Devotional thought for God’s Family – 1

Good morning family of God. Let’s dig in to a passage of the Bible that speaks about how to stand strong in a changing world. This series of devotionals will challenge the one foot in heaven and one foot on earth mindset. Hopefully, we will at least shift our weight a bit more toward heaven, LOL.

1 Peter 4:10–11 (ESV): As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

God is glorified through Jesus through you. God is made happy by Jesus by you. You bless the heart of God by fulfilling the desires of Jesus. Think of this, A grandpa is blessed when he sees in his grandchild the images (character) of himself instilled in his son, coming out in the behavior and character of the grandchild.

What grandpa sees that makes him happy is the expression of his son. The expression of Jesus the Son is multifaceted, like a diamond. The few that are mentioned here are simply a short list and are a part of a larger list spread across the New Testament.

The Father in heaven is a certain way, he is who he is, and that’s all there is to it. Far beyond our ability to understand fully is who he is. I just said a lot of nothing, why? Because our words cannot describe him in a satisfactory way. Not only am I not able to do that, I am not capable of doing that.

Far above our capacity and ability to comprehend, God is. Yet he wants you to know him. Being in a relationship with him opens the door for ongoing revelation, coupled with the ever unfolding knowledge of him found in the Bible.  

Remember, the Father is made happy through Jesus through you. How is it that I only get a small glimpse of the Father and yet I can make him happy? Well, you might be surprised how important knowing what your spiritual gift and using it really is.

A diamond has facets right? The jeweler cuts into the rock and forms many facets and when the light hits it, the sparkle is amazing. God is the same way. You have a sparkle that looks just like the Father, given to you by Jesus. So, think of it this way, Jesus gave you a piece of the Father. Your spiritual gift, is truly that, a gift from Jesus.

Your gift is a very small facet of the Father designed to sparkle and look like him. The Father is blessed when he sees it in action because it looks just like him, and it is a piece of Jesus. Listen to how the writer of Hebrews explains it.

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV): He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.

Jesus as we know him, is the exact picture of the Father, and Jesus has given to you a small piece of that exact picture called your spiritual gift. That’s why it is so very important to honor and value what Jesus, through the Holy Spirit has given to you.

God’s plan is to help the world see who he is through Jesus, through you. And when you honor the reality that he has given you a supernatural power to do that, the world will see him. And that makes the Father and the Son very happy.

Sometimes people ask why all this spiritual gifts stuff!? The reason is when you honor what God said and embrace how he designed and desires you to operate, supernatural things are going to take place. Some shy away from that, I am saddened by that because, if Jesus gives you a piece of who he is, you better believe it is supernatural.

The gift is not you, it is God in you. The gift helps accomplish God’s plan. That gift comes with the power of the Holy Spirit and the more that you honor what God put in you the greater that gift honors God. Let me remind you, God is glorified through Jesus through you.

I meet some people who bow out of this glorious adventure, and they say, I don’t have to know what my gift is, I just live. I think that is like a person in a hurricane who has flashlight, its midnight, people are calling for help and that person’s yells out, every many for himself! They use their flashlight to get themselves to safety, and that’s it.

That isn’t why God put a piece of himself in you, to get you to safety. He put a piece of himself in you so that the Father is blessed by Jesus by you by others…and so on.

Lord, be lifted up today. You are at work in this world and have given tools to me to walk along side you and help others see you. God, let the world see, help them see the Father in me. Jesus you used the gifts of the Holy Spirit all the time and you want me to do the same. I want to honor the investment made into me. So, God, use me and let me never doubt the facet of the Father that exists in me.

Devotional thought for God’s Family – 2

1 Peter 4:12 (ESV) Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

There are so many directions that we could go with this verse. However, let’s begin with what the text says and doesn’t say, shall we? Notice first of all that the singular subject is mentioned by Peter…you. Three times he uses that word in one sentence, do you think he wants your attention?

