Seek First – Kingdom Focused Devotionals

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  Unfortunately it seems to get squeezed out of our calendars and our lives by the close affinity to Christmas.  Most stores are already putting up Christmas decorations.  I guess the marketing gurus haven’t figured out a way to “sell” Thanksgiving.  Maybe that is why it is so special.  It is a simple holiday marked by sheer gratitude. For the next several weeks we will focus our devotional thoughts on “Thanksgiving.”  We encourage you to share these devotionals with friends or link them to your web site or face book page.  We could all use a dose of “gratitude” right now. 

                No one teaches us how and why to express our thanks better than the Psalmist and thus we spend this week with a focus on some of the great Psalms of thanksgiving.  Psalm 35:18 says—“I will give You thanks in the great congregation; I will praise You among a mighty throng.”  If you take the time to read the entire Psalm you will discover that David gives thanks for God’s deliverance.  You might find it interesting that verses 5 and 6 along with Ps. 34:7 contain the only mentions of the activity of the “angel of the Lord” in the entire Psalter.  Here the angel appears as our protector.

                David speaks of “Malicious witnesses” who rise up against him (11) and those who repay good with evil (12).  His response to these attacks by those who contend with him is to humble himself and pray (13).  But his despair was so great he feels as if his prayer kept returning to his own bosom (13).  Can you identify with David? 

                If so, follow his plan.  He declares that he will begin giving thanks before a mighty throng of witnesses.  He gives thanks in anticipation of God’s faithfulness.  We can thank God even prior to His activity because we know He is faithful to act according to His own character.  Here’s a thanksgiving strategy—pray and declare your thanks in the great congregation.

Prayer:  Lord I thank you that you are faithful to Your own character and always fulfill Your promises.

We have plenty of counselors today—both the secular and the Christian variety.  We have the paid and the unpaid, the invited and the uninvited.  The plethora of counselors probably is a good indication of the complexity of life today. 

            Isaiah, the prophet, speaks of the coming of One who would be Wonderful Counselor (Isa. 9:6).  Isaiah wrote during dark and depressing days.  Isaiah swept back the dark clouds by promising that those who were “walking in darkness” would see a great light. 

            Today we know that these grand titles from Isaiah 9:6 were all fulfilled in Jesus.  He is the Wonderful Counselor.  Look at Jesus as He counsels the woman taken in adultery.  He offers her grace and forgiveness and yet confronts her with the reality of the destructive nature of her sin.  His counsel was a perfect balance of grace and truth.

            We have a Wonderful Counselor in Jesus, but to benefit from His counsel, we must be willing to listen to Him, meditating on His Word, and then taking the prescription offered from His Word.  In other words, we must be prepared to heed and obey the Words of the Wonderful Counselor.  By the way, Our Counselor sent the Holy Spirit to enable us to hear and obey His Word.  

Prayer:  I confess to you my need of a counselor today.  I will listen and obey.  Amen

This weeks devotionals are abbreviated from God Is.  Check it out on AuxanoPress.com

So go the words of the popular Christian song.  But what do we mean when we sing those words? 

            In Ephesians 2:20 Paul writes—“{You are} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.”  The context preceding this declaration talks about redemption which is freely given by grace (2:8-9).  Our redemption means that we are no longer “foreigners and strangers, but…members of God’s household” (19).

            The cornerstone is the central foundation stone which binds the whole structure together.  The imagery of “cornerstone” has great Old Testament lineage.  The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakeable” (28:16).  Paul tells us that Jesus is the cornerstone laid by the Father and that we now, by virtue of our faith in Him, are now linked to that stable foundation. 

            I like the word “unshakeable,” don’t you?  It seems like everything today is being shaken.  Wall Street has certainly been shaken.  The world economy has been shaken.  I am glad to know that my life is secure and unshakeable since my faith has linked me to the Cornerstone. 

Prayer:  I praise You as my cornerstone.  Forgive me when I feel shaken by the events around me.  Amen.

Peter refers to Jesus as the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4).  If you look at that verse in its context, you will find that Peter was challenging his fellow church leaders to shepherd those under their leadership freely and joyously.  Like a shepherd they were to lead with tender care. 

