Revelation 21:3 (NLT)

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying,

“Look, God’s home is now among his people!

He will live with them,

and they will be his people.

God himself will be with them.”

Explanation:

In my 50 years following Jesus, I have felt His tender presence in seasons of great joy and seasons of pure sorrow.

He has comforted me, strengthened me, guided me, redirected me, convicted me, delivered me, provided for me, trained me, developed me, conformed me, taught me, challenged me, chastised me…all with His presence.

For 25 years, I had an upholstered rocking chair that was my meeting place with God. I would sometimes practically run to that chair and either read my Bible for direction, pray for wisdom, worship, or just be touched by His rejuvenating presence. God does not live in inanimate objects, but that chair represented my personal sanctuary during my years in Detroit. Matthew now has that chair, and I hope he has had moments with God's presence as he has prayed over his family and The Tree Church. I now have a new chair…and guess what? Even though it is only a physical object that holds my body, it is a place where my heart cries out to God when I take a posture of desiring Him. I’m sitting in it as I write. It is a “set apart place” where I meet God and He is faithful with His presence.

BUT! What am I going to do when I am actually WITH God; when heaven replaces my chair; when He is tangible; when I see Him and touch Him?

I believe I will laugh, dance, pinch myself, and be delirious with surrender as I stare at the God who walked with me through my entire earthly life.

It will be almost impossible to contain myself.

I will want to fall at His feet and weep with relief.

I’m confident so much will make sense when there is no longer any physical space between us. My yearnings will be instantly filled. My wondering will be answered. My brokenness finally healed.

Wherever God reigns, there is peace, security, and love. All who are in heaven are there because they want Him. Our reward will be all of His characteristics governing our hearts. We will no longer lament our wrong attitudes, fight our selfish responses, guard our hearts from others, or struggle with anxiety, worry, cravings, or poisoned passions. satan will be gone, and our hearts and minds will finally be free, washed with pure love and peace as we dwell for eternity with our God among us.

Application:

1. How does the thought of heaven impact your “today”?

2. Do you practice His presence?

Devo Plus:

“It's crazy how the presence of God

can completely change your mood

and attitude in an instant. One worship

song, one whispered prayer, one

scripture verse can take you from the

absolute worst mindset to a place of

such peace and joy. There's nothing

like the presence of God.”

_she_rises_ IG post

Prayer:

God…I long for You.

I am so very grateful for Your presence.

Until I’m home safe with You, I am so very grateful that Your presence resides in my days. Amen.

Hebrews 10:19-25 (NLT)

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Explanation:

I can’t imagine what it must have been like. To be a part of the chosen people of God, to have been entrusted with His commandments and laws, but to not know how in the world to live up to them. To be close to His tabernacle, the place of sacrifice and meeting with God, but to not be able to enter it. To be painfully aware of your own sin and inadequacies, but to have no other recourse than to choose an animal to sacrifice, to have a priest symbolically transfer your sin to it and offer it up in your place. To know the mercy seat of God was just inside, but it was behind a veil and beyond your reach.

How inadequate all that spilled blood must have felt! What an enormous amount of faith it must have taken, to believe that you can have a relationship with the Most Holy God when you didn’t know His full plan of salvation. The Bible would make no sense without looking at it through the lens of Jesus Christ, the ultimate and final sacrifice. The Old Testament tabernacle, with all its rituals and sacrifices, were just shadows to teach us of the One who was to come and pay the price for all our sins. His blood was so powerful, and His love so sacrificial, that it took care of each and every wrong thing we have ever done and ever will do. His death took our place, once and for all! The price for sin was paid, and that veil was torn from top to bottom… so that we can enter the Most Holy Place! We have become the priests, and He our High Priest, who stands between us and the Righteous God, clothes us in His righteousness, and forever shields us from the wrath that should have been our portion.

