Rescue Mission

Be merciful to those who doubt; ²³ save others by snatching them from the fire; - Jude 22-23

These verses offer valuable instruction about how we should relate to people who may be far from God. When someone is uncertain about what they should believe we should patiently love and pray for them to know the truth of Jesus, not grow frustrated with them because of their unwillingness to commit their lives to Christ.

The word picture provided in the first half of verse 23 is captivating. Can you imagine yourself reaching out to snatch someone from imminent doom? That's what happens when God uses us to bring someone to faith in Christ. But what if we don't "snatch" them? What happens then? The reality of hell is very real. "Snatching" requires action. We can help remove people from the path that leads to destruction, but we have to get up and do something.

Lord, I know that you've sent me on a rescue mission. You want to use me to save people from hell. Show me what I can do today to help "snatch" someone from the fire.

By His grace,

Matt

Walking in the Truth

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." 3 John 1:4

We all know the joy of seeing our children walk in the way we taught them and the agony of seeing them stray. The apostle John felt this joy over the progress of His spiritual children in the truth. He also felt the agony of seeing some of them go astray (see verse 9 concerning Diotrephes).

Who are our spiritual children? Who is it that can bring us great joy or deep agony through their faithfulness or lack of it to the truth? May God give us many spiritual children and a commitment to help them progress in the truth.

Also, consider that this verse not only reflects the heart of John for his children but the heart of God for His children. We bring God joy or agony by our walk. May our lives bring Him joy today as we walk in the truth.

Father, keep me in the truth so that my walk may bring You joy today and use me to help others progress in the truth.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

God is our Resource

"David also said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.'" 1 Chronicles 29:20

Building a temple for the LORD had been David's dream but God assigned the task to Solomon. So David made the necessary preparations for the building and then charged Solomon to faithfully carry out the work to completion. David reminded his son that his most important resource for completing the task was God himself. God would faithfully be with Solomon enabling him to complete his assigned task.

Our assignment from God may be different than Solomon's but our God is the same. He is the God who is with us and who will not forsake us. He is the God who enables us to complete whatever task He may assign to us. What is your assignment from God? Is it to speak to someone about Christ or to lead your family or to fulfill a ministry role in the church? Whatever God calls you to do He will faithfully enable you to do. Lean hard on Him and He will not fail you.

Father, I thank You that You are my God as You were David's God and Solomon's God. You are unchanging and unfailing--the same yesterday, today, and forever. Help me to clearly understand my assignment from You and to carry it out with complete faith in Your faithfulness.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

A Mighty Savior

. . . The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. - 1 John 3:8

In this verse we get a glimpse into the unseen. There is an ongoing spiritual battle being fought between God and Satan, and now our lives are the battlefield. God has an enemy - Satan - who introduced sin into the world. The devil is working vigilantly to corrupt God's creation and lead people into darkness. But Jesus is our Savior. He is the hero of this epic story, and he came into the world to set sinners free - to redeem what Satan has worked so hard to corrupt.

And in tomorrow's reading John proclaims that, "because the one who is in you (Christ) is greater than the one who is in the world."

We don't have to be afraid of our enemy, because Jesus is greater than Satan.

I rejoice in Christ my Savior. Jesus you are mighty and my hope is in you. Thank you for coming into this world to set us free from the darkness.

By His Grace,

Matt

Loving the Father

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15

We can love the Father or the world but not both. These are competing loves and only one of them can ultimately possess our heart. The world is contrary to the Father and His ways. If we would love the Father we must relinquish love for the things of this sinful world. If our heart is filled with the desires of the world and our life is occupied by the pursuit of them, we will not be able to truly love the Father. Two competing loves compel us to choose which one we will give our heart and life.

Father, I choose you. I want to be a lover of you yet You know how very alluring and subtle is the world's pull on my heart. Help me to relinquish every vestige of love for the world so that I may love you exclusively and fully.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

NO ROOM

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John 21:25

Jesus certainly did many wonderful things that the gospels do not record. Perhaps we will get to hear these stories some day in heaven. I don't know. Add to these things the work that Christ continues to accomplish in and through believers, and there really is no end to what could be written down.

The gospel story begins in Bethlehem, where there was no room for Mary, about to give birth, and Joseph. But the gospel account ends with the realization that there is not enough room anywhere to record all of Jesus' life and work.

In a sense, we are a part of the ongoing story of Christ. It is written on our hearts and is read by every person you know. God is able to make your life a great adventure story!

Father, thank You for the marvelous, glorious stories of Jesus. Thank You for allowing me to know them and to know You. Use this day for Your glorious story.

Grace to you,

Jim

Peace

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!'" John 20:19

The disciples were understandably afraid. Jesus was crucified, his body was missing (so they thought), and they could be next on the Jews hit list. But then the risen Lord Jesus came into the room infusing peace into the situation and into their lives. When Jesus' shows up everything changes. And Jesus always shows up (the truth is He never leaves). What fears do you have today? What difficulties are you dealing with? Embrace the presence of the risen Lord Jesus and receive the peace He gives. Claim the promise which David understood from the other side of the cross, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me" (Psalm 23:4).

Lord Jesus, You are risen indeed and You are present with me. Help to embrace Your presence today and walk in Your peace with You.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

The Great Exchange

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. - John 19:16-18

It's incomprehensible. God, the holy one who created the heavens and the earth, sent his Son to die for us. What's even more astounding is that, Jesus died on a cross. Crucifixion was an excruciatingly painful and humiliating way to die. Can you imagine the Son of God hanging there next to criminals?

Isaiah 53:6 says that, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

And 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Jesus suffered and died in our place. We deserve the cross, but Christ took the punishment for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God.

