HEARTLIGHT — A Year with Jesus

"Beyond Magic: Supernatural!" — A Year with Jesus for 08/06/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

On the night I was betrayed, I shared in what you call The Last Supper. I gathered with My closest disciples around a table to share the Passover meal. And I used this setting as the background to institute a regular meal for disciples to use to remember Me and to be joined together as My body. This meal became a centerpiece of early Christian gatherings on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). This special meal is known to you by several names — The Supper, The Lord's Supper, Communion, Holy Communion, The Eucharist, and The Feast. No matter what you call this meal, it has been practiced by Christians from the beginning of My church. 

From the beginning, My followers had a tendency to drift from My original intentions. I wanted them to share together in loving unity, to proclaim My story, to examine their hearts, to remember My death, to celebrate My resurrection, to give thanks for the gift I gave them, and to anticipate My return. Some looked at taking the bread and wine as almost magical. Some felt if they could just eat the bread and drink the wine in this special feast, then some supernatural power was at work in them to make them holy. 

I warned about this misconception when I taught the crowds after I had fed the 5,000 and walked on the water to My disciples (see the second set of verses below). More than just eating My body and drinking My blood metaphorically in communion, they needed to eat Me — My "flesh." They needed to take My teaching, lifestyle, and love for others into their lives and let Me sustain them. I wanted My early disciples, and you today as My disciple, to realize that The Supper is not magical but transforming. I am present in The Supper to give you life through the sacrifice of My life. You must commit to taking Me in and letting Me reign over all your heart as your example, teacher, and Lord. 

Paul (in the first set of verses) warns the Corinthians that there was nothing magical in communion. Instead, the meaning and significance of communion come from a disciple's faith to receive Me and his or her commitment to follow Me. 

The Israelites shared in spiritual food and drink in the wilderness, but that supernatural food did not keep them from sinning or from being judged:
They [the Israelites] were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 
(1 Corinthians 10:2-5 NIV)
The goal of My Supper is not to see who can eat the most magical food and drink the most supernatural drink! On the other hand, those who come to My Table committed to live for Me will find supernatural sustenance in My holy meal. So Paul warns the Corinthians not to think of The Supper as magical. My Supper is to be a supernatural meal that sustains those who seek to avoid idolatry, who care for each other in My church, who recognize My Supper as a recommitment to live for Me, and who not only give thanks for the Father's grace in sending Me but also share that grace with others.
Verses to Live

My resurrection from the dead has great power, yet simply taking the Lord's Supper won't do things for you. You must live by My wisdom and truth.
I [Paul] wouldn't want you to be ignorant of our history, brothers and sisters. Our ancestors [the Israelites] were once safeguarded under a miraculous cloud in the wilderness and brought safely through the sea. Enveloped in water by cloud and by sea, they were, you might say, ritually cleansed into Moses through baptism. Together they were sustained supernaturally: they all ate the same spiritual food, manna; and they all drank the same spiritual water, flowing from a spiritual rock that was always with them, for the rock was the Anointed One, our Liberating King. Despite all of this, they were punished in the wilderness because God was unhappy with most of them. 

Look at what happened to them as an example; it's right there in the Scriptures so that we won't make the same mistakes and hunger after evil as they did. So here's my advice: don't degrade yourselves by worshiping anything less than the living God as some of them did. Remember it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and then rose up in dance and play." We must be careful not to engage in sexual sins as some of them did. In one day, 23,000 died because of sin. None of us must test the limits of the Lord's patience. Some of the Israelites did, and serpents bit them and killed them. You need to stop your groaning and whining. Remember the story. Some of them complained, and the messenger of death came for them and destroyed them. All these things happened for a reason: to sound a warning. They were written down and passed down to us to teach us. They were meant especially for us because the beginning of the end is happening in our time. So let even the most confident believers remember their examples and be very careful not to fall as some of them did. 

Any temptation you face will be nothing new. But God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. But He always provides a way of escape so that you will be able to endure and keep moving forward. So then, my beloved friends, run from idolatry in any form. As wise as I know you are, understand clearly what I am saying and determine the right course of action. When we give thanks and share the cup of blessing, are we not sharing in the blood of the Anointed One? When we give thanks and break bread, are we not sharing in His body? Because there is one bread, we, though many, are also one body since we all share one bread. Look no further than Israel and the temple practices, and you'll see what I mean. Isn't it true that those who eat sacrificial foods are communing at the altar, sharing its benefits? So what does all this mean? I'm not suggesting that idol food itself has any special qualities or that an idol itself possesses any special powers, but I am saying that the outsiders' sacrifices are actually offered to demons, not to God. So if you feast upon this food, you are feasting with demons —I don't want you involved with demons! You can't hold the holy cup of the Lord in one hand and the cup of demons in the other. You can't share in the Lord's table while picking off the altar of demons. Are we trying to provoke the Lord Jesus? Do we think it's a good idea to stir up His jealousy? Do we have ridiculous delusions about matching or even surpassing His power? 
(1 Corinthians 10:1-22) 

Some of the Jews began to grumble quietly against Him [Jesus] because He said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 

Crowd:
Isn't Jesus the son of Joseph? We know His parents! We know where He came from, so how can He claim to have "come down from heaven"?
Jesus:
Stop grumbling under your breaths. If the Father who sent Me does not draw you, then there's no way you can come to Me. But I will resurrect everyone who does come on the last day. Among the prophets, it's written, "Everyone will be taught of God." So everyone who has heard and learned from the Father finds Me. No one has seen the Father, except the One sent from God. He has seen the Father. I am telling you the truth: the one who accepts these things has eternal life. I am the bread that gives life. Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died as you know. But there is another bread that comes from heaven; if you eat this bread, you will not die. I am the living bread that has come down from heaven to rescue those who eat it. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever. The bread that I will give breathes life into the cosmos. This bread is My flesh.
The low whispers of some of Jesus' detractors turned into an out-and-out debate. 

Crowd:
What is He talking about? How is He able to give us His flesh to eat?
Jesus:
I tell you the truth; unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will not know life. If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, then you will have eternal life and I will raise you up at the end of time. My flesh and blood provide true nourishment. If you eat My flesh and drink My blood, you will abide in Me and I will abide in you. The Father of life who sent Me has given life to Me; and as you eat My flesh, I will give life to you. This is bread that came down from heaven; I am not like the manna that your fathers ate and then died! If you eat this bread, your life will never end.
He spoke these words in the synagogue as part of His teaching mission in Capernaum. Many disciples heard what He said, and they had questions of their own. 

Disciples:
How are we supposed to understand all of this? It is a hard teaching.
Jesus was aware that even His disciples were murmuring about this. 

Jesus:
Has My teaching offended you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascend to return to where He came from? The Spirit brings life. The flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have been teaching you are spirit and life, but some of you do not believe.
From the first day Jesus began to call disciples, He knew those who did not have genuine faith. He knew, too, who would betray Him. 

Jesus:
This is why I have been telling you that no one comes to Me without the Father's blessing and guidance.
After hearing these teachings, many of His disciples walked away and no longer followed Jesus. 

Jesus (to the twelve):
Do you want to walk away too?
Simon Peter:
Lord, if we were to go, whom would we follow? You speak the words that give everlasting life. We believe and recognize that You are the Holy One sent by God.
(John 6:41-69)
Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, Holy Communion is precious to me. But after reading what Paul wrote the Corinthians and what Jesus said in today's verses, I am convicted that I have sometimes approached The Supper as something mandatory and magical, not as a commitment to live for Jesus and not as a way to love my brothers and sisters as Jesus did. I pray for the Holy Spirit to transform me to be like Jesus. Father, please give me clarity of mind as I seek to live the righteous character and gracious compassion of Jesus with my brothers and sisters. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

To Win Some" — A Year with Jesus for 08/05/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Disciple-makers live to do one thing: they live to make other disciples! I gave the Great Commission to My original disciples, and I also told them to teach all the new disciples to obey the same commission. My primary command in this commission was to "make disciples of all the nations." My disciples are to do it by going to people of all nations, baptizing them in Our name, and teaching these new believers to obey what I had commanded My original disciples to obey. 

Few have done the going-to-all-nations part of My Great Commission as passionately as Paul. He realized the importance and urgency of this call:
This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. .. God chose me and entrusted me with this mission.
Paul's passion didn't involve just going to other places, people, and cultures. Paul realized that going to other cultures included giving up his rights as he entered into that culture, shared in that culture, and spoke to people in the context of that culture. He made himself a "slave" to the people of the culture he was trying to reach. Here is how he expressed this truth:
And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. .. I'm flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation.
What Paul did could be called incarnational ministry — entering into the world and culture of the people you are trying to reach, living authentically in that cultural world, and learning to speak My truth in the language and lifestyle of that cultural world. Incarnational ministry is what I lived when I came to earth (John 1:9-14), and Paul followed My example. 

This entering into the cultural world of others is what I am calling you to do as well. Love people enough to live with them and know their world. Grow to understand their hopes, their dreams, their fears, and their brokenness. As one who has entered their world, you then have the opportunity to speak My truth, share My love, and invite them to know My grace. This process is costly, but as Paul makes clear, it is more than worth the effort:
I do it all for the gospel and for the hope that I may participate with everyone who is blessed by the proclamation of the good news.
Entering into and adapting to other people's world to share My grace with them can apply to your neighbors, co-workers, fellow students, etc. as well as people in other countries and other regions.
Verses to Live

Far from trying to force someone to accept your culture as you proclaim My good news, please learn from My example and learn from the words Paul shares in the second set of verses below. All authentic ministry is incarnational ministry. That means it is costly, yet it is worth every sacrifice! As I promised immediately after I gave you the Great Commission, I will be with you always.
Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him — but some of them doubted! 

Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 
(Matthew 28:16-20 NLT) 

Despite what I've said here, I [Paul] have never staked a claim for such things [that is, financial support from the Corinthian church], and I have no intention to start now; that's not why I'm writing. I would rather die than have anyone (including me) invalidate my right to boast. You see, if I preach the good news, it's nothing to brag about. This urgency, this necessity has been laid on me. In fact, if I were to stop sharing this good news, I'd be in big trouble. You see, my story is different. I didn't volunteer for this. Had I volunteered to preach the good news, then I would deserve a wage, a reward, or something. But I didn't choose this. God chose me and entrusted me with this mission. 

You're looking for the catch. I know you're wondering, "What reward is he talking about?" My reward, besides being with you and knowing you, is sharing the good news of the Anointed One with you free and clear. That means I don't insist on all my rights for support in the good news; that also means that I am free of obligations to all people. And, even though no one (except Jesus) owns me, I have become a slave by my own free will to everyone in hopes that I would gather more believers. When around Jews, I emphasize my Jewishness in order to win them over. When around those who live strictly under the law, I live by its regulations — even though I have a different perspective on the law now — in order to win them over. In the same way, I've made a life outside the law to gather those who live outside the law (although I personally abide by and live under the Anointed One's law). I've been broken, lost, depressed, oppressed, and weak that I might find favor and gain the weak. I'm flexible, adaptable, and able to do and be whatever is needed for all kinds of people so that in the end I can use every means at my disposal to offer them salvation. I do it all for the gospel and for the hope that I may participate with everyone who is blessed by the proclamation of the good news. 
(1 Corinthians 9:15-23)
Response in Prayer

Father, free me from any and all ethnocentric, nationalistic, and racial prejudices and pride. Help me as I seek to understand those I am trying to reach with the gospel. Holy Spirit, I ask for Your help and Your power to have the wisdom to reach people in the best possible way with the good news of Jesus and to have the strength to offer myself in service to them. I want all people to know Jesus and the life He offers us. Help me, O LORD, I pray. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Supporting Those Who Serve" — A Year with Jesus for 08/04/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

The support of those who work for Me as their calling and vocation has always been a touchy issue among some of My people. Paul ran into one of the most unusual of these controversies about his financial support: When he didn't take financial support from the Corinthians, they felt his ministry was not very important. In fact, some were offended that he didn't ask for support. 

In reality, Paul had the right to ask the Corinthians to help him financially. That's what today's verses are really discussing. However, he recognized early in his ministry with them that he should not ask for their support. He was wise to make this decision. With the Corinthian believers' rivalries and arrogance, those who supported him could have used their support as a claim of superiority or favor. Instead of creating another excuse for division, Paul supported himself, and sometimes his whole little mission team, with his own trade of leatherwork and tent-making. 

However, as he says in the verses below:
Is it too much to ask that we would be compensated materially for planting life- and world-changing spiritual realities? ... So it shouldn't be a stretch that the Lord has arranged for preachers of the gospel to make a living by those who have embraced and been liberated by the gospel.
Paul did allow some people in other places to help support his ministry financially (Philippians 1:4-7; Philippians 4:14-16). But, he was always careful not to be a burden or to cause division or false impressions by taking financial support (1 Thessalonians 2:6-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10). 

The bottom line of all these considerations is a responsibility I want you to fulfill. Make sure you honor, affirm, support, encourage, and bless those who labor faithfully with you (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12) and are working hard among you in kingdom matters (1 Thessalonians 5:12). Yes, just like there was a Judas in My original 12 apostles (John 12:4-6), you are also going to find some leaders in My Church who are unscrupulous, lazy, and even greedy. But remember, there are far more who are sacrificial servants and who give of themselves unselfishly than there are who are selfish, irresponsible, or lazy. Many of these sacrificial servants over the centuries have served without remuneration and even given their lives to serve My people and the lost. So whether the way you honor My ministering servants is by paying them for their work or by showing honor with your words and actions or by being obedient to their leadership, please honor your leaders. Honor them for what they do for you and what they do to honor Me. 

Here are some additional scriptures in conjunction with the verses below. These scriptures emphasize what I want you both to know and to do:
Brothers and sisters, we ask you to show appreciation to those who are working hard among you and those who are your leaders as they guide and instruct you in the Lord — they are priceless. When you think about them, let it be with great love in your heart because of all the work they have done. Let peace live and reign among you. 

Brothers and sisters, we strongly advise you to scold the rebels who devote their lives to wreaking havoc, to encourage the downcast, to help the sick and weak, and to be patient with all of them. Make sure no one returns evil for evil, but always pursue what is good as it affects one another in the church but also all people. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:12-15) 

Elders who are leading well should be admired and valued. Double up on the honor shown them; care for them well — especially those constantly and consistently teaching the word and preaching. For the Scripture agrees, "Don't muzzle the ox while it is treading out your grain," and, "The worker deserves his wages." 
(1 Timothy 5:17-18) 

Listen to your leaders, who have spoken God's word to you. Notice the fruits of their lives and mirror their faith. Jesus the Anointed One is always the same: yesterday, today, and forever. 
(Hebrews 13:7-8) 

Listen to your leaders and submit to their authority over the community, for they are on constant watch to protect your souls and someday they must give account. Give them reason to be joyful and not to regret their duty, for that will be of no good to you. 
(Hebrews 13:17) 

You who are younger in the faith: do as your elders and leaders ask. All of you should treat each other with humility, for as it says in Proverbs,
God opposes the proud 
but offers grace to the humble.
So bow down under God's strong hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up. 
(1 Peter 5:5-6)
Verses to Live

Many of My greatest servants, people who have given themselves to serve Me and My kingdom sacrificially, will never have their names honored, or their work noticed unless you affirm and thank them. So please, honor those who lead you and honor Me!
Am I not truly free? Am I not an emissary of the Liberating King? Have I not personally encountered Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work, my mission in the Lord? Even if others don't recognize that I am His emissary, at least you do because you are the seal, the living proof that the Lord commissioned me to be His representative. 

Let me speak in my own defense against those keeping themselves busy picking me apart. Have we lost the right to eat and drink? Have we lost the right to bring along our wives, our sisters in Jesus? Other emissaries travel with their wives, and so do the brothers of our Lord, not to mention Cephas. Is it just Barnabas and I who have lost the right to earn a living? Is a soldier in combat required to pay his own salary? Who would plant a vineyard and not enjoy one grape from it? Who would care for and nurture a flock but never taste the fresh milk? 

These ideas aren't based on merely human notions; the law says these same things. In Moses' law, it is written: "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out your grain." Is God's concern here limited to oxen, or does He speak here ultimately for our benefit? These things were written for us, so as the plowman plows and the worker gathers, they can labor with the hopeful expectation that they, too, will share in the good harvest. The same principle applies here: Is it too much to ask that we would be compensated materially for planting life- and world-changing spiritual realities? If you have rightfully supported others, shouldn't we deserve your support even more? 