“Let us hold tightly … to the hope” He offers us, and enter into heaven’s Most Holy Place as often and as BOLDLY as we can, remembering a time when this wouldn’t have been possible for us. When we sin and fall short, let us hold tightly to the promise that HE is faithful, and allow our guilty consciences to be sprinkled clean again. “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him” as often as we need to…for there is no separation now!

Application:

1. Have you been taking the presence of God for granted lately?

2. How thankful are you to be able to speak right to God? How thankful have you been lately to be able to worship Him in church, in your home, in your car, etc.?

3. What have you been holding tightly to lately?

4. How often do you take advantage of your amazing access to God?

Devo Plus:

Take some time to pray today, and picture yourself made righteous by Jesus Christ the Son of God, marching straight through the tabernacle, right through the curtain, and straight to the golden mercy seat of God!

Watch the video “Jesus the Royal Priest,” from The Bible Project.

Prayer:

Lord God in heaven, I am so filled with thankfulness that I am living on this side of history! That I am able to hold the full and living word of God in my hands, that I can see the threads of Your amazing handiwork throughout the whole Bible, culminating in my own personal and loving Savior, Jesus Christ. I cannot express my gratitude to be in Your presence today. Help me to use this amazing access I have to You throughout my day today, and to hold fast to Your hope. Amen.

Ezekiel 37:24-28 (ESV)

My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”

Explanation:

During my sabbatical this summer, I got an amazing opportunity to spend a week in Florida with a ministry that specializes in helping pastors process their life in ministry. I was very hesitant at first to participate in this ministry for several different reasons, but boy, am I glad I did. It ended up being a week with much healing and tons of practical steps to grow in my overall health. One of the activities I was asked to do one afternoon was to find a quiet place by myself, away from as many distractions as possible, and simply have a conversation with Jesus. I was to imagine that He was sitting directly across from me, visualizing His face and mannerisms, and most importantly, His words specifically just for me. This was tough initially, because I have such a distracted mind and the activity wasn’t going as I had imagined it. But I refused to give up on it. I sat and sat, just doing my best to quiet my mind, my fears, my anxieties, my doubts, and anything else that would come up. Finally, I had a breakthrough, and I was able to get past all the mess in my brain and have a very special conversation with Jesus.

In our scripture reading for today, we see that Ezekiel, a prophet who lived more than 500 years before Jesus became man, speaks of a “shepherd” who will dwell with His people. God promised to make His dwelling place with man, rather than just in heaven. When I speak of my earlier encounter with Jesus, these verses sum up my experience so well. With all the work that God did through Christ, I now get access to interact with the Trinity at any point in time. He wants to dwell with me. What an incredible thought.

My friends, I am not exclusively given more privilege than anyone else. Ezekiel was not speaking only to me. He was speaking to anyone who calls on the name of Jesus. Male, female, young, old, learned, unlearned, saint, sinner…all have been invited by God to share in communion with Him. This season is a great time to reflect on the awesome truth that God came to be our Emmanuel, our God with us.

Application:

1. What might a dedicated time with Jesus look like in your life?

2. How could this type of activity be a blessing for you in this current season?

3. When you think about God’s constant nearness to you and the words of Ezekiel, how can this stir you to connect with God more?

Devo Plus:

Reread verse 27 of today’s Scripture. What does it mean for God to say He will be “their God”?

Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for being our Emmanuel. We may never be able to grasp the fullness of what it means that You have chosen to do whatever it takes to dwell with us, but please don’t let our hearts stray from the truth that You desire to near to us. We worship You Heavenly Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit for giving us so many ways to remain in relationship with You.

Psalm 139:1-12 (NLT)

O LORD, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, LORD.

You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night—

but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

Explanation:

“For the director of music/choir director/chief musician/a hymn of David.” Different translations of these verses are intended for differently named people, BUT all of them come with the same underlying instruction: THIS NEWS IS TO BE SUNG. David’s words in the above psalm are just as much for us as they were for him. God knows us in such a beautifully intimate way that it is impossible for us as humans to comprehend. He goes before us and He follows us and He places His Hand of blessing on our heads. The fact that He knows everything about us is never a way for God to keep tabs on our rights and wrongs; it is instead to encourage us that we are never alone. His word says that we can never escape/avoid/flee/get away from His Presence, and when we picture it this way, we can imagine a constant posture of love and gentleness from a caring Dad.