Father, I can not even comprehend your love for me. I can't imagine what Christ suffered through for me. But I am truly grateful that you made it possible for me to know you. In response to your love for me I give myself to to you. Lead me today.

By His grace,

Matt

Whose in Charge?

"So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. ...When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." John 18:3-6

I love this scene! Jesus' enemies come against him armed to the hilt and with a few simple words from His mouth they fall to the ground before Him. Jesus' answer "I am he" is literally just "I am." It is the divine name of God which He revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Jesus of Nazareth is "I am" and over Him no man can stand in authority.

The ones arresting Him were able to take Jesus but only because He allowed them. Peter took his sword and struck off the ear of one of them. But "Jesus commanded Peter, 'Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?'" (John 18:11). He gave Himself over to His opponents because it was the Father's will to secure our salvation through Christ's suffering. But let there be no doubt Jesus was then and is now in absolute charge!

You cannot overcome Him but You can trust Him. Those who oppose His purposes will fall before Him. Those who align there lives with His purposes will rise with Him in triumph.

Father, I rejoice in Jesus, the miracle of the great I AM robed in human flesh. I rejoice that He is in charge and willingly bow my life before Him today.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

MORE

"You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God." 1 Chronicles 17:22

Looking back over the Old Testament—seeing the big picture—the story of God's relentless pursuit of His chosen people is hard to miss. The ins and outs, the ups and downs, all are wonderfully and painfully evident. All of this was God’s process of putting His stamp upon the nation of Israel: His people, their God.

Today, God is pursuing you and me. We become His child in an instant, but the process of growing up as God’s very own takes a while. Chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) kind of transformation can take a lifetime. And while God is completely able to effect this change in us, the best part is that we are His forever!

Who wouldn’t want to be His forever, for He has become our God—more and more precious to us with each passing day.

To put it another way, God becomes even more our God as we draw closer to Him. We’ve got all of God from the start, but we discover and own more of God as we follow Him. He is our God, but in a deeper, more fulfilling way—and then we crest the next hill on this God pilgrimage and our jaws drop at the sight of how much more of God we find there (that we had not realized could even exist)!

The more completely we become His, the more God we realize Him to be.

O Lord, You are my God. I ask that You would continue to transform me as Your very own, and in that process become my God more and more completely.

Grace to you,
Jim

At Home in Christ

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I remain in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5 NIV

The NET Bible offers the word "reside" as an alternate translation for "remain." "Reside" seems to really drive home Jesus' intended meaning. He wants us to be at home in and with Him day by day. The more established our residence becomes in Him the more we will experience His life in us. The more we experience His life in us the more we will see His fruit produced through us. Fruit is not determined by how hard you work but by how much at home you are in relationship with Christ. Work with Him not just for Him. Settle in, put down roots, enjoy His presence daily, keep in step with His leadership and the fruit will follow.

Lord Jesus, I thank you for residing in me through Your Spirit. Teach me to more and more make my daily residence in You.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Nothing to Fear

Do not let your hearts be troubled. - John 14:1

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - John 14:27

The disciples were facing tremendous uncertainty. Their leader, Jesus, was about to be crucified. Their faith would be put to the test. Jesus wanted them to know his peace. He wanted them to be confident in who he was and what they had learned from him. He also told them about the Holy Spirit whom he would send after he was gone.

Like the disciples, there are times that we need to be reassured - times when our faith is tested and our hearts could be troubled. But again, like the disciples, we have the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is no consolation prize. He is God and He lives in us. He is our advocate. And because of the Spirit we can face uncertainty with peace and confidence.

Father, thank you for not abandoning me. I thank you for the peace and confidence that you provide me by your Spirit. Lead me to walk in step with the Spirit.

By His grace,

Matt

How Great is Our Love?

"I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me." John 14:30-31

Jesus spoke these words on the night before His crucifixion. "I will not speak with you much longer" points toward His coming death and departure from this world--the completion of His mission. But Jesus made it clear that His death would not be the result of "the prince of this world" (Satan) having the upper hand on Him. Much to the contrary, it would be because of His love for the Father that Jesus would die. Through obedience even to the point of death Jesus demonstrated His love for the Father to the world.

Earlier Jesus had said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (14:15, see also verses 21 and 23). The disciple's love for Jesus will be reflected in the same way that Jesus demostrated His love for the Father which is through obedience at any cost. How truly can we claim to love Him?

Father, show me any lack of obedience in my life. Convict me of any failure to fully love Jesus with full obedience to His commands. As He so faithfully loved You, help me to love Him.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Listen Carefully

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.... My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:11, 27

Jesus laid down His life on our behalf. He has surely earned the right to be heard and followed by us. If we remember what He has done for us how can we be inattentive and neglectful of His words? He who loved us enough to die for us will lead us faithfully day by day. Let each day find us in His presence with an open Bible praying for ears to hear His voice. As we hear, let us follow with all faith and faithfulness where our Good Shepherd leads.

Father, give me an attentive mind and an affectionate heart toward my Good Shepherd Jesus. Help me to hear and faithfully follow today that I might know intimate fellowship with Him and effective service to Him.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Real Discipleship

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.'" John 8:31

Real discipleship consists of living in the teaching of Jesus. The Greek word translated "hold to" by the NIV is the same word used in John 15:5 and translated "remain" or "abide." It means to make yourself at home and continue in something. Discipleship is not launching out on our own agenda with a prayer and hope for God's blessing. Discipleship is listening to Jesus' word and making our home in it. Discipleship is not merely believing Jesus' word. It is submitting to Jesus' word. Are you living as a disciple of Jesus today?

Lord, examine me and show me the true condition of my discipleship. Help me to become an attentive listener to Your voice and a faithful doer of Your word that I might be a real disciple of Yours.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark