Passionate Devotion

WEEK FIFTY TWO

Scripture Revelation 22:12-13 (NASB) 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Observation I noticed in the end Jesus says that He will render to every man according to what he has done. This can be really good or it can be really bad depending on which side you are on. For us who are submitted to the Lordship of Jesus this is exciting. Every wrong will be made right, justice will be served. All of the corruption we see will be addressed by the King Himself! Wow. On the other hand, those who took shortcuts to benefit themselves and those who were not submitted to Jesus will be facing a devastating reality. Even though my mind says, “good,” my heart hurts for those who are ignorant or flat out rebellious.

Application I am often caught in between the tension of two things: Saving our world by making it a better place or detaching from the world with my hope fully in heaven. I want to submit to you that it’s not a matter of or, it’s a matter of and. We fight injustice, making this world look like heaven and we steward our hearts to long only for heaven. They go together. We love God and we love one another. So this last devotional leaves us with our main application as Children of God: Love God and love people! With compassion, love even those who are intentionally lying and cheating and taking advantage of others. For one day they will be confronted with all they have done.

Prayer Revelation 22:17 (TPT) “Come,” says the Holy Spirit and the Bride in divine duet. Let everyone who hears this duet join them in saying, “Come.” Let everyone gripped with spiritual thirst say, “Come.” And let everyone who craves the gift of living water come and drink it freely. “It is my gift to you! Come.”

Yes come Lord Jesus!! We love you! Use us to reach those who are lost and rebellious towards You! Save America! Save the souls of America and save our country as a whole from evil and darkness. Thank You that even though this year was bad in many ways, You are still good!

WEEK FIFTY ONE

Scripture Psalm 101:1-3 Lord, I will sing about your faithful love for me. My song of praise will have your justice as its theme. I’m trying my best to walk in the way of integrity, especially in my own home. But I need your help! I’m wondering, Lord, when will you appear? I refuse to gaze on that which is vulgar. I despise works of evil people and anything that moves my heart away from you. I will not let evil hold me in its grip.

Observation We see in this passage David’s passion to walk in integrity by choosing whom he walks with and he chooses to gaze upon. David’s desire to keep himself pure is his for the Lord is more important than anything else.

Application We are in a time when learning how to walk in purity and integrity in our homes is more important than ever. David wanted nothing to remove his heart from the Lord so he refused to look at anything that could possibly derail him. God knows that sometimes our home life is hard depending on circumstances, trials and who we live with. But Gods never afraid to put us in home situations that are hard because He knows that we have the ability to bring heaven and change the atmosphere bringing peace, hope and excellence. When we refuse to gaze upon what is vulgar and gaze upon Him daily, when we sing our praises to Him and ask for His help to show us how to walk in integrity in our own home, that’s when God shows up. If we want to reign in life and change the world, the best place to see heaven invade first is our home. God is taking us deeper into purity, intimacy and confidence that we were made to win.

Prayer Jesus would you show us that we are not victims to are environment but are sons and daughters that come alive and bring life no matter where we are. Show us the path to integrity and the strength of purity. For you have made us to win! Amen.

WEEK FIFTY

Scripture Malachi 4:6 Good News Translation He will bring fathers and children together again; otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country.

Observation Malachi 4, the last chapter of the Old Testament, offers a message of hope and encouragement to those who follow and honor God. The Lord promises blessings for those who remain faithful to Him (Malachi 4:2-3), but also issues a grim message to those who fail to recognize the warnings stated in this chapter:  upholding the laws of Moses (Malachi 4:4) and to watch for the coming of Elijah (Malachi 4:5). Matthew 17:11-13 confirms that this coming of Elijah is referring to John the Baptist who came before Jesus, attempting to bring fathers and children together again and preparing their hearts to receive Christ's redeeming gift of salvation.

Application While these words may be intended for an Old Testament audience, the message still rings loud and clear today. In the New International Version, Malachi 4:6 is worded "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse." It is still our responsibility to submit to the warnings stated in Malachi 4 (upholding the laws of Moses and to watch for the coming of Elijah) in order to avoid a curse over our land. Fathers (in familial and/or spiritual context) must step up to the plate and follow through in their position as a leader, provider, and protector of their households while their children are urged to humble themselves and submit to their father figures so that their relationship with God the Father would follow suit. We might look at these verses and think to ourselves that the people in Jesus' time really missed the mark by not recognizing the Spirit of Elijah in John the Baptist, but Matthew 17:11 still says "Elijah is coming and will restore all things." Let's not miss it this time. God still longs to be involved in the reconciliation and collaboration between fathers and children.

Prayer Father God, we thank you for Your perfect plan of redemption for us. Turn our hearts. Turn our hearts for our fathers and for our children. Release the Father Anointing so that we can raise up mighty spiritual fathers and mothers in our church. Help us to rise up as leaders in our communities.

Amen

WEEK FOURTY NINE

Scripture   Psalm 97:1-6 (NIV) 1 The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. 2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. 3 Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. 4 His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all peoples see his glory.

Observation Verse one says that “the Lord reigns, let the earth be glad”. The appropriate response to the kingship of our Lord is glad is gladness and rejoicing. Why? Unlike the kings of the earth, our God is always good, always loving, always wise, and His dominion and power is without end. Verses two through six gives us a powerful picture of the absolute awe and wonder surrounding the throne of God. Nothing compares to the majesty and glory of our God!

Application The word “awesome” contains the word “awe”. The original meaning of “awesome” is of “something that inspires awe”. We use this word very differently today. We use it to describe sandwiches and talented baseball players.

Our God is truly awesome! There is nothing and no one that compares, or comes even close, to our God. As a Christian, it’s so important that we maintain this “awe” of God. Proverbs 1:7 says “the fear of the Lord, is the beginning of knowledge…” We usually think of “fear” as a bad thing, but when it comes to God, it is good to always have a holy fear or reverent awe of God.  Usually, fear pushes me away from something, but when it comes God and assuming I am his child (John 1:12), the fear of God is a good thing because of the potential to produce real knowledge.  My mind is blown when I consider that the Lord, the creator of all things, is inviting me into his lap to share the mysteries of the universe. Wow. That is awesome!

Prayer Lord God, I thank you for your word and for the comfort that it brings to my soul. Your love for me is so good and kind. Thank you, Jesus, for making a way for me to approach the throne of grace with confidence. God, you are truly awesome.  Amen.

WEEK FOURTY EIGHT

Scripture 3 John 1:9-11 (TPT) 9 I have already written you once about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be in charge and recognized as first among you, does not acknowledge our authority. 10 So if I come, I will address what he’s doing—spreading his malicious slander against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome our brothers, and he stands in the way of those who want to receive them and show them hospitality by throwing them out of the church! 11 Delightfully loved ones, don’t imitate what is evil, but imitate that which is good. Whoever does good is of God; whoever does evil has not seen God.

Observation When I think about the early church, I usually think about a perfect community of believers who are sharing their belongings and loving one another. This obscure passage gives us insight into the issues going on in the early church. Someone named Diotrephes (try to pronounce that one!) who seemed to be bossy, disobedient and disrespectful of authority. He was causing enough problems that the apostle John had to address it. I have been a pastor for quite a few years and have seen my share of people who choose not to love but instead choose to put their own agenda before people. The thing that surprises me is that no matter what man does, God continues to protect the power of choice. There will always be people who choose evil in our world and to be like God is to resist the spirit of control.

Application You may not have a Diotrephes in your life but you may have someone who does not play by Gods rules. We are all experiencing governmental leaders who are not playing by Gods rules right now. We can be free and joyful in the midst of this by reminding ourselves that we are not in control of other peoples choices nor do we want to be. We do not need others to change to be free and joyful. All we need is Gods love to fill us to overflowing. In that place the world does not seem so overwhelming. Even something as amazing as the church will never be perfect but the One who loves you is perfect!!

Prayer Jesus all I want is You! All I need is You! When all I see is You I’m free! My citizenship is in heaven, help me see what’s going on in our world right now from that perspective.

WEEK FOURTY SEVEN

Scripture 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Observation John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. The motivation for God coming to earth and rescuing us from our sin was His immense love for the world. This is awesome and I am so grateful for God’s love. Jesus sacrificed himself because of His love for the world.

However, in 1 John, the same author is instructing us to not “love the world or anything in the world”. So, what is it? Do we love the world like God loves the world, or do we not love the world? The answer is “yes”, to both.

Application As Christians, we have the extreme privilege of representing Jesus to the world.  In order for me to do this well, I need the Holy Spirit to teach me, guide me, and lead me so that my heart and thoughts are transformed to resemble the heart and thinking of God.

One of Jesus’ most noticeable attributes was His love for people. Regardless of where they came from or what they looked like, the hallmark and source of Jesus’ ministry was always His love for people. Everything he did, the miracles, the teachings, the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, all stemmed from His love for people.

Here is the amazing part. God wants that same love to be present in all of His kids. The same love in Jesus is to be inside of us. How? Holy Spirit.

To put it simply… God is love. Holy Spirit is God. Holy Spirit dwells in us. God’s love dwells in us.

Seems pretty simple, right? Well, it’s supposed to be that simple. Love God, love people. The problem is that the affections of our heart often get distracted with the things and pleasures of this world.  Without Holy Spirit, these unhealthy affections (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life), can quickly become the center instead of God.  God’s design is for us to remain set apart, or holy, in this world so that, like Jesus, we can live wholehearted for God.

In John 17:17, Jesus prayed for his disciples and said “They are not of the world, just as I am not the world”.  If you are a Christian trying to fit into this world… stop.  Jesus died so that you can be free from this world and be a citizen of heaven.  Stop trying to become someone that you’re not. Rather, embrace your identity in Christ and allow Holy Spirit to transform you from the inside out.

Prayer Jesus, thank you for coming and saving me from my sin. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for guiding me and setting me free with your truth. Renew my mind so that I can be transformed more and more each day to look like Jesus. Reveal any unhealthy affections in my heart so that I can live a life of purity and holiness before you. Thank you, God, for filling me today with your love and for bringing others into my life to share your love with.  Amen.

WEEK FOURTY SIX

Scripture Psalm 91:1-2 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Observation Psalm 91 is a chapter of trust. It is a reminder to us that when things get crazy, God is still in control. The psalmist declares, within these first two verses, who God is and what God is for those who trust in Him.

We see God named four different ways: The Most High (Elyon) - God is sovereign over all! The Almighty (Shaddai) - God is stronger than we can even imagine! The Lord (Yahweh/Jehovah) - God is the ruler over everything! But, more importantly, he is also my redeemer and my friend. My God (Elohim) - God is God! The creator of all things.

And if we truly believe that God is all of these things and we trust in Him, then we can be assured in the fact that he is also these four things for us:

Shelter - God is our protection against harm Shadow - God is over us and around us Refuge - God is our hiding place Fortress - God is our strong defense

In these things, God provides us with comfort, strength, rest, and protection over our souls.

The rest of Psalm 91 proclaims spiritual protection from the attacks of the enemy and assures us that when we are holding on tight to God, He is holding on even tighter.  

Application Trust in God and call upon him for help! Declare who He is and what He is over your life! In times of uncertainty, we can declare who God is with certainty. Nothing can get in the way of God and the plans He has for your life.

At the end of Chapter 91, we hear God's promise through this response (91:14-16):

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Prayer Thank you for who you are and what you are to me! You are God over everything and I will put all of my trust and hope in you. I look to you as my shelter, shadow, refuge, and fortress and find safety there. I know that you and your love are greater than anything that could come against me, physically or spiritually. And I know that you are in control. Help me to dwell in your peace and comfort instead of the worries around me. And help me be a witness to those around me so that they might find the same peace and comfort in you.

WEEK FOURTY FIVE

Scripture John 15 (NKJV) I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Observation In this passage of the bible we see the beauty of abiding in God and how he also abides in us. Jesus tells His disciples that He is the vine and they are the branches. Jesus shows His disciples that in order to bear fruit you need to abide in Him and without Him they can't do anything.

Application One of the most beautiful privileges we have in life is simply having needs. Needs that only He can fill, needs that only He can satisfy. Having needs makes room for God to come so we can have an encounter with Him. Jesus said “Without me you can do nothing.” A big statement and so true. The air your breathing right now is from the Lord, the cells that hold your body together in perfect harmony is the Lord, the very reason you exist comes from Him speaking you into existence. This God says “abide in me and I will abide in you.” He knows that we can't fully live unless we are consistently getting fed by Him. As we draw near to Him He draws near to us and gives us everything we need to flourish in life. He is a relational God and is always looking for those who will choose to daily abide in Him because all He wants is to be with us. He knows that when we come into His presence we find the reason for why we are alive. Its to seek Him, and to know Him deeply.