But we have never insisted on this right; instead, we would rather put up with anything than to put some obstacle in the way that prevents even one person from experiencing the good news of the Anointed One. Perhaps it has escaped your notice that leaders and priests of the temple make their livings off the temple and that those who tend the altar eat their dinners from part of the sacrifices. So it shouldn't be a stretch that the Lord has arranged for preachers of the gospel to make a living by those who have embraced and been liberated by the gospel. 
(1 Corinthians 9:1-14)
Response in Prayer

Father, I thank You for those who have given their lives to serve as ministers, pastors, missionaries, elders, overseers, and special servants in Your service. I thank You for the things they have taught me. I thank You for the sacrifices they have made to serve You. I thank You that they have been present to bless others, and me, in emergencies and other times of need. Thank You for their examples of faithfulness. Please bless them and give me a willing heart to follow, affirm, and support their work. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Not Causing to Stumble" — A Year with Jesus for 08/03/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Some issues were hard for new Christians to understand. One question for these new believers in Corinth was this: "Should we avoid food sacrificed to idols?" They didn't want to be polluted by things associated with idols, yet meat that was not sacrificed to idols was hard to find unless they went to kosher Jewish butchers if they could find one. Paul had taught them to stay away from any kind of immorality. For some Corinthians, this principle seemed to indicate that they should have nothing to do with meat or any other thing associated with idols because doing so could associate them with idol worship, including the rampant practice of prostitution in the false religions that permeated their culture. 

They were also confused by some questions associated with other truths about their faith:
Weren't they free from law-keeping as the way to be justified?
Didn't their freedom allow them to eat this meat as long as they didn't participate in the worship of idols?
Weren't idols just inanimate objects and not gods at all?
Aren't all things permitted for believers if the object or activity is offered to God to glorify Him?
Paul established several clear principles to help the Christians navigate these difficult problems. He offered them several very good principles to help work through this issue while taking responsibility for their choices and their influence on others. Those principles can be seen in the answers to these core questions — answers that come from Christian love for and support of your brothers and sisters:
Is the activity or behavior helping you love your brothers and sisters, or is it a source of personal pride and a sense of importance?
Eating food or avoiding food doesn't move you closer to or farther away from God. So is it worth making what you eat a significant issue in the life of another believer, especially if that believer is a new Christian?
Why would you eat, drink, or do anything that would cause brothers or sisters to fall away from God and into their old lives of sin?
Does participating or not participating build up and encourage your brothers and sisters?
Are you doing or refusing to do something based on glorifying God, or is there another reason?
Does doing this activity or eating this food or drinking this drink offend an ethnic or social group within the body of Christ?
Remember, you not only are in relationship with Me as your Lord and Savior, but you are also connected to every other believer, especially those in your fellowship. You should not be living to please yourself, but Me. You should not be living to bless yourself, but others whom you influence. Follow Paul's example and take the time to learn the needs, the vulnerabilities, and the struggles of your Christian brothers and sisters. Then adjust your use of your freedom as My disciple to bless and build up these other believers in the best possible way.
Verses to Live

While this discussion appears to be from long ago and far away because of the whole issue of idolatry, think of other situations where you can apply these principles. Ask yourself the core questions above (the six numbered questions) to help you examine your own motives and your brothers' and sisters' needs.
As to the concern of eating food dedicated to idols: we know that all of us have knowledge, but knowledge can be risky. Knowledge promotes overconfidence and worse arrogance, but charity of the heart (love, that is) looks to build up others. Just because a person presumes to have some bit of knowledge, that person doesn't necessarily have the right kind of knowledge. But if someone loves God, it is certain that God has already known that one. 

So to address your concerns about eating food offered to idols, let me start with what we know. An idol is essentially nothing, as there is no other God but the One. And even if the majority believes there are many so-called gods in heaven and on earth (certainly many worship such "gods" and "lords"), this is not our view. For us, there is one God, the Father who is the ultimate source of all things and the goal of our lives. And there is one Lord — Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King; through Him all things were created, and by Him we are redeemed. 

But this knowledge is not in everyone. Up until now, some have been so familiar with idols and what goes on in the temples that when they eat meat that has been offered first to some idol, their weak consciences are polluted. This is the issue. Again, here's what we know: what we eat will not bring us closer to God — we gain nothing in feasting and lose nothing by fasting. Now let me warn you: don't let your newfound liberty cause those who don't know this to fall face-first. Let's say a person (someone who knows of Jesus) sees you eating in the temple of an idol; and because the person with a weaker conscience is still unsure of things, he becomes confident, follows your lead, and eats idol food. Now, because of your knowledge on display in your conduct, the weaker brother or sister — for whom the Anointed One died — is destroyed! Ruined! What's more, by living according to your knowledge, you have sinned against these brothers and sisters and wounded their weak consciences — and because you sinned against them, you have sinned against the Anointed One, the Liberating King. 

So if any type of food is an issue that causes my brothers and sisters to fall away from God, then God forbid I should ever eat it again so that I would never be the crack, the rise, or the rock on the road that causes them to stumble. 
(1 Corinthians 8:1-13) 

So what does all this mean? I'm not suggesting that idol food itself has any special qualities or that an idol itself possesses any special powers, but I am saying that the outsiders' sacrifices are actually offered to demons, not to God. So if you feast upon this food, you are feasting with demons — I don't want you involved with demons! You can't hold the holy cup of the Lord in one hand and the cup of demons in the other. You can't share in the Lord's table while picking off the altar of demons. Are we trying to provoke the Lord Jesus? Do we think it's a good idea to stir up His jealousy? Do we have ridiculous delusions about matching or even surpassing His power? 

There's a slogan often quoted on matters like this: "All things are permitted." Yes, but not all things are beneficial. "All things are permitted," they say. Yes, but not all things build up and strengthen others in the body. We should stop looking out for our own interests and instead focus on the people living and breathing around us. Feel free to eat any meat sold in the market without your conscience raising questions about scruples because "the earth and all that's upon it belong to the Lord." 

So if some unbelievers invite you to dinner and you want to go, feel free to eat whatever they offer you without raising questions about conscience. But if someone says, "This is meat from the temple altar, a sacrifice to god so-and-so," then do not eat it. Not so much because of your own conscience because the earth and everything on it belongs to the Lord, but out of consideration for the conscience of the other fellow who told you about it. So you ask, "Why should I give up my freedom to accommodate the scruples of another?" or, "If I am eating with gratitude to God, why am I insulted for eating food that I have properly given thanks for?" These are good questions. 

Whatever you do — whether you eat or drink or not — do it all to the glory of God! Do not offend Jews or Greeks or any part of the church of God for that matter. Consider my example: I strive to please all people in all my actions and words — but don't think I am in this for myself — their rescued souls are the only profit. 
(1 Corinthians 10:19-33)
Response in Prayer

O Father, help me recognize those areas where my pride and hard-headedness get the better of me. I know these vulnerabilities can lead me to do certain things that can cause others to stumble. On one hand, dear Father, I don't want to try to justify myself because I feel superior to others by practicing a rigid form of self-made righteousness. Also, I don't want to be a stumbling block so that I can exercise a freedom that doesn't really bring me closer to You or build up my brothers and sisters. Give me wisdom, O LORD. I know You want me to wrestle with my daily decisions, but some of these issues are hard for me to navigate. I ask for You to lead me by Your Spirit, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"What About Sexual Intimacy and Marriage?" — A Year with Jesus for 08/02/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

Today's set of verses is long. In these verses, Paul spoke about the issue of sexual intimacy and marriage. He was applying what I taught in My ministry to a variety of life circumstances being faced by the Corinthians. I am not going to comment on all that Paul said in these verses. I want you to read the entire passage. Pray about what you read. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you apply Paul's teaching to your life's circumstances. However, I do want to speak about a few specific truths Paul taught in the verses below. 

The Corinthian Christians tended to take things to extremes. These extremes existed in both their involvement in sexual immorality as well as their avoidance of it — even to the point of not sharing in sexual intimacy in marriage. Some said that since it is important to be holy in their sexual practices by not participating in sexual immorality (yesterday's devotional), then it would be even more holy to not have sex at all, even in marriage. Paul spoke plainly to this issue when he said, "I disagree." His rationale for disagreement is very important. He used significant and detailed teaching about appropriate sexual intimacy from a number of important angles and circumstances. Please take what Paul said here seriously. Especially notice the following truths that he taught the Corinthians. 

First, Paul emphasized that if a believer can remain single and stay pure, then he or she should do so, especially in view of the difficulties that the Corinthians would be facing. Remaining single allows such a believer to serve Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — without distraction. Some of Our most dedicated servants through the ages have been holy and single. For example, remember that I was single as were John the Baptist and the apostle Paul. Do not look down on singles as being less complete. Appreciate their whole-hearted devotion to Me and to the kingdom. However, this single and celibate lifestyle is not for most people. It is only for those to whom the gift of fulfilled singleness is given (Matthew 19:10-11). Most people are not gifted to live single and chaste, so they should marry. Also, notice the teaching Paul gave to different groups about this issue. (See the underlined words in the verses below to help you recognize these different groups.) 

Second, you can glorify Us with your sexuality. When sexual intimacy is shared appropriately with your spouse in marriage, it is a good and glorious gift given to you by Us. Your sexual life in marriage is not something dirty or anything negative. It is a holy way to honor and glorify Us in your body as you fulfill and bless your spouse in your marriage (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:21). 

Third, when We created humanity, We made people male and female. Both men and women are created in Our image. We blessed a man and a woman to enjoy the one-flesh union of sexual intimacy and We declared this to be "very good" (Genesis 1:27-31; Genesis 2:24-25; Matthew 19:4-6). The principles of love, care, faithfulness, pleasure, fulfillment, and blessing need to be applied equally to both the husband and the wife. In most cultures in Paul's day, the wife was viewed as little more than property. Notice the care Paul takes in all of his instructions to apply the truths he teaches equally to both husband and wife. Paul's teaching was not only against the cultural standards of his day, but against most religious teaching in his time — it was transformational and revolutionary. However, Paul's teaching is what We had intended from creation. Both husband and wife are created in Our image. Each, and the pleasure and joy and fulfillment of each, are important to Us. As you read the verses below, notice the words in bold that will help you see how Paul took such great care to emphasize this principle We built into creation. 

Fourth, responsibly procreating as good stewards of creation is one purpose of sexual intimacy (Genesis 1:28), but it is far from the only reason we blessed you with this intimacy. Sexual intimacy can help you relieve your sense of being alone and needing a partner in the world (Genesis 2:18-25). Sexual intimacy is a gift We gave you as a way to enjoy, serve, and fulfill each other (Proverbs 5:15-19). Finding joy in sexually pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a great way to guard against the pull and lust of sexual immorality as well as a way to show your love for your spouse. Notice what Paul said:
Because of our tendency to embrace immoralities, each man should feel free to join together in sexual intimacy with his own wife, and each woman should join with her own husband.
Pleasing, blessing, and fulfilling your spouse is a responsibility you have to your spouse. Again, notice what Paul said:
Each husband has the responsibility to meet his wife's sexual desires, and each wife should do the same for her husband. In marriage neither the husband nor the wife should act as if his or her body is private property — your bodies now belong to one another, and together they are whole. So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on self-control.
Be certain that you do not misunderstand or wrongly apply Paul's teaching that "your bodies now belong to one another." This instruction definitely is not license to take advantage of your spouse. The relationship between spouses is to be based on love, respect, and voluntary submission to each other (Ephesians 5:21-30; 1 Peter 3:8). 

Paul wanted the Corinthians to understand that sexual intimacy is a very important part of honoring and glorifying Us with their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I want you to realize this truth is equally important for you!
Verses to Live

Sexual intimacy is a precious gift We gave you. Please recognize it as such. Learn to glorify Us while bringing pleasure and fulfillment to each other in marriage. Paul helps you understand this in the following verses:
Now to the topics you raised in your last letter. Some have said, "It is better for a man to abstain from having sex with his wife." Well, I disagree. Because of our tendency to embrace immoralities, each man should feel free to join together in sexual intimacy with his own wife, and each woman should join with her own husband. Husbands and wives have reciprocal duties. Each husband has the responsibility to meet his wife's sexual desires, and each wife should do the same for her husband. In marriage neither the husband nor the wife should act as if his or her body is private property — your bodies now belong to one another, and together they are whole. So do not withhold sex from one another, unless both of you have agreed to devote a certain period of time to prayer. When the agreed time is over, come together again so that Satan will not tempt you when you are short on self-control. I am trying to encourage you and give you some wise counsel, so don't take this advice as a command. I wish that all of you could live as I do, unmarried. But the truth is all people are different, each gifted by God in various and dissimilar ways. 

To those who are unmarried or widowed, here's my advice: it is a good thing to stay single as I do. If they do not have self-control, they should go ahead and get married. It is much better to marry than to be obsessed by sexual urges. 

To those who are married, here's my command (to be clear, this isn't merely my opinion; it comes from the teaching of the Lord Jesus): it is not right for a wife to leave her husband. If she does, she must either remain single or reconcile with her husband, but she should not marry someone else. Likewise, the husband should not divorce his wife. 

To everyone else, here's my counsel (this is not a direct command from the Lord; it is my opinion): if a brother has a wife who does not believe Jesus' teachings and the truth of His resurrection, he is to stay with her as long as she is willing to live with him. The same is true for any sister; you should not leave your husband even if he has no allegiance to Jesus. Here's the reason: An unbelieving husband is consecrated by that union — touched by the grace of God through his believing wife — and the same is true when the husband is a man of faith and he's wed to an unbelieving wife. His wife is consecrated through their union. If this weren't so, your children wouldn't be pure; but as it is when faith enters in, God sets apart these children to be used uniquely for His purposes. If the unbelieving spouse decides the marriage is over, then let him or her go; the believing partner is freed from the marital vows because God has called you to peace. Remember that anything is possible, so the life you lead and the love you show under this strain may be what finally liberates your partner. 

So here is my instruction to all the churches: each must live with the gifts the Lord Jesus grants you and with the call God offers you. When you heard the voice of Jesus, what were your circumstances? Were you living as a circumcised Jew? If so, then don't try to undo your circumcision. Were you living as if you were an uncircumcised outsider? If so, you don't need to become a Jew. You see, whether you are circumcised or not — these outward signs aren't the issue — the way you live out the commands of God is what really matters. It is important for all people to live out faith in the circumstances they know. 

Did you hear God's voice while you were a slave? Don't be concerned. (But if the opportunity comes to gain your freedom, then take it.) For the slave who hears the Lord's call is set free to belong to the Lord. In the same way, the so-called free person is called to become a slave of the Anointed One. A high price has been paid for your freedom, so don't devalue God's investment by becoming a slave to people. My brothers and sisters, each of you should remain in whatever external circumstances you were in when God called you. 

Now when it comes to unmarried young women, I do not have a command from our Lord. The best I can do is to give you my advice as a trustworthy brother who knows the Lord's mercy well. Because of the challenging times we live in, I think the best plan is to stay as you are. If you are married, don't divorce. If you are single, there is no need to get married. But if you decide to get married, this is not a sin; there is nothing wrong with a young woman taking a husband, but know that marriage is not easy and those who marry will face hard times. I am only trying to protect you. But hear what I say, brothers and sisters: the time is short and growing shorter. So for the time remaining, even if you have wives, live with the undivided focus of those who do not have them. Those who cry should live as those who have no tears. Those who rejoice should live as those who have no pleasure. Those who buy things should live as those who do not possess anything. If you make use of this rebellious and broken world, live as if you have no use for it — because the form of this world is fading away. 

My primary desire is for you to be free from the worries that plague humanity. A single man can focus on the things of the Lord and how to please the Lord, but a married man has to worry about the details of the here and now and how to please his wife. A married man will always have divided loyalties. The same idea is true for a young unmarried woman. She concerns herself only with the work of the Lord and how to dedicate herself entirely, body and spirit, to her Lord. On the other hand, a married woman has vast responsibilities for her family and a desire to please her husband. I am not trying to give you more rules and regulations. I only want to give you advice that is fitting and helpful. I want to help you live lives of faithful devotion to the Lord without any distraction. 

But I have this advice for every single man: If anyone thinks he is behaving badly toward his fiancée, if his desires prove to be too much for him, and if he feels they ought to marry, then he should do what he wants; it is not wrong to marry her. It is better that we let men and women in this situation do as they wish and get married. If a man has no compulsion and chooses not to marry his fiancée, but commits himself to live a celibate life for the sake of following God and has the strength to live out his conviction, then he is doing a good thing. So those who marry do a good thing, and they will share in a holy blessing; those who do not marry do an even better thing because they are part of an even greater blessing in the service of God. 

A wife should stay by her husband's side all of his life. But if he dies, she is free to marry any man she wishes as long as it is in the Lord. You can likely guess that in my opinion this woman would be better off to remain single, and I think that I have this insight from God's Spirit. 
(1 Corinthians 7:1-40)
Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, thank You for the gift of sexual intimacy. Please help me to live my sexuality in ways that honor You and are appropriate for the season of life in which I now find myself. I want my body to honor You and the incredible price Jesus paid to redeem me from my sin. I ask that the Holy Spirit empower me to put to death the misdeeds of my flesh as I seek to bring my mind, my heart, and my body into conformity with Your holy will. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Were!" — A Year with Jesus for 08/01/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Holy One, 

You confessed Me as your Lord and called on My name as your Savior (Romans 10:9-13). You were joined with Me in My death, burial, and resurrection through your baptism (Romans 6:3-8). You were cleansed and made perfectly holy (Colossians 1:21-23) through the work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul tells the Corinthians,
[Y]ou have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God.
There are things you once WERE because of your evil and sinful behavior, but you are not those things any longer. Those things should not be part of your life now. Even if you were raised in a Christian family and have tried to live for Me all of your life, you know that there was and is sin in your life. In your conversion and cleansing, you were united with Me. We became one, and My righteousness was given to you. You are now part of Me and a vital part of My Body, the church. So what you do with your body and in your body impacts and involves Me. 

Sexual immorality — and by that, I mean any sexual relationship except between a husband and wife in marriage (Matthew 19:4-6) — involves you becoming one flesh with the other person. Sexual intimacy is more than just a physical activity: it is an act of knowing, serving, and being united with another person. Keeping yourself sexually pure shows your appreciation for the price by which you are redeemed from your sin. So please, recognize the importance of being holy in your relationship with others — not just to honor Me, but also to guard your own heart and body. 

As Paul writes below, he emphasizes the importance of your heart and your body:
Run from immoral behavior. All other sins are disconnected from the body, but sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have been purchased at a great price, so use your body to bring glory to God!
Like the Corinthians, you live in a time when holiness in regard to your intimate relationships is not understood or is ignored. This situation breaks My heart for you because I know the confusion, heartache, and abuse that immoral behavior has unleashed into your world. Something made to bring you joy, love, and security has become common and a source of hurt. My call to you for holiness and purity is for your protection and blessing, not for your limitation. Paul said it well:
The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; the Lord is over all, and He cares about your body.
So please take these words from Paul very seriously as My call to your heart for your good as My disciple. Regardless of what you once WERE, don't let sinful sexual relations creep in and pull you away from the person you ARE now!
Verses to Live

Notice that Paul twice refers to the fact that some of the Corinthians were justifying their sinful sexual activities by saying "For me, all things are permitted." There are people in your time who use the same ungodly reasoning. Don't allow yourself to be one of those people. My teaching is clear: Sex outside of marriage is sinful. Paul points out that you are to be holy and pure because "your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit". If that is not enough motivation for you, notice that he also says "A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God's coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality..."
Do you need reminding that the unjust have no share in the blessings of the kingdom of God? Do not be misled. A lot of people stand to inherit nothing of God's coming kingdom, including those whose lives are defined by sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual deviancy, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling. Some of you used to live in these ways, but you are different now; you have been washed clean, set apart, restored, and set on the right path in the name of the Lord Jesus, the Anointed, by the Spirit of our living God. 

I can hear some of you saying, "For me, all things are permitted." But face the facts: all things are not beneficial. 

So you say, "For me, all things are permitted." Here's my response: I will not allow anything to control me. 

Another chimes in: "Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food." I suppose so, but a day will come when God will dispense with both food and the stomach. 

The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; the Lord is over all, and He cares about your body. God has raised the Lord Jesus from death, but He won't stop there. His dynamic power will raise us up from the grips of death as well. 

Don't you realize that your bodies are members of the Anointed One? So should I take the members of the Anointed One and unite them to a prostitute? This illicit union should never take place! Don't you understand that when your body is joined with a prostitute, the two of you have become one body? For as it says, "The two come together as one flesh." But when you are joined with the Lord, you become one spirit with Him. 

Run from immoral behavior. All other sins are disconnected from the body, but sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who comes from God and dwells inside of you? You do not own yourself. You have been purchased at a great price, so use your body to bring glory to God! 
(1 Corinthians 6:9-20)
Response in Prayer

O Father, may my life, my thoughts, my actions, and the use of my body be a holy praise unto You. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Wouldn't It Be Better?" — A Year with Jesus for 07/31/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Today's verses are from 1 Corinthians. Paul had begun to address the sin and division damaging the holiness and fellowship in the house churches in Corinth. In yesterday's verses, he wrote about dealing with the problems of illicit sexual relations and the Christians' boasting about their open-mindedness at allowing it to go on in their fellowship. In today's verses, Paul addresses the problem of lawsuits that believers were bringing against each other before unbelievers. He emphasizes the embarrassment that such lawsuits were bringing on My spiritual family due to the way that outsiders viewed the church. 

Paul tells the Christians why they should prefer to be "ripped off or defrauded" by a fellow believer rather than go to court before unbelievers. He makes some important points about why there shouldn't be lawsuits between Christians:
Any disagreement believers cannot settle between themselves should be decided by using wise believers in the church family to resolve the issue. Christians should have more wisdom and better values on which to make such a decision. After all, the Father will have Christians judge "heavenly messengers" or angels at the end of time.
Going to unbelievers to decide a legal matter is an embarrassment to the church.
This legal action also places Christians under the authority of those "who have no allegiance to" Me or to My standards of morality and integrity.
The ultimate question you face in these matters is really pretty simple. Are you seeking My kingdom and My righteousness (Matthew 6:33) or are you trying to store up treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19-21)? When a person's heart is more concerned about keeping what he or she has than it is about the good of My kingdom, then that person is living in darkness, and My following words of warning are relevant:
The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is clouded or evil, then your body will be filled with evil and dark clouds. And the darkness that takes over the body of a child of God who has gone astray — that is the deepest, darkest darkness there is. 
(Matthew 6:22-23)
I want to encourage you, as Paul does, to find a way to solve your differences and not go to court (Luke 12:57-59). Paul said it well:
The truth is that these public lawsuits cause all of you to lose and lose big. Wouldn't it be better to be ripped off or defrauded?
If you cannot work out a disagreement between yourselves, seek the help of wise brothers and sisters in Christ to help you come to a fair understanding (Matthew 18:16). Remember that there are more important things than your getting what you believe is fair in such matters. One of those more important things is the reputation of the Christian community among unbelievers, and another is not placing yourself under the authority of someone who does not live by My values of truth, honesty, and integrity.
Verses to Live

There are times when brothers and sisters in Christ disagree, disappoint each other, or even sin against each other. To help resolve these disputes, seek the wisdom of wise believers. Don't go to court with each other before unbelievers and embarrass the church!
Here's another troubling issue. If you have a grievance against another follower of Jesus, do you have the audacity to bring that brother or sister into the civil courts rather than submitting yourselves to the authority of God's people? Don't you know that His people are destined to judge the world? If you have the authority to judge the world, can't you handle these small matters and render a better judgment than the civil courts? Further, don't you know that we are destined to judge the heavenly messengers? So if we are to exercise authority in the heavenly realms, can't we take care of the conflicts that arise in this life? To put it another way, if you are asking the courts to adjudicate your mundane conflicts, aren't you placing your problems under the authority of judges who have no standing within the church? My words should embarrass you. Is it possible that you have no one among you with the wisdom to mediate between two siblings? So one brother sues another brother in public and drags the dispute before outsiders who have no allegiance to Jesus? 

The truth is that these public lawsuits cause all of you to lose and lose big. Wouldn't it be better to be ripped off or defrauded? In fact, you are guilty of ripping off and defrauding your own brothers and sisters, not the other way around. 
(1 Corinthians 6:1-8)
Response in Prayer

Father, help me as I work on my heart to love You, Your people, and the reputation of Your people. I want to care about the reputation of Your people in the eyes of the world more than I love myself and my stuff. Help me, please dear LORD, for the world pulls at my heart. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Family Discipline, Family Rescue" — A Year with Jesus for 07/30/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

In My family, there are times when direct discipline from the Father is necessary in the lives of His children (1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:5-11). Throughout your New Testament, you can find different forms of discipline, correction, and rescue that My followers are instructed to use to reclaim those who have gone astray (Matthew 18:12-20; Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 6:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; James 5:19-20; Jude 1:20-25). 

Today's verses contain Paul's strong words about a serious need for discipline. The new believers in Corinth were tolerating immorality within their group. This disorder was a type of immorality recognized as evil even among most non-believers. It involved sexual relations between a man and his father's wife. The Corinthians not only allowed this blatant sin to continue, but they were also boasting about being open-minded enough to accept and fellowship those participating in this ongoing sin. The apostle Paul called such sin a "tragedy" and told the Corinthians that rather than being arrogant, they should "mourn" about such a "terrible" sin in their community and that the sinner should "be removed from the community." 

I know that some in Your culture frown on the discipline Paul advocates in these verses. However, Paul appropriately reminds the Corinthian Christians that his words about discipline arise out of his "deep love" for them. There are certain moral standards in the Father's family of grace. His children must demonstrate both His righteous character and His gracious compassion, not one to the exclusion of the other. The Father's standards of morality are not arbitrary. Immorality damages the fabric of relationships and the basis of trust in a community. Immorality also damages and hardens the heart of the person involved in it. 

Expelling those who were participating in this sin was necessary for the Corinthian fellowship if those in that fellowship were going to identify themselves as My disciples. However, this discipline must be done with two things in mind:
This discipline was to be exercised so that the sinners could be "rescued" from their bondage to their sinful nature. In other words, it should be done so they would turn their lives around and come back to Me.
This discipline was to be exercised so that My spiritual family could be freed from involvement in supporting immorality. If allowed unchecked, immorality would eventually permeate and destroy the fellowship and character of My disciples.
You should not remove yourself from the world with its immorality and corruption. I don't intend for you to take yourself out of the world or to isolate yourselves from the world (John 17:14-19). Instead, I call you through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit to be light to the darkness of your world and to be salt to preserve the world from its rot and decay caused by sin (Matthew 5:13-16). For this to happen, you must be people of righteous character. Your lives and morals must be in tune with the character of your Father in heaven. 

Paul's previous letter (see yesterday's note for more on this) had taught the Corinthian Christians to be separate from worldliness and immorality. He makes clear in the verses today what he means. Paul is not suggesting that they withdraw from the society around them, but that as part of My body, the church, they not live by the world's standards. There are moral standards for fellowship among My disciples. The Corinthian disciples needed to help each other live up to those standards. Rather than withdrawing from the sinful world, the Corinthian's call was to live as My people of righteous character and gracious compassion in the world to redeem the world. That manner of living is also My call to you today. Be a people of righteous character and gracious compassion both inside the fellowship of My people and also in your relationships with those who do not yet call on Me as their Lord.
Verses to Live

In My church, there will always be some people who decide to continue in some types of sins — people who at one level long to honor Me, but who decide to participate in something sinful. The goal is that both these willful sinners and those who sometimes stumble and sin be transformed to become more and more like Me (Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18). So don't let each other settle down into sin and simply accept that sin. Love each other enough to work on rescuing each other from sin. I love what Jude wrote about this kind of support in his short little letter:
But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. 

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. 

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. 
(Jude 1:20-25 NLT)
Now for Paul's words to the Corinthians:
Because of my deep love for you, I must express my concern about the report brought to me regarding the lewd and immoral behavior exhibited in your community. This scandal has come to my attention because this kind of thing is unheard of even among the outsiders around us: I understand a man is having sexual relations with his father's wife. You have turned into an arrogant lot who refuse to see the tragedy right in front of your eyes and mourn for it. If you would face these hard realities, the one living in this sin would be removed from the community. 

Despite the fact that I am not physically present with you, I am there in spirit and already have spoken judgment against the man who has engaged in this conduct. When you gather in the name of the Lord Jesus and I am present with you in spirit, and the infinite power of our Lord Jesus is present also, I direct you to release this man over to Satan so his rebellious nature will be destroyed and his spirit might be rescued in the day the Lord Jesus returns. 

Your proud boasting in this matter is terrible. Don't you understand that the tiniest infraction can bring about an unwelcome chain of events? That just a little yeast causes all the dough to rise? Get rid of all the old yeast; then you'll become new dough, just as you are already a people without sin's leavening influence. You see, the Anointed One is our Passover lamb; He has been sacrificed for us. So let the real feast begin. Get rid of all the old yeast, the yeast of hatred and evil. Throw it out so we can feast on the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

In the letter I wrote to you previously, I made it clear that you are not to band together with those who have embraced immoral lives. Don't misunderstand; I'm not telling you to hole up and hunker down from the rest of the world. That's impossible. The world is filled with immoral people consumed by their desire for more; they steal from one another without hesitation and will worship man-made idols with no shame at all. If you attempted to avoid these people, you would have to leave the world itself. What I was saying is that you should not associate with someone who calls himself a brother or sister but lives contrary to all we stand for: committing immoral sexual acts, consumed with desire for more, worshiping tangible lifeless things, using profanity, drinking into oblivion, swindling and cheating others. Do not even sit at the table with a person like this. Why would I ever attempt to judge those outside the church? Aren't we called to judge those within the church? God judges the outsiders. Your job is this: "Expel the wicked from your own community." 
(1 Corinthians 5:1-13)
Response in Prayer

Father, I will confess to You that I am not always focused in my discipleship. I am not always as passionate as I should be about reaching out to those who are wandering away and who are trapped in sin. I ask for tender boldness to empathize with them, but also to have the strength to call them home to You and to the life You want them to lead. Give me wisdom and a heart of love as I do this. I don't want to be self-righteous or arrogant, but full of compassion. Neither do I want to compromise Your call to holy living. I know how deeply You want Your "lost sheep" to be found and brought safely home. I ask for Your help in doing this, O LORD. In Jesus' name, I ask this. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Scour Away the Filth" — A Year with Jesus for 07/29/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Faithful Follower, 

Even when Paul first worked with the Corinthians, he sought to help them turn from the unbridled immorality that was a part of their city's culture. This lifestyle change was a predictable challenge that My new disciples faced in most places (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12). 

The grip of their immoral past was hard to break. Many activities in Corinth were tied to the worship of idols and the pervasive paganism of the city. The Corinthians encountered cultic prostitution at the pagan temples. Meat bought in their city market was first sacrificed to the idols before being available for sale. Pagan celebrations involving sexual immorality and drunkenness were connected to feasts and trade guild meetings. Pagan celebrations and sacrifices went with athletic contests and theater productions. 

Paul tried to teach these new Christians that their lives were to be holy. Their lives were to be lived in total dedication to honor Us — Father, Son, and Spirit. This sense of holy purpose meant their bodies were sacred and should be used to glorify Us (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Paul had repeatedly taught them, both when physically present and through letters, about their need to practice holiness in all things. This teaching meant getting away and staying far away from sexual immorality, idolatry, and paganism. 

In Paul's letter that you know as 1 Corinthians, he referred to a previous letter to the Corinthian Christians and his earlier teaching about avoiding immorality (1 Corinthians 5:9). That previous teaching was very similar to what you find in a passage from 2 Corinthians included in the verses below. As you read these verses, try to think through the implications of Paul's teachings for you in your culture. How will you apply these teachings to your world so saturated in sexual immorality, false religions, greed, and materialism? 

How are you going to live as My holy person in your immoral culture and influence that culture for good? 

How are you going to influence your culture while not letting the bad parts of your culture influence you? 

As you live and serve Me in the culture around you, what are the limits of Christian fellowship? 

These are hard questions. Rather than answer these questions for you, I am asking you to wrestle with them as you follow Me. I want your heart to belong to Me. If your heart belongs to Me, you will work through these questions seeking to honor Me with a holy life that demonstrates My compassionate concern for the lost. Think through what Paul wrote and see how his teachings apply to you. When you read his teachings this way, you will have more empathy for the Corinthians. You will get a clearer understanding of the challenges they faced in their day if they obeyed Paul's teaching. You will also be better prepared to face similar challenges in your day.
Verses to Live

How are you going to impact your culture with My character and compassion without getting entangled and soiled with its immorality? 

In the verses below, you find two readings from Paul's letters to the Corinthians. The first passage is one verse from 1 Corinthians and refers to what Paul taught in a previous letter that he wrote the Christians in Corinth. The second section is from 2 Corinthians and addresses the same matters as referenced in the first passage. The final short paragraph is Paul's exhortation to the people based on what he had written in the previous verses. This part is at the heart of what I want you to incorporate into your life.
In the letter I wrote to you previously, I made it clear that you are not to band together with those who have embraced immoral lives. 
(1 Corinthians 5:9) 

Don't develop partnerships with those who are not followers of Jesus' teachings. For what real connection can exist between righteousness and rebellion? How can light participate in darkness? What harmony can exist between the Anointed and Satan? Do the faithful and the faithless have anything in common? Can the temple of God find common ground with idols? Don't you see that we house the temple of the living God within us? Remember when He said,
"I will make My home with them and walk among them. 
I will be their God, 
and they will be My people. 

"So then turn away from them, 
turn away and leave without looking back," says the Lord. 

"Stay away from anything unclean, anything impure, 
and I will welcome you. 

"And I will be for you as a father, 
and you will be for Me as sons and daughters," 
says the Lord Almighty!
Because we have these promises, dearly loved ones, out of respect for God we should scour the filth from our flesh and spirit and move toward perfect beauty and holiness. 
(2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1)
Response in Prayer

Father, make me Yours completely. Set me apart from those who do not know You. I want to display Your grace to others and live Your holiness before them. May my whole spirit, soul, and body be kept free from any sort of sin as I await the glorious coming of My Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed. You, O God, are faithful. I know that You can be trusted to make this happen in me to Your glory. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. 

This prayer is adapted from Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Out of Phase" — A Year with Jesus for 07/28/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Servant of the LORD, 

Yes, I have called you My sibling, My beloved, and My friend. I have even called you a child of the King of Glory and a child of your Father in heaven. Today, however, I call you a servant of the LORD. When LORD is used in your Bibles in all capital letters, the translators are referring to YHWH — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. YHWH is Our name in Hebrew and is sometimes translated as "I AM" in English Bibles (Exodus 3:14). 

