Servant Requests

How often do you ask God for something? Do you ask him every day? Is it only when you are in dire need? Do you ask only for yourself, or do you include others in your request? Why do you ask God for his blessings? Is it because it is what you want? Or are you asking on God’s behalf as well?

There is nothing wrong with asking for blessings from God. In fact, Jesus tells us we are to ask. Yet, it is not about the asking but about the motive behind the asking. If we are asking out of selfish desires, we should not expect God to grant our request.

When Jesus tells us to ask, He also states that if we believe and are asking according to God’s will, our request will be granted. Knowing what God’s will is can be a challenge. Many people wonder what God’s will is. They seem to be befuddled by it. For them, it is like trying to grab hold of smoke coming off a burning log. They just can’t grasp it.

Even if we feel confused by God’s will, we can ask according to his will the majority of the time. How? By asking for what will make God known to those around us. We need to determine if our request is only for our benefit or will it help make God’s power and presence known to others. If our request, if granted, will show God to others, we are generally following God’s will. Therefore, carefully consider the motive behind your request and make them known to God with a servant’s heart.

I pray we all seek to know God’s will. I pray we make requests that will make God known to others. I pray each one of us carefully consider our requests and make them with a servant’s heart. Seek to know God’s will. Consider your requests. Make your requests with a servant’s heart.

Psalm 67:1-2

May God be gracious to us and bless us 

and make his face to shine upon us,   Selah

that your way may be known upon earth, 

your saving power among all nations.

Perfection is Coming

Are you tired of the news? Does it wear you down hearing about the evil people commit against one another? Are you weary of the foolishness you see people do? Do wish people would choose to do the right thing? Are you looking forward to a perfect eternity with God?

It seems all we hear is bad news. People committing crimes against one another. People pointing fingers at one another. People doing foolish things that harm themselves or others. We hear about people struggling with one thing or another. And it gets us down.

God has promised us a perfect eternity with him. There will be nothing bad. There will be no evil. Everyone will do the right thing. Everyone will love God and one another. Everything will be done based on that love. Everyone will worship God and care for one another. God will be in our midst. We will see him face-to-face.

Being in the presence of God will be awe inspiring. We will seek to please him in everything we do. Our love for him and one another will drive every action and every word we speak. There will be no more doubt but a confidence that God is ruling. There will be no more fear and sadness, only joy. There will be no more pain but healthy bodies and minds. Our spirits will be continually in sync with the Holy Spirit.

Living with fear, sadness, pain, evil in this world is difficult. There are days we simply want to give up. But we can hold on to the promise of God that there will come a day when everything will be perfect. We can trust in his promise. We can rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us through the hardships of this life.

I pray we all trust in God’s promises. I pray we know eternity will be perfect. I pray each one of us will follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us through the hardships of this life. Trust God’s promises. Know that perfection is coming. Know that eternal joy will be yours. Follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Revelation 22:3-4 Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

Continual Worship

Do you enjoy worship services? Do you enjoy walking into the church on Sunday morning? Does it feel as though you are walking into a holy place? Are your spirits immediately lifted? Do you prefer light over dark? Do you prefer day over night? Do you want to live in perpetual light?

Some church buildings are grand and awe inspiring, while others are plain. Yet, walking into any one of them can lift our spirits. It is not the accoutrements that make the place holy, it is the worship that takes place in it. It is the praises sung, the prayers offered, and the Scripture studied.

We may wonder if we will be in a perpetual worship service for eternity. First, we are told there will be no church building. God is the temple. Yes, we will worship him all day long. However, not in the form we do on Sunday mornings. As Jesus told the woman at the well, we will worship in spirit and truth. We will see him with our own eyes. We will no longer need to imagine what God may look like.

Additionally, there will only be day. There will be no night. Though this may be a strange concept for us, we will no longer live in the bodies we live in today. Why will there only be day? The Lamb of God will be our light. His radiance will shine throughout the new earth and the new Jerusalem. We will see His light and be in His presence, which will be just one reason for our continual worship as we live our lives with Him. God’s glory will shine all around us.

I pray we all seek to worship God in spirit and in truth. I pray we are in awe of God. I pray each one of us look forward to seeing his glory in person and living in his glory for all eternity. Worship God in spirit and truth. Be in awe of God. See his glory. Live in his glory.

Revelation 21:22-23 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Commanded to Love

What is your first thought when someone says they love you? Do you immediately think of the emotional love between couples? How often do you tell others you love them? How do you show that you love them? Is it emotional love or something much deeper?

Many of us think of love as an emotional love. Though that is the version of love that brings couples together initially, it is not the lasting love that keeps relationships together. Nor is it the love that Jesus speaks of when He tells us we are to love one another.

