Devotions For The Reconciled Life

Luke 16:19-31 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish." Luke 16:25 James says our earthly lives are a “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” ( James 4:14 ). Our earthly journey is incredibly brief. Perhaps the greatest lesson to learn from this story, then, is that when death comes knocking on our door there is only one thing that matters: our relationship with Jesus Christ. The rich man spent his life on things of this world gathering amazing wealth. With all his wealth, he took no notice of a destitute sick man lying on his very doorstep. He had the means and opportunity to minister. He didn’t. Why? He was blinded by the world. He was also blinded to his eternal destiny. The rich man’s state, like the state of many today, is blinded by physical wealth not seeing the needs of others and their own need...

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4 In the book Stories for the Journey, William R. White tells about a European seminary professor named Hans, whose wife Enid passed away. Hans was so overcome with sorrow that he lost his appetite and didn't want to leave the house. Concerned for him, the seminary president paid Hans a visit, along with three other colleagues, and the grieving professor confessed that he was struggling with doubt. "I am no longer able to pray to God," Hans admitted. "In fact, I am not certain I believe in God any more." After a moment of silence, the seminary president said, "Then we will believe for you. We will pray for you." The four men met daily for prayer, asking God to restore the gift of faith to their friend. Some months later, as the four friends gathered for prayer with Hans, he smiled and said, "It is no longer necessary for you to pray for me. Today I would like you t...

In Ephesians, we find Paul writing to the church at Ephesus. In Chapter 6, Paul gives instructions to children and parents, slaves and masters, and then we find Paul encouraging the people at Ephesus to be strong in the Lord and to put on the full armor of God so that they can be prepared for the snares of the enemy and prepared to spread the gospel. In his farewell, Paul writes, “Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.” Paul recognized that he needed to have a sense of urgency to share the gospel with those around him. He was so sure of that calling in his life that it was worth prison and chains to share God’s love with others. Even while in chains, his purpose was to share God’s love with those around him. We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We pl...

John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." Humans have learned and discovered amazing things. We have placed men on the moon and returned them safely to earth. We have placed satellites outside our solar system beyond the effects of our sun. Man has learned to treat with transplants of organs from one to another. Man has developed amazing medicines to treat illnesses and diseases that a generation ago would have meant death. But even today with these amazing technological gains, we are all still threatened by one foul enemy that cannot be avoided: death. All men are condemned to death. The Christian though has been freed from death. "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" ( 1 Corinthians 15:55 ) Only God can break the chains of death; only God has raised the dead to eternal life. Even though God is the only who has power over death, we...

Matthew 28:18-20 “I can’t hear you Lord,” [ loud explosions all around and total chaos ] “What do you want from me?” A distant cry for help… “Help me save one more.” The sermon Sunday morning began with a movie clip from the movie “Hacksaw Ridge”. While the story was very applicable to the message to come, my mind was already going. I began to converse in my heart and mind with the Lord as I processed the statement from the movie. We are surrounded by many lost people who are dying in their sin as well as the wounded people all around us. The movie clip reminded me the body of Christ’s need to head into the explosions of this life to help rescue those wounded in battle. However, we do not do it on our own. We do it as we cry out to our Lord to HELP us save one more. We need Him to identify them, to find them, and to be able to help them. As I was reflecting upon this point I began to mull over the idea of what we would need to do before moving out on such a mission. We...