The Tree Church Daily

Philippians 2:1-4 (ESV)

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Explanation:

The Apostle Paul is explaining the response of someone affected by Christ’s life. It is an “if this, then that” statement. Because of relationship with Christ, if we partake in Christ’s encouragement, if we are comforted from love, if we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us…then our behavior should be love, unity, unselfishness, and humility. When Christ comes into our lives, everything is affected, especially how we relate to each other.

Application:

1. What is something that stands out to you from today’s passage?

2. List three ways how your life has been impacted by Christ.

3. What is one response to Christ’s love in your life (as listed in the passage) that you still need to work on?

Prayer Prompt:

Father, help us to walk in humility and unity with our fellow believers. Help us to love like You loved us. Show us where we fall short of this and where we need to change, and give us the strength to make those changes. In Your precious Name. Amen.

Devo Plus:

Read the rest of Philippians 2, and see Christ’s example of humility, love, and obedience.

Ephesians 4:29-5:2 (ESV)

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Explanation:

This is a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christian church around Ephesus, while he was in a Roman prison. Paul instructed this church to be unified and purposed in building one another up, encouraging each other in love, and speaking with humility when correcting one another’s actions. Paul recognized that how we treat people in our lives will impact them. The way we negatively talk to others can be one of the most destructive things in their lives. However, positive words can be uplifting and healing in situations that need attention. We would not be loving someone if we allow them to continue to make unwise decisions and not say anything.

Paul wanted Christians to constantly evaluate how they are interacting with each other, and to “put away” bitterness and slander. We can’t take back the words we use to damage someone’s reputation, so don’t speak that way. Paul also wanted the church to realize that holding on to strife affects the one who is angry much more than it affects the one whom the anger is directed at.

We should all be purposed in resolving issues where we know someone is upset with us or has wronged us (Matthew 18:15). This may not always be easy, but once we start the process then our relationships can begin to heal. Just as Jesus’s love showed us forgiveness, we should imitate that same behavior. Then allow Christ to begin to mend our hearts. Love can mean different things for different people, but we always want to look out for one another’s best interest. Loving someone is showing that we care for them and want them to succeed.

Application:

1. How much do you pray for other people who you may not always agree with? Do you find it difficult to do so?

2. Have you allowed others to speak into your life, even if it was difficult to hear?

3. Is there anyone in your life who you need to forgive, or have a conversation with that can lead to reconciliation?

4. How do you speak to people? Are you careful not to tear others down with your words? Do you show grace when people have talked negatively about you?

Prayer Prompt:

Father, thank You for loving me and showing me Your grace and forgiveness day after day. Help me listen to the people in my life who are trying to encourage me to seek You more and more. Help me forgive the people who have wronged me, even when it is hard. Show me when I need to be uplifting to others and treat them in a loving way. I love You, Father. In Jesus’s holy name, amen.

Devo Plus:

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, ESV)

Galatians 6:1-2, 9-10 (TLB, The Living Bible)

Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong. Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command. And let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up. That’s why whenever we can we should always be kind to everyone, and especially to our Christian brothers.

Explanation:

Today’s scripture teaches what it means for us to truly love well. We are all human and have human tendencies, which means that sin can easily sneak into our lives and our hearts if we aren’t careful. We get tired, we fall, and we start down a path that is wrong. If we have purposed relationships with other Christians, there are other humans who “have your back.” This scripture calls us, as Christians, to help each other and to be accountable, loving one another the way Jesus loves us. We are to lift each other up, helping redirect when we’ve gone the wrong way.

Have you ever been driving down the highway and signal to change lanes, but just as you do, discover there’s someone in your blind spot? It is totally terrifying. Those are the times I wish I had a “backseat driver” in the car with me. As Christians, we can have blind spots in our lives the same way we do in the car. We may have behaviors other Christians see, behaviors that are destructive to our spiritual growth, but we have blocked them from our view. Other Christians who bring these behaviors to our attention in a loving manner—often through difficult conversations—are our much needed “back seat drivers.” They are there to love and encourage us, help us see areas that may be stunting our growth in Christ, and to love us well.

Application:

1. Think about the relationships you have. Do the people you surround yourself with have a common goal to grow in Christ and help one another along the way?

2. Receiving constructive (and loving) criticism can be very difficult. Spend some time today asking God to help you be open to hearing from those who want to love you and help you grow spiritually.

