“DEVOTIONALS – A TO F” Lesson 183

Affection to the Lord: Psalm 105:12-13 – “Then they believed His promises and sang His praise. But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel”. In these verses the Psalmist is recounting the history of Israel in which the Lord fulfilled His promise to make Israel a great nation. He protected them on their journey through the wilderness and remained faithful to His people. Father, it is our prayer today that you forgive us for our unfaithfulness and thank you that You are always faithful (Rom. 2:6-7, 3:25, Ex. 34:6, 2 Pet. 3:9, Col. 3:1-2, Ps. 91:14).

Blessings: Mark 13 – In this chapter Jesus tells us that there will be many that will try to deceive us about their being the Christ. He explains there will be wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation, earthquakes and famines. We Christians will be brought to trial because of our beliefs and we will be betrayed by our friends and families (Ps. 55:12-14). These Words of Christ do not seem to be blessings on our lives but we must remember that none have suffered to the point of shedding our blood as Christ did for us (Heb. 12:3). The mighty blessing will come after we have persevered when we see our Lord and Savior coming in clouds with great power and glory to gather us to Himself to live forever in His Heavenly Kingdom (Rev. 22:3-5). Help us Father to fight the good fight, keep the faith and finish the race (2 Tim. 4:7-8).

Chains: 2 Peter 2 – “God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but sent them into chains of darkness to be held until the Day of Judgment”. Christians were never meant to be in chains. A man is a slave and chained to whatever he allows to master his life. During the flood, Noah, a righteous man, was spared. God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah but rescued Lot, a righteous man. The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from the chains of trials and hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment. Knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will free us from the chains of this corrupted world and we pray Father that we never, by the grace of God, turn back and become entangled with worldly pleasures.

Duty: Deuteronomy 6:5 – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. It is our duty to love the Lord, choosing Him for an intimate relationship and to obey His commands. This command to love Him is given often throughout the book of Deuteronomy (5; 7:9; 10:12; 11:1; 19:9; 30:6). Loving Him was to be wholehearted and was to spread through and within every aspect of an Israelite’s being, life, soul and strength. Moses stressed that obedience and love for God could not be separated. The ultimate test of an Israelite’s love for God was whether they obeyed Him and this is our test of love today (John 14:15). Joshua (25:15) did not even consider natural ground when he told the people to choose either God or Baal. “No one can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24, 12:30). Father, although it is our duty to love and obey you, we do this in all freedom through the grace, mercy and gift of salvation that you have given us and because you first loved us. Thank you Father, for eternal love given freely to us through the shed blood of your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Emulation: 1 Peter 1:15-16 – “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’”. Emulation is the act of attempting to equal or excel in qualities or actions. Meaning in a good sense, to attempt to equal or excel others in that which is praise-worthy, without the desire of depressing others. Paul attempted to arouse the Gentiles to envy the salvation of the Jews so that they might be saved (Rom. 11:11-26). Leviticus 19 addresses the entire nation of Israel to be holy because the Lord was holy. Every biblical statement about God carries with it an implied demand upon men to imitate Him in daily living. We are commanded to love as Jesus loved us (John 13:34) and assured that through faith in God we can do what Jesus has done (John 14:12). Father, we desire to keep your Word and have your love perfected in our lives so that we will constantly emulate your ways and walk as you walk. With your help we will follow your example.

Falsehood: Colossians 3:9-10 – “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Though the Colossian Christians used to walk in evil, Paul commanded that they do so no more. He taught they should rid themselves of all such things. The word rid means to put off like a suit of clothes or throw off a dirty shirt. In the bible, behavior is often likened to a garment (Job 29:14, Ps. 35:26). Repulsive habits like anger, rage, malice and lying do not fit or suit the Colossian Christians and does not suit the Christian today. Truthfulness is essential in followers of the One who is the Truth (John 14:6). Father, remind us to read daily the truth of your Word and speak the Words of God, letting our yes be yes and our no be no (James 5:12, Lev. 19:11-12, Ps. 34:13, Eph. 4:25).