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God Is Worthy of Devotion
~ Life is never better than when God is fully at the center of our lives, and fully at the center of our hearts.
Throughout Scripture we see a powerful principle exemplified: when God is seen for who He truly is, the natural response of the seer is full and absolute devotion. When God reveals His glory, love, power, holiness, and splendor, the seer responds with absolute commitment and worship. I believe that God would reveal Himself to us today in simple but mighty ways. I believe that He longs for us to see Him as He truly is, and that His chief desire is our devotion. May we see God face-to-face today and be forever changed by a fresh revelation of this God who would give up everything for relationship with us.
Isaiah 6 exemplifies both a vision of God and a response of devotion. Isaiah has an open vision of the majesty of God in heaven. He sees God on His throne and hears angels declaring His holiness and splendor by saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth!” (Isaiah 6:3). And in response to this vision Isaiah 6:8 says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? Then I said: Here I am. Send me.’”
Isaiah responds to seeing God with full devotion.
God doesn’t ask for your devotion the way man does. He doesn’t offer you ultimatums or transactionally based benefits if you will love Him.
Devotion to Him is meant to be the natural response of seeing God for who He is, because He is inherently worthy of every bit of devotion we can bring to Him. He is worthy of our allegiance because He is the King of Kings. He is worthy of our obedience because His will is both knowable and perfect. He is worthy of our worship because He is the almighty God to whom all creation offers ceaseless praise. And He is worthy of our heart because He is the God of love and mercy who has created us for relationship with Him.
Too often we mistake God’s mercy and grace as opportunities to go our own way and come back to Him as we please or when we need something. Too often we treat His love as an opiate for our problems rather than the foundation on which we devote our lives in humble submission to Him. God is patient. He is kind. He will never force or manipulate us into loving Him. But His patience, kindness, and gentleness do not change the fact that He is King of kings, Lord of lords, and Creator of all, and that He is worthy and deserving of our ceaseless devotion.
Run to meet your God in the secret place today. Look upon His face and see Him for both the loving and majestic God He is. He longs to reveal His nature to you. He longs for you to search out the depths of Him and be awed by His wonder and mystery. Spend time in prayer, meeting with your loving heavenly Father and responding to His nature with your love, worship, and devotion.
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~ by Craig Denison
May your life be an example of a believer in love with God. May you offer God all the love, obedience, and devotion you can. All God desires is your heart. He longs to have all of you. He is completely relationship focused and completely lovesick for you. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of Yahweh roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His.” God will help you live your life in commitment to Him if you allow Him to.
Receive the strength of the Lord and respond to His love with your devotion today.
https://www.first15.org/devotionals/god-is-worthy-of-devotion/
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Dr. Charles Frazier Stanley: September 25, 1932 – April 18, 2023
~ Celebrating a Life of Obedience.
Life goes by quickly – very quickly!
And many people today who are in heaven or hell intended to live a lot longer than they did.
They didn't make any plans to die. They only had plans to live and enjoy themselves.
So, I want to ask you:
• What are you living for?
• What's your goal in life?
• Do you have any real purpose for living?
God says we ought to be living to worship and to serve Him.
Because that, my friend, is life at its best.
~ Charles F Stanley
https://www.charlesstanley.com/memorial/obituary
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God Exchanges our Burdens for His Peace
~ As a society, we are more continually stressed now than ever. Stress has become our new normal. But in God, we have the opportunity to live with a peace that surpasses our understanding.
Scripture describes a great exchange of our burdens for the peace of God. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” You have a God who loves you so much that He offers to take your burdens off your own shoulders, place them on His, and give you peace in return. Where does your life feel heavy? Where do you feel buried under the burdens of the world? God offers you His peace today if you will take some time to align yourself with Him and “yoke” yourself to the teaching of Jesus.
In Matthew 11, Jesus presents us with an image of two animals sharing the burden of work together. The point Jesus is making here is in reference to coming under His teaching. He asks us, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” He isn’t asking us simply to cast our burdens on Him, but also to humble ourselves and submit to His teaching. If we are willing to come underneath Him as our Teacher, then we no longer carry the burden of figuring out life on our own. And in freedom we are able to live life under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
• Do you ever feel alone in what you’re doing?
• Do you ever feel like peace is an unobtainable goal, blocked by layer upon layer of work you need to get through first?
