Category - Devotionals

01/24 James 2:10-13
10 And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws. 11 For the same God who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” So if you murder someone, you have broken the entire law, even if you do not commit adultery. 12 So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free. 13 For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.
MERCY
Mercy begins at home. Our family deserves our best and without mercy we cannot give them our best. Mercy is required as we become more like Jesus. Remember the only person you can change is you. People need us to care for them not try to change them. Mercy is critical for us to be able to glorify God by the way we live.

01/23 James 2:8-9
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s royal command found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 9 But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law.
BE
We must be a be before we can do a do. If you become more like Jesus day by day you will change the way you see people. Jesus loves us. Jesus died for us, each one of us and every one of us. Love the Lord. Love people.

01/22 Luke 6:39-42
39 Then Jesus gave the following illustration: “What good is it for one blind person to lead another? The first one will fall into a ditch and pull the other down also. 40 A student is not greater than the teacher. But the student who works hard will become like the teacher. 41 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 42 How can you think of saying, ‘Friend, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log from your own eye; then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
YOU
You give an account of yourself to the Lord. Speak with Him about your shortcomings, needs and blessings. Keep short accounts with the Lord, be quick to forgive and slow to criticize. People need the Lord and they will evaluate Him by the way you act. Do the next right thing. You nor I are responsible to give an account of no one except our self.

01/21 Luke 6:31-38
31 Do for others as you would like them to do for you. 32 “Do you think you deserve credit merely for loving those who love you? Even the sinners do that! 33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, is that so wonderful? Even sinners do that much! 34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, what good is that? Even sinners will lend to their own kind for a full return. 35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don’t be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked. 36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. 37 “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. Stop criticizing others, or it will all come back on you. If you forgive others, you will be forgiven. 38 If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving — large or small — it will be used to measure what is given back to you.”
GIVE
Give. That is a call to you and to me. We are to give. Amazingly giving isn’t hard especially if we listen to the Lord. When we give we are blessed. What we give away no one can ever take from us. Give.

01/20 Luke 6:27-30
27 “But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28 Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give what you have to anyone who asks you for it; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back.
PRAY
Life is meant to be prayed over. Pray about everything. Joy, pray. Anger, pray. Need, pray. Hurt, pray. Sick, pray. In all things at any time pray. We were created to pray to the Father.

01/19 James 2:1-7
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others? 2 For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes. 3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor” — well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives? 5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him? 6 And yet, you insult the poor man! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
POOR
Love the poor. Open up your heart and see their value. Love the unlovely. See them as Christ sees them, beloved and sought after. Jesus died for the lost. All of us stand on level ground at the foot of the Cross. Love the one you are with.

O1/18 Psalm 119:33-40
33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow every one of your principles. 34 Give me understanding and I will obey your law; I will put it into practice with all my heart. 35 Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. 36 Give me an eagerness for your decrees; do not inflict me with love for money! 37 Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. 38 Reassure me of your promise, which is for those who honor you. 39 Help me abandon my shameful ways; your laws are all I want in life. 40 I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.
O LORD
I cry out from the depths of my heart, O Lord change me. Remove that evil bent from my heart. Make me the kind of person that will glorify you.

01/17 1 Thessalonians 2:15-20
For some of the Jews had killed their own prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us and driven us out. They displease God and oppose everyone by trying to keep us from preaching the Good News to the Gentiles, for fear some might be saved. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last. Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. We wanted very much to come, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus when he comes back again. For you are our pride and joy.
YOU
You count with Jesus. I am grateful to the Lord Jesus for you. My prayer is that the Lord will equip you for service day by day. Come Lord Jesus.

01/16 Leviticus 19:11-18
11 “Do not steal.”Do not cheat one another.”Do not lie. 12 “Do not use my name to swear a falsehood and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 13 “Do not cheat or rob anyone.”Always pay your hired workers promptly. 14 “Show your fear of God by treating the deaf with respect and by not taking advantage of the blind. I am the LORD. 15 “Always judge your neighbors fairly, neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich. 16 “Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. “Do not try to get ahead at the cost of your neighbor’s life, for I am the LORD. 17 “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. “Confront your neighbors directly so you will not be held guilty for their crimes. 18 “Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
DIRECTIONS
Think on these things and you will have good, solid directions for daily living. What is it that messes us up? Our unwillingness to bend the knee to the Lord. He is with us and He will guide us but we are filled with pride and selfishness that pull us away from the Lord. Ask the Lord to give you the strength, wisdom, mercy and grace that you need to stand and serve Him.

01/15 Leviticus 19:1-10
1 The LORD also said to Moses, 2 “Say this to the entire community of Israel: You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. 3 Each of you must show respect for your mother and father, and you must always observe my Sabbath days of rest, for I, the LORD, am your God. 4 Do not put your trust in idols or make gods of metal for yourselves. I, the LORD, am your God. 5 “When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, offer it properly so it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 You must eat it on the same day you offer it or on the next day at the latest. Any leftovers that remain until the third day must be burned. 7 If any of the offering is eaten on the third day, it will be contaminated, and I will not accept it. 8 If you eat it on the third day, you will answer for the sin of profaning what is holy to the LORD and must be cut off from the community. 9 “When you harvest your crops, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. 10 It is the same with your grape crop — do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners who live among you, for I, the LORD, am your God.
YES
Yes, the Lord did give us specific directions for living. Can we live that way? Yes. In Jesus we find the wisdom, mercy, grace and understanding that we need to follow the directions of the Lord God.