I could call you a bondservant or even a slave rather than simply a servant. These terms are tough ones and speak of hard service, but they indicate that I do want you committed to being a servant even when hardships are involved. Remember I demonstrated being a servant when I washed My disciples' feet in the upper room (John 13:1-17) and in many other ways. My ultimate demonstration of being a servant was when I died for you on the cross. 

To be a servant like I demonstrated in My birth, life, and death, you must serve willingly. My earliest servants were not forced to minister and sacrifice. I called them to follow Me. By grace, I invited them into the Father's family. Each accepted his or her role as a servant voluntarily. Each saw the life I lived on earth and chose to follow Me. Each recognized My example and chose to serve others. (Of course, there were some who gave the appearance of following Me but actually rejected Me.) 

I came to this world as a servant. I gave up heaven's glory for mortality. I left heaven's safety for human vulnerability. I stepped down from the throne of glory for the shame of a cross. I did it to serve the lost and also to serve you (Philippians 2:5-11). Those who led My followers after My ascension were also servants. They completely changed their lives. Many give up their lives in death because they followed Me to do My work in the world and serve lost humanity. Their lives were molded into the character and compassion of My life. Each of My apostles, except for the one who gave his heart to Satan (John 17:12), followed My example and was a sacrificial servant. 

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he had to defeat their false sense of self-importance. He had to confront their pride in believing that they had fully arrived spiritually. He had to help them understand that they had missed My greatness and had sunk into selfishness and worldly ambition. So after spending what now comprises three chapters in your Bibles trying to teach them that they had missed the mark on greatness, Paul then turned to examples. He pointed to his own life. He directed the Corinthians' attention to the example of My original apostles. He reminded them of the example of his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. All of these lived for Me and for others, not for themselves — so much so that Paul could say:
For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 
(2 Corinthians 4:5 NIV)
Paul directed the Corinthians to think about the people in his examples because those people all had one thing in common: each of them was a servant. Paul held them up as examples because their lives were much more like My life than they were like the lives of the so-called "super-spirituals" who were causing problems in Corinth. The things these "super-spirituals" boasted about themselves were exactly opposite to the things they saw in Paul's life, in Timothy's life, in the apostles' lives, and in My life. Since I AM the prime example of spirituality, it wasn't Paul who was out of phase with greatness, but the prideful Corinthians! 

As the Corinthians' "father in the faith," Paul wanted them to awaken from their arrogant stupor of pride. He wanted them to follow My example and the example of My emissaries. He wanted them to turn away from gratifying their own egos. You also need to recognize that greatness is not found in things that build your ego. Greatness is not found in status, wealth, a certain spiritual gift, high position, lofty titles, worldly prestige, or any earthly achievement.
Verses to Live

Since greatness is not found in human accolades, then where is true greatness found? 

What are the qualities of greatness in My kingdom? 

What does it really mean to be a servant? 

Look at the list of things that were true of My emissaries (apostles) in the verses below. They faced these hardships out of love for Me. They risked their lives to share the Father's grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit with those who were lost. This concerted effort is true greatness — greatness, as I repeatedly said and demonstrated in My earthly ministry, that is found in those who are willing to pay the price to serve others for Me!
Rather than power brokers, think of us as servants of the Anointed One, the Liberating King, caretakers of the mysteries of God. Because we are in this particular role, it is especially important that we are people of fidelity and integrity. It makes little difference to me how you or any human court passes judgment on me. I even resist the temptation to compare myself to the ever-changing human standard. Although I am not aware of any flaw that might exclude me from this divine service, that's not the reason I stand acquitted — the only supreme judge, our Lord, will examine me in the proper time. 

So resist the temptation to act as judges before all the evidence is in. When the Lord comes, He will draw our buried motives, thoughts, and deeds (even things we don't know or admit to ourselves) out of the dark shadows of our hearts into His light. When this happens, the voice of God will speak to each of us the only praise that will ever matter. 

Right now, brothers and sisters, the best thing I can do for you is to apply these principles to the situation with Apollos and me. Maybe we can show you the meaning of the saying, "not beyond the things written." If you learn that, perhaps none of you will swell with pride because you fall into the seductive trap of pitting one against the other. Is there any reason to consider yourselves better than others? What do you have that you didn't receive? If you received it as a gift, why do you boast like it is something you achieved on your own. 

Now let's see if I have it straight. You suppose that you already have all you need. You already are rich and prosperous. And without us you've already begun to reign like kings. To be honest, I wish you did reign so that we could reign with you because it seems to me that God has put His emissaries [apostles] at the end of the line, like convicts in their final walk to certain death. We have become a spectacle to the rest of the world — to all people and heaven's messengers. We are nothing but fools for the cause of the Anointed One while you are wise in Him. Am I right? 

We are feeble and tired while you are mighty and full of life. You are well respected by others while we're treated as contemptuous creatures by pretty much everyone everywhere. Up to this very minute, we are famished, we are thirsty, and our clothes are shabby, practically rotted to pieces. We are homeless, hapless wanderers. But still we labor, working with our hands to meet our needs because, despite all of this, when a fist is raised against us, we respond with a blessing; when we face violence and persecution, we stay on mission; and when others choose taunts and slander against us, we speak words of encouragement and reconciliation. We're treated as the scum of the earth — and I am not talking in the past tense; I mean today! We're the scraps of society, nothing more than the foulest human rubbish. 

I am not telling you all this so that you'll feel guilty or be ashamed of how you have acted. I am only trying to warn you, just as a father would warn his children. You may have 10,000 instructors in the faith of the Anointed One, but you have only one father. In Jesus the Anointed I have become your father through my efforts in spreading the good news. 

So as your father in the faith, I want to encourage you to live as I have lived. Imitate my life. This is one of the reasons I sent Timothy to be with you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. His mission is to remind you of the way I experience life in the Anointed. In all the churches everywhere I go, I teach the same lessons the same way, and I live out those lessons. 

But the reality is, some of you have put yourselves on pedestals and live like you are high above the rest — it's as if you assumed I would not return to confront your misguided pride. But I am coming. Lord willing, I will be with you soon. Then I will know what power is backing those arrogant folks and their words. The kingdom of God is not a realm of grandiose talk; it is a realm of power. So tell me what you want. Should I visit you, rod in hand ready to discipline a crew of self-important people; or should I embrace you, love you, and gently teach you as we celebrate the blessings of God together? 
(1 Corinthians 4:1-21)
Response in Prayer

O Father in heaven, forgive me for wanting to be recognized as important. Forgive me for not entrusting my value to You. Forgive me for running after the same vain sense of importance as others in the world are chasing. I see how hollow their achievements ultimately prove to be at fulfilling them. Holy Spirit, convict me and help me value those who serve the Lord Jesus with all that they are and do and say. I want to be a willing servant. I want to follow in the footsteps of the apostles, Paul, and Timothy. Most of all, Lord Jesus, I want to follow Your example of loving and selfless service. Lord Jesus, make me a servant. Please make me like You! Amen. 


Today and over many months, our brothers and sisters in Iraq, Syria, and many other places in the Middle East and Africa have had to make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. They have been servants to the end. Some have been crucified. Some have seen their children beheaded before they were martyred. Many others have had their earthly livelihoods destroyed. Please take the time to go to Voice of the Martyrs and learn more about their plight and pray about ways you can help. Please also remember our translators in the Middle East who serve to make our resource Verse of the Day available in Arabic, Urdu, and Farsi, at the risk of their lives. Thank you! 

Phil Ware and the Heartlight.org, VerseoftheDay.com, and aYearwithJesus.com team.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"My Precious Temple!" — A Year with Jesus for 07/27/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

As Paul used his letter to address the rivalries and divisions among My followers in Corinth, he pointed to four truths that I want you to remember. You find these truths in the verses for today. The fourth one is most sobering and important. Please take it — and take all of them — to heart. Here are the four truths for today. 

First, division and rivalries in a group of My disciples show My people are living by their worldly instincts rather than being led by the Holy Spirit. No matter how mature My followers claim to be, division shows that they are seeking their importance from the same things as worldly people who "live by the standards of this rebellious and broken world." 

Second, claiming to be part of an important group in My movement doesn't make a person any more important than other believers. Those groups whose leaders are well known are not more important than groups whose leaders are unknown. The greatest in My Kingdom will always be a servant. Don't ever judge people's value as My followers by their leaders, their founders, or their group's reputation. 

Third, the Father will judge everyone's work when I return. My disciples must refrain from trying to do the Father's job. If someone bases his or her ministry on Me and the truth about Me, then you can know that person is truly seeking to be My servant. Furthermore, you shouldn't try to put a value on one of My servants by comparing that servant to another one of My servants. 

Fourth, when people gather together into a church family, they are precious for at least two reasons: They are not only My bodily presence in the world, but they are also a holy temple where We — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — live. Everyone who is a part of a congregation was bought at the price of My life. Each has a special relationship with Us. Together, even with each one's flaws, each is a sacred place where We dwell. So anyone who destroys the unity of Our precious people and our spiritual family will face destruction for what he or she has done. My church, My bodily presence in the world, and My people are that precious to Me.
Verses to Live

Paul's words below are his plea for the Corinthians not to allow any division to continue and destroy the temple of God. These are strong, but needed words both in his day and in your day as well.
My brothers and sisters, I cannot address you as people who walk by the Spirit; I have to speak to you as people who tend to think in merely human terms, as spiritual infants in the Anointed One. I nursed you with milk, as a mother would feed her baby, because you were not, and still are not, developed enough to digest complex spiritual food. And here's why: you are still living in the flesh, not in the Spirit. How do I know? Are you fighting with one another? Are you comparing yourselves to others and becoming consumed with jealousy? Then it sounds like you are living in the flesh, no different from the rest who live by the standards of this rebellious and broken world. If one of you is saying, "I am with Paul," and the other says, "I am with Apollos," aren't you like everybody else? So who is Apollos really? Or Paul for that matter? We are only servants, agents who led you to faith, and the Lord commissioned each of us to do a particular job. 

My job was to plant the seed, and Apollos was called to water it. Any growth comes from God, so the ones who water and plant have nothing to brag about. God, who causes the growth, is the only One Who matters. The one who plants is no greater than the one who waters; both will be rewarded based on their work. We are gardeners and field workers laboring with God. You are the vineyard, the garden, the house where God dwells. Like a skilled architect and master builder, I laid a foundation based upon God's grace given to me. Now others will come along to build on the foundation. Each serves in a different way and is to build upon it with great care. There is, in fact, only one foundation, and no one can lay any foundation other than Jesus the Anointed. As others build on the foundation (whether with gold, silver, gemstones, wood, hay, or straw), the quality of each person's work will be revealed in time as it is tested by fire. If a man's work stands the test of fire, he will be rewarded. If a man's work is consumed by the fire, his reward will be lost but he will be spared, rescued from the fire. Don't you understand that together you form a temple to the living God and His Spirit lives among you? If someone comes along to corrupt, vandalize, and destroy the temple of God, you can be sure that God will see to it that he meets destruction because the temple of God is sacred. You, together, are His temple. 
(1 Corinthians 3:1-17)
Response in Prayer

O Father, I remember Jesus' prayers on the night He was betrayed. He prayed, "Abba Father, ... I want Your will to be done, not Mine." He also prayed this prayer for us: "I pray that they will all be one ... so that the world will believe You sent Me." What His prayers tell me, dear Father, is that I must seek Your will above my own will. I must seek to maintain unity in Your spiritual family so we can demonstrate Your love in sending Jesus. So I ask, dear Father, for strength to do both. I want to do Your will no matter the cost. I long to help our church become a place where You delight to dwell. In Jesus' name, I ask for Your grace and help. Amen. 

Note: The scripture quotations in the prayer are from Mark 14:36 NLT and John 17:21 NLT.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Bragging Rights?" — A Year with Jesus for 07/26/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Child of the Father, 

The Corinthian disciples had forgotten what made them special. Some were arguing that their group of believers was more important than another group of believers. Some were celebrating their status during communion while others were being overlooked. They were bragging about their spiritual gifts while using them to try to impress others. Some were even claiming to follow different people rather than Me. Everywhere you look in the early Corinthian church, you will find fractures, rivalries, differences, and arguments over who or what was most important. Even worse, they boasted in these differences! 

Paul spoke directly to the Corinthians about their sin. He reminded them that few of them came from families of position or status:
By human standards, not many of you are deemed to be wise. Not many are considered powerful. Not many of you come from royalty, right?
By earthly measures, they had little or no status. 

So why in the world would they fuss and fight over status? 

Why would they divide My body over such earthly, temporal and trivial matters? 

Why would they divide My people over egos and pettiness? 

When people feel insignificant and unsure of their status, they look to false standards to make them feel important. They boast in what is really superficial, temporary, and unimportant. You can find this sad reality in Corinth during Paul's day, and you can find it in your own day. 

The Corinthian disciples to whom Paul wrote had forgotten Who I was when I came to the earth. They lost sight of what I had done to make them children of the Father, the King of glory. They ignored the lofty status that I put aside when I was born into the world to die to redeem them (Philippians 2:5-11). They ignored what I taught: that the greatest in the Father's kingdom and in My family is actually the person willing to serve. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled (Matthew 23:11-12). The Corinthian disciples forgot that I came to serve and to give My life to ransom them from sin and that I called them to be sacrificial and serve others (Mark 10:42-45; John 13:12-17). 

Paul wanted them, and I want you, to know that real greatness is found in being "united with Jesus the Anointed" — united with Me — in serving others. You are My disciples. You are to follow My example. You are to trust your glory to My grace. You are to serve each other just as I served and gave Myself for you. I AM the source of your life, significance, identity, and status. I AM your "wisdom." Your "righteousness and holiness and redemption" are found in Me. 

Don't boast in what you have accomplished. Don't swell with pride because of your seemingly superior background. Don't boast in what you can do that another can't do. Realize that your life, your future, and the glory in which you will share all come from being identified with Me and being a part of My family. You cannot disregard someone else in My family. You cannot elevate yourself above someone else in My family. When you elevate yourself above others, you disregard Me and all that I demonstrated!
Verses to Live

As My disciple, think of what you have because of Me. Remember all the blessings and privileges that are yours because of My sacrifice. You received all of these by grace. You received none of these by birthright or rank in social circles. So let your boasting be in My grace and sacrifice. Do not boast in what you can do or from where you have come. Boasting causes division. Boasting creates rivalries. Boasting causes messes like the Corinthians had made. 

Read the verses below and take them to heart. They are true not just for the Corinthian disciples; they are also true for you.
Look carefully at your call, brothers and sisters. By human standards, not many of you are deemed to be wise. Not many are considered powerful. Not many of you come from royalty, right? But celebrate this: God selected the world's foolish to bring shame upon those who think they are wise; likewise, He selected the world's weak to bring disgrace upon those who think they are strong. God selected the common and the castoff, whatever lacks status, so He could invalidate the claims of those who think those things are significant. So it makes no sense for any person to boast in God's presence. Instead, credit God with your new situation: you are united with Jesus the Anointed. He is God's wisdom for us and more. He is our righteousness and holiness and redemption. As the Scripture says: "If someone wants to boast, he should boast in the Lord." 
(1 Corinthians 1:26-31) 

Don't let anyone deceive himself. If any one of you thinks he is wise in matters pertaining to this world, he is going to be really disappointed. In fact, one must be deemed a fool by worldly standards in order to become truly wise because the wisdom of this rebellious and broken world looks like foolishness when put next to God. So it stands in Scripture, "He catches the wise in their deceitful plotting." And the Scriptures add, "The Lord knows the highest thoughts of the wise, and they are worthless." So there is no reason for anyone to boast in human leaders. You already have it all. So whether it is Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life or death, the present or the future — it all belongs to you. You belong to the Anointed One, and the Anointed One belongs to God. 
(1 Corinthians 3:18-23)
Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, I know that my insecurities can lead me to chase the wrong things as the source of my significance. I recognize that in Jesus I am Your child. I am a child of the King of glory. Forgive me for my lack of trust in Your acceptance and approval. Forgive me for seeking my own glory and not resting in Your grace. Use me, O LORD, to help others find their significance in You. Open my heart to accept others whom the world might disregard. In the name of Jesus, my Lord and my example, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

The Father's Faithfulness Is Greater Than My Disciples' Failures" — A Year with Jesus for 07/25/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved of the Father, 

While Paul was in Ephesus, he wrote a letter to the Corinthians to follow-up on his time in Corinth. Your book of 1 Corinthians is actually his second letter to them (1 Corinthians 5:9). The new believers in Corinth were in a seaport city on a narrow strip of land with water on two sides. A major highway ran through their city. This strategic location is a powerful reminder of the important influence I wanted My disciples to have in Corinth. Although they were surrounded by immorality, My new disciples were strategically located in a place to impact the world of commerce, travel, and religion with the truth of My gospel. 

Becoming a disciple in such a place was far easier than living as a disciple on a daily basis. Strong forces pulled on My followers. City life in Corinth included all sorts of distractions. Unrestrained immorality and materialism were accepted as the normal way of life. Corrupt religious practices, cult prostitution, religious enthusiasm, rivalry over social status, passionate individualism, battles over gender superiority, racial prejudice, bigotry, and genuine poverty filled Corinth's streets. You won't have to dig very far into Paul's letters to the Corinthians to discover that My new followers in Corinth struggled with each of these challenges. 

