# 29 2020 Dev. James 2:5. Love! Read all of Ch. 2 1-13. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

James 2:5 “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”  

The second chapter of James is divided into two very important subjects for the followers of Jesus and for those who may want a better understanding of Christianity. James is talking about showing favoritism and true faith. We take up favoritism in this devotional.

James makes his point with an extreme example of showing favoritism to a rich person over a poor person. Let’s be honest, being materially well off in this world is considered not only a good thing but is the life goal for many people. Being rich is not the issue here, God has blessed many a faithful people who use their wealth for the good of the community in order to glorify God.  What James is referring to is that in secular society rich people are given deference and expect it from those not as well off. This was the way of the world in James’ day as it still is today and he points out that for believers in Jesus this is discrimination and you make yourselves “judges with evil thoughts”. The issue is not being rich or poor, our station in life is providential and a blessing from God: “Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

The followers of Jesus love Him and James encourages us to “keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’. In other words, discrimination breaks the law of love as does murder and adultery. We are not only talking about discrimination among believers, No, the royal law of love covers every person God places in your path of this life, it is a matter of how believers judge and if you prefer the word “discern” over “judge” you still are making a choice.

James puts it this way: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, (the royal law)¹³ because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Amen!

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# 28 2020 Dev. Psalm 90:12. Time! Read all of Psalm 90. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

Ps. 90 is the only Psalm of Moses in the Psalter and may be the oldest of the Psalms. It appears to be written during the enforced 40 years of wandering in the desert after the rebellion at the border of Canaan. The introduction vs.1-2 sets the tone and the theme; “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Vs. 3-6 Moses highlights the fragility of mankind and the meaningless of time to God. “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,”

In vs.7-12 we are reminded of the people’s shortcomings and the shortness of life on earth. If only we understood the shortness of our days and the diminishing opportunity to repent in the fear of our God. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Life is short and wisdom in this life comes from God, not wisdom of the head but the wisdom of the heart that is dedicated to serve Him. Along with Moses we also say: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.”

Vs.13-17 Is Moses’ prayer for God to forgive and to restore His people: “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days”. This is the prayer for followers of Jesus as well, we all have wandered in the desert at one time or an other and we all need to be restored at one time or an other. Lord, redeem the time, redeem the days, redeem the years when our hearts wandered, when our faith was weak, and when we did not count our days.

Over the years we have seen God working in our lives, guiding us, protecting us, drawing us to himself by the power of His Spirit. Along with Moses we pray: “May the favor^[a] of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” When we live and work in God’s wisdom, our work is established in the name of Jesus! Praise be to God!

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# 27 2020 Dev. James 1:22. Good Works! Read all of Ch.1:13-27. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

James 1: ²² “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says!”

James is all about doing and at first glance he appears to be at odds with Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. Certainly, Martin Luther thought so, James was the last book he translated into German, he called it “a book of straw”.  James and Paul back up to the same value; gratitude for God’s Salvation in Jesus Christ.

James uses the metaphors that Jesus would use; temptation is “conceived” within by our “own evil desires” giving “birth to sin” and leads to death. Temptation is not the sin but allowing it to linger in our mind leads to sin, and sin not confessed and un-repented leads to spiritual death and contributes to physical death. “God chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

James goes on, “take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, accept the word that is planted in you”. We all know how quickly we forget most messages we hear from God’s Word. One of the reasons for these devotionals is to apply God’s truth to our daily living. Further, as is pointed out in this passage (vs.22-25), if you meditate on God’s Word and practice it, not only will we not forget but we “will be blessed in what we do”.  Faith is a gift, grace is a gift, salvation is a gift, God’s Word is gift and James encourages us to practice what we believe.

 If we really want to be thankful for God’s gifts to us James points us into the direction of missions, here at home and around the world; “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”.

James is talking about the poor, the disenfranchised, injustice, children, born and unborn, the lost and being politically correct: the pollution of the world. All the attitudes and actions that Jesus spoke against while he was on earth. Now from heaven He still opposes those attitudes and actions in people and nations but draws near the persecuted, the disenfranchised, the poor and the unborn.  Jesus is humble, compassionate, forgiving, and He loves with no limit. Praise be to God!  

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# 26 2020 Dev. Psalm 89:8. Faithfulness! Read all of Psalm 89. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 89:8 “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.”

