With or Without Reason

“I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"  At this they picked up stones to stone Him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.  John 8: 58-59

The other day, I was attempting to make a point to our children and was at a loss for words, so I uttered something completely ridiculous: "Because I said so."  Whoa, I have never heard that one before.  My children probably think I have lost my mind…which, maybe I have, but that’s not the point of today's DEVO...

When Jesus spoke the words above from John 8:58, He spoke one of the most radical and powerful statements of His lifetime.  He boldly proclaimed His divinity when He said that He existed before Abraham was born.  In addition to claiming that He was around before Abraham, He also applied God's holy name-"I am."

Jesus' claim is one that demands a response and cannot be ignored.  The Jewish leaders attempted to stone Jesus for blasphemy, because He claimed equality with God.  Who do you say He is?  Is He truly God or just a great prophet that did nice things for other people?

If I was not a believer, I would certainly question some of Jesus’ outrageous claims, but the truth is that Jesus is God, so how do you respond to His claims?  

Surrender

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  Therefore submit to God.  James 4: 6-7

Our sons are both growing up quickly, Elliott is seven and Elijah is four, but along with all of the fun, they are both capable of also throwing their share of temper tantrums at any given moment. I feel like a ‘broken record’ at times, lovingly correcting them or showing him the proper way to do things. The other evening, we were enjoying dinner on our back porch.  The boys were eating chicken strips, but Elijah refused to eat his because he claimed that the chicken tender was "too crunchy."  If we only served junk food and sweets, Elijah would be in the clean plate club every night, but the reality is that most meals are a struggle to get him to eat at all... 

 

The same principle holds true in our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  If a drowning man thinks he can help himself, he becomes dangerous to anyone who attempts to rescue him.  Until we surrender to God and give him full authority to reign supreme in our lives, we are not in any position to be helped either.  We may not realize it, but when we aren't following his lead, we are listening to ourselves and being disobedient.

To truly follow God, we must make his will our own and it starts by surrendering our own will!

Everywhere I Go

I look up toward the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth!  He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.  Psalm 121:1-3

Having almost every variation of Apple gadget known to man, including an iPhone, iPod Nano, iPod Touch, iPod Classic, Apple TV, and my iPad Mini with Retina Display, I am still amazed at how much I am able to accomplish ‘on the go.’  If I want to watch a movie or television show, I can stream it online.  I do most of my banking online through an application.  My medical insurance carrier now has an application and I can view my claims and access my ID Card through a their new app.   I have access to most of my music library through the iCloud at all times, and I can stay connected at work through email and by phone.  Of course, one of the greatest marvels of the technological age is Words With Friends…I have several games going on at the moment.  While all of this is certainly cool, having God with us at all times is even cooler.

In fact, our Loving Father is not limited by space or time; He inhabits the hearts of everyone who believe in Him.  He is not restricted by buildings or places of worship; He is with us without a Wi-Fi connection or even without electricity, for that matter.

Ponder this for a moment-God is with us everywhere that we go and He is with us in everything we do.  No matter where we go or what we are doing, God is with us at ALL times!  Praise His holy name!

Follow You, Follow Me

If someone claims, "I know God," but doesn't obey God's commandments, that person is not living in the truth.  But those who obey God's word truly show how completely they love Him.  That is how we know we are living in Him. 1 John 2: 4-5

Our youngest son, Elijah, got into a little trouble recently.  His 5th birthday is quickly approaching and with his age, a stubborn attitude has also developed. (I wonder where he got that from?)  Just like most children his age, it is easy to follow the lead of other people, even if what they are doing is wrong...

Whose lead do you follow?  Have you ever wondered how to express your love for God?  It's simple, because He tells us how-we are to follow Him!  The Bible is not just a bunch of stories; it's our manual on how to live a blessed life.  When you obey God, you are putting your faith to the test and showing that what you believe is true.

When you trust and obey God's commandments, you will be on the way to living a life full of joy and contentment.

The Heart of the Matter

Freely you have received, freely give.  Matthew 10:8

We all make mistakes from time to time and sometimes we end up hurting the people we care for the most.  The good Lord knows that any member of my family or friends could attest that I have made my fair share of mistakes.  The only way to bring healing to a broken relationship, friendship, or marriage is by forgiveness.

Forgiveness allows both parties to move forward in the relationship with renewed freedom and strength.  Even if you are not at fault,  you can find peace by extending forgiveness. 

We have all been freely forgiven by our Father who loves us more than we can comprehend, so we must be fast to offer it freely to others.

Vacation

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

It’s been a short, but fairly busy week for me as I stayed in Atlanta a few extra days to visit family and see Rush in concert.  It would be safe to say that the trip was a wonderful time away from home but coming back to work Thursday was brutal.

All of the extra stress that comes along with a vacation in addition to the normal responsibilities of my job have left me with very little peace.  I know that I will be fine in a couple of days, but I cannot help but feel stressed.

Through the Cross, God has made Himself available to us at ALL times.  Jesus invites us to come into the presence of God to find the grace, mercy, and peace that we so desperately need.  We need no middle-man to speak to God either; it's as simple as getting on our knees to pray.  God is always there and ready to listen to your inner most groaning and moaning.

God loves you and is available to you whenever you need Him...

What If I Stumble?

Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.  Psalm 119:165

In a personal devotional that I am reading, the past week’s lesson has been a painful self-examination of past sins and transgressions.  There are many details of my life that I am certainly not proud of as I was certainly keeping a distance between myself and Christ for so many years, especially during college...

Things have certainly changed for me, but I am still just a work in progress.  I do try to spend time in prayer daily, read my Bible regularly, and apply the Word of God to my life, but no matter how much my faith grows, I will always fall short of God’s grace.

It got me thinking-if we are not allowing God's Word to persuade us, influence our thinking, and impact our behavior, then who or what are we allowing to influence us?? 

You will constantly have the influence of what other people say to weigh against the written Word of God. Anything that does not line up with God's Word should be dismissed.  It’s impossible to live a sin-free life; Jesus is the only One who can make that claim, but as Christians, we should constantly be growing in our faith and looking more like our Savior each and every day.