We Have it All

DEVOTION HEBREWS WE HAVE IT ALL Heb 1:1-3 1:1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. NIV It surely is true that God used many men to speak for him to his people. Some people heard and pay attention to this men, living to please God. Some people did not listen to them, nor did they live to please God. But even through the days of living prophets has somewhat gone away, God still speaks to his people. Jesus spoke for God, in fact Jesus was God incarnate, the exact representation of his being. Do we need any more proof that Jesus is God? Yes he is the Son of God the Father, but they are the same. Who was it that walked with Adam in the cool of the day? Yet Jesus is no longer here on earth because he returned to the right hand of the Majesty in heaven, so who speaks for God now? All those men of old, and Jesus spoke for God, and somehow God was able to inspire men to record all that was said, well at least all that was important to be recorded for all of us to be able to hear today what they said. So those men and Jesus are still speaking to us today. But we also have the Spirit who speaks directly to us as well. It would seem we have enough words to listen to in order to know exactly how we should be living in order to please God. It also appears we have enough words to know exactly all we need to know about God, his appearance, his nature and his power. There is no reason to listen to anything else than his all these words. They are what sustain all things. That in itself is an awesome thought. Jesus sustains all things. He not only sustains the earth and all that is it in, but he sustains us. He has provided a means for our purification from the sin within us. He has done it all. He created all things, He showed us what he looks like, he sustains us, he purifies us and he has declared us join heirs with him in all that he has waiting for us in a place he has prepared for us in the presence of the Majesty in heaven. What else do we need?

Called or Choose

DEVOTION 3 JOHN CALLED OR CHOOSE 3 John 9-10 9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us. 10 So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, gossiping maliciously about us. Not satisfied with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers. He also stops those who want to do so and puts them out of the church. NIV Has there always been church politics? What it is about some people who think they should be on control of others? Is there a fear of letting someone who knows the truth so well to have access to their church? What are they hiding? Have they twisted the truth for their own benefit? Pastors, being shepherds of the flock to which God has called them should be careful in allowing strangers to fill their pulpit. God holds these shepherds responsibly for the spiritual well-being of their congregations and thus their must oversee with care who has access to bringing a message. But this is an example of one who fears the truth being told in the church he considers himself to be the leader of. If he was called by God to shepherd this flock, he has both failed his congregation and God. He acts from fear rather than love. He acts from a position of thinking more of himself then he ought to. He is controlled by jealous and envy of those who know the truth and live according to that truth. He fears losing whatever control he has over others if they hear the truth spoken among them. It is a sad commentary on those who choose the ministry instead of those who God calls to the ministry. Perhaps this Diotrephes was not called but chose on his own to be a leader in the church. We all can take a lesson from this, as far as doing, being a part of the body of Christ. We need to make sure that what part we serve within the body is the part which God has called us to. We should not try to serve in an area that is of our liking, our chose but rather trust God to call us to where he would have us serve the rest of the Body and His Kingdom. If we do not have the talent or skills, he will empower us to serve in that capacity. If we choose based on what we think we might well fail but the Body and Christ. The question we need to ask is are we called or did we choose?

Hospitality

DEVOTION 3 JOHN HOSPITALITY 3 John 5-8 5 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. 8 We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth. NIV It would appear that we need not know someone a close friend in order to offer hospitality. We should be willing to open our homes to all members of the body of Christ who are traveling for the sake of the Gospel. Now that is not to say we should allow any believers on vacation to take advantage of staying for free at our home if we do not even know who they are, but those who are actually working for the sake of the Gospel message, those who are on a missionary journey, doing, spreading the good news, in need of a place to rest, are welcome. It would seem for the most part the church does these things, and that is good. I have seen homes opened to those groups traveling for the sake of the Gospel. This is how Christianity is at work even in this modern era of hotels and fast food restaurants. It must be so, in the case of spreading the Gospel message, but it is also a fair warning for those believers who think they should be able to take advantage of believers’ hospitality. It is a simply message here, no frills, no hidden agenda, no secret meaning, just a simply open your home to anyone who in traveling for the sake of the Gospel and then when they leave, send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.

Walking In The Truth

DEVOTION 3 JOHN WALKING IN THE TRUTH 3 John 1-4 1:1 The elder, To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 2 Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. NIV It would appear it is alright to not only have our soul doing well but to also enjoy good health and the rest of life going well too. Surely that is not all there is to life and our soul or as the Greek word implies our spirit is far more important than any physical situation we find ourselves in. Yet it still is good to know that God also cares about out being, our health, and that our life is doing well. It may all be a part of being faithful to the truth. As we continue in the truth, being faithful, not being distracted by false teachers, false doctrines, false rules and regulations devised by man to exert some form of control and power over others, that we will also be doing well in the life. Perhaps, just perhaps, maybe some of the hardships we have to experience could be a result of our unfaithfulness to the truth. Is that too harsh? Is that too insensitive to the struggles of some believers? It is just a thought, not necessarily an absolute. The other idea which stands out in this statement is that some believers have spiritual children. How many of us have spiritual children that we can experience great joy seeing them walking in the truth? We are in fact someone’s spiritual child. Someone came to us and shared the Gospel message to which we decided to enter into the truth and walk as such. Is it possible that some believers have no spiritual parent? How do they here the message? When were they born again? Surely we cannot evolve into the truth, for Jesus himself said that in order for us to enter the Kingdom of God we must be born again. Therefor all of us had to hear the message from someone and response to the truth of God. The point here though is that we need to continue to walk in that truth. What good it is to decide to go to New York and walk toward California? What good is it to decide to walk in the truth but actually head in some other direction? What good is it for us to say we love God and want to walk in his truth, but be so involved in the ways of the world? What good is it for us to say we trust God for all our needs and yet spend so much time and energy storing up money for our old age? Why do we worry about anything? Why do we carry so many burdens? Are we walking in the truth? Is there someone, our spiritual parent filled with joy watching us walk in the truth, or are they a little disappointed in us? Are we overjoyed at those we have led to Christ because they are walking in the truth or are they distracted by the world? But ultimately the question for each of us, is whether or not we are walking in the truth.

