June 23, 2022

Daily Devotion:

“Nothing but the Best... "

Numbers 18:29

New International Version

29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’

God is a practical, common sense God. If we look closely enough, we can see that what God commands by way of moral law, or doctrine, or worship ritual usually has some purpose other than his simply being arbitrary or capricious. We are not being asked to jump through hoops merely for God's amusement. Down to the last detail, what God asks us to do is ultimately for our own good. The typical rules even earthly parents lay down don't just come out of thin air. Usually they are directed at some higher good. Would we expect anything less from our heavenly Father? So it should not be surprising that the Israelites are instructed to tithe in support of the priests and Levites, who are too busy doing God's work in the sanctuary to support themselves otherwise. It's a practical problem solved nice and easy, done and dusted.

But then we discover that God requires the Levites themselves to give a tenth of the tithe! It can't be needed for support of the work in the tabernacle. In this case does God perhaps have in mind something beyond the practical? The clue seems to be in the requirement that the Levites are to present “the best and holiest part" to the Lord. This was also true of the tithe and required of each sacrifice brought before the Lord. The best and the holiest. Always the best and the holiest. Is it just a matter of vanity that God would demand nothing but the finest for himself? Or is he still being his usual practical self-all for our ultimate good? In one fell stroke, to give of our best to God teaches obedience, sacrifice, nobility, prioritizing, selflessness, and a host of other important lessons. What could be more practical?

The question beyond mere practicality is: Of all that I give to God today, will it truly be the best and holiest?

June 22, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"The Promises... "

Exodus 13:14

New International Version

14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

Moses' bold arguments to God. Moses first remind him that a pagan world would be delighted to see that Israel's God was no different from all their own gods. Then there was the reminder of God's repeated promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Would he dare break his promises? Yet what irony - Moses asking God to change his mind by recalling God's promises not to change his mind! When it comes to his promises to bless, we can bare that God will never change. (Of course it would not be a change of mind or him to withhold blessings where he has set conditions we ourselves fail to meet.) But when it comes to God's promises to punish or destroy, the picture gets slightly more complicated. For all the times when God punishes precisely as he has promised, there are those other times when a merciful God surprises us and relents from imposing what is justly deserved.

The persistent vital question is: Have I learned anything from a merciful God about when to keep my promises and when to change my mind?

June 21, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"A Test of God's Power and Provisions…”

Exodus 17:7

6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders.

For the Israelites, each step of their journey out of bondage became a test of God's power and provision. No matter how many times he came to their rescue, the insecure Israelites seemingly needed more and more assurances of God's presence. If he delivered the goods, then God retained the people's loyalty's. If he didn't deliver, how could they possibly put their trust in such a powerless God? Do you and I ever put God to similar tests? Even if we might never actually articulate it, is there something in the back of our minds that says, for example, “If you'll just heal my loved one, then I can believe that you are real"? What would we think if our prayers seemed never to be answered? Would we no longer believe? Or, come to think of it, do we have it all backward? Is it perhaps God who is testing us in these trying circumstances?

Here is the real question I need to ask: Is my faith in God's fragile that nothing short of daily miracles can sustain it?

June 20, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"You are UNIQUE... "

Exodus 9:16

New International Version

16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

But of the billions of people who have ever lived, was it inevitable that you should be born? We like to think, of course, that each soul is important. But why you or why me? And was it by sheer accident of nature that we were brought into this world by our particular parents, sort of like a gum-ball machine-you just get the next one, whichever happens to drop into position? Could we have been born of another race or into another social strata? Might we have lived in a different part of the world, or spoken a different language? For many couples it's an intentional decision to bring a child into the world, but odds are that most children are just little surprise bundles that come along. A surprise to everyone but God.

The mystery of life belongs to God. What we do know is that God has purposely anointed any number of men and women as his special emissaries. It is possible that in some cases he simply worked with whatever lives were available from a natural process of human procreation-putting certain people in positions where they could best serve his divine will. That could well have been the case with Pharaoh, whom God raised up to play this crucial role in the deliverance of God's people. For all the rest of us, the meaning of our existence is less specific but equally clear. We do not live without purpose. Whatever our circumstance of birth, Scripture gives us abundant reason to believe that we too have been raised up so that God might show us his power, and through us, in some way unique to ourselves, to proclaim his name in all the earth.

The question of purpose is: What might God show me of his power even today, and what unique opportunities will I have to proclaim his mighty name?

June 19, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"Limitless Battles to Be Fought… "

1 Corinthians 2:14-16

New International Version

14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

The problem for all of us is that there are almost limitless battles to be fought in the larger war against evil. To throw up our hands in despair is certainly not the answer, but neither is it wise simply to charge up every hill worthy of being assaulted. Even if we are prepared to assume the risks of being a hero, have we stopped to consider the collateral damage that could be inflicted upon others? To act on principle virtually always requires careful consideration of more than just the obvious central issue. The grave responsibilities of waging any battle are rarely as recognizable as the glaring wrongs begging to be put right. The tricky bit is knowing what that right thing is...and the right way to go about it.