I was blessed to have a great example of a loving earthly father. One of his famous “dad-isms” was that if we made bad choices but came to him first, our trouble would be much less than if he found out from someone else. This taught us honesty while saving him some embarrassment (which I totally get now as a parent.) The good news for us kids is that he really meant it. I remember him driving me to a locked school building on a dark Sunday night in sixth grade to “fix” one of my bad choices. My life wasn’t void of consequences, but they were always dealt in love. That is exactly what these verses point to…a strong hand to guide us away from our bad choices in the first place, but also toward repentance and forgiveness when we inevitably make them anyway.

No choice we make can hide us from God’s hand; He is always willing to outstretch it on our behalf. Even when we feel we are in pitch blackness from sin, God comes in, flips on the light, and gently says, “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Knowing full well where we were the whole time, He picks us up, dusts us off, and asks us to try again, this time with Him. David was so right; this truth IS too wonderful for me to fully understand, but you can bet I’m going to keep trying!

Application:

1. Sitting. Standing. Traveling. Resting. Thoughts before we think them, words before we speak them…NONE of it is a surprise to Him! In which of these areas (or somewhere else completely) do you need to remember to trust in God’s guiding hand?

2. We write these devotions in advance and I am writing this one during Thanksgiving week. And as much as I am so very grateful for the outward blessings of my life, it is honestly this Scripture that brings me the most gratitude. We serve a God who knows absolutely everything about our life before we’ve lived it. And not only does He KNOW it, the Bible tells us He CREATED our life for us and us for our life (Psalm 139:16). Ask Him to show you where He wants you to go next. Maybe it’s a big step into the unknown (but not to Him!), or a tiny, squinting step into the edge of His light…either way, let your heart be thankful for these truths today!

3. As I was praying this week, I was distracted by a big “to do” list. I kept thinking of things I “should have” done with my time. It was then I heard God whisper to me that He never meant for “should” to be a word we use. I stopped my racing mind and brought it back to Him, and He confirmed that when we live in the proximity to Him that He truly desires, there is no room for “shoulds.” He showed me through this verse that when we LET Him, He is always guiding us with His gentle hand, and therefore we are already always where we should be, doing what we should be. I thought this lesson was just for me, but I am honored to share His words to me with you!

Devo Plus:

In the spirit of hymns, and amidst of season of joy and gratitude, below are some other psalms that have traditionally been sung as hymns. (I broke out my old Lutheran “green hymnal” for this one!)

“How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds” (Psalm 34)

“What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (Psalm 91)

“Rock of Ages” (Psalm 51)

“All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name” (Psalm 89)

For a more current version of a hymn of praise, listen to “The Lord is My Shepherd” (based on Psalm 23), by Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music. I challenge you NOT to raise your hands in worship while watching/listening to this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duLKCOmxbJs

Prayer:

Father God, it truly is a privilege to carry everything to You in prayer. Whether it is a prayer of thankfulness, desperation, or anything in between, to know that You hear them all, and even knew them in advance, really is too amazing for us to fully understand. But we thank You that You don’t wait for our knowledge to “catch up” to Your goodness. You love us this way, anyway. Thank You again for the reminder that wherever we go, You are already there. In Your Son’s Precious Name. Amen.

Psalm 9:9-10 (ESV)

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Explanation:

Debbie Downer. That’s what we call someone who consistently sees the negative side of things. She looks at every situation, seeing only darkness, and has no hope for the current suffering she may be enduring or seeing around her. She does not know the promise of a Lord who is our refuge and stronghold in times of trouble.

