1-Minute Daily Devotion

How Sweet The Sound

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: 'Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?" - 1 Chronicles 17:16

Is any hymn more beloved than Amazing Grace? The lyrics do seem to sum up a Christian's journey of redemption, the divine Grace of God, and the promise of eternal life. With its simply-stated definition of eternity: "When we've been there 10,000 years ... we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun," it is no wonder that it is sung at many funerals. You can better understand how the lyrics are able to capture the true meaning of divine grace when you realize just how the hymn came to be written. An Anglican priest, John Newton, used the hymn to reflect on his earlier service as captain of a slave ship. He could think of nothing more evil than those deeds, and was amazed God would provide such grace despite his wretched past. Note the passion in his words:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

Know that if God gives grace to a man with this depth of sin, He can certainly forgive your past and open the gates of heaven to you for eternity.

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Was Jesus Married?

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"Behold,You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part, You will make me know wisdom." - Psalm 51:6

Let's settle a question once and for all: was Jesus married? We can find the answer in the first book of Corinthians. In Chapter 9, Paul ponders whether he has the right to be married. He asks rhetorically, "Why shouldn't I have the comfort of a wife, just as Peter and Timothy?" Did you catch that? The answer to our question is not in what Paul said, but in what he didn't say. Why did he only use a couple of disciples as examples? If he wanted to make an indisputable case for his right to marry, why didn't he simply say, "...just as Jesus did?" If Jesus had married, Paul would have certainly known it and would have mentioned it in this monologue.

Let's take it a step further. Would Jesus' message have been any different had he married? No, not really. If Jesus had chosen to marry, His message to the world would not have been altered in any way. So, why does it matter that He never married? Because believing otherwise alters the actions and sayings of Jesus. It alters our understanding of the role of Mary Magdalene and causes us to misunderstand her actions. But most of all, the Bible never mentions it and since Jewish people have such a high view of marriage, I guarantee you if He was married, the Bible would have told us.

It matters that we believe Jesus never married because it is the truth. And the truth always matters.

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How Can God Be Three In One?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"...God sent forth His Son, born of a woman...that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts..." - Galatians 4:4-6

How can God be three in one...Father, Son and Holy Spirit? This belief is central to Christianity.

Some argue that Christianity teaches belief in three Gods, or polytheism. Not true. Christianity, like Judaism and Islam, is rigidly monotheistic. Yet Judaism and Islam do not believe God is three in one. No other religion does.

I can try to explain by saying that I'm a father to my three sons--they know me one way. I'm a son of my parents--they know me another way. I'm the husband of my wife--she knows me another way. Three roles, but all the same person.

That may help, but it's still inadequate. For how do we explain God the Son, praying to God the Father, as Jesus did? It is unexplainable to the human mind, because we are not God. The Trinity will always be a mystery that reflects the unfathomable greatness of God. Yet, when you believe, you begin to know the fullness of God.

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Faithfulness

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much." - Luke 16:10

I don't know many qualities more appreciated than faithfulness. Faithfulness is about dependability, loyalty, trustworthiness, and consistency.

Faithful people are faithful all the time -- not most of the time. I've been married over 30 years. That's over 10,950 days. How do you think my wife would feel if I prided myself on being faithful to her 10,949 days? Trust me - she wouldn't be happy. Just one day of unfaithfulness can ruin all the days of faithfulness, because faithfulness means being faithful all the time.

The longer I live, the more I appreciate people who are faithful; especially those who are faithful to God. That leads them to be faithful to their spouse, parents, brothers, sisters, friends, church members, co-workers, and those with whom they serve in a ministry or an organization. The longer we live, the more we appreciate faithfulness.

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Bone-Headed Honesty

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another." - Colossians 3:13

As a new husband, I made the decision to always be totally honest with Anne. So, whenever I had a lustful thought, I'd say, "You know I could be sexually attracted to her." Well, after about a year of this, Anne just plain exploded! "Don't tell me that stuff!" she stated, "You're driving me crazy!" Hey, I was trying to be honest. But it finally registered that maybe I hadn't really handled that situation very well. True, I needed to confess my thought-sin to God, but I was foolish to create that insecurity for my wife. To her, in that case, I should have kept my confessing between God and me.

But when sin goes beyond thoughts and some action has taken place, such as dabbling in pornography - then that sin does need to be confessed to your wife. Your marriage will never have the closeness God intends unless you and your partner are honest on this subject.

And a word to the wives: if your husband is man enough to confess a problem that he's dealing with, I hope that you'll seek to forgive. You say, "But I've been deceived. I've been betrayed." Yes, you have. But I hope you'll seek to forgive. Because an opportunity is created when he genuinely repents and you are willing to forgive. It's an opportunity for a new beginning, to be close in your marriage; an opportunity of love and respect, just as God desires.

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Today Is The Day

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" - Matthew 18:21-22

Having healthy relationships is central to being a part of the body of Christ. These are to be healthy, loving, and forgiving. And this is true not only within our immediate circle of fellow Christians, but also with our neighbors, business acquaintances, and even our enemies! What this means is that we must seek forgiveness when we have wronged others and we forgive others when they have wronged us.

Do you have relationships where things aren't right? It could be in your marriage, with your children, with your parents, or somebody at your church. Someone close who you have trusted may have burned you. Let this be the day when you ask God for the power to forgive. Or it may be that you've let somebody else down and you're estranged because of what you have done. Today is the time to say, "Lord, forgive me. Help me to have the courage to go and seek forgiveness from that person, so that we can be reconciled." Because, my friends, the ultimate meaning of life is found in healthy relationships with God and with our fellow man. Don't wait. Decide today to get those relationships right.

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AWOL Fathers

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0600

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. " - Ephesians 6:4

No statistic is more troubling than this: a third of all births in America are illegitimate. That means that for a third of all children, their life begins without the presence of a father in the home. But it's even more tragic in the African American community, where two-thirds of all births are illegitimate. And, for those lucky few children who have a dad in residence, often, the light's just not on. Either he is passive in his leadership role with the children, or so involved in his career that he is essentially nonexistent in the home. Certainly, what we are seeing in our contemporary society is the crisis of the absentee dad. It is terrifying to think what this means to our nation's future.

God's Word is clear that the father is to be the spiritual leader with a spirit of love for his wife and his children. This is not a dictatorial or authoritarian leadership, it's Christ-centered servant leadership. It requires understanding of the fragile psyche of a child in the home that needs to be built up and not torn down. It means understanding the importance of discipline in the child's life. And it involves loving instruction, explaining what is right and wrong.

The first step in being a good father - as with every other aspect of success - is simply showing up. Then, when we show up, let's move it up a notch to be the kind of dad God expects us to be.

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