God’s plan is different than the world’s plan. The world says you can only have peace when you’ve completed the job, become the best, or gained the approval of man. God tells you to stop working in your own strength, yoke yourself to His teaching, and rid yourself of all the stress and pressure of the world. 1 Peter 5:7 says “[Cast] all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” You have a God who cares about you. Your God is for you. He knows society tells you to work for and care about certain things, but He offers you the refuge of His peace instead.
You serve a God who doesn’t want you to live even one day burdened. Every day, you can wake up and choose to yoke yourself to your heavenly Father and His Word. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Align your mind with what He says about you — casting off every opinion other than His. Align your day with the leading of God’s Spirit, and receive the anointing and power He longs to bring into every situation.
God says, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” If you will choose God today over the way you’ve done things in the past, if you will choose to obey His Word, then “you will find rest for your souls.”
• What area of your life needs rest today?
• In what parts of your heart do you need God’s peace and ease?
He’s waiting right now to meet with you, to offer you His yoke. Let Him take your burdens, fears, and stress. Our fragile frame wasn’t meant to bear such pressure. Come underneath God’s teaching today, align your thinking with His, and let the cares of the world fall off as you live in light of the teaching of Jesus.
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~ by Craig Denison
Yoke yourself to the teaching of Jesus today. Let His Word be your refuge in a world full of opinions. Doing life yoked to God, being obedient to His Word, is the best way to walk the path God lays out for us to abundant life. Every day attacks will come your way. But every day God has provided the truth you need in His Word to fight those attacks. Choose the Word of Jesus today, walk in obedience to it, and experience God’s “rest for your [soul].”
https://www.first15.org/devotionals/god-exchanges-our-burdens-for-his-peace/
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Your Father Gives Good Gifts
~ May God empower us to live with open hands and an open heart, ready and willing to receive all that He longs to give.
One of my favorite parts of God’s heart is His desire to give us amazing gifts. James 1:17 says:
“Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.”
Every good gift you receive is because God loves you. His love for you is so great that He looks for every opportunity to give you a gift. He desperately wants you to know that you are loved and valued by Him. He so deeply wants you to know that He is not distant from you but, rather, is working in your midst to lead you to abundant joy, peace and life.
Matthew 7:11 says:
“So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”
I love how God has chosen to be known to us as a Father. And because God has chosen to reveal himself as a Father, we can more tangibly understand the love of God by looking to good earthly parents. God longs to bless you the way a good Father would. And at the same time He loves you more deeply and powerfully than any earthly parent ever could.
Our heavenly Father far outdoes any example an earthly father give us.
• What gift are you longing for today?
• Do you long for friendship?
• Do you need a greater sense of being loved?
• Do you just need to know that He is with you?
God’s gifts may not look like a present you opened for Christmas last year, but they will be exactly what you need when you need it. If you need a friend, ask God for one! He’s promised you His friendship, and He loves to guide His children into community with others. Do you need to know you’re loved? God so longs for you to know the depth of His love that He sent His only Son to die for you! He’d love to pour His love out on you right now. Do you need to know that God is with you? Just ask for His manifest presence. Ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see all the ways He is working in your life. Ask God to reveal to you the ways He was, is and always will be with you. Do you need financial provision? Ask for the leading of the Holy Spirit in your finances! Ask God to provide for you what you need. Whatever gift you need from God today, His Word promises in 1 John 5:15, “if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.” Your God hears you today. What’s more, He will respond to you perfectly.
God’s gifts are much more life-giving than anything an earthly parent could give. He gives the gift of a beautiful sunrise because He knows you have a longing to gaze upon beauty. He gives the gift of His presence because He knows you need the peace that only He can bring. He gives you the gift of friendship because He knows you aren’t made to do life alone. He provides your finances because He cares about everything you need and desires to use you to bless others. Spend some time today reflecting on the amazing gifts He has given you. Thank Him for His desire to bless you. Worship Him because He is good. And open your heart to receive all the gifts your heavenly Father longs to give you today.
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~ by Craig Denison
Thanking God for what He’s already given us is a powerful way to position our hearts to be receptive to what He will give us in the future. Life is so much better when we acknowledge what God is doing in our midst. Knowing you are loved, liked and cared for is better than any material possession you could receive. You have a heavenly Father who gives amazing gifts. Celebrate His love today. And receive all that He longs to give you.
https://www.first15.org/devotionals/your-father-gives-good-gifts/
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No Better Friend
Revelation 3:20 reveals amazing insight into the relationship God desires with us, His crown of creation. In it Jesus says:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and He with Me.”
Do you know that God wants to be friends with you?
Just as a friend would ask you out to a meal, God longs to spend time with you. Every day God is knocking on the door of your heart. If you are willing to open your heart to Him and listen, you can spend time with God in ways more boundless and satisfying than you could with any other friend.
Where in your life do you need God’s friendship today?
John 15:15 says:
“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
The story of the gospel is God losing relationship with the crown of His creation, you and Me, and through the death of Jesus gaining restored relationship with us. He has been working tirelessly from the very first sin just to be able to call you and Me friends again. What you desire from friends around you is completely available to you in God and to even greater depths!
If you need a friend to talk to, God is standing at the door of your heart asking to come in and listen — “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” If you need advice, the Holy Spirit who authored Scripture is waiting to reveal to you the wisdom of God — “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13). If you need to laugh, God longs to bring you unfathomable joy — “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad” (Psalm 126:1-3).
You have a best friend in God. He is not distant. What was true for the psalmist in Psalm 73:23-26 is true for us:
“I am continually with you; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Spend time in God’s presence today. Listen to Him knocking on the door of your heart and invite Him to come in and meet with you. Let His friendship heal the broken places of your heart that need His love. He offers Himself freely to you today. He’s gone to unimaginable lengths to be able to simply spend time with you. Lay the table of your heart bare before Him, and let His smile restore to you the joy of your salvation.
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~ by Craig Denison
Friendships aren’t built in a day, but over lifetimes. You have all of eternity to spend getting to know God. After spending consistent time with Him, He truly will become your best friend. He will be the person you run to when you have a problem. He will be the source of your joy, peace, and life. Every day, you have the choice to do life with God or on your own. And you have an enemy working to lead you to choose the latter. The more consistently you spend time with God, the easier that decision will become. Once you know the goodness and reality of God there is no going back. Enjoy God today. Walk in the abundant life of restored relationship with Him. Answer His call whenever He knocks on the door of your heart. There is no better way you could choose to spend your days and no better friend than God.
https://www.first15.org/devotionals/no-better-friend/
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Join the “Fellowship of the Unashamed”
“He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.” ~ Matthew 28:6
There is no natural explanation for the empty tomb of Christ.
The disciples could not have overpowered the Roman guards, nor could they have convinced more than five hundred eyewitnesses that a dead man was alive (1 Corinthians 15:6). And even if they somehow had, none would have died for a lie.
If the women went to the wrong tomb, the authorities would have corrected their error. If the authorities stole the body, they would have produced it. If Jesus did not die at the cross, that means He survived a spear thrust near His heart and three days in a mummified, air-tight burial shroud.
In His emaciated condition, He would have then had to shove aside the stone, appear through locked doors, and do the greatest high jump in history at the Ascension we see in Acts 1:9.
Easter is the foundation of the Christian faith. Because Jesus rose from the dead as He predicted, He must be divine. If He is divine, His words must be true. If He claimed to be our Savior and Lord, it must be so.
Now the risen King calls you and me to serve in His kingdom.
My favorite confession of faith was written in 1980 by an African Christian before he was martyred for his faith. I have quoted it often and am stirred each time by its words. Let’s celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today by making its commitment our own:
He said….
“I am part of the “Fellowship of the Unashamed.” The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.”
“I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted or delayed.”
“I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.”
“I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.”
So, as we enter into prayer today, may the same be true of us.
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~ by Jim Denison
https://www.first15.org/devotionals/join-the-fellowship-of-the-unashamed/
In The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren noted, “God specializes in giving people a fresh start.” This “fresh start” began with Jesus’ first disciples on Easter Sunday. On this day, they learned that their risen Lord would forgive their failures, abandonment, and betrayals leading up to His death.
Their first impulse was to share with others the transforming grace they had received. This is still the best way you and I can celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Secular people are often more open to spiritual truth at Christmas and Easter than at other times of the year. You have a strategic opportunity to explain the reason for your celebration today.
So as you go, pray by name for someone who needs the hope of Easter. Then ask God to help you be an answer to your prayer.
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Have a Blessed Easter!
As a disciple of Jesus Christ - we have available to us:
1. His earthly walk and teachings - as identified in the Scriptures - gives to us a perfect example to strive daily to be like.
2. The ripping of His flesh through the flogging: by His stripes we are healed.
3. By the shedding of His blood we are declared righteous and redeemed.
4. His sacrificial death has released us from the bondage of our sinful nature - we now have the freedom to walk in the goodness of God.
5. By His resurrection will have been given the opportunity to life eternal with Him - our Lord and God.
There is nothing that the world could offer that would ever compare to what the Lord has done for us!
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