Today Daily Devotional Podcast

THE POWER OF PROMISES

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-19T06:00:00+00:00

—Matthew 26:35When I was dating Helen, on the day after her birthday I asked her this all-important question: “Will you marry me?” Her response was to laugh and laugh, but finally she re-sponded with, “Yes!” Then I began to wrestle with the thought, “I love her today, but how do I know I will be able to love her 10 or 20 years from now?”We see this kind of fickleness in Peter. Peter says to Jesus before he is arrested, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” Peter makes this promise to Jesus, but later that same night he denies even knowing Jesus. Later, when he realizes what he has done, Peter goes outside and weeps bitterly.Peter weeps bitter tears because he has broken a promise with his best friend. This is a breakdown of relationship and community. At this point Peter is probably also wrestling with his identity. Who is Peter? Is he the Peter who says he will never disown Jesus, or is he the Peter who blatantly disowns him when questioned? I love Helen still today because of a promise, a covenant, we made with each other. Our promise is rooted in Jesus, the great promise-keeper, and this anchor gives us identity and creates a rich, joy- and peace-filled community of life.

ABIDING IN THE VINE

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-18T06:00:00+00:00

If you want to make your life count, Jesus wisely explains how. He says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”The challenge is to be devoted to living in and for Jesus, in a way like a branch is attached to a vine and depends on it for life. This takes our whole heart.How can we accomplish this? Only by the power of Christ himself. He makes that clear when he says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” in the way of bearing fruit. And he adds, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” (John 15:16).In the verses of our Scripture today, the words “fruit” or “fruitful” occur seven times. God’s primary concern is not our comfort or happiness, but that we bear fruit. We need to let the gardener prune the self-centeredness and selfishness out of our lives so that we can truly remain in Jesus and bear fruit for his kingdom—“fruit that will last.” Then others will enjoy God’s goodness and be drawn to him also.Christ is our lifeline, and he calls us to abide in him. Rather than living our own way, we grow to live his way, and he supplies all we need in order to do that. It’s the only way to truly live—forever.

FRIENDS OF GOD

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-17T06:00:00+00:00

We generally live up to expectations and titles. If we expect our teenagers to live irresponsibly, there is a good chance they will live up to that expectation. On the other hand, if we expect them to be responsible young adults, then they will seek to fulfill that expectation.Jesus models expectations for us with his disciples. He tells them, “I no longer call you servants.” That was a major change of understanding for his disciples. The role of a servant was to be obedient to commands from the master and to give attention to the task at hand. But Jesus changed the expectation by saying, “Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”Friends experience an intimate, personal relationship with one another. To be a friend of God means to have access to the very heart of God. To know what the Master is doing and to have access to his heart is a tremendous privilege.As we live and work within this relationship, our perspective changes because we are able to see through our Master’s eyes, and our heart beats in tune with his. We work with the Lord and have this incredible anchor that gives us stability through any and every situation that comes our way in life. What a tremendous blessing!

SELF-DENIAL

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-16T06:00:00+00:00

Believers in Christ face the challenge of being desensitized to the filth in the world around them. The line between what is holy and unholy often becomes unclear. In the midst of the corruption and sin in our world, how can we be re-sensitized to live holy lives for the Lord?Jesus explains, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves…”And what does it mean to deny ourselves? It means putting to death our sinful nature and putting on the spiritual nature of new life in Christ (Ephesians 4:14-5:20). We cannot do this on our own, but all of this is made possible because Jesus came to live among us, fully human, and to die in our place so that we can be freed from the slavery of sin and the curse of death.In Christ we are called to put sinful ways behind us—all immorality and impurity such as hatred, discord, jealousy, envy, rage, selfish ambition, greed, drunkenness, brawling, gossip, slander, and any kind of malice. Instead, we are to walk “in step with the Spirit” of God, bearing good spiritual fruit: “love, joy, peace, forbearance [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-25).Jesus is our example. He gave up his whole life for our sake, so that we might live. Will we give up our old, corrupt nature to live the full life God wants us to enjoy? In Christ we can!

INTIMACY IS POSSIBLE

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-15T06:00:00+00:00

What is God’s response to human sin, and to the brokenness, corruption, and violence that spread because of it? Does God give up on his good creation? Does God explode in anger because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, or because of the wickedness of their descendants, including us?No, in effect God says, “I did not create you to perish. I created you for life and to be in fellowship with me. I will not abandon you, and I will not forsake you.”How can reconciliation between God and a fallen humanity be possible? On the one side is the triune God with holy intimacy, complete wholeness, and perfect love. On the other side is the corrupt, broken, fearful human race.An invasion takes place when the Father sends his Son to form a union between God and fallen humanity. Jesus, the Son of God, becomes human in every way—except that he is without sin. He becomes a second Adam, and he does not fail to obey God. To complete the reconciliation, the Son has to pay the price of Adam’s disobedience and die. By his death he breaks “the power of him who holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14) and reconciles all who will believe in him as Savior. The Lord our God has done this so that we can live!