            The idea of Jesus as shepherd was actually introduced earlier in 1 Peter 2:25—“For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.”  Isn’t it wonderful to think of Jesus as a caring shepherd who serves as the guardian of our souls?

            You may recall that John records that Jesus referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd. who unlike the false shepherds, refused to desert the sheep at the first sign of danger. Instead of exposing His sheep to danger, Jesus laid down His life for the sheep (Jn. 10:11-14).  The image is of the shepherd who was willing to place his own body between his sheep and any enemy. 

            What enemy do you fear today?  It may be someone or some circumstance.  Are you frightened by the economic uncertainty of our day?  Does the political turmoil around the world cause you to lose sleep?  You have a Savior who is the guardian of your soul.  Rest well! 

Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for being my Chief Shepherd.  Forgive me when I fail to put my trust in you.  Amen

I have been privileged to pastor a large number of persons who served in the military.  I admire the discipline of those who understand what it means to be under orders.  A command is to be obeyed.

            The writer of Hebrews speaks of Jesus as the captain of our salvation (2:10).  In some translations the word rendered here as captain is translated using the word “founder, author, or source.”  They all point to the same truth.  Jesus is the means through which God has made possible our redemption. 

            As you read Hebrews 2:10 you will notice that our captain was made “perfect through sufferings.”  This does not suggest that Jesus was morally imperfect prior to His death.  In fact Hebrews 4:15 explicitly states that Jesus “was tested in every way as we are, yet without sin.”  Rather, Jesus death is described as perfectly completing His life and purpose, enabling Him to purchase salvation for us.  Thus He is our captain, our pathfinder. 

            This raises an important question.  Do you know Jesus personally, the captain of your salvation?  If you can say “yes” to that question, are you living in obedience to His commands?   The proper response to the words of the captain is—“Aye! Aye! Sir!”  Obedience is the evidence of discipleship. 

Prayer:  Thank you for suffering the cross to become the captain of my salvation.  My response today is “yes” to your every command.  Amen

Are you afraid of the dark?  Darkness can be terrifying.  The smallest sound is magnified.  Shadows created by encroaching darkness can take on frightening proportions.  But the light of morning changes everything. 

            When John wrote the book of Revelation, his readers were living in dark days filled with intense persecution.  They needed to know that morning and its accompanying light were coming.  John assures them by speaking of Jesus—“I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star” (Rev. 22:16). 

            The first century readers would have remembered the promise of Isaiah 11:1 that a shoot would grow from the stump of Jesse.  Notice the subtle alteration.  Jesus declares that He is both the root and the offspring.  He is the source of the Davidic line.  Only one who is eternal can be both root and offspring. 

            The term “bright morning star” recalls the prophecy of Balaam.  In Numbers 22-24 we read the fascinating story of Balaam, a prophet hired to curse Israel.  Balaam disappointed those who hired him but declared that a star would come from Jacob (24:17).  The Jewish people understood this as a promise of the coming Messiah. 

            In our sky, the “morning star” is the planet Venus.  In ancient times Venus was a symbol of victory and sovereignty over the nations.  Roman generals sought the morning star as a good omen. 

            You need no good omen; you have the true Morning Star, the Messiah Jesus!  No matter what you face today, you can be assured that morning has come.  

Prayer:  Lord, today you know my circumstances and my fears.  I will trust in you as my morning star.  Amen

Sometimes when I am flying and I look out the window at the billowy clouds, I think of what heaven might be like.  Both mom and dad are in heaven and I think about what they are doing in heaven. 

                John, in the book we call Revelation, gives us a few glimpses into the heavenly city.  You must understand that John was limited by earthly vocabulary as he attempted to describe the incredible beauty of our heavenly home.  We may rightly be awed by the description of a city whose brilliance is like “crystal-clear jasper” (Rev. 21:11).  We are impressed by the massive wall with twelve gates attended by twelve angels (12-13).  The street of pure gold has inspired musicians of every age (21).