Prayer Prompt:

Ask God to open your heart and to help you love well. Ask Him to give you humility when you want to be defensive, and to give you the right words when you need to provide loving instruction to others.

Devo Plus:

Focus on being humble in your interactions by reading the following scriptures: Ephesians 4:1-2, Philippians 2:3-4, Romans 12:16, Colossians 3:12-13.

Acts 8:1-3 (NLT)

Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning. But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.

Galatians 1:11-14 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning. I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ.

You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.

I Timothy 1:12-17 (NLT)

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.

Explanation:

These three selections of scripture record the horrendous past of Paul the Apostle, and God uses Paul’s story to explain grace to us. In the beginning of Acts 8, he was still going by the name of Saul. Luke (who wrote the book of Acts) recorded that Saul was there when a wise and faithful believer named Stephen was arrested. When Stephen was killed, Saul was ok with it. Later, God would change Saul’s name to Paul. God changed Saul’s heart so thoroughly that He gave Saul a new name.

Paul penned the passages from Galatians and I Timothy, and he is recounting his violent past. In the Timothy passage, Paul refers to himself as the worst sinner of all. The next sentence gives us the redeeming nature of God: “…so that Christ could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners.”

Application:

1. Many people struggle with their past showing up in their today. When we least expect it, satan boomerangs our past mistakes into our present reality to discredit or shame us. This is the reason Paul wanted us to know how horrifying his past was, and how all-inclusive God’s grace is. Even if you have blasphemed God, tortured other humans, or been responsible for someone’s death, Paul’s life will give you hope. Paul declares that as appalling as his past was, God now saw him as trustworthy. What a compliment…that God knew Paul’s loathsome past and still entrusted His church into Paul’s care. That is a beautiful and life-giving reality for us as well, if we repent and embrace the same forgiving God.

2. Think of the darkest parts of your life. Do you know those are gifts to your future if you allow God to transform them? They will become the mirrors that God will reflect His grace off of, and they will stand as trophies of God’s patience, just like they were for Paul.

3. Paul will always be remembered for what he became, not what he was.

4. God enlarged Paul’s heart in such a way that he became a legendary vessel God could pour His grace into and through. Because his pedigree included depraved actions, it provided a great contrast to where God wanted to take him. It caused his message of grace to have increased power, because he was a living example of radical redemption.

5. God is beyond benevolent, and He wants you. All of you…past, present, and future.

Prayer Prompt:

This is a prayer of Paul’s recorded in Ephesians 3:16-19. I have written it in a personable way for you to pray today.

God I pray that from your glorious, unlimited resources you will empower me with inner strength through your Spirit. May Jesus make his home in my heart as I trust in Him. I long for my roots to grow down into Your love and keep me strong. And may I have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. May I experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then I will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from You.

Devo Plus:

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. (James 4:6-8a, NLT)

Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75 (ESV)

“Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same.”

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“Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean." But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you mean." And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man." After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you too are one of them, for your accent betrays you." Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, "I do not know the man." And immediately the rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.”

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John 21:15-17 (ESV)

“When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.”

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Explanation:

Peter is one of my favorite characters in scripture. He has these dynamic highs, and then he has these drastic failures. He publicly proclaims Jesus as Christ, and then, like we read in today’s passage, gives in to fear and proclaims to everyone around him that he doesn’t even know Jesus. Peter’s story is hope for those that feel inconsistent in their walk with Christ.

Peter’s failure was huge. Imagine abandoning your spouse or best friend in their moment of greatest need. That would be tough to recover from. But Jesus met Peter in his failure. Instead of condemning Peter, Jesus chose to restore his friendship and his place as a disciple. Christ’s grace and forgiveness through the power of the Holy Spirit would impact Peter for the rest of his life. He would go from the coward who denied Christ at the Crucifixion, to the preacher at Pentecost who proclaimed his friend and savior as alive and well.

Application:

1. What is something that stands out to you in today’s reading?

2. Can you identify with Peter’s highs and lows? What is one area where you feel like you keep going back and forth in trusting Jesus?

3. If you are struggling with failing Jesus today, take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a moment with Jesus like Peter had, where you experience His grace and forgiveness.

Prayer Prompt:

Father, I know I have struggled to be consistent in my faithfulness to you. Like Peter, I have amazing highs at times, and then at other times I have tremendous lows. I need to meet You like Peter did, and I need to experience Your grace and forgiveness in a way that changes my life. Thank You for never giving up on me!

Devo Plus:

Read Peter’s sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2:14-41.

Luke 7:36-50 (ESV)

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

“A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Then those who were at table with him began to say among[a] themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Explanation:

Sin affects us all. Its crushing weight changes us every day for the worse, by changing our thoughts, words, and how we react. Sin turns us away from God.

When Jesus was in town, this lady took her chance and went to Him. In His presence, she was so overwhelmed by shame from her sin that she wet His feet with her tears. She was willing to go to great lengths to approach Jesus, even knowing she could be rejected, but her need to experience grace was greater than her fear. And even though her sin was great, Jesus forgave her.

Jesus knows we are seeking Him; He knows we are lost and broken. But Jesus is always waiting for us. So, like the lady who anointed Jesus’s feet with her tears and was forgiven, we too can be forgiven and set free to walk with the Lord.

Application:

1. What is the Lord convicting you of through this story?

2. What in your past keeps you from going to Jesus?

3. How would you feel standing in the presence of Jesus?

Prayer Prompt:

Our Father in heaven, I was and am a sinner. Please guide me to You, so I may walk with You for eternity.

Devo Plus:

For another story of forgiveness, read Luke 23:32-42.

I have always struggled with being vulnerable and communicating my feelings. It makes me uncomfortable, and I have a hard time putting into words what I am feeling. I also have a hard time letting my guard down and letting people in to see the real me. I guess I have told myself this is just me, my personality. God, on the other hand, has been showing me that is not the case. God has been showing me that I have a hard time being vulnerable because I have been hurt by people who I trust and love. I have past wounds that are affecting my current relationships. It is hard for me to trust people enough to let them see the broken me, because my trust has been broken so many times.

Let me tell you, this is EXACTLY where satan wants you to be. He wants you to think that you can’t trust anyone. He doesn’t want you to know the power in bearing your burdens with fellow Christians. He doesn’t want you to experience the freedom that comes from opening up to someone and allowing them to love and pray for you. He doesn’t want you to experience what community feels like. This is what God wants for us. He wants us to lean on each other and be open about our hurts and brokenness, so we can encourage each other through this life.

I recently went through some relational turmoil. I didn’t want to reach out to anyone for help, because I didn’t know how to deal with it or talk about it. But God has put three different and perfect women in my life, and they knew exactly what to say and how to pour into me. They were exactly what I needed. Bad things happen, but God brings beauty to ashes. It is still hard for me to do this, but I push myself to be vulnerable and it always ends with me feeling better and feeling loved. Whatever has happened in your past that is holding you back from God’s plan for you, let it go. Let people in and let them pour into your life. Pray for God to put specific people in your life who can bear your burdens with you, and who you can open up to. He will come through.

Bear one another’s burdens and, so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

John 4:1-42 (ESV)

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” They went out of the town and were coming to him.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Explanation:

Nothing too outlandish to us seems to be happening when Jesus stops at a well for a drink and runs into a woman. Wells were the life source of water, and culturally it was a woman’s chore to draw water for the house. But Genesis 24:11 tells us that women made a habit of drawing water in the cool of the evening, and with other women as a means of friendship and safety. But what these verses note is that when Jesus met this woman, she was drawing water alone and in the middle of the day. Jesus soon reveals the cause of this, that the woman’s life choices have made her an outcast, her string of husbands the evidence. Outcast enough to drive her outside of cultural norms like friendship and safety. We can only imagine how the locals had talked about this woman, her past (and present) always in the forefront.

But when Jesus reveals her past, He places it in a different context than all the others do. He lays her failures before her as a means of redemption, both for her and others to come. He shows her that she is fully known and still fully loved…that grace has come. Instead of slinking from the neighbors, she returns to tell everyone of the freedom she has found in the Messiah, “the one who told her everything she had ever done.” She is freed from carrying the weight of her past. And people were drawn to Jesus through her.

Application:

1. Viewing our past as a reference for lessons learned is useful, but we can’t dwell there. Dwelling on anything other than Jesus can quickly become bondage and shame, whether chained to our stains or the stains left by others. Ask God to search your heart for areas where you may be trapped by the past.

2. God is a God of redemption, and He will only ever use our past for that purpose. Spend some time recounting the ways the Lord has already used your past as a testimony to His goodness.