Debbie doesn’t know that when she puts her trust and faith in God, He will never turn a blind eye or a deaf ear on us. She doesn’t know what it means to “lean in.” When you physically lean on something like a wall, you place your whole weight on it. You trust that it will support you and not let you fall. That’s what it means to “lean in” on God. Allow Him to support your decisions, your situations, and your path. Allow Him to guide your decisions and re-direct your desires to things of heaven and eternity.

When we place our faith in God, He will lead us in our decisions when we seek Him. Trusting Him doesn’t mean that we won’t experience dark days or tough, even heartbreaking, situations. What it means is that He will never fail us. It means we don’t have to be a Debbie Downer when things get tough. The strength of the wall we are leaning on will uphold us through it all. We are never forsaken by the God we serve, regardless of the situation.

Application:

1. Do you know a Debbie Downer? Maybe you have even been one from time to time. How can you change Debbie’s perspective about a situation?

2. What does it mean to “lean in” on God in your situation?

3. Are you going through a tough time that you’ve not completely surrendered to God’s control? In today’s prayer, we are going to ask God to take that situation, in faith, and allow Him to guide our path.

Devo Plus:

There are several other Scriptures that talk about God’s faithfulness to us and how He never forsakes us. Let’s take a look at some of them today: Psalm 91:14; Psalm 5:11; Psalm 37:28; Proverbs 18:10; Isaiah 55:6-7.

Prayer:

God, sometimes we fail to see that You are in all situations, and Your way is better than our own. Today, in faith, I give You my current decisions and this situation that I’m in, and ask You to guide me. I believe that by trusting in You to help me see the right direction, You will honor Your word and never forsake me. Your word is full of promises, and I ask You to help me to grow in my faith. When I try to take this situation back into my own hands, I ask that Your Holy Spirit remind me that You are in control, and this battle belongs to You. Amen.

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Explanation:

Courage (noun): the ability to do something that frightens one.

Strong (adjective): able to withstand; having the power to perform an action well and powerfully.

Often in my life, I don’t feel like I have either of these two traits. And if we add the word “afraid” into the mix, it becomes almost all you can think about. We get so caught up on what we are afraid of, or the stuff we think we can’t do. We often lose sight of our goals as disciples. We get scared or discouraged or even distracted at times. We forget that God is with us, and that He fights for us.

But do you ever fight for Him? It said in this verse that we are not to be afraid or to get discouraged because God is with us. That’s so true. But there’s more to it than that. In the book of Joshua, God asks Joshua and Caleb to do some frightening stuff, like march around a fortified city with no weapons except their voices and musical instruments. That right there is silly. Then God promises a land full of milk and honey, but it’s full of giants that could smash them all as well. Joshua and Caleb used this verse very well. That city they marched around came crashing down because they literally walked out this verse. The Promised Land could have been theirs forty years ago, but all the others were too scared to walk out what God had asked.

If you do what God asks of you, you have no reason to be afraid or discouraged. Read your Bible, worship Him, make disciples, love God and others, and this verse will be easier for you to live out. I know what you’re thinking: “Yeah, right. I can’t have that kind of strength or courage.” Oh, but you can, my friends. It takes practice, discipline, and the desire to want to be imitators of God.

The verse doesn’t say you will never be discouraged or never be afraid. But if you do all the things He asks of you, He will be with you and He will make those times easier for you to handle and get through. Some of you are on the wrong path and you know it. Some of you have one foot in and one foot out. You’re lost or you say you don’t hear from God anymore, or at all. But He’s there, and He’s always been there. Do you have the strength and courage to listen to what He is saying, and to what He wants you to do? Just like in the book of Joshua.

Application:

I’m a recovering alcoholic and I have two little girls, so I know about being scared and discouraged. I love this verse so much I tattooed it on my arm. Put this verse where you will see it every day. On the fridge, by your alarm clock, the dash of your car, tattoo it. Put reminders of how strong and courageous God can make you if you put your trust and hope in Him every day.