In Christian circles, we often call the love Jesus references “unconditional love.” Though it is, I wonder if we have heard it so often that we no longer understand what it means. Perhaps it has become a rote saying, one that we state without thinking. Might I suggest we think about it a bit deeper. Rather than simply stating the learned answer, let’s attempt to define it more completely.

The love Jesus speaks of is unconditional, but it is also a committed love. It is based on a decision we make. In other words, we decide to love someone regardless of what they may do or say, which makes it unconditional. We do not seek some return on the love we show to them. Instead, we seek to demonstrate the love of Jesus.

Demonstrating that love is another part of the equation. A committed love is not based on words nor solely spoken of. It requires action. We must demonstrate our love for others by doing. That action may take the form of helping, providing for, or praying for others. The love Jesus spoke of is demonstrated in both word and deed.

I pray we all decide to love one another. I pray we commit to love unconditionally, just as Jesus did. I pray each one of us will demonstrate our love for one another in word and in deed. Love one another. Love unconditionally. Put your love in action. Demonstrate your love.

John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

Glory In Betrayal

How would you react if you knew you were about to be betrayed? Would you be joyful about it? Or would you be planning a vengeful counterstrike? Would you look forward to it. Or would you cringe in anticipation of the fall out? Jesus reacted in an unexpected way.

Being betrayed into the hands of those who want to harm us can cause fear and anxiety. It can be especially upsetting if we have done nothing to deserve the harm nor the betrayal. If you have ever been betrayed in this way, you know the pain that comes with it.

Jesus was betrayed in just this way. Just prior to this passage, Judas has left to go betray Jesus. He is about to lead the soldiers to capture Jesus so He can be turned over to the Jewish leadership who will condemn Him to death. Yet, look at Jesus’ response. He states that He has been glorified and God has been glorified in Him.

Jesus, rather than mourning over the betrayal, states that He will be glorified in God. He knows it will happen within the next few hours. He knows He is about to face excruciating pain. Yet, He is speaking of God’s glory. Jesus will soon ask the Father to remove this suffering from Him, but He will submit to the Father’s will. Jesus is focused on glorifying God rather than satisfying His human desires.

We may never be betrayed to such a painful death as Jesus was. It is likely we will be betrayed by someone in some way, even if small, during our lifetimes. If we are betrayed because of our faith in Jesus, we should glorify God. Not only has Jesus set this example for us, but so have the apostles and many other Christians before us.

I pray we all know that Jesus focused on glorifying God. I pray we see His example and choose to follow it. I pray each one of us will use even the smallest of betrayals to glorify God. Focus on glorifying God. Follow Jesus’ example. Hold on to your faith.

John 13:31-32 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.”

Do God’s Will

As we continue from yesterday, we remember that Peter had been criticized by some Jewish Christians in Jerusalem for taking the gospel to the gentiles. As Peter explained the vision God had given him, then the visit by three men who asked Peter to go to Caesarea, minds began to change.

Peter did not get angry, nor did he retaliate. Peter merely began to explain why he had taken the gospel to the gentiles. During his explanation, he even showed them that he had felt the same way they had. He had declined the “unclean” before God, just as the Jewish Christians would have.

But God showed Peter that nothing was unclean that God had made. Therefore, when the men came knocking on Peter’s door and requested him to go to Caesarea, he could find no good reason for not going. God had showed him that he needed to change his views of the gentiles. As Peter spoke to them about Jesus, telling them all that He had done, the Holy Spirit came upon them. This solidified for Peter that he had done the right thing and convinced the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem of it, too.

First, this is good news for us. If God had not decided that everything he had made is clean, we would still be on the outside. Second, we should learn from this that God’s way is often much different than our way. We must be like Peter and be willing to go where God is calling us to go. We must be willing to help people we may not want to from our human perspective, because every person is important to and loved by God.

I pray we all thank God he chose to include us in his salvation. I pray we know that God loves every person he has created. I pray each one of us are willing to do what God is calling us to do. Thank God for loving you. Know that God loves everyone. Do what God is calling you to do.

Acts 11:15-17 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?”

Composure When Criticized

Have you experienced criticism? Have you been unduly criticized for doing something you knew to be right? How did you feel? Were you able to defend yourself? Were you able to convince those who criticized you that you were right in doing what you did?

Being criticized by others can make us feel small, inadequate, and unappreciated. However, when we are certain we are right, it can make us feel frustrated, angry, and even vengeful. We may want to strike back, proving we were right by whatever means possible.

The Apostle Peter was criticized for doing what God had told him to do. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem asked him, in our modern language, “What were you thinking?” Their perspective was that God was only the God of the Jews. That meant that Jesus came only for the Jews as well. They thought the mission was to convince all Jews to accept Jesus as their Messiah.

Peter had spent three years with Jesus. He knew what Jesus had taught and the mission He had sent the disciples on. Peter also had received a vision from God. He had properly interpreted the vision with the help of the Holy Spirit, which he had received at Pentecost. Peter knew exactly what he had to do when three men came knocking on his door.

