Devotionals

Read Genesis 33:1-20.   When a person surrenders to God, they are changed on the inside. They are freed from their striving, and they can rest in the goodness of God. As a result, they do not look at the world in the same way again. But this inward change cannot stay on the inside; it must overflow into every relationship.   We see this happen in the life of Jacob. When God appeared to Jacob as he camped on the bank of the Jabbok River, the pair had wrestled till daybreak. In that experience, Jacob surrendered to the Lord, and God changed the patriarch’s name from Jacob to Israel. God touched him, and he was never the same again.   The next day, Jacob finally met Esau. Although Jacob was a very different man from the schemer who had left home twenty years earlier, he still needed to clean up some past business. It didn’t matter how much time […]

Read Genesis 32:1-32.   Jacob was afraid. The entire reason he had fled to his Uncle Laban those many years ago was to escape his brother, Esau, who had threatened his life (see Genesis 27:41-45). Now he was on his way back home with no assurance that Esau’s feelings toward him had changed. So, he tried to buy his brother off. He separated his flocks and herds and counted out a substantial gift for Esau. “For he thought, ‘I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me’” (Genesis 32:20). It was a smart plan, but it was unnecessary. God was with Jacob and was watching over him as He had promised (see Genesis 28:15). No evil thing would come upon him without the Lord’s say-so.   Of course, Jacob didn’t understand that. He let his fears and worries overtake him. But then, in the midst of his […]

Read Genesis 30:25-43.   The word prosperity often has a bad connotation today. When we think of prosperity, we frequently associate it with the prosperity gospel—a false gospel that entices people with promises of wealth and material possessions. Of course, if someone bends their knee to Jesus in order to receive money, then money is their god, not Jesus. And there is no greater tragedy than for a person to neglect the true riches of heaven for the poverty of financial security in this life alone.   With that said, we need to understand that prosperity is a Biblical word. God does, at times, prosper His people with financial and material blessings. He prospered Abraham (see Genesis 12:1-3, 7). He prospered the Israelites (see Acts 13:17). He prospered King David and King Solomon (see 1 Samuel 18:14, 1 Kings 3:11-14). And God also prospered young Jacob.   If you recall, Jacob had gone to work for his Uncle Laban. Laban […]

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23). Yesterday we began looking at some of the things that can hinder our communication with God. Today we will look at three more pitfalls we must watch out for. Covetousness is also a hindrance to prayer. Covetousness is not only wanting what other people have but also wanting to keep resources that belong to the Lord. God said through Malachi, “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8). When we hold on to resources that belong to God, we are coveting and stealing from God. Yet when we joyfully give back what is rightfully His, we can experience “so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10). Another hindrance to prayer is habitual disobedience. King Saul’s greatest flaw was his disobedience to […]

“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3). Do you feel like your prayers are powerless and that God is not listening? This is not the experience God intended for prayer. He wants us to find joy and fellowship with Him, not frustration and loneliness. Jesus opened the communication lines between us and the Father; however, our sinfulness can affect our prayer lives. We must remain on guard against potential pitfalls so that we can maintain open lines of communication with our Lord. The first hindrance to prayer is a marriage relationship that is off kilter. Scripture warns us, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Peter 3:7). God has given us a balanced formula for a […]

“For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord” (Psalm 117:2). Do you sometimes struggle with the right words in prayer? Or do you wonder exactly what to pray for? You are not alone. But God will empower you for meaningful prayer as you begin to praise Him. Praise reflects our acknowledgment of all that God is and all that He has done, is doing, and has promised to do. Praise sets the stage for prayer that is focused, specific, and powerful. And the more we praise God, the more we realize that He not only knows about our needs but also desires to provide all that we need. God wants us to ask Him to meet our needs, not so that He’ll become better informed about them but so that we will become more aware of what is truly burdening us and tugging at our hearts. By praising God for […]

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).   Read Matthew 6:19-34. In the Christian life, we face endless decisions every day. We need heavenly wisdom to choose wisely. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers us four choices that have the power to shape our life here on earth. How we handle them today will echo throughout eternity.   First, He gives us a choice between two investment banks. We can either store up treasure on earth, “where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,” or store our treasures in heaven (see Matthew 6:19-20). Where will you ultimately invest—in the local bank, where they give a fraction of a percent interest, or in the bank of heaven, where you’ll earn a hundred-fold harvest?   Second, Jesus gives us a choice between stumbling around in the darkness or walking in the light. He says, “If your eyes are healthy, your […]

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).   Read Matthew 5:27-30. Though sin is at the root of the problems in our world today, God is most concerned with the source of that sin—for He knows that true holiness means stopping sin at its source: within the heart. Take, for example, sexual sin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “[A]nyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). As Bible-believing Christians, we are not against sex. Rather, we believe that sexuality is a gift from God. We believe that God created sex as a beautiful gift to be shared by a husband and wife within the bounds of marriage. And yet, man perverted the good gift of sex, just as he […]

“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:22). Read Matthew 5:21-26. Though it may not seem like it at first, the Torah or Law, which is comprised of the first five books of the Bible, was a precious gift to the people of Israel. God’s law teaches us how to live in a manner pleasing to God—a manner that is also for our good. It also points us to our need for a Savior since none of us can keep His commands perfectly. But the law also reveals something else: the very heart of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus brought the Truth home, clarifying the heart of God. Beginning with the commandment not to murder, Jesus shocked His listeners by declaring that the sin of selfish anger is tantamount to murder. How can that be? Because that’s where murder starts—in a person’s heart. Murder […]

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). Read Matthew 5:17-20. Many people today want to believe that morality can be democratized, that if enough people believe some perverse action is acceptable that it will no longer be immoral. But that is not how the universe works. In the end, there is only one opinion that matters. There is only one Judge. His name is the Lord God Almighty. And He requires nothing short of perfect obedience to His laws and commandments. Friends, this is why Jesus came. He came to authenticate, to fulfill, and to complete the Commandments (see Matthew 5:17). Jesus is the only man who was able to keep all of the Ten Commandments all of the time. He came to show us that the Law actually points to Him. In fact, the entire Old Testament directs our […]

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). Read Matthew 5:14-16. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told His disciples, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). What did He mean by that? He meant: Your light should shatter the darkness. Your light should lead others to Christ. Your light should expose error and lead people to the Truth. Someone may say, “My faith is very private,” but that is not Biblical faith. True faith in Jesus is visible. It’s meant to be a light—and it’s meant to be a light for the world. Your light must shine in the marketplace, on the factory floor, in the boardroom, at the office, on your school campus. Wherever you go, there goes the light—because you are the light. When people see someone who is loving and forgiving, joyful and generous, they take notice. When they see someone who is […]

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13). Read Matthew 5:13. When Jesus declared to the gathered crowds, “You are the salt of the earth,” it was a shocking statement. He was telling His followers—common people like fishermen and day laborers—that they were of supreme value. You see, Jesus had just finished delivering the beatitudes—eight steps to spiritual blessing (see Matthew 5:3-12). And so, when he started talking about salt, He was talking about people who embodied the beatitudes. Though the world could not see it, these people were incredibly valuable. Their greatest asset was their spiritual bankruptcy. Their greatest passion was mourning over their sin. Their greatest accomplishment was their meekness. Their best response to evil was to be merciful and make peace. Their appetite was for righteousness. Their […]