Ps 89 is the last Psalm of a series of six (84-89) that end Book Three of Psalms. The Psalm is a prayer for the nation and repeats many of the themes found in this series. The prayer is in the first person and is divided into two parts: vs. 1-37 praises God for His faithfulness and for His salvation, “You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior”. The second part, vs 38-51, complains to God about what is perceived as His rejection, “you have rejected, you have spurned, you have renounced the covenant with your servant” (David). The author, Ethan the Ezrahite, a Levite, paints a picture of major disruption of the nation.

This is a prayer that followers of Jesus are tempted to pray today because this prayer is about the lineage of Jesus Christ, it is about God’s choosing his people by Grace and God’s subsequent discipline of the nation for the short comings of David and the descendants of Abraham. We may read the genealogy of Jesus in the book of Mathew Ch.1:1-16 and in Luke Ch. 3:23-38, a long list of people who fell short of God’s ideals. The two genealogies are somewhat different because both Joseph and Mary are in the line of David. Followers of Jesus may want to identify with both sections of this prayer.

Certainly, we identify with the first part of this prayer: “Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” Here we see God’s grace, His forgiveness and His love. Along with the Psalmist we say: “Praise be to the Lord forever!”

The second part of the prayer is more difficult to identify with, not that the whole world is in trouble, it is, but let us look at our own situation for the purpose of this short devotional. The second part of this prayer comes about due to the short comings of the Nation of Israel, unfaithfulness, idolatry, and the rejection of God and of God’s ways. That is the very situation we find ourselves in right now. As we saw in the book of Hebrews some time back, God tests and teaches (disciplines) those whom He loves. How easy it is to point at the secular culture around us, but no, we also bear a responsibility; are we praying for all that is going on around us; leaders, federal, state, local, and church leaders? How about those who oppose us? All legitimate (dully elected) authority comes from God, Romans 13:1-2. Are we practicing what we say we believe? Are we speaking the words that bring life, words of encouragement, words of healing, words that glorify God and His Salvation?  Followers of Jesus, we have our work cut out for us and that is what God is preparing us for, by drawing us closer and closer to Jesus by His Holy Spirit. Amen and amen!

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# 25 2020 Dev. James 1. Perseverance! Read all of Ch.1:1-12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

James 1:2,3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

The book of James is a unique letter that comes to us as “Wisdom Literature.The author, by most commentators’ opinion, is the brother of Jesus and the leader of the the church in Jerusalem. The book moves from proverb to proverb with commentary directing the reader to apply faith and ethics to true Christian living, which are the two themes that bind the diverse subjects of this letter together. The letter is directed to true Jewish Christians living “among the nations”. Further, God’s Word is relevant today and is relevant at all times, both past, present and future, applying to all people everywhere!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters”. Really, must we rejoice at persecution and opposition to living out our faith?  Yes! But James qualifies his statement by pointing out the results of being tested: perseverance in faith, growth to maturity and to receive wisdom, given on request “from the Lord”. God lovingly shapes, grooms, and prunes His followers for the tasks at hand and prepares us for work in heaven.

In God’s eyes you are rich when you are poor, and you are poor if you are rich.The poor trust in God with a fervent faith, the rich must trust God in humility, thanksgiving and in generosity. In God’s eyes all men and women are equal and in need of salvation. We all are born with nothing and we die with nothing, only our faith in Jesus remains forever.

James ends this section with v. 12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” Jesus loves those who love Him and He loves those who do not love Him (Jn. 3:16-17). Jesus builds us up, using a variety of events in our lives, including unpleasant ones, to prepare us to serve Him and to strengthen us to be able to build the Kingdom of God where He has placed us, according to His will. Praise be to God!

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# 24 2020 Dev. Psalm 88:1. A cry for help! Read all of Psalm 88. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 88:1 “Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.”

Ps 88 is a personal prayer for God’s grace and salvation. The psalmist acknowledges that God is his Savior, but the whole Psalm asks God for relief from his situations.  The Psalmist is close to death, he has lost his friends, he has lost his family, he has lost his station in life, he has no where to turn but to the God who saves. There are times in our lives that we feel this pain as well, illness that could lead to death, loneliness because a loved one rejected us, poverty due to the loss of income. At those times and many are in that situation right now, we feel abandoned like the Psalmist.

God, how can we “show your wonders” at a time like this? How do we “rise up and praise you”? How do we “declare your faithfulness in destruction”? God, are “your wonders” visible in this situation? God, how do we find “your righteous deeds” at such times we are in right now?