But Peter did not get angry at those who were critical of him. Rather than being angry, Peter patiently explained what happened. He described his vision. He even pointed out his own initial perspective concerning the eating of unclean foods in the vision. He explained that he had also once thought the way the other Jewish Christians had thought.

We will finish this story in tomorrow’s devotional.

I pray we all stay calm when we are criticized. I pray we stand our ground when we know we are right. I pray each one of us will patiently explain how God is working in our lives. Stay calm. Do not be angry. Stand on God’s Word. Be patient with others. Explain how God is working.

Acts 11:1-3 Now the apostles and the brothers and sisters who were in Judea heard that the gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?”

Praise the Creator

Who deserves our praise? Who do we honor? Who do we put on a pedestal? Who do we hang medals around their neck? Who do we award with trophies and plaques? Who do we sing the praises of? Who do we praise for their accomplishments? Who should we praise?

We honor and praise many different people for many different reasons. We are amazed at performances in athletics and music. Our minds are blown away by accomplishments in science. We award people for their accomplishments, both big and small.

But we should praise God for all his creation. He not only created us but everything we see and experience. The Psalmist in chapter 148 provides a list of things that should praise God. He includes, angels, sun, moon, stars, the heavens, the earth, fish, hail, snow, frost, wind, mountains, hills, trees, animals, birds, kings, and all people.

God deserves our praise. Even the list the Psalmist lists is incomplete, even as extensive and general as it is. Saying God created everything is true, but it is so general that we often overlook it. It is not until we take time to think about each little flower, each insect, each bird in our yard, each squirrel that climbs a tree that we begin to get a glimpse of God’s amazing creation.

If for no other reason, we should praise God for all his creation. But when we make a little more personal, we should praise him for the intricate creation of our bodies. God created each piece of our body so that we can walk, talk, pick up and carry, eat, drink, and think. Our very own body is an amazing creation. Therefore, praise God for having created you.

I pray we all open our eyes to see God’s amazing creation. I pray we blown away by what God has created. I pray each one of us praise God for how he amazingly created our very own bodies. See God’s creation. Be awed by creation. Praise God for creating you. Praise God for all creation.

Psalm 148:5

Let them praise the name of the Lord, 

for he commanded and they were created.

Creation and Creator

Have you ever thought about how everything got its beginning? How was the earth created? How were the stars and other planets created? How are ideas created? How do thoughts come to mind? Do you know there are answers? Do you want to know them?

If we take a few moments to think about how the earth was created, we will likely be baffled by enormity of the task. Wrapping our minds around what it would take to create matter from nothing is simply mind blowing. But even if we start with rock and soil, the task is still too big to comprehend.

If we ponder how our thoughts come to us, we start explaining how the various parts of our brains store information. We may speak of neurons firing, sending electrical signals. We may be able to explain a process by which these electrical signals are translated into words. But when we dive deeper and try to explain how the brain was initially created, we fall short.

When we start thinking about how everything was created, we quickly find we do not have the capacity to comprehend it. But God tells us he created it all. When he says he is the beginning and the end, he is telling us that he has always existed and will always exist. Again, this is a concept we cannot fully understand. In this life, we know things have a beginning and an end. Each person, as far as we can explain, starts with conception and ends when they take their last breath. But God does not live by our timeline. He is eternal.

I pray we all take time to ponder creation. I pray we are in awe by all that God has created. I pray each one of us understand that we may be finite in this life, but God is infinite. Ponder God’s creation. Be awed by God’s creation. Know that God is infinite. Know that God is creator of all things.

Revelation 21:6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.”

All Things New

What do you think eternity will be like? Do you have the false belief that eternity is spent in heaven? Or do you realize there will be a new earth and a new heaven? Do you know there will be a new Jerusalem where God will be among his people?

Many have foretold the end of the world. Yet, all of them to this point have been wrong. There are also many who are wrong about where we will spend eternity. Many believe we spend eternity in heaven. Yet, that is not what we read in God’s Word.

John tells us in his revelation there will be a new earth and a new heaven. Though he does not explicitly state the current earth and heaven will be restored. He states there will be a new heaven and earth. This may very well mean the current earth and heaven is renewed, made new, and becomes what God originally intended it to be.

John also states there will be a new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. God will be in the new Jerusalem. He will come to live among his people. All the nations will come to worship God in the holy city.

Finally, John states the sea will be no more. There will be no more threat of world flooding. There will be no more threat of destruction. And all of this has been foretold in multiple places throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments.

I pray we will look forward to eternity spent with God. I pray we know there will be a new earth and new heaven. I pray each one of us look forward to worshiping God in the new Jerusalem. Spend eternity with God. There will be a new earth and heaven. There will be a new Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:1-2 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.