Prayer Lord I pray that we would be the body that seeks your face with all are hearts knowing that there is nothing better. Take us so deep in you that our roots only go down deep in the kingdom and nothing else. We choose to make room for you to come and encounter us, we have needs that only you can fill and satisfy. Would you fill us with more of you as we abide in you. Amen.

WEEK FOURTY FOUR

Scripture John 9:41 (The Passion Translation) Jesus told them, “If you would acknowledge your blindness, then your sin would be removed. But now that you claim to see, your sin remains with you!”

Observation This statement by Jesus to the Pharisees came after a long and heated interrogation of the blind man that was healed (John 9:15-34). The blind man’s condition was a physical manifestation of a spiritual problem plaguing their generation. The Pharisees who were the spiritual leaders of the day could not see their messiah standing right in front of them. They were the ones that were actually blind and didn’t know it!

Application The real obstacle about being spiritually blind is that you do not know that you are. If you do not know that you are in need, how can you even pursue a remedy? I takes someone to tell you. I thank God that He is telling us in this season of the American church. Blindness plagues our nation as a whole however God always starts with the church. Jesus says in Revelation 3:17-18 For you claim, “I’m rich and getting richer—I don’t need a thing.” Yet you are clueless that you’re miserable, poor, blind, barren, and naked! So I counsel you to purchase gold perfected by fire, so that you can be truly rich. Purchase a white garment to cover and clothe your shameful Adam-nakedness. Purchase eye salve to be placed over your eyes so that you can truly see (Passion Translation NT). It’s only when we see that we can lead others to see. If there is going to be a great awakening in our nation, then we must be awakened first!

Prayer God I acknowledge that I need You to see! Show me my blind spots. I come to You who are merciful and gracious so that my exposed areas will be covered. I don’t even know exactly what I need but I ask You to open my spiritual eyes so that I can see and change the toxic environment I am living in. Start with me Lord!

WEEK FOURTY THREE

Scripture Psalm 82 (TPT) All rise! For God now comes to judge as he convenes heaven’s courtroom. He judges every judge and rules over every ruler, saying, “How long will you judges refuse to listen to the voice of true justice and continue to corrupt what is right by judging in favor of the wrong?” Pause in his presence “Defend the defenseless, the fatherless and the forgotten, the disenfranchised and the destitute. Your duty is to deliver the poor and the powerless; liberate them from the grasp of the wicked. But you continue in your darkness and ignorance while the foundations of society are shaken to the core! Didn’t I commission you as judges, saying, ‘You are all like gods, since you judge on my behalf. You are all like sons of the Most High, my representatives.’

Observation In this Psalm, we learn about God’s heart for how an earthly ruler should lead. In the same way a father is to model to their children the character of Father God, God’s desires for leaders is to lead in such a way that accurately reflects the Lord’s heart, and warns leaders who have perverted justice and embraced wickedness. God is the ultimate judge and He will bring justice to those who have been given the authority to decide what is right and wrong, and what is good and what is evil.

In the same way God is our great defender, God’s heart is for earthly judges or leaders is to defend and vindicate the weak, the fatherless, the poor, the destitute, and the needy. As leaders, we are to rescue those who are oppressed and trapped in wickedness. This is God’s heart for leaders.

Application God is the ultimate ruler and judge over all. Amazingly, God has delegated his authority to rule the earth to his children. This was established long ago with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Unfortunately, when Adam and Eve sinned, they gave up their keys to rule the earth to the enemy. Fortunately, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, our original mission to rule and see God’s dominion expand on the earth have been restored. God not only sees you as a child of His, but a ruler of the earth. You were born to rule!

However, how we rule is very important to God. We are to rule not according to the patterns of this world with selfish ambition, but with God’s heart and according to his ways. This verse is just one of many that shows us God’s heart toward leadership. Our greatest example of how to lead is Jesus and Psalm 82 is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ servant leadership.  

Prayer Jesus, thank you for modeling for us what real leadership looks like. Holy Spirit, help me to lead like Jesus. My desire is to see your kingdom expand on this earth, and for your glory to increase so that more and more people will see you and come to know you. Renew my mind to see myself as a ruler, and help me rule in such a way that brings your glory and honor. Amen.  

