Friday, October 20, 2023

Friday, October 20, 2023
Acts 20:28
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

The first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, but the second greatest commandment is to take care of the people He has placed in your life. Jesus told His followers to treat everyone with kindness and respect, even your enemies, but the Word puts special emphasis on taking care of fellow believers. The Body of Christ, God’s people, are carrying out His will here on earth, spreading the gospel and making disciples in all nations. You as one of His sheep should be ready and willing to help and support the flock in any small or big way you can, treating each Christian as an ally, soldier, and sibling in Christ.

Thursday, October 19, 2023

Thursday, October 19, 2023
Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Jesus didn’t stand up for Himself while He was being beaten, whipped, and crucified. When asked if He was the Son of God, He responded truthfully, and the King of the Jews was crowned with thorns. At any moment Christ could have stopped the torture, eased His own pain, or split the miserable earth in two, but He didn’t. There was something far more valuable at stake; something that the Creator didn’t want to spend forever without. You. You, and any lost sheep who are willing to accept the spotless Lamb of God as their Savior and King.

Wednesday, October 18, 2023

Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Isaiah 53:6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

It takes honesty to admit that you’re flawed, but not much honesty. Our sin and deprivation are impossible to hide or ignore, because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If His standard is perfection, no one has gotten close… not even people we would call saints. Even if you heal and improve yourself, there’s nothing you can do to wipe away the mistakes of your past. Which is exactly why God’s people needed a sacrifice; a one-and-done payment for the sins of not only the Jewish people, but the world. Will you accept the payment for your mistakes? Or are you still trying to atone for them yourself?

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Luke 15:4-5
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

Do you see God’s love for you as personal, or professional? I believe it’s impossible to look at the scriptures, observe Christ’s life, and conclude that He does not see and love you specifically. He would leave the ninety-nine righteous to chase one wanderer, He knows the number of hairs on your head, and He and the angels rejoice when a single sinner gives their life to Christ. The Word tells us these things and backs them up time and time again. God calls you His child for a reason. If you’ve allowed yourself to be adopted by Him, you’re fully His, and nothing will ever snatch you out of His hand.

Monday, October 16, 2023

Monday, October 16, 2023
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

In this lifetime, is it possible to fully understand what Jesus went through when He laid down His life for you? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to grasp it. Even if you could imagine the physical pain and torment He endured on the cross, think of how His closest friends betrayed Him; how one sold Him out, the others ran from Him, and how His bravest follower denied Him at the moment of truth. Think of how, despite His innocence and love for everyone, Jesus was treated with such cruelty. He was whipped, beaten, and maimed for our iniquities, because the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Friday, October 13, 2023
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

A relationship with Christ requires faith that He is there, and that He is who He said He was. Unless you were there to see your Savior get nailed to a cross and rise from the grave, all you and I can do is believe in Him. Faith is the assurance that Jesus was the Lamb of God, and the hope that one day you’ll spend forever in paradise with Him. Faith is not the absence of doubts, fears, and flaws in your innermost being. It’s the presence of belief, even as small as a grain of mustard seed. Sometimes life and its many woes feel more real than God, but the more you rely on that mustard seed of faith, the bigger it’ll become.