Here is the truly tough question: When I see some wrong needing to be made right today, will I wisely consider all the potential strategies and ramifications before whipping out my sword?

June 18, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"The God of Impossibilities... "

Genesis 18:13-14

New International Version

13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Wouldn't you think that a God who created the entire universe from nothing has the power to make anything happen that he sets his mind to? So why do you think Sarah laughed at the possibility of having a child at her advanced age? Even when she knew full well that God-not just some strange visitor-had made such a promise, Sarah thought it was up to her to make it happen through Hagar. Like Sarah, most of us tend to assume we must make things happen through our own effort. Even when God promises to take care of us, we don't always take him seriously. Will he really destroy a city full of wicked people? Will he really provide children against all odds? Where is our belief?

There is reason to believe that God has a sense of humor, but he is never joking when he makes promises. Nor does he lack the power to accomplish whatever is necessary to bring about either his will or our best interests. Has God promised us something? He will do it! Has God warned us about something? We'd be well-advised to take that warning seriously! We would be equally foolish to think that God has promised us things he has never actually promised, whether it be having children or perhaps restoring an alienated child's love. But if what we hope for never happens, it won't be because God lacks the power to make it happen. Whenever God thinks something is best for us, impossibility is not a word in his vocabulary.

The only question to be asked is: Is there something I've desperately tried to make happen on my own without thinking that if God wants it to happen, he has the power to make it happen?

June 17, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"His Own Special Treasure... "

Psalm 23:6

New International Version

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

In the Bible, David was known as a man after God's own heart. What kind of attitude did he have? Here in Psalm 23, he says, “Goodness and mercy are following me." David lived with an attitude of expectancy. One translation says, "God's kindness chases me everywhere that I go." David's attitude was that something good is going to happen to me. Every-where I go, I know God's blessings are chasing me. Favor is following me around. No wonder he saw God's goodness! No wonder he overcame his obstacles and accomplished great dreams. He knew good things were chasing after him.

Do you know what's chasing you right now? Not debt. Not failure. Not mediocrity. Not defeat. Not lack. Not at all! You are a child of the Most High God. You have been crowned with favor. You have been redeemed from every curse. God has set you apart as His own special treasure. When you look back in your rear-view mirror, you'd better get ready because you have a tailgater! There's something coming toward you at a high rate of speed. You know what it is? Blessings, favor, supernatural opportunities, restoration, divine connections - God's goodness and mercy following you all the days of your life!

June 16, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"Developing a Right Mindset... "

Romans 12:2

New International Version

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Many people today don't realize that the reason they're not happy, the reason they're not enjoying life is simply because they've trained their minds in the wrong direction. They've programmed their minds to worry. They've programmed their minds to complain. They've programmed their minds to see the negative. But just as we can train our minds to focus on the negative, we can also reprogram our minds to focus on the positive. It all depends on what we meditate on.

When we meditate on the Word of God, we reprogram our minds. When we meditate on God's goodness, we are developing a right mindset. When we choose to be grateful and focus on what's right rather than what's wrong, we are choosing a positive attitude. This doesn't happen automatically; you have to discipline yourself to focus on the right things. You have to make a conscious effort to spend time in the Word of God every single day until a habit is formed. As you honor God with your time, He'll multiply it back to you. As you stay faithful and focused on Him, He will direct your steps and lead you to embrace the blessing and victory He has in store for you!

June 15, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"Nothing is Lost in the Kingdom…"

Genesis 4:25

New International Version

25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

In Genesis, Eve went through a great disappointment. Her son Cain killed her son Abel, which was the first murder in the Bible. I'm sure Eve, like any other mother, was devastated and heartbroken at the passing of her son. But we love what Eve said, "God has appointed another seed for me." In essence, she was saying, “I don't understand it. It doesn't make sense, but I trust God. This is not the end. He has appointed another seed.”

When you go through things that you don't understand, it is not the end. Nothing is lost in the kingdom. God is going to appoint another seed, and that seed represents the future. It indicates what is coming. If you will let go of what didn't work out, let go of the hurts and pains, then for everything you've lost, God will appoint another seed. You'll give birth to more in the future than you've lost in the past. Keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping, because God is for you. Trust Him and embrace the good things He has in store for your future!

June 14, 2022

Daily Devotion:

"God is Greater Than Fear… "

Ephesians 4:27

New International Version

27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

So many people today are living with less than God's best because they've allowed fear to creep in and take root in their lives. Fear is the greatest weapon the enemy uses to try to hold us back. Fear is not from God. Scripture tells us that fear brings torment. It's designed to paralyze us and keep us from God's blessings.

The good news is that God is greater than fear. His power in you is greater than any power that comes against you. But in order to walk in His power, you have to close the door on the enemy of fear. The enemy can't have access to your life unless you open a door and give him access. That's why we have to be careful about what we watch, what we listen to, what we read, and what we say. When we open ourselves to fear, we give the enemy opportunity.

If you've allowed fear to steal from you in any area of life, today you can be free-you can be finished with fear! It starts by receiving God's love and meditating on His promises. Meditate on His truth and speak His truth that sets you free! Surround your- self in God's love and let Him lead you into victory as you close the door on fear.