HARD HEARTS

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-14T06:00:00+00:00

Jesus tells this parable about everyday farming to teach a spiritual truth. “The seed is the word of God,” he says. And for people who represent the hard-packed soil of the path, the Word does not sink in and take root. It is not understood, it is ignored, and the devil comes and takes it away “so that they may not believe and be saved.”If we are hardened against God’s Word, we are unable to understand it. So a heart check is good for all of us.Farmers remedy the hard ground by plowing it up. Spiritually we are called to the same remedy. In ancient Israel the prophet Hosea had to remind the people, “Break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12).The city of Nineveh during the time of Jonah stands as a model moving from a place of hard-heartedness to breaking up the unplowed ground and seeking the Lord. When Jonah preached in Nineveh, the people believed God and declared a fast (Jonah 3:5). They humbled themselves, prayed, sought God’s face, and turned from their wicked ways. And God forgave their sins and did not bring the destruction he had threatened.How are our hearts? God’s remedy still works today.

HEARING GOD’S WORD

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-13T06:00:00+00:00

In the story of the wise and foolish builders, Jesus explains that it’s not enough to hear God’s Word. We also have to put it into practice. We need to obey the Lord and seek to follow him with all our heart.Picture the two kinds of people in the illustrations Jesus gives here. Both hear his words, but one puts them into practice and the other does not. One hears and obeys; the other hears and ignores. Both have had the same basic instruction. But while one follows the proven practice of building on a firm foundation, the other ignores that wisdom and builds a house that has no foundation at all.Jesus is using a simple illustration that even children can understand. Among his listeners, everyone knew that only a fool would try to build a house without a foundation. A house like that would fall apart in the path of a heavy storm. But a house with a firm foundation would withstand many storms.Similarly, Jesus was saying, we must put God’s words into practice. The only way to build a life that will last is to base it on the firm foundation of God and his Word. As the psalmist had said many years earlier, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 18:2). Can we say that?Let’s not only hear the Word, but also obey it. In God’s strength we can!

WALLS

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-12T06:00:00+00:00

An ancient city without a wall was wide open to be plundered by thieves or enemies. A city’s walls helped to protect people and their households, as well as the blessings they had been given. Walls provided security.Nehemiah was grieved when he heard that the exiles who had returned to their homeland were “in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem [was] broken down.” He begged God to change the situation, and God called him to rebuild the walls (Nehemiah 2).Often today we talk about walls that need to come down: walls of deceit and corruption, walls of racism and favoritism, barriers that prevent people from opportunities that all should be free to enjoy.But there are also good walls that can protect us from harm and evil influences. In our lives, we need walls to help us guard our hearts so that we can be loyal to our spouse and faithful to our family, friends, and community. Our spiritual lives also need walls to protect our relationship with God. Our walls crumble if sins like unforgiveness, selfishness, compromise, and rebellion take over in our lives.Do any walls need to be rebuilt in your life? In your family? Your community? Do some walls need to come down, and others go up—so that sin can be cast out and kept out? Ask God for the wisdom to build a life that honors him faithfully.

STANDING

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-11T06:00:00+00:00

In today’s culture, what kinds of events make us rise to our feet? We stand in excitement when a goal is scored in a close game on the soccer or football field. We join in a standing ovation when we see an amazing performance. We rise when an honored guest enters the room.In ancient Israel the tribe of Levi was set apart for another kind of standing. The Levites were chosen “to stand before the Lord to minister and to pronounce blessings in his name.” This was a call to serve the Lord in the many duties required to help people worship God, and to share the good news of God’s blessings for all. While this involved everyday work and routine, it also involved heart-stirring responsibilities to stand up for and honor the amazing Lord of heaven and earth who had delivered his people. So the Levites were in this way like the angels of heaven. The angel who came to announce the birth of John the Baptist later said, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to … tell you this good news” (Luke 1:19).God calls us to stand by putting on his armor so that we can “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Our enemy, the devil, wants to knock us down, but in God’s strength we can “stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10-11), using God’s gifts to honor our Lord in all we do.

HEARING THE VOICE OF GOD

feeds@reframe-media.com (ReFrame Media | Back to God Ministries Intl.) — 2013-05-10T06:00:00+00:00

I am presently serving with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Kona, Hawaii. We have 22,000 staff around the world serving voluntarily. How can one mission recruit so many volunteers? The co-founder of YWAM, Darlene Cunningham, says the key is hearing the voice of God. When someone hears God calling them to work for him, they are willing to make great sacrifices. This is a foundational teaching for the mission, and it is reflected in a book titled Is That Really You, God? written by the other founder, Loren Cunningham.We see in Samuel’s life that hearing God’s voice is something to be learned. Samuel was being mentored by Eli to be a priest in the temple. He learned about ceremonial washings, food laws, prayers, and reading the Law. His training would also have included offering sacrifices of sheep, goats, bulls, and other animals. But in all this training Samuel had not learned to hear God’s voice.Three times God called Samuel, but Samuel thought it was Eli who was calling him. So Samuel went to Eli, and eventually Eli realized that the Lord was calling Samuel. So he instructed Samuel to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” In this way Samuel was mentored to know the Lord and the power of his Word. And God used Samuel in powerful ways to lead his people as a prophet of the Lord.