One of the qualities about 1 and 2 Corinthians that makes these letters so important for you today is that My disciples in Corinth had many problems that are also typical of your time. As you read through Paul's letters to the Corinthians, you might wonder how this fragile and diverse set of house churches could survive. They had rivalries over which group was most acceptable and important. Conflicts and disrespect between men and women impacted their worship and daily lives. Incest and other forms of sexual immorality marred the character of these people who were seeking to make Me their Lord. Lawsuits between members tore at the fabric of their unity. Disregard of poor members by the rich members during their love feast meal destroyed the character of what was supposed to be Holy Communion. Some were getting drunk and gorging on food while others were being totally left out of the fellowship. Petty rivalries over spiritual gifts caused arguments over who was most spiritual. Some had even lost faith in My resurrection. The result was a large pagan city with several house churches of believers who felt that they had little in common with each other except that they called on My name and called themselves My followers. 

Today, however, I want you to notice the way the apostle Paul began this letter. Examine particularly the highlighted parts of the scripture below. First, remember that every person born of water and spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) has a special relationship with Me. The new believers lived in a region torn by division, corrupted by immorality, and lost in darkness. Those around them had lost hope in the future and so they lived for the moment. Particularly in this kind of world, everyone who is My follower must be regarded as especially precious, even if that person has forgotten part of the truth or has never fully understood the truth. Remember my parable of the shepherd who went in search of his lost sheep (Matthew 18:10-14; Luke 15:4-7) and other similar parables (e.g., Luke 15:8-32) that talk about My desire to reclaim those who are Mine. 

The Corinthian house churches struggled with division and immorality. Paul knew all about their problems. Their problems created great anguish and concern in his heart for them. He had invested over two years of his life in converting and discipling them. He knew how fragile their fellowship was. He was fully aware of how far their daily lives were from the high calling that I had for them. Nevertheless — and please hear this beloved — each of My disciples, no matter how flawed, was still precious to Paul and each is always precious to Me. There were still reasons to rejoice in these people who gave up so much to follow Me. Paul still had great reasons to give thanks for them and to continue to pray for them. 

Also, notice the undergirding faith that gave Paul hope. He believed that something good could come out of the messes the Corinthians had made of their lives and their fellowship. Paul believed that the future of their fellowship was not bound by their current failures but rooted in the Father's faithfulness. 

Let the words found in the central part of the verses below remind you of a truth that you must never forget:
He [God the Father] will preserve you; and on that day, He will consider you faultless. Count on this: God is faithful and in His faithfulness called you out into an intimate relationship with His Son, our Lord Jesus the Anointed [Me].
Verses to Live

Paul was not blind to the problems that existed among My people in Corinth. However, he did not let his disappointment due to their flaws and failures distract him from My disciples' importance to Me. He didn't forget My power at work within these new disciples to make all things new. 

Paul acknowledged the divisions in My Corinthian disciples shortly after affirming how precious they were to him. His words of affirmation come first as he declared his confidence in Our ability to be faithful and to bring them to be with Us. So don't forget to rejoice over those who have come to Me. Don't forget Paul's example of working with the Corinthians, and believe that We can do more than human eyes can see and human hearts can imagine (Ephesians 3:14-21)!
Paul, called out by God's will to be an emissary for Jesus the Anointed, along with brother Sosthenes, to God's church gathering in the city of Corinth. As people who are united with Jesus, the Anointed One, you have been set apart for service. You are all called into community to live as saints with all who invoke the name of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed. 

I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, will shower you with grace and peace. 

I am continuously thanking my God for you when I think about the grace God has offered you in Jesus the Anointed. In this grace, God is enriching every aspect of your lives by gifting you with the right words to say and everything you need to know. In this way, your life story confirms the life story of the Anointed One, so you are not ill-equipped or slighted on any necessary gifts as you patiently anticipate the day when our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, is revealed. Until that final day, He will preserve you; and on that day, He will consider you faultless. Count on this: God is faithful and in His faithfulness called you out into an intimate relationship with His Son, our Lord Jesus the Anointed. 

My brothers and sisters, I urge you by the name of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, to come together in agreement. Do not allow anything or anyone to create division among you. Instead, be restored, completely fastened together with one mind and shared judgment. I have heard troubling reports from Chloe's people that you, my siblings, are consumed by fighting and petty disagreements. What I have heard is that each of you is taking sides, saying, "I am with Paul," or "I am with Apollos," or "I am with Cephas," or "I am with the Anointed One." Has the Anointed One been split up into many small pieces? Do you think Paul was crucified for you? Were you ceremonially washed through baptism into the name of Paul? Absolutely not! 

Now I am thankful that I baptized only Crispus and Gaius, so none of you can falsely declare you were baptized in my name. Now wait, as I think about it, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; if there are others in your community whom I baptized, I cannot recall at this moment. The mission given to me by the Anointed One is not about baptism, but about preaching good news. The point is not to impress others by spinning an eloquent, intellectual argument; that type of rhetorical showboating would only nullify the cross of the Anointed. 
(1 Corinthians 1:1-17)
Response in Prayer

O Father in heaven, I confess that there are times when I grow discouraged with the division, rivalry, and immorality among Your followers. These failures make it more difficult to share the truth with skeptical outsiders and open Your people up to the charge of being hypocrites. So please give me patience as well as determination to be transformed into the person the Holy Spirit is working to help me become. Also, dear Father, please help me have that same patience and determination with others as Paul did with the Corinthians. Most of all, dear Father, I need the Holy Spirit to fan into flame my hope in Your faithfulness to make us more than we appear we could ever be! In Jesus' precious and glorious name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Ephesus!" — A Year with Jesus for 07/24/2016
Note from Jesus
Dear Beloved,
In today's reading, you will find Paul arriving in Ephesus. Ephesus was a remarkable and important city in Paul's world. But the people of Ephesus needed My power and My grace.
In Paul's time, Ephesus was one of the four largest cities in the Mediterranean region, which were Rome, Ephesus, Antioch of Syria, and Alexandria in Egypt. Along with Jerusalem (the center of Judaism), Luke emphasized the first three of these cities as he wrote the book of Acts. Ephesus was a large, multi-cultural, busy city, a major banking center, a town with a harbor and on major trade routes, and a city full of crime. Ephesus was rampant with sexual perversion. It was deeply impacted by a fascination with all sorts of superstitions, demonic religions, black magic, and mystery cults. You can probably imagine similar cities in your day.

Ephesus was a place of financial power with an interest in spiritual power. What you see in Luke's account is reflected in Paul's words to these same believers several years later:
Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. We're not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places.
(Ephesians 6:10-12)
Luke carefully frames Paul's visit to Ephesus with an emphasis on the Holy Spirit. At the beginning, he records Paul's asking:
"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?"
At the end, Luke wrote:
The Holy Spirit confirmed that he should first travel through Macedonia and Achaia and then return to Jerusalem.
Luke's account makes clear what Paul emphasized while he was in Ephesus. While there are many demonic powers and religions that touch your world, there is only one true and living God. That true and living God is known as YAHWEH — YHWH in Hebrew — Father, Son, and Spirit. We are above all other spiritual powers and are directly involved in the lives of all those who belong to Us. We live in them through the presence of the Holy Spirit Who is in them and guides them. I revealed YHWH through My time on earth. You can find life in YHWH through Me. No person and not even another spirit can control the power of YHWH.
In the middle of Luke's account, he showed us an example of the world of the occult and demonic spirits. I love the way Luke described an encounter with an evil spirit and finished with this summary:
Everyone was shocked and realized that the name of Jesus was indeed powerful and praiseworthy. .. Again, word spread, and the message of the Lord overcame resistance and spread powerfully.
Paul will have more interaction with the people and the evil spiritual powers in Ephesus on a return trip to Ephesus and will also run into problems caused by people from Ephesus in a later trip to Jerusalem. For now, you just need to realize that a spiritual battle for the eternal destinies of the people of Ephesus and Asia Minor had begun in earnest. Ephesus was a place that would oppose Me with evil spiritual power and evil determination. Nevertheless, My messengers were not afraid to speak the truth of the Father's grace, My power, and the Holy Spirit's guiding care in this place that desperately needed it.
Verses to Live
All who belong to the Father and who are My true disciples are filled, empowered, and led by the Holy Spirit. You will need this power as you face the times in which you now live. But remember, "[T]he Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world" (1 John 4:4 NLT). These words were written by John years later to Christians in Asia Minor where Ephesus was located! Paul would say it this way in his letter to the Ephesians:
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
(Ephesians 1:3 NLT)
So as you read, recognize you are entering the world of spiritual warfare; but don't be afraid! I have overcome!
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul's overland journey brought him back to Ephesus. He encountered a group of about a dozen disciples there.
Paul:
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?
John's Disciples:
We've never heard about the Holy Spirit.
Paul:
Well then, what kind of ceremonial washing through baptism did you receive?
John's Disciples:
We received the ritual cleansing of baptism that John taught.
Paul:
John taught the truth — that people should be baptized with renewed thinking and turn toward God. But he also taught that the people should believe in the One whose way he was preparing, that is, Jesus the Anointed.
As soon as they heard this, they were baptized, this time in the name of our Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them in the same way the original disciples experienced at Pentecost: they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
For three months, Paul continued his standard practice: he went week by week to the synagogue, speaking with great confidence, arguing with great persuasiveness, proclaiming the kingdom of God. Once again, some members of the synagogue refused to believe and insulted the Way publicly before the whole synagogue community. Paul withdrew and took those with him who had become disciples. For the next two years, he used the public lecture hall of Tyrannus, presenting the Word of the Lord every day, debating with all who would come. As a result, everyone in the region, whether Jews or Greeks, heard the message. Meanwhile, God did amazing miracles through Paul. People would take a handkerchief or article of clothing that had touched Paul's skin and bring it to their sick friends or relatives, and the patients would be cured of their diseases or released from the evil spirits that oppressed them.
Some itinerant Jewish exorcists noticed Paul's success in this regard, so they tried to use the name of Jesus, the King, in an exorcism they were performing.
Imagine this: There are seven of them, all sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva, gathered around a demonized man in a house.
One of the Jewish Exorcists:
I command you to depart, by the Jesus proclaimed by Paul!
Evil Spirit:
Jesus I know. Paul I know. But who are you?
Then the man leaps up, attacks them all, rips off their clothing, and beats them so badly that they run out of the house stark naked and covered in bruises.
Word of this strange event spread throughout Ephesus among both Jews and Greeks. Everyone was shocked and realized that the name of Jesus was indeed powerful and praiseworthy. As a result, a number of people involved in various occult practices came to faith. They confessed their secret practices and rituals. Some of them had considerable libraries about their magic arts; they piled up their books and burned them publicly. Someone estimated the value of the books to be 50,000 silver coins. Again, word spread, and the message of the Lord overcame resistance and spread powerfully.
Eventually Paul felt he should move on again. The Holy Spirit confirmed that he should first travel through Macedonia and Achaia and then return to Jerusalem.
(Acts 19:1-21)
Response in Prayer
O Father, give me the strength to trust that Your power is released to me as I call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Help me to trust that, through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, You will empower, guide, sustain, convict, motivate, and enable me to live for You in my world that is growing more and more hostile to Jesus and His people. I pray this in Jesus' powerful name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Interconnected!" — A Year with Jesus for 07/23/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower, 

I challenged My apostles before My ascension to make faith in Me a worldwide movement of grace and discipleship offered to all people (Matthew 28:18-20). They were to begin where they were. They were to share grace with their people and reach their region. Then they were to impact the world with My good news and a life of discipleship (Acts 1:8). This sharing is what the apostles did in Jerusalem and Judea in the early days of My church, as recorded in the book of Acts. Then with the martyrdom of Stephen, some of My followers were scattered out from Jerusalem and Judea and went into Samaria and even to more-Gentile regions (Acts 8:1-4; Acts 11:19-21). On their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas followed a similar pattern in each city by teaching first in Jewish synagogues and then also going to Gentiles (Acts 13:1-8; Acts 13:44-46). 

In today's verses, you read about the interconnectedness of the ancient world. You can see how My early disciples spread the word, strengthened churches, and grew My movement. Paul, Peter, and Barnabas were great missionaries, disciple-makers, and church planters. Many other people also were instrumental in helping to grow the church. In today's verses, you meet Aquila and his wife Priscilla (also sometimes called Prisca). They were a great team. They were devoted to bringing people to faith in Me. They were upper middle-class merchants who took the gospel with them wherever they went in their business travels. They opened their homes as the places for My disciples to meet in three cities — Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome (Acts 18:1-3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19; Romans 16:3). You also meet Apollos, who traveled widely and was a great public speaker and a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures — the Law, Writings, and Prophets. 

Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos are examples of the many people throughout the ages who have shared My story of grace as they traveled. For each of them, his or her job was a calling. It was a way to spread My message to all with whom they came in contact. They sought out groups of believers and strengthened them. They shared news of what was happening with My disciples in other places in the world. They led others to follow Me. They offered their time and their homes for believers to meet, eat, and worship together. Their faith was not just something they had in their heads or believed in their hearts, but it permeated every aspect of their lives. 

In today's verses, you will notice that Paul travels through significant portions of the northern and northeastern Mediterranean region. He goes through Greece, Macedonia, the Roman province of Asia, Galatia, Syria, and Judea. He goes back and strengthens struggling churches. He encourages new believers. He confirms leaders in the churches he had previously planted. He carries news about what is happening in My family in other parts of the world. 

However, Paul was not alone in doing these things. Others are not named in the Bible but were like Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. Through the efforts of all of these disciples, the good news about Me spread all over the world. I used the folks you know well, like Paul, Peter, and Barnabas. I also used those you know less well, like Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos, and some folks not mentioned by name. What I began with a small group in Galilee has impacted the whole world. You are testimony that this process didn't end in the first century. This process is still effective. This process is still part of My plan! 

So, based on what you read today, I want to place a few things on your heart. 

First, don't be afraid to travel and go to new places in the world. Yes, travel can be tiring and sometimes even dangerous. However, you are My disciple. You are a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Your mission field is as close as your next door neighbor and as far away as someone from another culture on the other side of your world. 

Second, when you travel remember that you go as My representative. Whether your travel is for vacation, business, pleasure, or intentional mission, you are My messenger. No matter who pays for your travel, you are sent by Me, to represent Me, and to share My grace! 

Third, use your travel as a time to connect to other believers. Do not take a vacation from fellowship and worship. Bring a word of grace from the people with whom you normally fellowship. Give the believers you meet encouragement. Offer a blessing in My name to their church family and their worship gathering, no matter how large or small. Enjoy the blessing of being family with people you don't yet know, but with whom you will share eternity! 

Fourth, as you travel, I will place people in your path who are seeking to find what you have found in Me. If you listen to hear the hearts of these people you meet, the Spirit will help you and empower you. One of the benefits of your going to other places is to be available to these people. Some you meet will be asking to find hope, seeking to discover Me, and knocking on the door of heaven needing grace (Matthew 7:7-8). 

Fifth, when you go, be respectful of those you meet. They know their culture and how to reach people in their culture better than you do. But, if you find yourself compelled to correct something, make sure you do it tenderly and privately after you have invested yourself in their family of faith and the community they are trying to reach. Priscilla and Aquila are great examples of this principle, especially in how they corrected Apollos: "They took him aside and in private explained the way of God to him more accurately and fully." 

Your life is more interconnected to the world than you realize. I will touch your world through your influence, and you will discover the world is much smaller than you realize when you go where you go as My representative of grace.
Verses to Live

Notice the travel of Paul in the verses below. Notice as well how Apollos and also Aquila and Priscilla travel extensively. Now notice how all these travels are interwoven into the fabric of My people and the sharing of My grace!
From Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth alone. He found a Jewish man there named Aquila, originally from Pontus. Aquila and his wife Priscilla had recently come to Corinth from Italy because Claudius had banished all Jews from Rome. Paul visited them in their home and discovered they shared the same trade of tent making. He then became their long-term guest and joined them in their tentmaking business. 
(Acts 18:1-3) 

At the end of 18 months, Paul said good-bye to the believers in Corinth. He wanted to travel to the east and south to Syria by ship; so, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila, he went to the nearby port city of Cenchrea, where he fulfilled a vow he had made by cutting his hair. The three of them sailed east to Ephesus where Paul would leave Priscilla and Aquila. Paul again went to the synagogue where he dialogued with the Jews. They were receptive and invited him to stay longer. But he politely declined. 

Paul:
If God wills, I'll return at some point.
He caught a ship bound south and east for Caesarea by the sea. There he went up for a brief visit with the believers in the church at Jerusalem; then he headed north to Antioch. He spent considerable time there and then left again, visiting city after city throughout Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples in each place. 