Completed Joy

DEVOTION 1 JOHN COMPLETED JOY 2 John 12-13 12 I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete. 13 The children of your chosen sister send their greetings. NIV Sometimes it is easier to write things then to stand face to face with someone and instruct them on how they should live. Sometimes it is far easier to read instructions as to how to live than to have someone standing face to face telling you. Sometimes there is somewhat of a disconnect or distance when writing that cannot happen in a personal one on one conversation. Even when a shepherd stands before his congregation a certain separation occurs due to the physical distance, the lighting, the elevated platform, the microphone and speakers and the inability of the listener to response. But when two people stand face to face and converse regarding the Word of God and how one should be living there is something extremely personal that happens. A sharing of thoughts and ideals which God delights in can have a profound impact on a person’s life. Should not we all be engaged in this type of joy? Why do we waste so much conversation about the weather, some sporting event, some movie star, or television program? Why do we insist on talking about meaningless dribble instead of speaking about how we should live in order to please God? Why do we gossip about others instead of talking directly to them about their potential error, having a face to face conversation with them? Why do we spend some much of our time talking about our own life, our own goals, ambitions, desires, likes and dislikes, is it that more interesting then God and how he wants us to live? Visiting one another talking about God, his ways, his desires for us, his goals for us, his instructions as to how we should live to please him could be a high priority for our life. As many letters as we have written by these men who were inspired to pen these words, I cannot help but think how many more hours they spent talking face to face with others about God and his provision for their salvation through Jesus Christ and how God intents for us all to live. It would appear this is the only way our joy will ever be complete.

Father and Son

DEVOTION 2 JOHN FATHER AND SON 2 John 7-11 7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. 9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. 11 Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. NIV Once again a fair warning about those false teachers who talk with silver tongues, and try their very best to gather onto themselves followers who will support them both in ideology and monetarily, providing them with both fame and fortune. They may even use the name of Jesus, but that may not mean they believer Jesus actually came in the flesh, that he was God incarnate. There are so many we so many different messages, that we need to be sure of the truth, which we know and have. We also have the Spirit who gives us that discernment to know and see this false teaching for what it is, a lie. There may be many believers who unaware of the gift available to them by the Spirit invite far too many of these deceivers into their home every time they turn on the television to some religious preaching show, Some tele-evangelist, some showman who needs your support. A warning, beware, do not invite them in, because we may well be sharing in his wicked work. Sure, there are good guys and gals out there with pure motives wanting to share the truth of God. Yes, there are people who want to see the Kingdom of God glorified, but there are also those who want the glory for themselves. We know the truth, we have the Spirit to lead us into the truth, and to guide us, and to give us that discernment to know who is and who isn’t speaking the pure truth of God, including God incarnate, the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are pure believers, who God has called to be a part of his Kingdom and we should never be a part of any earthly kingdom established by men who desire their own followers. We need to stay the course, do not be deceived, do not be influenced by a great orator, but only by the truth. God has had men record the truth and he has overseen its care in written form for us to find, absorb, understand, receive into our hearts and minds, and therefor live by. In reality we do not need men to lead us, we have God. We have the Father and the Son.

Walk in Love

DEVOTION 2 JOHN WALK IN LOVE 2 John 4-6 4 It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. NIV It would appear that it is not good enough to tell others do as we say, unless we are doing it too. Apparently this lady may well of had children who were walking in love but she may not have been doing the same, for what other reason was she being admonished to walk in love. It may be easy enough to see the faults in others and to tell them about them, preach to them, teach them, admonish them to live a life pleasing to God, loving one another, but it is entirely a different thing about our own life. Admittedly we all fall short, so no pretenses about that. But we all need more of God in the area of loving one another, walking in love. When we consider that God loves everyone so intently and so perfectly that he sent his Son to die for them, just as he did for us, who are we not to love them like God does? Do we think we are better than God that we can judge their actions and based on those actions or how they treat us, or others, that we will not love them? Do we think that they do not deserve our love because they refuse to live as we do? Maybe we are so self-centered we simply do not have any room for love for them. We have already looked at what love is, and we already know that we should be walking in the love, but God has to keep reminding us of that fact. The other issue here is if we say we love God, and do not walk in obedience to his commands are we really walking in love? It should be clear to us that being obedient to his commands is not just a list of things not to do, but also a list of things we should be doing, and one of them, perhaps the greatest of them is walking in love. It is fine to say that we do not murder, we do not steal, we do not lie, we do not smoke, drink, swear, use course language, or any of those other things we think we should not be doing, but how easy it is to do what God has called us to do? There are a whole host of actions he has called us to, especially as in here, to walk in love. Can we stand up at church in front of all other believers and declare we walk in love? Will any one of them challenge us? Do we tell people, “love ya” and leave it at that? Can we actually look them in the eye and declare the words, “I love you” and mean it? Maybe we need to read this every day when we get up, His command is that we walk in love.