Devo Plus:

Read through the book of Joshua and the crazy things he did because he loved and trusted God so much. Joshua was the definition of strong and courageous.

More verses to check out: Romans 15:5, Psalm 121: 1-2, Nehemiah 8:10, Deuteronomy 31:6, 1 Corinthians 16:13

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for today. Thank You for all the blessings we have in our lives and even the ones that are still yet to come. Give us strength and courage this week to conquer our giants. Show us how to be better disciples, and how to walk the path You already have planned for us. Remind us that You are with us, and You are for us. We love You and praise You. Amen.

Exodus 6:6-7 (NIV)

“Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Explanation:

In this passage, God is telling Moses what to say to the Israelites. God wants the Israelites to know that He is going to free them and He is faithful in His promises to them. Have you ever had someone you cared about make a promise to you and then not follow through? It hurts so deeply when that happens, and it causes us to trust that person less. It also causes us to trust others less. I think sometimes as broken people we trust God less because of the hurts from others in our lives. But God isn’t like those people. He is perfect and ALWAYS keeps His promises. Mind you, they might not come through in the timing we would want or in the way we would prefer, but He always stays true to what He promises. Isn’t that so comforting, to know that even when people in our lives let us down, or when our circumstances aren’t what we would like them to be, God is faithful always?

The last verse of this passage sticks out to me. “Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” God wants them to remember that He is the one who kept His promise, and He is the one who saved them. Maybe it’s because I am getting older, or maybe I have always been like this, but I have a hard time remembering things. So, when God does something cool in my life, I have a hard time remembering it. Since I know I struggle with that, sometimes I will take some quiet time with a notebook and just ask God to remind me of those things, and I write them down.

God has saved me from unforgiveness. Before knowing God, I was a very cold and bitter person. If someone hurt me, I could cut them off easily and not even bat an eye. God has softened my heart and taught me how to love people better and how to show grace. He has also made me empathetic, which is something the old me would never have had as a trait. I am so thankful that God keeps His promises, and keeps pursuing us through our brokenness and through our stubbornness, like the Israelites.

Application:

1. Do you have a hard time trusting God’s word and His promises in your life? If so, why do you think that is?

2. Do you have a hard time trusting in God’s timing?

3. Do you struggle with remembering the times when God came through on His promises? If so, spend some time asking Him to remind you of those times, and write them down.

Devo Plus:

Spend some time in worship, thanking and praising God for all He has done in your life.

Prayer:

God, thank You so much for always running after Your people. Thanks for pursuing us even when we aren’t pursuing You. I pray that You would remind us of all Your good works in our lives. I pray that we would have hearts of thankfulness, and we would give You all the praise and all the glory. Amen.

Luke 5:27-32 (ESV)

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

Explanation:

Jesus didn’t care about cultural classes or stigmas. He only cared about winning souls to eternity, regardless of their situation. In today’s passage, we see a perfect example of this. We see that Levi was a tax collector, but tax collectors of that day were not what we may imagine when we hear that title; Levi was a wealthy man who had gained his riches by betraying his people, their heritage, and their religion.

Tax collectors of Jesus’s time were equated to gamblers, thieves, robbers and harlots. The Jewish culture believed that if a tax collector entered the house, the house became unclean. Tax collectors were not allowed in the synagogue. In fact, they were viewed as out of the reach of God by some leaders of that time. Jesus met Levi sitting in the tax booth; think of it as a mobile toll booth taxing the people traveling along the road or gathering together. It is believed by some Bible scholars that Levi followed Jesus around so he could tax the people who were coming to hear Jesus teach. Definitely not the kind of guy you’d like to have following you around.

When Jesus met Levi, He immediately called Levi to follow. Jesus was pursuing the worst of the worst in their culture, asking him to leave his past life behind. If Levi had been following Jesus and the disciples around for some time, it’s likely that his presence was an annoyance to the disciples. Isn’t it amazing that rather than shooing Levi off and telling him to go away, Jesus did exactly the opposite and invited him to follow? Jesus didn’t care that society hated Levi; He didn’t care that the other disciples were annoyed by him…He pursued him anyway.

All those who seem to be “too far gone” are those Jesus was sent to receive into His loving arms and give eternal life to. You see, Levi the tax collector was seen by Jesus as so much more than a lowly tax collector. In fact, to make sure that Levi was able to shed the stigma of his old life, we never see him referred to as Levi again in the Bible. He was known as Matthew. The same Matthew who wrote the Gospel of Matthew, telling the story of Jesus so that all may know the Good News.

Application:

1. Take a moment and reflect on the encounter Levi had with Jesus. We don’t see Jesus spending a lot of time trying to convince Levi (or anyone else) of their sin. He didn’t care about that—Jesus cared about what Levi did from that moment forward. What would our relationship with Jesus be like if we let go of our baggage from the past once and for all?

2. Jesus saw past the cultural stigmas associated with crime and undesirable behaviors and reached people in the gutters. What would our world be like if each of us took a moment to see the lost through the eyes of Jesus, and made an effort today to connect with just one of those lost?

Devo Plus:

Take a moment today and listen to the song “Jesus, Friend of Sinners” by Casting Crowns. The lyrics are also posted here for you to read along while you listen.

Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away

We cut down people in Your name, but the sword was never ours to swing

Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see

The world is on their way to You, but they're trippin' over me

Always lookin' around, but never lookin' up, I'm so double minded

A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

Oh, let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

Yeah, yeah

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand

Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands

Help us to remember we are all the least of these

Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees

Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded

What if we put down our signs, crossed over the lines and love like You did?

Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

And let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

You love every lost cause, You reach for the outcast (every outcast)

For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came

Lord, I was that lost cause (I was that lost cause) and I was the outcast (and I was the outcast)

But You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

'Cause You are good, oh, You are good and Your love endures forever

Oh, You are good, You are good and Your love, endures forever

Oh, You are good, yes, You are good and Your love endures forever

Oh, You are good, oh, You are good and Your love endures forever

Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers

But let our hearts be led by mercy

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh, Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast

Yeah

You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet

Prayer:

God, help me to see past cultural boundaries. Give me vision to see things through Your eyes. Walk before me and help me to show compassion to the hurting and less fortunate, and give me the words and actions that You want me to have in that situation. Teach me to see things the way You do, and to understand that You care about their heart more than their situation. Help me to pursue You in everything I do. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

Mark 1:14-15 (NIV)

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Explanation:

This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. After John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus began His own proclamation that the kingdom has come near. Can you imagine? The Messianic prophecies were fulfilled after four hundred years of silence from God. Jesus was live and in-person! The Seed of Abraham and Son of David had finally come to gather His lost sheep. The kingdom of God was at hand, and this was the theme of Jesus’ ministry. He spoke about the kingdom of God more than any other subject, over one hundred times.

Israel was called to repent once more and have a change of heart, mind, and attitude. As Pastor Matthew has been telling us, repentance is not simply confessing our sins. It’s a transformation in thinking. We must change our minds to change our behaviors and turn from sin. Jesus Christ must be the object of our faith. Jesus is the only way to reconcile with God. Righteousness brings us closer to God. Believing and repenting go hand in hand. It’s impossible to truly believe in salvation through Christ and not turn from our sins. We must repent and believe. Yes, we can go to heaven after we die, but we can live under God’s reign and protection right now. When we seek Him and bow before Him, we are living for His purpose and glory. Christianity is a lifelong process of conversion and building godly character. The first step is repentance. Believing in the gospel involves unlearning false teachings and opening our eyes to Christ’s true gospel. Change is difficult, but it is absolutely possible with God’s help through the Holy Spirit.

I recently read an article about Reverend John Harper, a victim of the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. He was reportedly observed swimming frantically to other victims, leading them to Christ before they were surely to die. Rev. Harper’s last words before succumbing to hypothermia and slipping under the frigid waves were, “Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!” Like John the Baptist, he believed in the good news and proclaimed the gospel right up until the end. What faith!

