No Discrimination

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In God’s eyes, no one person is above another, no matter their station or nationality. Gender holds no superiority over another.

The only distinction to Him is if you are in Christ or not. There is no in-between—no sort-of Christian. Gray doesn’t count. It’s only black or white. In or out. Up or down.

If we appeared before God today and He asked, “Why should I let you in My heaven?” What would we say?

There is only one answer that permits our entry. It’s if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, sent to earth to die and rise again for you, personally.

Have you made that transaction? I urge you to do so immediately. None of us are guaranteed another minute. Choose now so you’ll be ready.

Father God, I choose to trust Jesus
to take my sin and make me ready
to live with You forever.
Thank You, Jesus for dying for me.
May I live each day for You.
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit
so I may walk a right way before You.

Check out my new devotional book Looking Deeper at Amazon.com.

Rend Your Heart

Joel 2:13

(The Lord says) “And rend your heart and not your garments. Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting of evil.”

God is telling us here to do a 180 degree turn. To examine our will, heart, soul, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory, conscience, and heart to obtain moral character. This is internal where only God sees; not external where people see. 

 

He urges us to do this now, not later when He has become angry. “Anger” here means “with flared nostrils.” This passage goes on to remind us He is full of love for us.

He is also “relenting” which means “to be moved to pity, comfort, and compassion,” on us who have been evil in His sight. “Evil” here is “displeasing, hurtful, unkind, ethically wicked.” It is the “evil deeds, thoughts and actions of people.” So He has pity and compassion on people who fall short of His standard—which includes all of us.

Father God, I bow before You today to rend my heart.
Please bring to mind my thoughts, words, and actions
which have grieved Your heart. I confess them before You
so I can be released from the penalty of my wrongdoings.
Fill me again with Your joy and presence
so we may enjoy fellowship together once more.

Check out my new devotional book Looking Deeper at Amazon.com.

Sin and the Sea

Micah 7:19

He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities underfoot. Yes, Thou wilt cast all their (our) sins into the depths of the sea.

Our God is a God of compassion, of mercy. He loves us deeply with a love that never lets us go.

This scripture tells us that He is going to bring our bondages, our perversity, depravity, and guilt under His foot. In other words, He captures the things that put us in bondage and makes them subservient to Him.

He goes on to tell us that He hurls our sins, our iniquities and its consequences, into the deepest depths of the sea.

Corrie tenBoom always added a P.S. to this truth. She said, “and then God posts a sign that says, ‘NO FISHING.’” In other words, don’t go trying to dredge up confessed sins. They’re gone. God has stomped them and thrown them in a sea too deep to retrieve. Hallelujah!

Father God, thank You for sending Your Son
to overcome all my sins;
for taking the punishment I deserved.
May I walk in freedom before You
all the days of my life.

Check out my new devotional book Looking Deeper at Amazon.com.

Faith and Trust

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

The Bible’s definition of faith is “the trust that God exists and that He is the creator and ruler of all things.” The meaning of faith doesn’t stop there. Biblical faith is “a deep conviction, a firm trust God gives to believers, resulting in eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.”

As believers, we wait and hope with joy and a full confidence, for this salvation. We do not see this truth, this established fact, with our eyes. We discern this as truth with the eyes of our spirit—that part of us that lives forever.

These things, this salvation, is an accomplished fact. It’s like a “done deal” in a business transaction. Jesus purchased our salvation when He signed His name with His own blood to seal the deal.

Although this is a free gift to us just for the receiving, it cost Him everything.

Lord Jesus, I receive Your most precious gift.
Thank You for providing it for me.
May I share this good news
with the people You place in my path.

Check out my new devotional book Looking Deeper at Amazon.com.

Need Help?

Hebrews 13:6

. . . so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What shall men do to me?”

When we lose sight of the fact that we are the Lord’s and He is ours, we tend to become afraid. We think we have to provide for our need or our protection. We have the mistaken idea we will suffer lack, or that someone may do us harm. We tell ourselves we have to work harder in order to accumulate more.

This only tends to move us farther from God. This kind of thinking becomes burdensome. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Let Him be in charge.

God is our helper in all things at all times in all circumstances, no matter what we face. Nothing happens to us apart from His notice. If He allows it, He has a purpose for it. It’s up to us to seek Him for why He permitted a certain thing.

My Lord, my Master,
thank You that You neither slumber nor sleep.
I rest in the fact You will supply all my needs
according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 Check out my new devotional book Looking Deeper at Amazon.com.

God's Omnipotence

Psalm 139: 7

Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?

This scripture shows one of the qualities of God—His omnipresence. He is everywhere at all times. He doesn’t go out to lunch or on a vacation. We never get a voice message of, “I’m not here at the moment but if you leave your name and number, I’ll return your call at my earliest convenience.”

No matter the hour, day or night, He is ready and waiting to hear from us. He longs to hear about whatever concerns us, no matter how small or great the need.

He also loves to hear from us just because. If you’re a parent, you know the joy of hearing from your child, even if it’s just to chat. How about setting aside fifteen minutes to have a little chat with our Creator?

Father God, I praise You for Your ever-open ear and heart
to those who will call upon Your name.
May we often take the opportunity to sit in Your presence
and enjoy Your Spirit as we let the world spin on.

As a side note, I’ve published a new 366 day devotional book entitled Looking Deeper. It’s available in paperback and e-reader.

God's Prescription for Healing

With Ebola banging on our door it might be a wise thing to search God's word, the Bible, for His prescription for our healing. He has a prescription for all our needs whether it be physical, mental, or emotional healing. Here is a page from my new book Looking Deeper.

Exodus 15:26
And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”

In order to enjoy God’s divine health, we must do four things:
Give heed to God’s voice (hear and obey)
Do what is right (pleasing in His sight)
Give ear (listen) to His commandments
Keep all His statutes (His prescribed limits, boundaries, laws and conditions).
    God lists some of the diseases of Egypt in Deuteronomy 28:27 which are, “boils, tumors, scab, and itch, from which you cannot be healed.”
    But there is hope. Jesus has come to heal us. Perhaps as a nation and individuals, we need to repent to see His healing. As long as we’re still breathing, God’s mercy extends to us. Let us call upon Him now.

Father, forgive us.
We have listened to the world and obeyed its voice instead of You.
We have gone our own way and failed miserably.
We have written our own rules and fallen far short of Your desires.
We have run rough-shod over Your boundaries
and neglected Your conditions.
In Your mercy, please cleanse and heal us as individuals
and as a nation, so we might enjoy Your favor once again.

I’ve published a new 366 day devotional book entitled Looking Deeper. It’s available at Amazon.com.