This message or letter was sent to the whole church, and yet Peter singles out each listener. In effect, he is saying there is enough fiery trial for everyone to have some, and then plenty to spare. You might stand out today among many as being one who faces not only a trial, but a FIERY trial. (Although, I think all of us have our turn)

Trials are not fair, nor evenly spread out and not very well timed either. LOL, have you ever got out of bed in the morning and thought, this is the perfect day for a fiery trial!? No, usually life  seems to be going along somewhat smoothly and then, “Hello, where did you come from?”

I find it interesting that Peter says, “Don’t be surprised.” I believe Peter is saying that trials are a part of this life and there is no way around them. It is hard to leave the thought that the trials are personal. That’s the way it is presented in the text. As if to say, “Everyone has a time of fiery trial, but this one is especially designed just for you.”

I shared with the congregation at the beginning of the lock down and quarantine that spiritually, the end result of this crazy time will be the exposing of what is in us. Trials do a good job of this. Peter is making this very point.

If you want to know what is in you – go through a fiery trial (As if you had a choice, right?). The trial exposes what you are made of and helps you see you; helps you see what God and others see. Under normal circumstances you have a pretty good buffer between what you feel and what you do. You can reason and chart a course that has wisdom and understanding in it. But under the stress of a fiery trial that buffer can be extremely thin.

Think of it this way, running on a track in the middle of summer, in the middle of the day, in the middle of florida, just might create a massive thirst. After the fourth lap a person who wouldn’t ever share a bottle of water with anyone because they are afraid of catching something, might not pass by the muddy puddle on the ground.

Now consider someone who is walking out of a desert, burnt to a crisp and left for dead, been there a long time. (Fiery trial)

Fiery trials create all kinds of thirsts in us and you get to see what you reach for, and that might surprise you. God, isn’t surprised, he knew it all along, he simply wanted you to know. He wants you to be aware of what he is going to work on.

Sometimes he sends you back to the desert, or maybe the track where you take a few laps. Either way, he is going to watch you as you watch yourself get thirsty, and then give you a different option than the puddle. It will probably require walking far past the puddle with the thirst, until you reach another place with much better tasting water, better for you too.

Peter wants us to understand that it would be strange for us to not have trials. James says it like this, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Trials build our faith and that is what God wants to see in us, faith.

Why, you ask?

Because, without faith, growing faith, we can’t even come close to pleasing the Lord. Hebrews 11:6 (ESV): And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Have faith to believe that there is reward in fiery trial. When you are going through the trial, it seems the reward is getting out of the trial. That is not the full reward. God rewards you when you stay in it long enough to please him. Lately I have been introducing you to the difference between a personal crisis and a crisis of faith.

Let the fiery trial be a crisis of faith. More faith is needed for me today. The level of faith that got me here to this point, isn’t enough to get me there, where I need to go.

God is enough, all the time!

My belief and trust in him has to grow. And friend that is the whole point behind the fiery trial. I see first hand how much I trust God?

Lord, help me to grow in my faith. Help me to see that you are drawing me closer to you. Nothing is accidental, nothing is coincidental, all things are made by you and for you. Even my development as a disciple is planned by your heart for me to be what you want. Lord, I give you permission to shape me the way you want to, only stay with me in my weakness and help me overcome my faithless ways. I love you Lord, thank you so much for loving me.

Devotional thought for God’s Family – 3

1 Peter 4:14–16 (ESV): If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.

I want you to be ready to persevere in the tough time in front of us. Now is not the time to run and hide. Now is the time to stand up and let those around you see the light. False accusation and blame are going to be handed out like candy on Halloween. By the end of this night, we will have bags full.

This passage demands a reckoning. I know this seems harsh, but it isn’t. What is harsh is the fiery trial, that’s why Peter is trying to prepare you, yes you. We are told that persecution for being a Christian is to be like Christ and that our thinking ought to always be gearing up for insults and persecution.

This seems so foreign to Americans because of the freedoms that we have become accustomed to. Being a Christian has in most cases been pretty easy. Well, its not so easy anymore. I thank the Lord for the amount of discipleship and spiritual formation that we have been able to enjoy for hundreds of years. It is a privilege not a right, it doesn’t matter how strongly you believe in the first amendment. The god of this world has had his eye on your religious freedom from day one.