                But all these descriptions of beauty pale in comparison to the magnificent presence of
Almighty God.  The city has no need of a temple because all is holy and God is everywhere adored.  The sun and moon cease to exist since their splendor and radiance has been surpassed by the glory of God Himself.  The vessel through whom God provides illumination of the Lamb.  Can you imagine what it will be like to live in the presence of Him who is perfect light? 

                By the way, we won’t be alone.  “The nations will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it” (24).  You may be wondering who will be present.  “Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (27).  Are you certain yours is there? 

Prayer:  Father, thank you for my heavenly home made available through Christ.  Give me resolve to tell others so that they may have their name in the Lamb’s book of life.  Amen

Have you ever wondered the motive behind the writing of the letters contained in the New Testament?  John does us a favor by telling us precisely why he wrote first John.  “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

                So what evidence does John present to assure the reader that he/she has eternal life?  Take the time to read chapter 5 and you will find the word “testimony.”  If we are trying to establish the truth of a matter, we gather corroborating evidence.  John speaks of three witnesses in agreement—“the Spirit and the water and the blood” (8). 

                The Holy Spirit can be trusted because He is the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17).  The Holy Spirit speaks truth revealed by the Father (John 16:13).  “Water and the blood” refer to the baptism and crucifixion of Jesus—the bookends of His ministry.  At His baptism the Father testified, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased” (Mark 1:11).  Jesus’ willingness to be obedient to the point of death was the ultimate testimony to the truth of His claim to be God’s Son.  Deuteronomy 19:15 stresses the need of three witnesses in agreement to confirm a matter.  We have confirmation!

                You can know that you have eternal life through Christ. 

Prayer:  Thank You for the gift of eternal life.  May I live as one who has newness of life.  Amen.

John, in his first epistle, placed a strong emphasis on love.  On numerous occasions he exhorted believers to love one another.  John’s call to love was not the garden variety of love that would call us to treat everyone with a little kindness.  John called believers to love one another in the same manner that God has loved us. 

                In 1 John 4:8 John declares that “God is love.”  Often we are tempted to love those who deserve to be loved.  Not so with God.  He loves because it is His very nature to do so.  His love is not an emotional feeling but an active expression—and a costly one.  In verse 9 John allows us to glimpse the nature of God’s love.  “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

                The supreme manifestation of God’s love was the sending of His only begotten Son to pay the penalty for our sin.  This self-giving and underserved love is the kind of love that John is calling believers to demonstrate through their lives.  You may be thinking that sort of love is beyond my ability.  You’re right!  God did not simply display His love by sending His Son; He made us new creatures capable of manifesting His love to others.  You might say that love is in the DNA of the children of God. 

                For this reason, John could boldly assert that everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  Our ability to love others is dependent on the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. 

Prayer:  Father, enable me to allow Your love to flow through me today.  Amen

What frightens you most?  Is it the thought of war or the fear of a global economic panic?  Perhaps your fear is more personal.  Matters such as job security, public speaking, personal relationships, and health concerns can cause us to fear. 

                The letters that Paul wrote to Timothy are personal and pastoral correspondence from an aging warrior to a young man he called his “beloved son” (2 Tim. 1:2).  Take a moment and read the first seven verses of 2 Timothy chapter one.  In verse 6 you will note that Paul tells Timothy to “kindle afresh” the gift of God within him.  Paul is not suggesting that Timothy’s faith is flagging, but he is simply reminding him that one’s faith must always be stirred to full flame.

                Paul begins verse 7 with a negative assertion in order to lay a foundation for expressing the threefold gift of God.  Listen!  “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”  Power is the supernatural ability to live the Christian life successfully and to accomplish God’s purpose through your life.  Love is the focus and goal of power.  Love enables us to endure the most difficult and challenging circumstances with joy.  Discipline is the structure in which power and love come to full fruition. 

                Discipline describes a life of balance.  If you are tempted that you are not the disciplined type, you would do well to remember discipline is a gift of God.  God has gifted you with the resources to overcome fear and cope with every circumstance. 

Prayer:  Thank you for the gifts of power, love, and discipline.  I receive them gladly.  Amen