under grace, to return, repent, and follow once again. It is not without conditions, however. He will meet us where we are, but once we’ve committed, we can’t, as Judas did, turn back. He tells us we are not worthy of His work if we do so (Luke 9:62).

Today,  let us, like Zacchaeus, call attention to ourselves that He might see what we’re doing in His Name, to the Father’s glory, that we might rise to eternal life and be fit for service in His kingdom as we use our allotted gifts and talents to pray, sow, and reap.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

You tell us to abide in You, but how long we stay is up to us, and us alone. In the days we don’t ask, seek, and knock, we are vulnerable to all that happens to those who fall away, and indeed, to those who never come.

We ask today, in these times, that You help our unbelief and increase our faith, that we might be counted among those raised to life, knowing even now in our wretched state, that the Father will do all that You ask.

We ask for clean hearts, renewed spirits, stronger voices, and deeper love for You and the Word of the Father, as we continue to partake of the flesh of His grace, and the Blood of His mercy, imparted to us in Your atoning work on Calvary and the glory of Your Resurrection.

We remember that You tell us all that the Father has is Yours, and that which He’s given You is now given to us: Eternal life serving in the kingdom of G-d, in the Presence of G-d, forever.

Keep us from putting our hand to the plow, from going away sad, from spurning hard teachings, from stealing, from betraying our faith to false christs and fake prophets, that we might be deceived and let astray.

Help us to know Your voice, and to endure to the end, that we might be truly saved by Your hand reaching out to us in the storms You’ve prophesied would surely come, having told us beforehand what to watch out for.

We look for the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens that heralds the coming of the Lion of Judah, continuing to do the work of preaching the gospel to all nations until the last one is reached.

Let us be fruitful servants, focused plowmen, joyful believers, steadfast teachers, pure in heart and motive, and unified in our love for You and our fellow man. Let us go about doing greater things, faith hand in hand with works, as we point to the Father and give thanks for glorifying our good works, that those who see may glorify Him.

We would not be the sons and daughters of perdition. Let us always keep the joy of our salvation before us, enduring the mocking scorn of the lost and faithless, ministering to them in love.

We ask it all by the power of Your Name.

May it be done to us as You have said.

Amen.