The answer is that we “cry to you (Lord) for help” every morning and every evening we pray for God’s grace, for His care, for His love, for His salvation. Prayer is the highway to the throne, fervent prayer is the way to the heart of Jesus, our Lord and Savior, prayer and fasting opens our heart to hear the Word of the Lord. Let all followers of Jesus be in fervent prayer for our country, for her people, for our leaders. Let all followers of Jesus pray for justice, for repentance, for a return to God and pray that God will heal us, heal the people of this land, forgive us and may God heal our land. Praise be to God!

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# 23 2020 Dev. Hebrews 13:5.6  Be an Example! Read all of Ch.13. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 13:5,6 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”^{[a] 6} So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?”^[b]

The author of Hebrews makes his finals exhortations, he begins with the positive values of Christ: “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. ³ Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” As followers of Jesus these are our values as well and they are a timely reminder for us in all we are experiencing right now.

He moves to what is able to destroy fellowship: sexual immorality and the love of money, two areas of life that are also destroying our communities today. He warns us against following false teaching that, still to this day, plague the church.

Instead he wants us to know that Jesus is faithful: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Our response should be as it was then: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Nothing happens unless God allows it, we do not need to fear or be worried, God is in control.

The author continues to show us that Jesus is the last and final sacrifice and  that we are strengthen by His grace. Through Christ we continually offer sacrifices to God in whatever we do in the name of Jesus and in proclaiming His name. “Preach always, use words if necessary. “

“Now may the God of peace, that great Shepherd of the sheep, ²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

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# 21 2020 Dev. Hebrews 12. Be a Witness! Read all of Ch.12. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Heb. 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”

The author of Hebrews point back to the “great cloud of witnesses” in chapter 11, as a way of encouraging his readers and also to encourage us. In many ways he begins with what appears to be confession of faith and a way to live out our faith as followers of Jesus.

After that introduction he moves on to the difficult subject of God disciplining his children. The author quotes Pr. 3:11,12 that tells us that a father disciplines the son he loves. There must have been persecution during this time and the author encourages them and us by asking for perseverance, “God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.” Is that what is happening to us right now, will we come out stronger by the closure of our churches, will we come out of this as better people, will this “produce a harvest of righteousness”? Yes! We trust God for that.

Next he moves to the fifth warning in the book. “Live in peace with all men” (everyone), “be holy”, no sexual immorality, don’t compromise, we have not come to a mountain we cannot touch or hear commands that we cannot obey, no! “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³ to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.” That refers to us, the followers of Jesus, the church on earth and the church in heaven. What we are experiencing right now is temporary and will pass, remember that all of life is preparation for our service above. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Now is the time to live our faith in the face of all those around us, including our families and all who follow Jesus. Thanks be to God, he has called us to witness to  His Grace, amen!

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# 20 2020 Dev. Psalm 86:11. Mercy! Read all of Psalm 86. The purpose of these devotionals is to draw closer to God and grow spiritually by applying His Word to our daily living. All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ps. 86:11 “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

Psalm 86 is a personal prayer and according to the title, a prayer of David. This Psalm is the only Psalm written by David in Book 3.

Vs.1-4 is David’s request to his God. It is a request that we may all identify with at any time there is trouble, disruption, or health issues in our lives. “Hear me, Lord”, “Guard my life”, “have mercy on me, Lord”, “Bring joy to your servant, Lord”

Vs.5-7 is a reminder of God’s grace and love. “When I am in distress, I call on you, because you answer me.” This reminds us as well.

Vs.8-10 is David praising God and is the center of this prayer.

Vs.11-13 is the part of this prayer that followers of Jesus need to pay attention to today. “Teach me your way, Lord,” God’s way is at risk in the church, and is almost non existence in secular society. “Give me an undivided heart,” there is so much competition for our dedication and devotion; politics, the environment, education, good paying jobs, all good things to be sure but are we keeping our hearts focused on Jesus? In our situation today are we able to focus on: “I will praise you, Lord my God, I will glorify your name”, I will acknowledge your “great love towards me” and your great salvation?

Vs. 14-17 is the conclusion of the prayer. No doubt, followers of Jesus have enemies; Satan want to destroy us. “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

That is what we hold on to and this is our prayer: “Hear me, Lord”, “Guard my life”, “You, Lord, are forgiving and good”, “Teach me your way, Lord”, “give me an undivided heart”, “I will praise you”, “have mercy on me, Lord” and “show your strength” in our behalf on our country and the world, “for you Lord have helped me and comforted me” Amen and amen.

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