Today Daily Devotional

The grace of God . . . teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.

— Titus 2:11-12

In this passage self-control literally means “having a sound mind, or being reasonable.” It is basically the opposite of living in confusion, ignorance, or indifference about making choices that support healthy living.

God’s grace saves us from ungodliness (literally, “an unworshipful life”) and from being a slave to the world’s ideas of what we need or want. We are not born with the ability to just say “no”—at least not on a regular basis and not without something else to say “yes” to. If we are without God in our life, all of our “yes’s” are basically guesswork. Our guesses sometimes make things worse, and sometimes a little better—but without God we cannot find the path to full life.

In his grace, however, God has already said “yes” to something else for us. Through the work of the Savior, Jesus, God has said “yes” to our redemption, giving us a whole new way of life. And because of this, God can now train us to say “yes” to better and better choices in our everyday living. That’s self-control.

Self-control is the God-trained ability to understand and choose which options bring us closer to being our best selves.

Jesus, make our path clear today, and give us the self-control we need to choose that path. When we choose wrongly, correct us gently. And when we choose correctly, encourage us, we pray. Amen.

Avoid sexual immorality . . . to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

“Sexual immorality” includes every sexual sin. But a lot of sexual behavior is not sinful. Followers of Christ today are often challenged to discern which sexual behaviors are sinful and which are not.

The guidelines in our reading for today show us when a sexual behavior is good and when it has crossed a line. Good sexual behaviors are holy and honorable. Holy means “set apart for service to God.” Honorable refers to showing respect and honor to God and others, recognizing that they have exceptional value. Sexual activities are holy when they honor God, building up his kingdom. Sex within marriage can be holy. The joy of holding hands with someone you’re attracted to can be holy. These can also be honorable, as can many other activities that express our sexuality.

But sexual behavior that is driven by passionate lust or takes advantage of someone is not good. Passionate lust refers to being so caught up that we are not even concerned for our own good. And taking advantage means serving our self at another person’s expense.

Being holy and honorable in our sexual behavior will set us widely apart from the world, for the world invites us to pursue any sexual desire. This may be uncomfortable for us, and it may require a lot of grace if we mess up. But the reward is sexually holy, honorable living that is part of the full life God promises.

Lord, help us not to harm ourselves or others with our sexuality but to give and receive the deep joy of holy, honorable intimacy. Amen.

“Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. . . . Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

— Nehemiah 8:10

How long should we feel sorry for our sins? If we move on too fast, does that show we aren’t really sorry? Are we doing some injustice to God or to others we have sinned against? Or, if we hold on to being ­sorry too long, does that mean we do not trust enough in God’s power to forgive?

Guilt can be hard to get over. The feelings can last a long time. And perhaps that’s what we deserve. But since all sins are against God, even when a sin is also against others, God’s situation is totally opposite to ours. He could demand that we wallow in our sorrow. But that’s not who God is. God loves us and is overjoyed when we want to be in a good relationship with him again. In fact, God has so much joy when we repent of our sin that his joy provides the strength we need to forgive ourselves.

Nehemiah urged the people to experience that joy. He called for a feast so that the people could enjoy fine foods and drinks and share with others. This wasn’t about just going through motions; it was about recognizing that God’s law calls for a relationship with us. And as far as God is concerned, if we are ready to stop moving away from him and start moving toward him, that brings him the most joy.

Dear God, drive your joy—the joy of a relationship with you—deep into us. Amen.

They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

— Jude 1:4

The small book of Jude is about people who are part of the church but mistake the grace of God for a license to do whatever they want. Jude points out that by their actions these people deny that Jesus is the Lord of their lives. If they are not serving Jesus, whom are they serving?

Many sins seem good in the moment. The question we ­often fail to ask is, “How does this actually benefit me?” Or if we do ask that question, we settle for a superficial answer. Sometimes we may not feel sure that doing things God’s way will bring much of a benefit—or perhaps the benefit God offers won’t come about for a long time.

To truly follow Christ means to live as he lived. It means treating his grace not as a license to sin but as a license to grow away from sin.

Jude makes clear that we often can’t tell when people who sin without remorse have “slipped in among” us. It’s easy to be confused because although we try to live into Christ’s freedom from sin, we often mess up too. All Christians sin, and Jesus forgives us for that. But living as if our sins don’t matter in this world can cause tremendous hurt and pain to others and ourselves.

So let’s not be fooled—real freedom belongs to those who choose to follow Christ.

Lord Jesus, show us the damages of our sin, and transform us to want to live your way always. Amen.

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to . . . test the inhabitants of the earth.”

— Revelation 3:10

Jesus suffered terribly because of how sinful our world is. After suffering, Jesus even died because of our sins. He endured suffering and died so that our sins would be paid for and our deaths could be overcome. Then, on the third day, Jesus rose from the dead in triumph—yet we must not lose sight of his suffering.

The believers who made up the church in ancient Phila­delphia (in Greece) held tightly to the story of Jesus’ suffering. It inspired them enough to face their own suffering and persecution. And Jesus said they would be rewarded for their steadfast endurance.

In this passage, what is called “patience” is more like extreme patience. It’s the kind of patience that is required to endure doing the right thing and living the right way even when you can’t see any benefit in doing so. It is the virtue of holding on even when the reward might not come in this life.

Jesus’ reward was that his death opened up a door to allow us to spend eternity with him. And our reward is that being devoted to Jesus allows us to step through that door and spend eternity with him.

