devotional

March 22, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 22

Psalm 23

The LORD Is My Shepherd

A Psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 21, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 21

Matthew 20:1-16

Laborers in the Vineyard

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; 4 and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he *said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ 7 They *said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He *said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard *said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ 9 When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. 10 When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ 13 But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last.”

 

You’ve been out on the field most of the game. You’re considered a star player. You’ve been giving it your all. The score is tied despite all your effort. There’s only a few minutes left in the game and the coach replaces you, the star player, with someone who’s only played a couple of games. And, you guessed it, he scores the winning goal. He only played a few minutes, but he’s the one being celebrated. Jesus wants us to understand that no one has a “special place” ­— you can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, you can’t make deals for it. The Gospel is for everyone — equally.

While that means there are no “stars”, it also means that there are no passive spectators. Whether you’ve served God for 5 hours, 5 years or 5 decades…you’re a child of God participating in His Kingdom work.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be humble, to work whole-heartedly for You, and to play whatever position I am given.

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 20, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 20

Matthew 19:16-26

The Rich Young Ruler

16 And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” 17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 Then he *said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man *said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Notice that Jesus only mentions the commandments to the rich man that are actions, but leaves out the “heart” commandments… put no other God’s before me, honor the Sabbath. But Jesus knew that this was a heart issue. His reliance is on his riches, not on God — that’s his idol. His riches have formed a lining around his heart preventing him from full surrender to God. Yesterday we read about the need for forgiveness and today we read about the need for total surrender. What do you need to surrender? What idol are you hanging onto? Is there anything you’ve been putting before Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, make me grateful for all You give me, and help me to be ready to give it all back to You.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 19, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 19

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness

21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Forgiveness isn’t about the numbers. It’s an understanding that we’ve been forgiven — completely. How long do your angry thoughts toward someone fester and smolder — over things like getting cut-off on the freeway, being the victim of hurtful words, or many other grievances. Your entire life can be affected by these angry memories. But think about this — how much have you been forgiven? God isn’t just sitting there tallying up all the things you’ve done to make him angry. Hebrews 8:12 tells us that God remembers our sins NO MORE. Forgiveness is key to the whole Kingdom-life. We have been abundantly forgiven. We’re called to abundantly forgive.

Who comes to mind when you read this? Who do you need to forgive? What is eating away at you? How does forgiveness play out in your life?

Prayer: Lord, teach me to forgive as You have forgiven.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 18, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 18

Matthew 17:14-20

The Demoniac

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” 17 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” 20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.

This is a story about faith.

The disciples knew everything they needed to know about Jesus. They were assured He was the Messiah, God’s Son — they heard it from God Himself. Jesus had given them the power and authority to be able to heal this boy, yet they couldn’t. This is the 5th time He’s had to talk to the disciples about their little faith (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8). Do you ever feel that way? You come across seemingly impossible situations…maybe the answer is faith. Faith that God can get you through any situation. Charles Spurgeon said this about faith, “Weak though I am, yet through His might, I all things can perform.”

Prayer: God, You have the power to heal and rescue those in my life who need it. Bring them Your healing love and transform their lives with Your grace.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 17, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 17

Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus Foretells His Death

21 From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. 22 Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Discipleship Is Costly

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.

28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

 

Here Jesus is telling His friends that He would become king only through suffering, death, and resurrection. Again, loyal and eager, Peter gets it embarrassingly wrong. Much like we might have been in that situation he tells Jesus that this tragedy will never happen. Jesus chews him out harshly by calling him Satan! (Remember how Satan wants to thwart God’s purposes?) He then instructs His disciples (and us) that we must lose our life to find it. Following Jesus requires dying to self-will and embracing God’s will no matter the cost. What is the result? Everlasting life in the Kingdom of King Jesus, more joy than you can ever imagine or comprehend.

What have you not given over to Jesus? What part of your life are you holding on to? What will it take for you to give your whole self over to Jesus?

Prayer:

Teach me Lord, to follow You — all in — wherever You lead, whatever the cost.

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 16, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 16

Matthew 15:21-28

21 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.

This is an interesting situation. A mother will do anything for her child. This was her chance, she knew Jesus could heal her daughter. She approached Jesus, knowing that as a local woman (not Jewish) her request would not be welcomed. She called out to Him. They tried to move on, but she was desperate. Jesus wanted to be loyal to His mission, but as He listened to this woman He saw someone with great faith. And because of her faith, He healed her daughter. Her faith made the difference. Where are you with your faith? Would your faith convince Jesus to heal someone you love?

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, give me the faith to ask for Your help, and the humility to receive it on Your terms.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 15, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 15

Psalm 95

Let Us Sing Songs of Praise

1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.

6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Today, if you hear his voice,

8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,

9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.

10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.”

11 Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 14, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 14

Matthew 15:1-9

Tradition and Commandment

Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

Tradition and rules…do they have a place in society today? Jesus is not saying they don’t, He is merely warning that sometimes traditions and rules can take on a life of their own and produce man-made rules. The Pharisees were big on physical cleanliness. Jesus never said they shouldn’t be clean, He just wanted them (and us) to understand that the condition of the heart is more important than the outward appearance. The human heart is the source of the greatest pollution and only Jesus can purify it. Are you allowing Jesus to work in you to purify your heart? Or are you following man-made rules and human traditions?

Prayer: Lord, teach me to love You and to be transformed by Your holiness, saving me from human traditions.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)

March 13, 2015

Easter Devotional – March 13

Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

 

Here we see Peter in his usual form – loyal and wanting to do the right thing yet getting it embarrassingly wrong, needing to be rescued. Can you identify with that? Peter knew he couldn’t walk on water, but he saw Jesus doing it and, after all, the twelve were given the power to do the things Jesus was doing, maybe walking on water was one of them. So he does it. The wind had been blowing all along, but as soon as Peter took his focus off of Jesus, he noticed the wind and it caused him to start sinking – in need of rescue once again.

Have you recently taken your focus off of Jesus causing you to sink? Have You asked Jesus to rescue you?

Prayer: Lord, give me the faith to attempt the impossible for You. And give me the humility to ask to be rescued when my faith gives out.

 

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org)