The early church and most of the Christians around the rest of the world can relate with what Peter is saying. They know exactly what a fiery trial is. Not that we don’t have fiery trials, we do. However, being insulted, persecuted for your faith is a rare thing for us.

Have you ever thought about what you are going to do when it is no longer popular to be a Christian? We are getting close aren’t we? What about if you were to loose your job because you are intolerant of open and celebrated sin? Only God knows when that tipping point is going to occur, if at all in our life time. Peter says, be ready and don’t be surprised.

Peter’s words are so important for us to hear. He helps us see that whether we live in a time of national freedom or the most chaotic time we have seen, we live for Jesus. And we should not be surprised if this world turns sour quickly.

The Spirit of God and of glory is already on you. Peter isn’t saying that you get an additional spirit boost, he is saying that since the Holy Spirit is already in you, you have all that you need to make the stand necessary to be the light.

What permeates this whole passage is our faith in God. God truly is in control and when we are persecuted for being a Christian the moment will be harsh, but God is glorified in that suffering and we are blessed, even though in the moment it may not feel that way.

Are you ready? That’s the real question. Whether it happens or not, Peter says live like it is about to. However, if you are tied to this world and the things of this world, you won’t be ready – you will actually be lamenting the wrong things.   

Lord, please help us to be ready for the future. You know the future and you know what is going to happen. All across the world brothers and sister pay a high price for their faith. Lord, we are blessed, help us to steward our blessing better. Grow in us the mind of Christ and root out our idolatry to the things we have acquired.

For the stout hearted. Read the epistles of Jesus in Revelation 2:8-11. It is a short read but in it you will see tremendous persecution. Think about what it would be like to be a member of that church, living in that city. What would you need to survive being in that time? Would it be good to walk with a bit more of that today?

Devotional thought for God’s Family – 4

1 Peter 4:17–18 (ESV): For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Please don’t turn away, stay with me. What I say is in love, not criticism or blame. The Word is speaking to us all. You aren’t in trouble with Jesus. You are not being scorned or cast away. You are being encouraged. This is an invitation, not a mandate.

You have been equipped with the latest armament and weaponry. We have at our finger tips everything we need. There is no force on earth that has a chance of standing against what you have. The Father in heaven has already declared the winner, he has chosen the victory, he is already living in the victory of his decision. And he wants you to live with him in victory. The judgment comes as he looks to see if you are living in the victory he has provided for you.

[track with me] Could you imagine a heart surgeon who was squeamish at the sight of blood? How about a baker who is allergic to flour? What about a marine rescue officer who doesn’t know how to swim?

Judgment in the household of God is for realignment of our mission. Judgment exposes the places where we are ineffective. Sometimes we are more afraid of being judged than being eager for the outcome of increased effectiveness.

Imagine knowing your car has no oil at all, you keep driving it because you don’t want to know how low the oil has gotten.

Long for the judgment of God. His judgment is never ever to cast you away. His judgment has intimacy, joy and power in it. His judgment will move you to thought and emotion, it will end with you saying, “Why was I so afraid and why didn’t I do this so long ago?” The judgement of a good father is to help and equip, to point to excellence and efficiency. The judgment of a good father is to build relationship and stop the things that you may not see that can destroy you and move you off point.

Welcome the judgment of God. Ask for God’s investigation. Be ready to shift, move and change.

A person who is not open to the judgment of the household of God has no part in the inheritance of God. The reason is, they are their own god. And they will get to spend eternity alone with their god, themself.

Do you want to know how close to God you are? How much do you let him speak into your life? How much do you long to be changed by him? Many people look so religious on the outside but it is all their own doing. They would never let God judge them, they sit on their own throne. Sometimes it is hard to see in others, that’s why God brings times of testing to us. Are you afraid of standing before Jesus at the judgment seat? My suggestion is to start now – and you will welcome physically standing before Jesus one day.

Oh my sweet friend, listen to the call of Christ and repent while there is still time. Let the true Attorney General investigate and give to you everything you need. He will not put you in prison, he takes you out of prison and makes you a member of his family and you live in his house. Stop trying to be something you are not and melt! Melt in the investigation, melt in the grace and mercy of the Father and let him make you what you are meant to be.