Meanwhile, back in Ephesus, a Jew named Apollos made contact with the community of believers. He had been raised in Alexandria. Apollos was eloquent and well educated in the Hebrew Scriptures. He was partially instructed in the way of the Lord, and he added to his native eloquence a burning enthusiasm to teach about Jesus. He taught accurately what he knew; but he had only understood part of the good news, specifically the ritual cleansing through baptism preached by John, the forerunner of Jesus. So, when Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak boldly in the synagogue, they discerned both his gift and his lack of full understanding. They took him aside and in private explained the way of God to him more accurately and fully. He wanted to head west into Achaia, where Paul had recently been, to preach there. The believers encouraged him to do so and sent a letter instructing the Greek disciples to welcome him. Upon his arrival, he was of great help to all in Achaia who had, by the grace of God, become believers. This gifted speaker publicly demonstrated, based on the Hebrew Scriptures, that the promised Anointed One is Jesus. Then, when the Jews there raised counterarguments, he refuted them with great power. 
(Acts 18:18-28)
Response in Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I have forgotten that I am Jesus' emissary — His representative sent to share His grace wherever I go and regardless of whoever sends me on my travels. Open my eyes, dear Spirit of the living God, to see the people hungering to know more about Jesus. Lord Jesus, give me the words to say and the character of life to share Your story and Your grace with those who are asking, seeking, and knocking. Use me, dear LORD, to be Your instrument of peace, grace, mercy, hospitality, and encouragement. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Prayer Power Unleashed" — A Year with Jesus for 07/22/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Precious Child of the Father, 

Today I want you to read the prayers of Paul for the new Christians in Thessalonica. Frequently your scholars break each of these letters into two parts:
Paul's love for and relationship with My Thessalonian disciples (1 Thessalonians chapters 1-3; 2 Thessalonians chapter 1).
Paul's practical teaching about morality to new Thessalonian Christians (1 Thessalonians chapters 4-5; 2 Thessalonians chapters 2-3).
However, Paul's letters to these Thessalonians are woven together around his prayers for them — the prayers in the Verses to Live section below. These prayers were central to his message just as prayer was essential in Paul's ministry. Prayer held a place of central importance in the great apostle's life, especially his ministry through his letters to the Thessalonians. 

Everything Paul said, did, and taught was surrounded and incubated in prayer. Paul was remarkable in so many ways. He was My messenger, especially to the Gentiles. He was a church planter among the nations in various cultures. In addition to these great attributes, Paul was extremely dedicated to prayer. To their own peril, some church leaders in every age have ignored the power of intercessory prayer. They have forgotten to pray with thanksgiving for beloved disciples in whom I AM doing My work. The leaders can be seduced by the devil to think that their plans and their power have accomplished the great things done among them. Paul did not do this. Prayer was his daily fuel! 

As you read his prayers below, remember that Paul prayed like this for all of the churches. In nearly all of his letters, he prayed for many people by name and indicated that he did so every day, for years. Feel the love in his prayer language. Recognize that Paul knew that he could take new disciples only so far in their growth. He knew they needed Our — Father, Son, and Spirit's — presence, intervention, and grace to grow into the places they needed to be. Feel Paul's affirmation in his thankfulness for these disciples. Take note of the themes he addressed in his teaching that were first addressed in prayer. Appreciate Paul's affection in the emotional weight of the words he chose when he prayed. Paul's prayer ministry with the Thessalonians was a vital part of his ministry with them, to them, and for them.
Verses to Live

Paul was formally a citizen of Rome. He was a citizen of Jerusalem during his rabbinic training. He was also a citizen of the world in his ministry. He knew multiple cultures and multiple languages. He knew how to travel over land and sea. He was trained as a Jewish rabbi, yet was called to reach the non-Jews of the ancient world. He was willing to be eternally damned if it meant the salvation of his own people — the Jews (Romans 9:3). He also risked his life repeatedly to take My gospel to Gentiles (2 Corinthians 6:3-5). 

Paul's power to do all of this was rooted in his relationship with Me. His prayer life kept him connected to the Father through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. Read these prayers of Paul for the Thessalonian Christians several times and be blessed!
We always thank God for all of you in our prayers. Your actions on behalf of the true faith, your tireless toil of love, and your unfailing, unwavering, unending hope in our Lord Jesus the Anointed before God our Father have put you consistently at the forefront of our thoughts. 
(1 Thessalonians 1:2-3) 

May God Himself, our Father, along with our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, navigate our way to you. May the Lord flood you with an unending, undying love for one another and for all humanity, like our love for you, so that your hearts will be reinforced with His strength, held blameless and holy before God, our Father, when our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, the Liberating King, appears along with all His holy ones. Amen. 
(1 Thessalonians 3:11-13) 

So now, may the God of peace make you His own completely and set you apart from the rest. May your spirit, soul, and body be preserved, kept intact and wholly free from any sort of blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus the Anointed. For the God who calls you is faithful, and He can be trusted to make it so. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) 

Brothers and sisters, we cannot help but thank God for you, which is only appropriate because your faith is growing and expanding and because the love demonstrated by each and every one of you is overflowing for one another. 
(2 Thessalonians 1:3) 

All this is why we are constantly praying for you, so God will make you worthy of the great calling you have received from Him and will give you the power to accomplish every good intention and work of faith. Then the great name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified through your lives, and you will be glorified in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, our Liberating King. 
(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12) 

Now may our Lord Jesus (the Anointed One Himself) and God our Father (who has loved us, comforted us eternally, and given us a good hope by His grace) bring comfort to your hearts and strengthen your wills to accomplish every good work and word. 
(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) 

And now, dear friends, may the Lord of peace Himself grace you with peace always and in everything. May the Lord be present with all of you. 
(2 Thessalonians 3:16)
Response in Prayer

Father, forgive me. As I read these prayers of Paul, I am convicted. I am convicted of trying to do too much on my own. I am convicted of not seeking Your grace and power. I am convicted of praying too little. I am convicted of not letting others know of the good things I am praying for them. Help me, dear LORD, as I try to make prayer a more important part of my day, a greater part of my discipleship, and a bigger part of blessing others. I ask for this help and Your grace in Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Dealing with Idlers" — A Year with Jesus for 07/21/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Some messages of truth are hard to hear. Nevertheless, a family has to have expectations of family members if it is going to function productively and impact the community around it positively. The way one "bad apple" behaves can destroy the influence of the whole family and can bring disorder and frustration to the whole family. 

Today's message is a hard message. Paul and the church in Thessalonica were facing a real problem. The group of disciples in Thessalonica had some folks who were "idler busy-bodies" — folks who didn't work and went around sticking their noses into everyone else's business telling these productive folks how to live their lives. The idlers' reputations were rubbing off on the whole body of believers. The result was that the church was becoming more and more disrespected in the community. So Paul sent some instructions to the Thessalonians about how to discipline these idlers, the purpose behind this discipline, and the principles upon which the discipline was built. 

Paul taught the Thessalonian Christians to discipline these "idler busy-bodies" by warning those who were lazy and who were depending on the church to take care of them. If they didn't change their lazy ways, the church family was to "withdraw" from active fellowship and support of the idlers. There should be no more help for folks too lazy to work. 

Paul reminded the Thessalonian disciples of the purpose of this discipline. The goal was to restore these brothers and sisters to fruitful lives of service. This discipline was to be done with an attitude of helping a family member, not treating this idler as an enemy. 

Paul also helped the Thessalonian believers recall his own teaching and example when he was with them. He had purposefully worked hard when he was among them to set an example so they could see what it looked like to work hard and not depend on others for support. 

For Paul, the church family needed to have a reputation in the community as good, decent, hard-working folks: people who "never grow tired of doing good"!
Verses to Live

I know that you sometimes struggle with what to do when people do not seem "to get it" — that is, when they do not realize that they are not going to change their circumstances until they change their behaviors. This complacency is especially true of folks who can work but learn to grow dependent upon support from the church family and become lazy in their own lives. I hope you will read carefully as you see Paul lay down some great principles for you to follow as you try to deal with these kinds of situations.
Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 

See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 NLT) 

For the sake of the church, brothers and sisters, we insist in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed that you withdraw from any brother or sister who is out of order and unwilling to work, who is straying from the line of teaching we passed on to all of you. You know how essential it is to imitate us in the way we live life. We were never undisciplined nor did we take charity from anyone while we were with you. Instead, you saw how we worked very hard day and night so we wouldn't be a burden to even one person in the community. We had the right to depend on your help and hospitality, as you know; but we wanted to give you a model you could follow, to lay a path of footprints for you to walk in. This is exactly why, while with you, we commanded you: "Anyone not willing to work shouldn't get to eat!" You see, we are hearing that some folks in the community are out of step with our teaching; they are idle, not working, but really busy doing nothing — and yet still expect to be fed! If this is you or someone else in the community, we insist and urge you in the Lord Jesus the Anointed that you go to work quietly, earn your keep, put food on your own table, and supply your own necessities. And to the rest of you, brothers and sisters, never grow tired of doing good. 

If someone disregards the instructions of this letter, make a note of who it is and don't have anything to do with that person so that this one may be shamed. Don't consider someone like this an enemy (he is an enemy only to himself) but warn him as if you were redirecting your own brother. 
(2 Thessalonians 3:6-15)
Response in Prayer

Righteous Father, I want to be a compassionate person who helps those in need and yet does not enable those who are lazy. Please give me wisdom and grace to deal with these kinds of situations that I find in my world. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Living with Character & Compassion" — A Year with Jesus for 07/18/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

In his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians, Paul wrapped his teaching on My coming back in glory — which we will consider tomorrow — with two sections on living with righteous character and gracious compassion. In his two letters to the Thessalonians, he included instructions on sexual purity, self-control, and proper use of passion and behavior in his discussion of righteous character. As part of his discussion of gracious compassion, he included teachings concerning love for each other, responsible living, properly helping those in need, and respect for others. Notice especially these two statements from Paul, the first at the beginning of the first set of verses below and the second at the end of the second set. They frame the apostle's teaching on living with character and compassion very well:
[L]ive a life that is pleasing to God as you are already doing. Yes, we urge you to keep living and thriving in that life! 

Take a close look at everything, test it, then cling to what is good. Put away every form of evil.
The first set of verses below talks about general morality — about how to live in a corrupt world. Paul's teaching in these verses about morality involves two elements: righteousness and loving kindness. To reflect the Father's character, you need both of these. Throughout the Scriptures, these areas of emphasis have always been present. They are demonstrated as you love God and love your neighbor. They become real in your life as you live with righteous character and practice gracious compassion. This conduct means you seek to live a holy life full of mercy, grace, and love. 

Religious leaders can sometimes emphasize only one of these areas of importance, instead of both of them. They sometimes emphasize loving kindness more than character. Other times they emphasize moral righteousness more than mercy and compassion. 

Remember the nature of your Father in heaven. He perfectly displays both righteous character and gracious compassion. Out-of-balance graciousness or lopsided moral righteousness does not reflect His complete holy nature. Go back and look at how I lived My life when I walked among you. I displayed both righteous character and gracious compassion. Both moral living and loving kindness are necessary. Notice this same balance of emphasis that Paul gave to the Thessalonians as they sought to live My life in a very hostile culture. I want this balance to be seen in you as well. 

The second set of verses emphasizes these principles more from the perspective of life in the church family. How would the Thessalonians apply these two principles — righteous character and gracious compassion — inside their Christian family? Notice how these standards are not just for application by individuals. They were family standards that the Thessalonians were encouraged to embrace to help each other live their daily lives:
Make sure no one returns evil for evil, but always pursue what is good as it affects one another in the church but also all people.
This sense of mutual responsibility for a family ethic was crucial for them in their day and is certainly also important in your day when people tend to individualize their faith. I gave you Christian family, spiritual community, to help each other live your lives of faith together.
Verses to Live

As you read these two sets of verses, please remember the two points I want you to know and live. 

First, you are called to reflect the Father's righteous character and gracious compassion in your life. I am not looking for "either/or" between these two areas of the Father's character, but "both/and" as you live these character qualities. 

Second, I gave you a spiritual family of brothers and sisters to help you live out the Father's character and for you to help. Compassion and character are to be your Christian family ethic. 

You are not going to be able to live this life alone. Also, others will need your encouragement to stay true to the Father's call. So help each other reflect the nature of your heavenly Father!
So finally, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus, we ask you, we beg you to remember what we have taught you: live a life that is pleasing to God as you are already doing. Yes, we urge you to keep living and thriving in that life! For you know the instructions we gave you, instructions that came through the Lord Jesus. Now this is God's will for you: set yourselves apart and live holy lives; avoid polluting yourselves with sexual defilement. Learn how to take charge over your own body, maintaining purity and honor. Don't let the swells of lustful passion run your life as they do the outsiders who don't know God. Don't violate or take advantage of a fellow believer in such matters. As we told you before and warned you: the Lord will settle the score with anyone who does these things. Here's why: God does not call us to live impure, adulterous, scandalous lives, but to seek holiness and purity. If you ignore this message, then you're not only rejecting us but you're rejecting God, the One who has given His Holy Spirit to live in you. 

Now there's no need for us to send you instructions on caring for your faith family because God Himself has already taught you how to love outside yourselves. And it's evident you learned that lesson well by the way you love all the people of Macedonia. Brothers and sisters, we urge you to love even more and make it your goal to lead a peaceful life, mind your own business, and keep your hands busy in your work, as we have instructed you. That way you will live peacefully with those on the outside, and all your needs will be met without depending on others. 
(1 Thessalonians 4:1-12) 

Brothers and sisters, we ask you to show appreciation to those who are working hard among you and those who are your leaders as they guide and instruct you in the Lord — they are priceless. When you think about them, let it be with great love in your heart because of all the work they have done. Let peace live and reign among you. 

Brothers and sisters, we strongly advise you to scold the rebels who devote their lives to wreaking havoc, to encourage the downcast, to help the sick and weak, and to be patient with all of them. Make sure no one returns evil for evil, but always pursue what is good as it affects one another in the church but also all people. Celebrate always, pray constantly, and give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. (This is God's will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed.) Don't suppress the Spirit. Don't downplay prophecies. Take a close look at everything, test it, then cling to what is good. Put away every form of evil. 
(1 Thessalonians 5:12-22)
Response in Prayer

Almighty LORD, Father in heaven, I want my life to show the balance and reflect the character and compassion of Your Son and my Savior Jesus. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I want to be a person of righteous character and gracious compassion. I want to be a living example of Your holiness and grace and also Your righteousness and loving kindness. Help me see my flaws. Humble me gently as I seek to be conformed to Your will. Bring into my life people who will encourage and gently correct me, and lead me to bless others in the same way. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"My Coming Again" — A Year with Jesus for 07/19/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Fellow Heir of Glory, 

As God's child and as My younger sibling in the Father's family of grace, you are an heir of glory. The glory that I enjoy with the Father will one day be yours also. My coming again is on your horizon. I will come again in the glory of My Father and the angels. This glorious day is your future. Glory awaits! 

Paul wanted the new believers in Thessalonica to realize that My "coming" in glory is their future. He wanted them to remember that they will celebrate Me as their "coming" King who returns in heaven's glory. They needed to be reminded that they will be reunited with all those who have followed Me as their Lord throughout all time, and they will be vindicated for their faith in Me. 

The Thessalonian disciples had several in their number who had died since Paul left. They weren't worried about them experiencing heaven, but they were worried that their loved ones would miss My "coming" in glory — the big celebration when I return in My heavenly glory for all those who belong to Me. (The Greek word Paul chose to speak of My "coming" again was parousia, a word used in Paul's time for the joyous return of a king from his victory. My "coming" is sometimes called "the rapture" in your day.) 

The first paragraph in the verses below focuses on the glorious reunion of all who belong to Me when I come again. Those who are still alive when I return will be changed and will join those whom I have raised and given glorious, immortal bodies, and both groups will join Me in My glory forever. (For more on immortal resurrection bodies, see 1 Corinthians 15:50-58.) While you grieve for those who have died, you don't grieve like those who have no hope. Your being with Me and with all those who belong to Me — a great grand reunion of all those in My family — is certain. Glory is your destination. Joy is the language of My "coming" for you! These promises are very useful to encourage and comfort each other! 

In the second paragraph, Paul is talking about the same event, but from a totally different perspective. My "coming" is glorious for those who belong to Me, but the second paragraph looks at My "coming" again from the vantage point of those who are not ready. 

My "coming" should motivate you, My disciple, to live in ways that prepare you for My return. While you can't know the time of My "coming," you shouldn't be surprised because you are purposely living for Me and awaiting that day with longing. You don't take part in the works and the life of darkness because you are "all children of light." These insights should also give you a firm basis for your own encouragement and comfort, as well as a foundation to encourage each other to faithfulness, vigilance, and holiness. 