WEEK FOURTY TWO

Scripture 2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Observation Peter challenges us, as Christians, to never stop pursuing righteousness. Our aim and focus should be on developing and nurturing the traits listed in verses 5-7: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and (most importantly) love. These traits are associated with God's divine nature. God is sharing his life and love with us so that we can participate in the divine nature with Him- what an amazing gift and "precious promise"!

Application Even at its 'goodest', our human nature can never match up to the divine nature of God.  Peter urges us to confirm our "calling and election" by adopting the characteristics of God as our own. When we do this, we break free from whatever is holding us back from the fulfillment of God's will for our lives.

We need to commit to replacing our human nature with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-26) so we can participate with God in his divine nature.

Prayer Thank you God for sharing your fruit with us and for the invitation to partake in the divine nature with you. Help me be conscious of every opportunity I have to make the right decisions in my life to overcome all the sin that is holding me back from your gifts. Your gifts are good and You are good!

Thank you Jesus for your perfect example of how we need to be.

WEEK FOURTY ONE

Scripture Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.

Observation God’s promise to us is that if we seek Him we will find Him.

Application There have been times when I have told my children the exact location of something and asked them to go get it. Like many children, they would run off and come back a few moments later with empty hands and say: “I’ve looked everywhere and I just can’t find it”. So I repeat myself and tell them the exact location of the item I need. After reassuring me that they know exactly what I’m talking about they again run off looking until finally they quickly make their way back again empty handed saying: “I’ve looked everywhere and I just can’t find it”. So with my child, I make my way over to an empty room with a clean table with only a pen on it and I say here it is. My child in astonishment smiles and in awe of this new found revelation. This funny yet familiar scenario, though hyperbolic in nature, sums up our laborious efforts in seeking God. God is near and oftentimes in our frantic search we are blinded to what’s clear as day, right in-front of us, and within our reach.      

Prayer God, I love you so much! You are so good. Thank you for keeping your promises. I pray that those who are struggling in their search will soon have a fresh revelation of your goodness. I turn my affections towards you God. Show me your glory! In Jesus name amen.

WEEK FOURTY 

Scripture

Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

Observation

In this passage of scripture, we see the joyous opportunity we have to trust in the Lord. Jeremiah describes when our hope and trust are in the Lord, what comes out of our lives is fruitfulness no matter the season. We see the absence of fear does not come by the absence of hard seasons but comes with the presence of Jesus. Trusting in the Lord plants you by streams of living water, which is His presence.

Application

In this season of my life, the Lord has been taking me into deeper levels of trust in Him. One thing that He showed me is that this river in Jeremiah is actually not a geographical location. The river that the tree drinks from is actually inside me. This brought me hope and confidence because no matter where I go, the river goes with me. The reason we do not have to live in anxiety or fear even if we are in “the year of drought” is because every day, we can tap into the river of life, which brings forth fruit into our lives. 

A tool that the Lord showed me to trust Him more was actually imagining myself going to the river, staying planted there as a tree and saying, “Lord I trust you. Even if it feels tough in this season, I trust you.” Doing this really increased my peace and trust in the Lord, because I aligned myself with heaven’s reality. Wherever I go I carry the river of God.

Anxiety is not yours; perfect peace is yours. Take time to get alone with the Lord and imagine yourself planted by the river (Holy Spirit), then give Him your doubts. Tell Him, ‘Lord I trust you even though it feels hard. Show me how everywhere I go I carry the river of God, so I can pull on supernatural strength everywhere I go.’

Declare over yourself today, ‘I carry the river of God wherever I go.’ ‘I will thrive no matter what happens.’ ‘I will live my life fully trusting you.’

Prayer

Lord, I pray that you would take us into a deeper level of trust in this season. I pray that the root system we draw from daily would be your river of life, peace, hope, and strength. Let us be known as sons and daughters who are happy because we hope in you alone, Amen.

WEEK THIRTY NINE

Scripture 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Observation Paul is preparing the Corinthian Christians for an upcoming offering collection. In the first half of the chapter (2 Cor 9:1-5), Paul commends them and reveals that their giving has been an inspiration for other churches who had heard about their generosity. He builds them up to motivate them in their future giving, playfully warning them that they need to live up to their reputation that's on the line. Sarcastic arm-twisting aside, Paul makes sure that the Corinthians understand that giving from a right heart is the right kind of giving and the right kind of giving will be blessed in all things - materially and spiritually. The right heart gives cheerfully (The Passion Translation calls it "hilarious giving").  The right heart gives because it wants to.  The right heart gives because it loves to give.