PS – Don’t be mistaken that you are the kind who stands up in times of fiery trial and glorifies Jesus. Only those who have succumbed to the sweet judgment of God will stand strong. Only those who are covered in the Spirit and glory of God will be ready. Let the judgment of God begin by looking for anything that resists the movement of God toward you. Call it out! Point a finger at it and declare it dead in you! Open your arms and ask the Holy Spirit to begin his sweet work. You will be so glad you did.

Devotional thought for God’s Family – 5

1 Peter 4:19 (ESV): Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Finishing out with 1 Peter 4 brings us to the close of the chapter. The instruction given to us is to put our hope in God.

We are not alone in our suffering because we know that Jesus suffered and can completely relate and understand what you are experiencing.

Not only does God know everything about everything, He felt the horrible feelings this world can lay on you. Its one thing to know it all and another thing to have experienced it all, Jesus has.

That is why the writer of Hebrews said this, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) When we are in fiery trials our soul will be taxed heavily. One writer by the name of Richard Foster, in his classic named “The Celebration of Discipline”, introduced a phrase that I had never heard before. He called it the “dark night of the soul.” He suggested that there will be a time in everyone’s life where they experience the dark night of the soul.

No one likes to think about those times in their life. Many people spend their lives running as fast as they can from those dark times. Some, try to live like it never happened, proving to the world that they are ok. Others deal with dark nights of the soul by medicating the pain with just about anything imaginable.

Jesus completely gets it, he understands you and what you have been through or sadly, what you are going through. Especially when fiery trials come and all you are trying to do is stay on the right path. Sometimes it is so hard.

I remember in my first marriage, I was a very young man, early twenties. I had married a young lady who was active in the local church and came from a strong family. Within three years we were divorced. She had stepped into multiple affairs and I would even come home from work to find men in my house…sitting in my recliner. Ultimately she ran off with one of them – not the recliner…well…she did take that too.

I was pastoring a little tiny church out in the country in Leeton Missouri in my early twenties, and I thought that was a mistake, it wasn’t. The sorrow of it all was overwhelming. The bed was gone too, so I slept on the floor for a long time. During the night, alone in the room was the worst. I don’t know how it could have gotten worse, but in the darkness of all of that, there was a presence with me. Someone who knew what I felt and cared for my soul. At night the comfort of the Lord was present. He was there and so were his warring angels standing guard over the fallen soldier.

God was protecting and shielding me from so much that I couldn’t see. I tried to quit from the church on several occasions but the church wouldn’t let me. Imagine that, I thought I was supposed to shepherd these people and God put me there for them to shepherd me through a dark night of the soul. God is so good about that, he understands, he really does. After that season I became a better pastor, one who wasn’t afraid to feel other’s pain.

I remember one afternoon I was so very discouraged and a sweet old lady named Lola Linde, took me to a restaurant named The Feed Lot. I sat across the table and sang the blues. She shook her bony finger at me and said, “David, nobody knocks you outta ministry unless God knocks you outta ministry!”

Over and over the Lord showed himself mighty and faithful, he was present and powerful. My soul was his and boy was it messy, dicey and broken. But he restored my soul. You can entrust your soul to the Lord, he knows.

Yes, this devotional is a little raw. So are dark nights of the soul. Have you had yours? If you can find someone who has done the right thing with theirs, you will find a friend and one who can really help.

But know this. There is no friend like Jesus. He has see it all, knows it all and felt it all.

Hebrews 4:15 (ESV): For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Lord, we don’t like thinking about it, but the reality is there are times in life that have no explanation. All that is left is sorrow. Lord, thank you that you are completely prepared for those times in our life. You are a faithful friend and a constant companion. Thank you for overcoming the world and being the Rock that we can hold onto it times of trouble. We entrust our soul to you.

Blessings

Pastor D

For the stout hearted: take a little time today and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if there is a dark night of the soul that you ran from and God didn’t. Maybe he is back there wanting to talk with you about it. He is ready to heal you and comfort you, but you have run so far away. There might be a new measure of wholeness waiting for you if you can simply hear him and go with him. Isaiah 41:10.