The last paragraph is from Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians. Persecution, opposition, criticism, and false teaching had all intensified for this band of new disciples. They needed to be reminded that their suffering was worth the short-term pain for the eternal gain — victory when I return and the eternal glory they will share with Me. Paul wanted them to wake up and get themselves ready for the battles ahead, but to do so knowing their victory is assured, and their sacrifices are worthwhile because of their ultimate glory. I will bring justice and victory to them. I will also bring salvation in every sense of that concept, to them and to you.
Verses to Live

My "coming" in glory is much debated, sometimes feared, and often ignored. I hope none of these three reactions is your reaction. I want you to anticipate the great things that will be yours when I return in glory. I want you to find comfort in knowing that what you do for Me is never in vain. I want you to have a sense of urgency in living for Me because I am always ready to step back into history and return for those who are My own. So please read through these related, but distinctly different, teaching sections about My return. Know that I AM "coming" back for you and for those who love Me and live their lives for Me!
Brothers and sisters, we want you to be fully informed about those who have fallen asleep in death so that you will not be overwhelmed with grief like those who live outside of the true hope. Here's what we believe: since Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, God will bring with Jesus all who have died through Him. For we can say all this to you confidently because it is the word of the Lord: we who are still alive and left behind when the Lord comes will not precede those who have fallen asleep in death. On that day, with a command that thunders into the world, with a voice of a chief heavenly messenger, and with a blast of God's trumpet, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven; and all those who died in the Anointed One, our Liberating King, will rise from the dead first. Then we who are alive and left behind will be snatched up together with them into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is how we, the resurrected and the living, will be with Him forever. So comfort one another with this hope, and encourage one another with these words. 

Now, brothers and sisters, you don't need further instruction from us or anyone else for that matter regarding how the seasons and times will play out. That's because you know the truth well enough. The day of the Lord will race onto the scene and surprise us like a thief in the night. People will be going about their business chanting, "All is well! All is at peace!" and in the next moment, ruin and destruction will suddenly seize them as labor pains grip a woman about to give birth; for them there will be no escape. My brothers and sisters, it will be different for you. You do not dwell in the darkness, so that day will not surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light. You are sons and daughters of the day. We are not created of night, nor are we owned by darkness. So then let's not give in to sleep or wander around in a stupor as some do, but let's stay awake and in control. You see, sleepers sleep through the night, and drunkards drink the night away; but since we belong to the day, we should stay sober and in control, covered with a breastplate of faith and love and a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us, His chosen, to face His wrath but to be the heirs of salvation through our Lord Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, who died for us. So regardless of whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. So support one another. Keep building each other up as you have been doing. 
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11) 

Brothers and sisters, we cannot help but thank God for you, which is only appropriate because your faith is growing and expanding and because the love demonstrated by each and every one of you is overflowing for one another. So, of course, we've proudly bragged about you within circles of God's people at other churches near and far because, even in the grip of much persecution and affliction, you've stood firm in your faith and have persevered. Your sufferings prove that God's judgment is right! The result: your sufferings have made you worthy — worthy of the kingdom of God, which is the very reason why you are suffering in the first place! It is only right that God would repay with trouble those who have troubled you and give relief to all of you still bandaging your wounds, as well as to all the rest of us. On that day — when the clouds draw back displaying His powerful heavenly messengers in a fiery blaze, Jesus the Lord will appear from heaven dealing out perfect justice to anyone who doesn't know God and anyone who disobeys the good news of our Lord Jesus. And what's to become of them? They'll pay for what they've done; their punishment will be eternal destruction. And what's worse? They'll be banished from the Lord's presence and glorious power. On that day when He comes, all the saints in heaven and on earth will celebrate the glory of His power, and all who believe will stand and be amazed — this includes you because you believed us when we testified on His behalf. All this is why we are constantly praying for you, so God will make you worthy of the great calling you have received from Him and will give you the power to accomplish every good intention and work of faith. Then the great name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified through your lives, and you will be glorified in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, our Liberating King. 
(2 Thessalonians 1:3-12)
Response in Prayer

Almighty Father, LORD of grace and mercy, thank You for all that You have done to redeem me from sin and death. I trust that my life and future are in Your hands. I trust that Jesus will return in glory and bring me into Your presence in glory. Thank You for such a glorious future. Help me live with urgency, knowing that Jesus is ready to step back into history and that His return is certain. I ask this in the name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"We Are Family!" — A Year with Jesus for 07/17/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Brothers and Sisters, 

While there are many things you can learn from Paul's message to the Thessalonians, today I want you to notice the warm language of affection and family that you find in the verses below. Paul states the truth of his love for these new disciples with these words of affection:
We were so taken by you that we not only eagerly shared with you God's good news, but we also shared with you our own lives. That's how much you've come to mean to us.
All the way through the verses below, Paul uses the language of family and affection because these new disciples not only needed affirmation (yesterday's focus), but they also needed to know, feel, and experience the beauty of relationships in My family. 

In addition, they needed to be reassured that Paul's motives were genuine. They had to know that Paul's motives were based on his love for them and not a desire to get something from them. So Paul went to great pains to remind them that they were loved as the Father's children. He reminded them that he cared for them as a father would. 

As their spiritual father in the faith, they meant everything to him. He stressed that he did what he did out of his love for them and not ulterior motives. Paul's explanation of his motives was not a discussion of theory. He had demonstrated these things when he was among them. Notice Paul's key phrases like "Don't you remember...?" and "As you know..." which pointed to his way of life when he was with them. 

The family relationship between Paul and the Thessalonian Christians existed because they had all been adopted into the Father's family (Ephesians 1:4-5). When I was with My disciples on earth, I taught them to pray "Our Father..." (Matthew 6:9). I want you to pray this same way. God is your "Abba" Father (Romans 8:15). 

You have been adopted into My family. I AM not only your Savior and Lord, but I AM also your older brother. I want you to experience the warmth, acceptance, and love that come from being in our Father's family. Paul wanted the Thessalonians to experience this warmth, acceptance, and love, too. So notice his words of relationship and make them true in your fellowship with other believers. We are family!
Verses to Live

One of the fundamental ways you can experience My presence among you is through your life as My family. When you gather together to live as My family, I AM present with you (Matthew 18:20). Please notice the rich language of love, affection, and family in Paul's words!
Brothers and sisters, you yourselves know that our coming to you was not a waste of time. You remember how we had just suffered through brutal and insulting attacks in Philippi; but because of God, we boldly stepped into the open to tell you His good news, even though it would likely mean more conflict for us. For we haven't approached you — or anyone else for that matter — with some error or impure motives or deceitful agenda; but as we have been approved by God and entrusted with the good news, that's how we are telling the world. We aren't trying to please everybody, but God, the only One who can truly examine our motives. As you know, we didn't sandwich the truth between cunning compliments — we told it straight — and before the eye of God, we never conspired to make a single cent off of you. We didn't come seeking respect from people — not from you or anyone else — although we could have leveraged our position as emissaries of the Anointed One, the Liberating King. Instead, we proved to be gentle among you, like a nursing mother caring for her own children. We were so taken by you that we not only eagerly shared with you God's good news, but we also shared with you our own lives. That's how much you've come to mean to us. 

Don't you remember, my brothers and sisters, how hard we worked and struggled? We worked day and night so that we wouldn't be a burden to any of you and so that we could continue to proclaim to you the good news of God. Both you and God can confirm how well we treated the believers: we were always holy, just, and blameless. As you know, we comforted and consoled each of you as a father soothes his own children, encouraging you to live lives worthy of God — of the One calling you into His own kingdom and into His glory. 

So we have good reason to give thanks to God without pausing. For you have taken into yourselves the word of God we brought to you and received it as a message from God — not just something whipped up by someone like you or us — and that word is at work in you who believe. And, brothers and sisters, you even became imitators of the churches of God in Jesus the Anointed that gather in Judea because you were willing to suffer at the hands of your own countrymen as they suffered from the unbelieving Judeans. These are the same people who killed the Lord Jesus, as well as the prophets, and continued attacking until they drove all of us out. They don't just offend God; they are clearly hostile to the rest of the people because they are trying to silence our life-saving message to the nations; and as a result, their sins are always filling up and overflowing. But in the end, they will face God's wrath. 

Brothers and sisters, we are like orphans, separated from you for a short time (in presence, yes, but not in heart); and we desperately desire to see your faces again. However, as much as we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, assure you we tried again and again — Satan thwarted our plans. For what is our true hope, our true joy, our victor's crown in all this? It is nothing if it isn't you standing before our Lord Jesus the Anointed at His arrival. You are our glory! You are our joy! 

But after all our attempts to come to you were frustrated, we decided it was best for Silvanus and me to stay behind in Athens by ourselves and to send Timothy (our dear brother and servant of God, our partner in the good news of the Anointed One) to strengthen, comfort, and encourage you in your faith so that you won't be shaken by the sufferings and wither under this stress that we know lies ahead. Certainly you remember that when we were with you, we warned you of the suffering we would have to endure; now, as you well know, it has happened. This is why I couldn't stand it anymore and sent Timothy to report on the state of your faith: because I was worried the tempter had tested you and, if so, all of our hard work would have come to nothing. 

You can imagine my relief and joy when Timothy returned to us with such good news about you, about your faith and love for us, about how you have such good memories of us and long to see us as much as we long to see you. Hearing this about your faith, brothers and sisters, brought comfort to us in our stress-filled days of trouble and suffering. For if you are set firmly in the Lord, then we can truly live. What thanks would ever be enough to offer God about you for all the jubilant celebration we'll feel before our God because of you. We remain vigilant in our prayers, night and day praying to once again see your faces and to help complete whatever may be lacking in your faith. 
(1 Thessalonians 2:1-20; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-10)
Response in Prayer

O Father of mercy and grace, thank You. Thank You for giving me a spiritual family. Forgive me for the times that I have neglected my relationship with You as My Father and neglected my relationships with my brothers and sisters in Your family. Please bring me into spiritual relationships that are rich in warmth, acceptance, and love. Use me to bless others who need those kinds of relationships with believers. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"The Importance of Affirmation!" — A Year with Jesus for 07/16/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Child of the Father, 

While Paul was in Corinth, he waited anxiously to hear how the new believers in Thessalonica were doing. The Thessalonians had made a huge change when they became Christians, as he wrote to them:
[Y]ou turned toward God and realigned your life to serve the one true living God — leaving your idols to crumble in the dust — and how you now await the return from heaven of His Son, whom He raised from the dead — namely, Jesus — our rescuer from the wrath to come.

In addition to the huge change in their lifestyles, the Thessalonians had endured some hardships because of their faith:
You took to heart the word we taught with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, even in the face of trouble.
Since Paul was prevented from returning to Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18), he sent Timothy "to strengthen and encourage" them in their faith (1 Thessalonians 3:2 NIV) and report back to him on how the Thessalonian Christians were doing (1 Thessalonians 3:5). Paul was relieved that in the face of real suffering for Me, these new believers in Thessalonica were remaining faithful to Me and still thought favorably of him, My apostle. 

As Paul began the first of his two letters to the Thessalonians, he affirmed My new disciples. He thanked God for these new brothers and sisters in Thessalonica. His thanksgiving was not generic appreciation for new believers, but he was genuinely excited about their signs of true Christian maturity — faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). In his letter to them, he said:
Your actions on behalf of the true faith, your tireless toil of love, and your unfailing, unwavering, unending hope in our Lord Jesus...

To affirm them further, Paul then reminded these new believers that he knew God had selected them. He emphasized three things that show they were chosen by the Father:
The way the "life-empowering, Spirit-infused message" had come to them.
The way they (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) as messengers from God had come to them — they had lived "transparently" as great examples of My lifestyle for the Thessalonians.
The way the Thessalonians had come to be a great example of outreach and faith to other churches.
How important was it for Paul to start with affirmation? Extremely important! 

Remember that the Father affirmed Me right after My baptism by saying:
"You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." 
(Luke 3:22 NLT)
The Father gave Me assurance that I was His beloved Son Who brought Him joy, and He did this immediately before I faced a time of testing from the evil one. I faced struggles with the evil one, but I had been prepared by My Father! Paul is doing a similar thing with these new believers facing hardship, troubles, and sufferings. 

Paul had some very important doctrinal and moral truths to communicate to the Thessalonians and also some things to correct in them. However, he spent over sixty percent of this letter affirming them, praying for them, and stressing how important his relationship with them was to him. Despite all that they lacked in their understanding about morality and My return in glory, Paul began with an affirmation of their progress in their faith and confirmation of his love for them. 

Paul's emphasis on affirmation is important for you to notice. As you encounter new and struggling disciples, I hope that you will remember his example of affirmation. The evil one is always sowing seeds of doubt in new believers' hearts. When hardships and troubles come, new disciples can easily doubt their importance to Me and the growth of the kingdom. They need affirmation that they are loved. They need to be assured that faith in Me is the right choice. They need to be reminded that the sacrifices they are making and the hardships they are enduring are worth it. This affirmation is especially important at the earliest stages of faith. 

I don't want the evil one to steal away new believers' joy at being My disciples. I don't want Satan to use hardships and suffering to lead My new disciples to fall away from Me. I don't want the cares of the world to keep them from being effective in their discipleship (Mark 4:13-19). Please affirm new and struggling believers and help them stay on track in their lives of faith!
Verses to Live

As Paul begins his first letter to the Thessalonians, notice his emphasis on what these new believers are doing right! He is thankful for them. He sees the good work they have done and the great example they set even in the face of hardships. He reminds them of how they turned their lives around to follow Me. Paul begins with affirmation!
Paul, Silvanus [also known as Silas], and Timothy to the church gathering in Thessalonica, those living in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus the Anointed. May grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed. 

We always thank God for all of you in our prayers. Your actions on behalf of the true faith, your tireless toil of love, and your unfailing, unwavering, unending hope in our Lord Jesus the Anointed before God our Father have put you consistently at the forefront of our thoughts. 

O brothers and sisters loved by God, we know He has chosen you. And here is why: what you experienced in the good news we brought you was more than words channeling down your ears; it came to you as a life-empowering, Spirit-infused message that offers complete hope and assurance! We lived transparently before you so that you would know what sort of people we truly are. We did it for your sake, and you have modeled your lives after ours just as we are modeling ours after the Lord. You took to heart the word we taught with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, even in the face of trouble. As a result, you have turned into a model of faith yourselves for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. In fact, not only has the message of our Lord thundered from your gathering into Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere we go, your faith in God is talked about so we don’t even have to say a thing! You see, they go on and on telling us the story of how you welcomed us when we were introduced to you; how you turned toward God and realigned your life to serve the one true living God — leaving your idols to crumble in the dust — and how you now await the return from heaven of His Son, whom He raised from the dead — namely, Jesus — our rescuer from the wrath to come. 
(1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
Response in Prayer

O Father in heaven, use me to bless new believers. Open my eyes to see their need for affirmation. Help me as I seek to seize my opportunities to affirm them and encourage them in their faith. Use me to be Your voice to them, so they know that they are Your children, that You love them, and that You are proud of them. Use me to bless new Christians. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. 
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

"Assurance in Weakness" — A Year with Jesus for 07/15/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

By his own admission, Paul came to Corinth with very little personal confidence. He wrote:
I came to you in weakness — timid and trembling. 
(1 Corinthians 2:3 NLT)
In the verses below from Acts, Luke shared that Paul's work in Corinth began with difficulty, especially among his fellow Jews who "stopped listening and began insulting him." 

However, Paul's ministry and leadership were vital to the success of the early church and its mission, especially to the Gentiles. Despite the opposition he faced in Macedonia and "the great turmoil" he endured in Athens, I planned to use him to make a huge difference in Corinth. So I gave him these words of encouragement in a vision:
"Do not be afraid, Paul. Speak! Don't be silent! I am with you, and no one will lay a finger on you to harm you. I have many in this city who are already My people."
My words of encouragement helped Paul regain his confidence. He remained in Corinth for a longer time than he had originally planned. He increased his spiritual investment in the people of this strategic city. He blessed these precious new believers. With his follow-up letters and visits, Paul helped these Christians deal with difficult problems. He challenged them to live for Me with spiritual passion in a city known for its immorality and depravity. Despite the early problems the church in Corinth faced, it soon became an example of cross-centered grace that comes to life in My followers. 

So where are you in your faith and commitment?
Are you discouraged?
Are you frustrated?
Are you facing opposition from a hostile culture?
Are you dealing with problems in a congregation with many new believers?
Are you needing to know that your efforts at reaching the lost and at growing new disciples are not in vain?
Ask Me to help you! 

Ask Me to help you find assurance. Ask Me to help you find clarity. Ask Me to help you live out My will in your community and through your personal mission. Speak to Me openly about your concerns. Admit your lack of confidence and ask to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Admit your fears and misgivings. Paul admitted his failings to Me and revealed many of them to others through his letters. Admission of failure is not an admission of defeat or faithlessness, but of recognition. It is the recognition of the enormity of the task, the difficulty of the challenges, the greatness of the opportunity, and your insufficiency in being able to live out My mission for you on your own! 

Paul would later talk about the source of his power in the face of his own insufficiency. His words are not only beautiful in imagery and meaning, but also powerfully true:
For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. 

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 
(2 Corinthians 4:6-7 NLT)
Verses to Live

I long to give assurance to those who seek to follow me. Moses needed reassurance that the Father would go with him into the wilderness to lead Israel, and the Father gave it to him (Exodus 33:12-23). The Father gave assurance to Joshua when he was called to lead the people of Israel after Moses' death (Joshua 1:6-18). The essence of the promises to both Moses and Joshua was reiterated for you by the writer of the book of Hebrews (Hebrews 13:5-6). The Father gave Me assurance after My baptism and before I faced My temptation (Luke 3:21-22). As you read these verses below, remember that I gave reassurance to Paul. Yes, I long to give assurance to you, too! So, ask for it! Seek My will. Knock on the door of grace and find it opened to you (Matthew 7:7-11).
From Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth alone. He found a Jewish man there named Aquila, originally from Pontus. Aquila and his wife Priscilla had recently come to Corinth from Italy because Claudius had banished all Jews from Rome. Paul visited them in their home and discovered they shared the same trade of tent making. He then became their long-term guest and joined them in their tentmaking business. Each Sabbath he would engage both Jews and Greeks in debate in the synagogue in an attempt to persuade them of his message. 

