Tuesday, October 10, 2023

Tuesday, October 10, 2023
James 4:3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Praying for a brand-new Mercedes to show up in your driveway tomorrow morning doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. God delights when you delight, but that doesn’t always mean that the things you want are the things you need. A toddler may want to play in the road, but a good parent wouldn’t grant that wish, even if it made their child cry. When you pray, don’t treat God like a genie who will grant your requests if you pray the right prayer. Instead, present your requests to God with humility, and pray that His will would be done, even if it contradicts your own. He may not answer your prayers the way you would have wanted, but He will answer, and His answer will be good.

Monday, October 9, 2023

Monday, October 9, 2023
James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

The first step to treating a problem is recognizing that you have a problem. If you aren’t willing to admit that there is sin in your life, you won’t be willing to ask for help either… from God, or from others. Repentance is at the core of salvation: you need to recognize your broken, sinful, powerless position and rely fully on Christ to save you from yourself. In a similar way, the Bible urges you to confess your sins to believers that you can trust, because the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. But more than that, a repentant and humble heart is the like a garden, and if you let the Lord remove some weeds, you might just begin producing fruit.

Friday, October 6, 2023

Friday, October 6, 2023
1 Corinthians 11:1
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Jesus taught His disciples to “follow Him,” not only on foot, but by example. Sometimes we pray and wait for God to give us special orders for how He wants us to serve Him, forgetting that the most effective way to serve the Lord is by living like Him. A Christian is a Christ-imitator; a flawed human being who loves God with all their heart, treats others as they would want to be treated, and speaks truth in a world of lies. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, and live in a way that would make your Savior proud. Remember that it’s not all you; the Holy Spirit will transform you from the inside out if you’re willing to let it.

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Thursday, October 5, 2023
1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.

Hard times will push the limits of your faith and test you in ways you haven’t even thought of. It’ll make you question why you believe what you believe, and who this God is that you serve. People may ask you why you have hope regardless of circumstance, and faith regardless of sight. When these questions arise, what will your answer be? Dig into the scriptures, find answers, and dedicate yourself to what you believe. Have an answer for the hope that is in you and be prepared to defend the truth with gentleness and respect.

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Hebrews 10:25
…Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Gathering with other believers is incredibly important, more so than you or I can even guess. When Jesus was on earth, He didn’t call one disciple, or two. He surrounded Himself with twelve men that He called friends, and later sent them out into the world to plant churches and spread the gospel like wildfire. None of them took on this mission alone, and even when apostles like Paul traveled by themselves, they always returned to the church, and to the “body” of Christ. Not only did Jesus send His disciples to impact believers, but He also used believers to impact His disciples. Iron sharpens iron, and the more often you rub shoulders with people whose lives have been transformed by Christ, the sharper you’ll become.

Tuesday, October 3, 2023

Tuesday, October 3, 2023
Romans 6:16
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

You can’t be devoted to two masters at once, especially when they both hate each other. God despises sin; it is, by definition, any action or intention of the heart that goes against His original design for the perfect world. It’s because of sin that the world isn’t so perfect anymore. But Jesus died to save you from the world, and from your mistakes. Christ paid the price for your wrongs, and good thing too… because in this life, you and I will never be perfect like He was. But that’s no excuse to embrace imperfection. You will always be a slave to the master that you serve: either your own filth which ends in death, or the One who died to give you life.