Prayer Prompt:

Father, thank You that You are the beautiful God of redemption. Thank You that Your plans for us are always for freedom. Search our hearts for the areas where we can’t seem to let go, point out the places we don’t yet see. We thank You that Your plan is for our freedom from the areas where we may feel tied down. Help us to walk boldly in the grace You died for us to live in. In Jesus’s powerful name. Amen.

Devo Plus:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17, ESV)

So if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36, ESV)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1, NIV)

Joshua 2:1-21 (ESV)

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, "Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land." Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land." But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." And the men said to her, "Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you."

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. And she said to them, "Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way." The men said to her, "We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear." And she said, "According to your words, so be it." Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

Joshua 6:22-25

But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her." So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Hebrews 11:31

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Explanation:

In the scripture above, you meet Rahab. She made her living as a prostitute, and wasn’t someone you’d think of as being an “upstanding citizen.” Rahab had a past. It was full of mistakes, shame, and behaviors that we would call unfavorable. The story could have ended there for her, but it didn’t. Rahab becomes the hero of these two men, hiding them, and ultimately saving their lives from the soldiers that were searching for them. She hid them because she believed the stories she’d heard of their almighty, powerful God and the great things He had done. In return, the spies promised to save her family from the destruction that was about to happen to her city. Ultimately, as we see in Matthew 1:5, she is part of the genealogy of Jesus, the Savior of the earth.

Think about this for a moment again. Rahab was a prostitute. She sold her body to make a living. She had an ugly past, and most people wouldn’t likely give her a second glance because of it. But God used her in a mighty way. There are so many stories in the Bible of people who had a past, yet God used for good: murderers, tax collectors, thieves, liars, prostitutes, and those we would classify as generally bad people. God still used them. Every one of them…in the same way He used Rahab.

Application:

1. Are you carrying darkness with you because of your past? Allow yourself to release it today. Give God the opportunity to heal your heart and show you what He can do with the journey you’ve been on.

2. If you’re like me, you’ve been guilty of looking down on those who appear to be “bad” people. Ask God to forgive this attitude, and begin to see that God has a plan for their lives as well as your life. The past doesn’t matter when you give it to God to heal.

Prayer Prompt:

Lord, you know every second of my life: past, present and future. I pray if there are things in my past I’m still not letting go of, that You allow me to give them to You completely today. Heal the hurts and wounds of those things I have carried, and show me how You can use my life for Your purpose. Help me to understand that even though I have a past, You are my future.

Devo Plus:

Learn more about the people in the Bible who God called for His work, despite their past history.

Read Hebrews 11 to see the people who were used to accomplish God’s will by putting their faith in Him. They were real people, just like you and me.

2 Samuel 11:1-27 (ESV)

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

Acts 13:22-23 (ESV)

And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.

Explanation:

David made bad decision after bad decision. He lusted after a woman, Bathsheba, who he was not married to. He had sexual relations with her while her husband was away at war and gets her pregnant. David called for her husband, and tried to convince him to go sleep with his wife to cover up what David had done. Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, was so dedicated to the king that he refused since his other men were still away at war. David feared others finding out what had happened, so he sent Uriah to the front lines, knowing full well he would not survive. Uriah died, and David took Bathsheba as his wife.

David messed up big time. He allowed his flesh to take over, and all of these actions were displeasing to God. David had sinned and tried to cover it up, but in the process continued to sin and get deeper and deeper into a mess. Many of us would look at the life of David and think there was no way God could ever use him. But the opposite is true. David was an incredible king. He followed God’s leading, and he was a part of the genealogy of Jesus. From his family line, Jesus was born.

We all mess up, we all make mistakes, we all allow our flesh to get the best of us sometimes…but there is always redemption. God can and will use our past and our mistakes for good. He alone can transform us, and allow our stories to speak life and truth into others. God could have turned his back on David, but instead, God convicted him. David repented, and God used him for incredible things.

Application:

1. What is something from your past that you think disqualifies you for the work of God?

2. How can you move forward and live in God’s grace instead of shame and regret for the things you did in the past?

3. How can God use your past mistakes for His good?

Prayer Prompt:

Take some time to bring your past to God. Ask Him to remind you that now you are a new creation. He has made you new. You are no longer bound to the things of the past, and He is using your life and even your past mistakes for good. Ask God to help you release your past and to renew you.

Devo Plus:

Check out 2 Samuel 12 to see how God convicts but also redeems David.