Application Maybe it's time to reevaluate our giving habits. Think about this: Are you giving reluctantly or are you giving cheerfully? Are you giving because you feel obligated to or are you giving because you want to? Are you giving at all or are you giving it all? From this point on, we have to make sure that we are giving to God with a right heart - hilariously.

Prayer Lord, Thank you for all the things you have already given to me generously and I thank you that there is more to come. I know that you are more concerned about how I give than what I give. Help me give cheerfully because you are the most cheerful giver.

Amen

WEEK THIRTY EIGHT

Scripture Isaiah 64:1 (Passion Translation) God, if only you would tear open the heavenly realm and come down! How the mountains would tremble in your awesome presence!

Observation I see a desperate request in this verse. A request with a longing and a dependency attached to it. Like, Lord we are stuck unless you do what only You can do. We are waiting. Waiting for You to do your part so that we can get out of this place we are in. What I also see is the same language at Jesus’ baptism. The heavens tore open, the Spirit came down like a dove and rested on Jesus. Also when Jesus died the mountain he was crucified on did shake and even a non Jewish Roman soldier recognized the awesomeness of Jesus.

Application This verse has been fulfilled. The cry of their hearts for a Messiah has happened. Thank God we do not have to wait any longer. Or do we? I’m afraid in my own life and in the lives of some of you we are still living under an Old Testament mentality. You know the thoughts; “I’m stuck, God I am waiting on you to do something here, I am powerless.” Folks we live in the fulfillment of this verse and so many other verses from the Old Testament! We are no longer waiting on God to fix our world. God is now waiting on us. It is time we are counted with the cloud of witnesses and take our place. We have been given everything we need to succeed. Let’s do the most with the time we have been given. Let’s change our mentality from, “oh God please to Oh God thank You!”

Prayer Father we thank You for opening the heavens! We thank You for coming down and empowering us. We commit to taking the torch You have passed on as far as we can. Give us the strength to step into a hostile world and bring Your kingdom. Father Your kingdom come and Your will be done in and through us in Jesus name!

WEEK THIRTY SEVEN

Scripture 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 (TPT) If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal.

And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains, but have never learned to love, then I am nothing.

Observation I have treasured the gifts of the Spirit for most of my Christian life. I've personally seen the gifts at work to build and strengthen the church, and change the hearts of countless lives. It's hard to even imagine what my life would be like without the gifts of Spirit.

The gifts of God are amazing, but they come with simple but specific instructions on how we are to use them. In this passage, the Apostle Paul, who taught us extensively about the gifts of the Spirit, reminds us about the importance of always coupling the supernatural love of God with the Spiritual gifts. God's love in us is the carrier that allows the gifts to effectively penetrate and change lives. And just as Paul warned the church in Corinth, operating in the gifts without love is annoying and worthless and should be avoided. In fact, I believe many Christians and churches don't want the Spiritual gifts because of the poor example of Christians trying to operate in the gifts without God's love. This is not a reason to negate the gifts of the Spirit for today. We just need to do a better job exhibiting God's love as we are moved by the Holy Spirit to operate in our gifting.

Application I'm so blessed to be part of a church family that believes that all the Spiritual Gifts are available to us today and for everyone, young and old, to experience! We embrace these Biblical gifts and do our best to incorporate them into every meeting at Coast, and we encourage all believers to embrace the ministry of the Holy Spirit and His gifts into our daily lives.

However, in this supernatural culture, it's really good for us to remember this passage, and how the gifts must always be accompanied by God's love flowing through us. Gifts are good but they can easily become the focus. God wants us to always keep His life-changing love as the primary theme of everything we do.

I embrace and desire the gifts of God into my life, but my eternal pursuit will always be to discover and demonstrate the true riches of God's love.

Prayer Thank you, God, that you are so gracious and kind to me. Thank you for pursuing my heart and loving me through every season of my life. In your love, my soul is at rest in the peace that only comes from you. Show me how I can pursue more of your love, and how I can better demonstrate your love to others.

Thank you, God, for the Spiritual gifts that you love to give to your children. Help me to steward these gifts in a way that is pleasing to you, and that these gifts are always wrapped in your never-failing love.

Amen