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Christian Devotional – April 27, 2023
James, Day 4 Just do it. Read James 2:14-26. Nike’s slogan from years ago still resonates with many because there comes a point where talk is not enough. You can only say what you believe for so long before you reach the point where you have the back it up with action. James is making the same point here. Words and deeds are flip sides of the same coin. You cannot truly have faith if you aren’t talking about it. But you also can’t have it if you aren’t acting out what you say you believe. How closely do your words and deeds align? Do you talk about what you…
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Christian Devotional – April 26, 2023
James, Day 3 Treat all people like people. Read James 2:1-13 As followers of Chrust, we know that God made all people in his image. There is no person that is greater than another. God created all of them. The only thing that separates people from other people is whether or not they have accepted Jesus Christ is their Savior or not. We should never be showing partiality or favoritism toward any person. God loves all people and is a result so should we. Are their people that would not be welcome in your church? We are to love all people the way that God loves them, by accepting them…
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Christian Devotional – April 25, 2023
James, Day 2 How strong do you have to be to control your tongue? Read James 1:19-27. James is speaking here on the importance of listening and responding in a way that reflects God. Do we respond in anger? Do we pause and reflect and understand what has been said before we respond? Are we able to control what we say? This last question, and the verse that I chose for today, are stern reminders that many of us speak before we think. Many times I have found myself in situations where the thoughts that are going through my head are almost simultaneously being vocalized by my mouth, and that…
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Christian Devotional – April 24, 2023
James, Day 1 We’ve been looking at leaders. Now let’s spend some time in the New Testament with the brother of Jesus and leader of the early church, James. Read James 1:1-18. The early church was experiencing a lot of trials. As a result, that’s what the book of James deals with: how to make it through trials. This was something that they were living everyday. James wanted to make sure that the church understood what God had to say about the fact that they were being persecuted for their faith. How do we manage when we are going through difficult times and trials? What are leaders supposed to say…
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Christian Devotional – April 23, 2023
Joshua, Day 24 Final words from a leader. Read Joshua chapter 24. As we read through this final chapter of Joshua, what we see is a leader who’s giving his last words of advice and encouragement to the people. Joshua has been a man who has led the people through so many obstacles and difficulties. However, Joshua knows that the most difficult challenges are yet to come. The people will continue to have temptations and they will continue to be swayed to leave God. So the important words that he leaves them are a reminder to get rid of everything that might get in the way between them and God.…
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Christian Devotional – April 22, 2023
Joshua, Day 23 Farewell address. Read Joshua chapter 23. The time of Joshua is drawing to a close. He has led the people and allowed them to begin the process of fulfilling all that God has promised them. Now he’s addressing them for the final time. What would you say? How would you sum up the lifetime of work that Joshua has led the people through? He chooses to remind them of the simple things that God has shared with them. Serve God. Love God. Follow God. If you do these things, God will bless you. If you don’t do these things, God will curse you. Sometimes we try to…
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Christian Devotional – April 21, 2023
Joshua, Day 22 A reminder. Read Joshua chapter 22. As the people went back to their own homes, they set up a reminder so that they would always remember who gave them the victory over the land that they have. Now while this reminder caused a bit of controversy at first, ultimately, everyone recognized it for what it was. What reminders do we have set up in our own lives? What are the things that we use to call out the victories of God in our life and to remind us of his faithfulness and of our commitment to him? While we may not set up a large pile of…
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Christian Devotional – April 20, 2023
Joshua, Day 21 God fulfills his promises. Read Joshua chapter 21. In this chapter, and in the last couple of chapters, we have seen God following through and fulfilling everything that he promised to the people of Israel. God fulfills his promises to us. When was the last time you looked through and found the promises of God throughout the Bible? There are so many promises that God has made to you and I, and we can confidently expect him to fulfill every single one of them. Do we look for that? Do we wait expectantly to see God move in a way that fulfills his promises? We can know…
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Christian Devotional – April 19, 2023
Joshua, Day 20 Ensuring justice. Read Joshua chapter 20. The Lord made a provision for the people that if something terrible happened, the right person would be able to receive justice. He set up these cities of refuge. If an accident happened and had a terrible result, the person would still have an opportunity to plead their case. These cities of refuge ensured that would happen. They were not places where people got away with things, but they were places that ensured that all sides of the story were heard and understood before any actions were taken. In the United States, our justice system provides for that today, but in…
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Christian Devotional – April 18, 2023
Joshua, Day 19 Honor our leaders. Read Joshua chapter 19. The land had been divided. And now, the time had come for Joshua to receive his portion. Throughout all the things they had been through, the Lord made sure that the people honored their leader. When we are truly following God the way we should be, we honor each other and we honor those that God has put in positions of leadership around us. God desires that we respect those who are leading us to be obedient to him. In what ways can we honor those today who are leading us closer to Christ?