Application:

1. Review your schedule this week through the lens of the gospel – events, relationships, appointments, etc. Think of them as opportunities to share what God has done in your life.

2. Take daily inventory of your heart and faith this week. Make a wholehearted, comprehensive decision to be satisfied with Jesus in all things. Journal your thoughts and how the gospel relates to your life.

Devo Plus:

Overview: Mark - Bing video

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, remind us of the importance of the gospel in our everyday lives. We praise You for who You are, and we find comfort in Your greatness. Help us see every challenge as an opportunity to depend on You. We pray for opportunities to show others a gospel driven life. Help us be humble and kind in our actions and words so that our behaviors will also glorify You. Thank You for Your grace. Remind us to look around our worlds and find the blessings amongst the angst, and turn to You for comfort. The time has come. Your will be done. Amen.

Acts 8:26-39 (NLT)

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.

And as a lamb is silent before the shearers,

he did not open his mouth.

He was humiliated and received no justice.

Who can speak of his descendants?

For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing.

Explanation:

Several things about this story fascinate me. First, we have this person of great authority, the eunuch, who was sitting in his chariot and reading from Isaiah. He was literate, but he didn’t understand what he was reading. At this point, I jettison back to my college Greek Mythology class. I’m reading, I have no idea what it’s saying, but I’m reading it because I’m supposed to. I can totally relate to this eunuch’s response to Philip— “How am I supposed to understand this unless someone explains it to me?”

Next, we have Philip. He’s going to be our focus for the remainder of our reflection today, and how he arrives with the eunuch is equally fascinating. Philip is going about his day, minding his business, when an angel of the Lord tells him to essentially go to the middle of nowhere. What incredible faith he shows to travel down this road that was likely dangerous and quite lonely—but he sets out to do what he is called to do.

When Philip is on this strange journey, he encounters a chariot with this eunuch reading aloud something that he doesn’t understand. I want you to think about the courage that the Holy Spirit gave Philip at this time. He finds himself jogging next to the chariot of an esteemed and powerful random stranger and asking an extremely bold question. It’s not like an airplane encounter where you look at what the person next to you is reading and give a nod because you’ve read it and know the story. This was a BOLD question. “Dude, do you even know what you’re reading?!”

In an act that is nothing less than guided by God, the eunuch invites the jogger up into the chariot to explain the Scripture. Philip shares the good news of Jesus with him, causing the eunuch to both understand and to desire baptism. The next thing we read is that Philip is baptizing this man, and when he resurfaces, Philip disappears, “snatched away” by the Holy Spirit. What a testimony this man must have had!

Application:

1. God calls us to places that we never expect to go, if we allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. We may be called to help a stranger or perform a task we never could have imagined. It’s important that we humble our heart to hear the Holy Spirit’s leading, because God has already been to that place and performed that task. Take a moment right now and ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and your heart to that leading.

2. Take a moment and imagine yourself as both the eunuch and Philip. What are you thinking when you encounter this stranger? Will you go where the Holy Spirit leads you without question as Philip did?

Devo Plus:

Who was Philip the Evangelist? Did you know that the man we read about today was not the same man who was one of the twelve disciples? It can be extremely confusing if you haven’t read the “backstory.” The Philip we read about today was one of the original seven deacons selected to serve in the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). After he was taken away by the Holy Spirit after the eunuch’s baptism, he was taken to Azotus, where he preached from there to Caesarea (Acts 8:40).

Prayer:

God, help me to open my heart and be led by your Holy Spirit. Give me faith like Philip to boldly go and know that You are already there in the situation. Give me the guidance to ask the tough and challenging questions, to be quiet when You would have me to be quiet, and to share the Good News of Jesus. Thank You for already paving a way into these unknown and often scary places for me. Allow me to never lose focus on You in my life, and help me to make disciples of others along the way. Amen.