He believed that you and I are a reward worth dying for. Do we believe the same about him?

Dearest Jesus, when this world refuses to reward us for being like you, help us to focus on the reward of living with you forever. Amen.

“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

— Luke 12:15

I didn’t think I was greedy until I read this passage again. Jesus warns us to watch out for all kinds of greed. The kind of greed I usually thought about had to do with very wealthy people wanting more. But Jesus doesn’t focus on that kind of greed here.

In the context of this passage, a man is arguing with his brother over their inheritance. The family has enough to hand down, but Jesus sees that this man is still worried if he will truly have enough. He is greedy not for luxury but for security. Ouch! I didn’t even know that kind of greed ­existed. But many of us have it. We want a little bit more so that we don’t have to worry.

Jesus points us away from greed based on worry. So long as we aim to live God’s way, aligning ourselves with God’s purpose for us in this world (seeking his kingdom), and so long as it is not yet time for our heavenly inheritance, God will give us what we need to live for him each day. Wanting more than that is a type of greed. And that will distract us from fully living the life of joy and peace we are created for. So let’s repent and learn to let go of our worry-based greed.

Creator and Provider, we exist because you want us to. Forgive us for trying to build our own security. Our worries cost this world too much. Amen.

Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.

— Proverbs 22:4

The rewards promised in Proverbs 22:4 are fleshed out in verses 1-3. Avoiding pride is not enough. We need to lean away from it and become humble.

God makes both the rich and the poor, says verse 2. In this context, “rich” does not refer to having an extravagant life. Having riches, or wealth, means that when we are doing God’s work—that is, living God’s way—we can count on receiving everything we truly need to keep going.

And wealth isn’t the most important reward. Honor, a good name, is more desirable than great riches, says verse 1. By humbly following God, we gain the respect of other good people, and we probably gain some respect from some not-so-great people also.

The most reliable reward of humbly following God is life itself. When we are humble enough to rely on God’s direction, it is amazing how many pitfalls we avoid. We avoid the problems that pride falsely says we can handle ourselves.

When we are humble, we are amazed how often God helps us steer clear of trouble that we didn’t even see coming. When we are humble and we see or hear of someone’s folly leading to ruin, we learn to say, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” That’s because, as verse 3 notes, the unwise keep going right into trouble; they don’t have God to guide them.

Dear Jesus, life can be so tricky. I could easily fall into troubles that would hurt me physically or ­finan­cially or even ruin my good name. You alone can guide me safely through. Amen.

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

— Proverbs 16:18

The same two kinds of pride show up in many languages. Both kinds have to do with being majestic or exalted in some way. One kind of pride is good—for example, when parents view the development of their children as remarkable. But the other kind of pride is very bad.

Throughout Proverbs we read about the good development that can happen when someone pursues wisdom. True wisdom is gained through God. And even though a wise person can go through many ups and downs in life, the wisdom they’ve gained will help to hold their life together.

But beware of trying to keep it all together on your own. Beware of the pride that makes you think that anything you built on your own is worth more. Or that because you built it by yourself you won’t need anyone’s help to hold it together. Or, most dangerous of all, that because you have been self-sufficient, you are a greater person than people who have relied on others.

That kind of pride leads to destruction. Poetically this verse is saying that if you have built something without God, then it isn’t built very well. It’s not built to last. Sooner or later, the so-called majestic life you built without God will simply fall apart.

Father God, keep us from the foolish pride that prompts us to build our lives on the rickety version of success prized by this world. Amen.

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

— Philippians 4:11

Contentment was a powerful word to the Greek-speaking people of Paul’s day. To be content literally means “to find everything you need within yourself.”

Many teachers in that day believed that contentment was the greatest virtue. But their version of contentment was based on self-accomplishment. To become content, they taught, a person had to be able to provide completely for himself or herself.

Paul knew that it was a myth to think that a human being can be completely self-sustaining. And yet here he looks within himself and finds that everything he needs is there within him. How did it get there? God put it there. God’s own Spirit had begun living inside of Paul.

This contentment provided by the Spirit of God gave Paul tremendous freedom. He goes on to say that sometimes his physical needs have been met, and sometimes they have not been met. But even when he has not had enough food, clothing, money, or other basic needs, he has still found that God’s peace and strength have been present within him.

Jesus, live in us. Fill us with your Spirit’s strength and peace, we pray, and help us to trust that you will provide whatever else we need for today. Amen.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come. . . .

— Revelation 19:7

In the school where I teach, our senior students spend a lot of their spare time planning their graduation banquet. They taste samples from a banquet menu, raise funds so that they can have a special celebration, and imagine how great it will be to celebrate their long-awaited milestone.

A great feast is also at the culmination of God’s great story of redemption in the Bible. Throughout Scripture, many stories show how God feeds his people. It’s like a long bread-thread woven through and baked into the whole story of God’s amazing work in and through his people. And this great feast will have the finest and best of breads—no meal could be complete without it. This great feast combines so many things at once: it is high and long and wide and deep with the love of Christ; it celebrates manna in the wilderness and the “bread of the Presence” of God; it multiplies the feeding of the 5,000 exponentially; it recalls the bread that Jesus gave thanks for and broke with his disciples; and it fills us with Jesus himself, the bread of life.

All of these great memories and the fullness of every promise come together at the great supper of the Lamb in the new heaven and earth.

“Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Revelation 7:12)