Eventually Silas and Timothy left Macedonia and joined him in Corinth. They found him fully occupied by proclaiming the message, testifying to the Jewish people that Jesus was God's Anointed, the Liberating King. Eventually, though, some of them stopped listening and began insulting him. He shook the dust off his garments in protest. 

Paul:
OK. I've done all I can for you. You are responsible for your own destiny before God. From now on, I will bring the good news to the outsiders!
He walked out of the synagogue and went next door to the home of an outsider, Titius Justus, who worshiped God. Paul formed a gathering of believers there that included Crispus (the synagogue leader) and his whole household and many other Corinthians who heard Paul, believed, and were... washed through baptism. One night Paul had a vision in which he heard the Lord's voice. 

The Lord:
Do not be afraid, Paul. Speak! Don't be silent! I am with you, and no one will lay a finger on you to harm you. I have many in this city who are already My people.
After such turmoil in previous cities, these words encouraged Paul to extend his stay in Corinth, teaching the message of God among them for a year and six months. 
(Acts 18:1-11)
Response in Prayer

O Almighty Father, I am not sufficient to fulfill my mission. I am weak. I sometimes stumble and sin. I am an unworthy vessel for the grace You have asked me to share with others. However, through the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave me as a gift when I was saved, I trust that Your power will be displayed perfectly in my weakness. I trust that Your Word will be received as life-giving despite my frailties. I trust that Your grace will be found sufficient in my insufficiency. I trust, O LORD, that you will give me both the strength and the assurance I need to serve You and bring others to know You. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
This devotional was sent to elainejehu@yahoo.com, who has been receiving it since 13 Nov 2013 13:55.
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In the Center of My Will" — A Year with Jesus for 07/13/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower of the Way, 

The growth of My Kingdom will not necessarily be an easy undertaking. Spreading the good news of the Father's grace is often met with opposition. However, do not see that opposition as an indication that you have done something wrong. After preventing Paul's team from continuing to their intended destinations in Asia Minor, I sent Paul a vision of a man inviting his mission team and him to come over into Europe and help the people of Macedonia come to faith (Acts 16:6-10). 

I sent him this vision to show him it was My will that he and his team should go into Macedonia. From there they continued on to Achaia and Greece. They would need a sense of certainty because they faced challenges, hardship, opposition, physical abuse, ridicule, and jail when obeying this call. Nevertheless, they were doing what I wanted, where I wanted them to do it, and how I wanted them to do it. They were in the center of My will, yet many things about this missionary journey were hard for them. 

However, in the middle of these difficulties, great churches were planted, and incredible people were brought into My family. Important people among the Gentiles, especially among the women, became disciples. Paul grew incredibly close to the churches of Thessalonica and Philippi. He invested a lot of time in the Corinthians and a lot of prayer for them. Despite their early problems, these disciples became strong churches and congregations close to the apostle's heart. 

The point I want to make is this: don't try to determine if something is My will simply by seeing if it is immediately "successful" or if it is easy! Often, time must pass before you can see your efforts bear fruit. Satan will frequently viciously test you in the initial stages of your ministry to try to get you to give up. 

When I call you into a ministry or mission opportunity, don't give up on it until I call you to do something else. Prayerfully ask the Spirit to help you discern the truth about what is happening. Be faithful to your mission. Leave the success of the mission to Me. Sometimes these tough times are necessary to reach those I've called you to reach. Sometimes the times are tough to prepare you for future efforts that need even greater endurance and perseverance. While endurance and perseverance aren't always appreciated in your instant-everything society, these qualities are necessary if you are to truly develop the character and compassion of your Father. Being in the center of My will sometimes means hardships. Remember what I told my disciples on the eve of my death:
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." 
(John 15:18 NIV)
Verses to Live

Notice that Paul had a strategic plan that he used to reach the cities of Macedonia. While he faced stiff opposition, he also influenced key people to follow Me. These were people who would later be important in the life of My church and for their Christian influence on their communities. The events recorded here occurred after Paul and Silas left Asia Minor and went to Macedonia in response to My call through Paul's vision.
After leaving Philippi and passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. There was a Jewish synagogue there. As he had done in other cities, Paul attended the synagogue and presented arguments, based on the Hebrew Scriptures, that the Anointed had to suffer and rise from the dead. 

Paul:
Who is this suffering and rising Anointed One I am proclaiming to you? He is Jesus.
He came back the next two Sabbaths — repeating the same pattern. Some of the ethnically Jewish people from the synagogue were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas. Even more devout Greeks who had affiliated with Judaism came to believe — along with quite a few of the city's leading women. 

Seeing this movement growing, the unconvinced Jewish people became protective and angry. They found some ruffians hanging out in the marketplaces and convinced them to help start a riot. Soon a mob formed, and the whole city was seething with tension. The mob was going street by street, looking for Paul and Silas — who were nowhere to be found. Frustrated, when the mob came to the house of a man named Jason, now known as a believer, they grabbed him and some other believers they found there and dragged them to the city officials. 

Mob:
These people — they're political agitators turning the world upside down! They've come here to our fine city, and this man, Jason, has given them sanctuary and made his house a base for their operations. We want to expose their real intent; they are trying to overturn Caesar's sensible decrees. They're saying that Jesus is king, not Caesar!
Of course, this disturbed the crowd at large and the city officials especially, so they demanded bail from Jason and the others before releasing them. 

The believers waited until dark and then sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. When they arrived, they went to the synagogue. 

The Jewish people here were more receptive than they had been in Thessalonica. They warmly and enthusiastically welcomed the message and then, day by day, would check for themselves to see if what they heard from Paul and Silas was truly in harmony with the Hebrew Scriptures. Many of them were convinced, and the new believers included — as in Thessalonica — quite a few of the city's leading Greek women and important men also. Reports got back to Thessalonica that Paul and Silas were now spreading God's message in Berea; the Jewish people who had incited the riot in Thessalonica quickly came to Berea to do the same once again. The believers sent Paul away. A small group escorted him, first to the coast, and then all the way to Athens. Silas and Timothy, however, remained in Berea. Later they received instructions from Paul to join him in Athens as soon as possible. 
(Acts 17:1-15)
Response in Prayer

O Father in heaven, forgive me for the times I've given up too easily. I want to be a person of endurance and perseverance so that Your character and compassion are brought forth in my life. Give me courage, dear LORD, to not give up when things are tough. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International..
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.


"Great Sermon, But..." — A Year with Jesus for 07/14/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

The text in the Verses to Live section comes from two different places. I want you to read them together to help you understand two very important principles as explained toward the end of this section. 

The first set of verses details Paul's message before the philosophers of Athens at Mars Hill and the Areopagus, where the Areopagite Council met. Paul's message is powerful and well known to many people. In fact, this sermon is used as an example of good cross-cultural communication. This message takes statements and ideas people know from their own culture and connects them to the truth of My story. Paul quotes some of the Athenians' own poets to get his points across. His line of reasoning is great. In fact, he was well received until he talked about the resurrection. However, then "some shook their heads and scoffed." 

The second set of verses describes Paul's emotional state after leaving Athens and how it impacted his sharing the gospel. He came to Corinth from Athens "in weakness — timid and trembling"! 

As you put these two readings together, you will notice something very important that was missing in Paul's words of wisdom that he presented in Athens. He did not have his usual emphasis on my crucifixion and what the cross means. Paul knew that preaching about My crucifixion was a problem in proper society. To use the word "crucify" or to refer to a "crucifixion" was considered base and inappropriate discussion. 

In Athens, Paul used the Athenians' approach to wisdom and didn't include the teaching of the cross and what My death actually meant. When Paul later wrote to the Corinthian Christians, notice how he reflected upon this approach as he came to Corinth "in weakness":
So now, where is the philosopher? Where is the scholar? Where is the skilled debater, the best of your time? Step up, if you dare. Hasn't God made fools out of those who count on the wisdom of this rebellious, broken world? For in God's deep wisdom, He made it so that the world could not even begin to comprehend Him through its own style of wisdom; in fact, God took immense pleasure in rescuing people of faith through the foolishness of the message we preach. It seems the Jews are always asking for signs and the Greeks are always on the prowl for wisdom. But we tell a different story. We proclaim a crucified Jesus, God's Anointed. For Jews this is scandalous, for outsiders this is moronic, but for those of us living out God’s call — regardless of our Jewish or Greek heritage — we know the Anointed embodies God's dynamic power and God's deep wisdom. You can count on this: God's foolishness will always be wiser than mere human wisdom, and God's weakness will always be stronger than mere human strength. 
(1 Corinthians 1:20-25)
As brilliant and beautiful as Paul's sermon at Mars Hill in Athens may have been, Paul was not well received and came to Corinth determined to preach the message of My cross and God's love revealed in My crucifixion. As he said later to the Corinthians:
I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 
(1 Corinthians 2:2 NIV)
There is special power in this message because it does NOT depend on human wisdom, but is used by the Holy Spirit to reach people's hearts. 

Please understand two things I want you to see in these verses: 

First, I do want you to understand the best way to communicate truth with the cultures you are trying to reach. When I came to earth, I came as the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham, David, and the prophets. So I came as a true Israelite. I lived as a Jew, worshiped as a Jew, and focused My message on speaking to Jewish people of that time. I demonstrated that true ministry is incarnational — it comes and lives in a culture as part of that culture to redeem that culture while being appreciative of that culture. However, truth will always run into places of conflict in every culture. This happened to Me, and John put it well:
He [Jesus] entered our world, a world He made; yet the world did not recognize Him. Even though He came to His own people, they refused to listen and receive Him. But for all who did receive and trust in Him, He gave them the right to be reborn as children of God; He bestowed this birthright not by human power or initiative but by God’s will. 
(John 1:10-13)
Second, don't leave out any key part of the core gospel message.* Yes, the cross is scandalous. It always has been. To proclaim a crucified Messiah and Lord seems crazy at a certain human level of wisdom. But there is great power in the message of My crucifixion. The power of that message does not derive its strength from human wisdom, but from the Spirit's appeal to the human heart. 

So yes, you are right to think of Paul's sermon in Athens as a great sermon. Yes, it is even a good example of cross-cultural communication. But remember, no matter how great the speech, how wise the wisdom, or how eloquent the speaker, when she or he leaves out the message of My cross and resurrection, something vital is lacking in the message! 

* Paul defines this core gospel well in 1 Corinthians 15. Here are a few verses from that chapter:
I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 
(1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NLT)
Verses to Live

Please read through these two sections of verses several times. Compare what Paul did in Athens and what he determined to do when he came to Corinth from Athens. Both are important messages!
So Paul found himself alone for some time in Athens. He would walk through the city, feeling deeply frustrated about the abundance of idols there. As in the previous cities, he went to the synagogue. Once again, he engaged in debate about Jesus with both ethnic Jews and devout Greek-born converts to Judaism. He would even wander around in the marketplace, speaking with anyone he happened to meet. Eventually he got into a debate with some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. Some were dismissive from the start. 

Philosophers:
What's this fast-talker trying to pitch?
Others:
He seems to be advocating the gods of distant lands.
They said this because of what Paul had been preaching about Jesus and the resurrection. 

This stirred their curiosity, because the favorite pastime of Athenians (including foreigners who had settled there) was conversation about new and unusual ideas. So they brought him to the rock outcropping known as the Areopagus, where Athens' intellectuals regularly gathered for debate, and they invited him to speak. 

Athenians:
May we understand this new teaching of yours? It is intriguingly unusual. We would love to know its meaning.
Paul:
Athenians, as I have walked your streets, I have observed your strong and diverse religious ethos. You truly are a religious people. I have stopped again and again to examine carefully the religious statues and inscriptions that fill your city. On one such altar, I read this inscription: "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD." I am not here to tell you about a strange foreign deity, but about this One whom you already worship, though without full knowledge. This is the God who made the universe and all it contains, the God who is the King of all heaven and all earth. It would be illogical to assume that a God of this magnitude could possibly be contained in any man-made structure, no matter how majestic. Nor would it be logical to think that this God would need human beings to provide Him with food and shelter — after all, He Himself would have given to humans everything they need — life, breath, food, shelter, and so on. 

This God made us in all our diversity from one original person, allowing each culture to have its own time to develop, giving each its own place to live and thrive in its distinct ways. His purpose in all this was that people of every culture and religion would search for this ultimate God, grope for Him in the darkness, as it were, hoping to find Him. Yet, in truth, God is not far from any of us. For you know the saying, "We live in God; we move in God; we exist in God." And still another said, "We are indeed God's children." Since this is true, since we are indeed offspring of God's creative act, we shouldn't think of the Deity as our own artifact, something made by our own hands — as if this great, universal, ultimate Creator were simply a combination of elements like gold, silver, and stone. No, God has patiently tolerated this kind of ignorance in the past, but now God says it is time to rethink our lives and reject these unenlightened assumptions. He has fixed a day of accountability, when the whole world will be justly evaluated by a new, higher standard: not by a statue, but by a living man. God selected this man and made Him credible to all by raising Him from the dead.
When they heard that last phrase about resurrection from the dead, some shook their heads and scoffed, but others were even more curious. 

Others:
We would like you to come and speak to us again.
Paul left at that point, but some people followed him and came to faith, including one from Areopagus named Dionysius, a prominent woman named Damaris, and others. 
(Acts 17:16-34) 

When I [Paul] first came to you [in Corinth from Athens], dear brothers and sisters, I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness — timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 
(1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NLT)
Response in Prayer

O Father God, please give me the courage to proclaim all of Your truth. I want to be sensitive to the people with whom I am seeking to share the message of Jesus. I want them to understand Your truth in language that is familiar to them. I want to share ideas that connect to what they know to help them understand Your truth. At the same time, dear Father, I don't want the power of the message I share to be dependent upon me. Bless and empower all who are seeking to share Jesus with the lost world. Bless those who hear Your message so that their minds and hearts are open to accepting Your saving grace offered through Jesus. I ask this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Imprisoned to Redeem" — A Year with Jesus for 07/12/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

Grace can have a strong touch of redemptive irony! As you read in the verses below about Paul and Silas being thrown into jail, notice some of these touches of irony:
By divine intervention, the prisoners' chains are unlocked, and their cell doors opened but they remain in their cells, and when the jailer discovers what had happened, he brings them out of their cells and even takes them home with him rather than locking them back up.
The jailer washes the wounds inflicted by those he supervised in the jail.
The prisoners tell the jailer and his family My story of grace, baptize them, and free them from being bound to sin and death.
The prisoners eat at the jailer's table rejoicing with a family that was saved after the jailer did not lock the prisoners back up.
All of this begins with Paul liberating a young woman who was being manipulated and exploited for money because of her "occult spirit."
The story ends with those in charge begging not to be humiliated for the griev! ous error of beating Roman citizens without a trial.
And as a small sub-plot, Paul and Silas go free because they are both Roman citizens. However, if Paul were still partnered with Barnabas, Barnabas would have gone back to jail because he was not a Roman citizen.
Many things that happen behind the scenes of history empower the spread of the good news. You will never know many of these things. Little subtle connections between people and events that lead to the spread of the good news may appear to be random "coincidences" from your side of history. They are, however, better called "God-incidences." I'm talking about Our — Father, Son, and Spirit's — purposeful acts of providence that help bring redemption to those in need of grace. 

You are not alone in your work for the Kingdom. Even when things appear to be disastrous messes, please know that Paul's declaration remains true:
We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan. 
(Romans 8:28)
As you've seen time and again, when the good news message about Me is shared, and people truly believe and are baptized, great things happen. Not one of these things happens by accident. Remember My promise made early in My ministry:
Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you. All who ask receive. Those who seek, find what they seek. And he who knocks will have the door opened. 
(Matthew 7:7-8)
Verses to Live

Read carefully the following verses that tell of the continuing work conducted by Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Notice how We — Father, Son, and Spirit — are involved in redeeming each situation and bringing grace. It was true when the events you read about happened, and it is true today.
One day [in Philippi], as we [Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke] were going to the place set aside for prayer, we encountered a slave girl. She made a lot of money for her owners as a fortune-teller, assisted by some sort of occult spirit. She began following us. 

Slave Girl (shouting):
These men are slaves like me, but slaves of the Most High God! They will proclaim to you the way of liberation!
The next day as we passed by, she did the same thing — and again on the following days. One day Paul was really annoyed, so he turned and spoke to the spirit that was enslaving her. 

Paul:
I order you in the name of Jesus, God's Anointed: Come out of her!
It came right out. But when her owners realized she would be worthless now as a fortune-teller, they grabbed Paul and Silas, dragged them into the open market area, and presented them to the authorities. 

Slave Owners:
These men are troublemakers, disturbing the peace of our great city. They are from some Jewish sect, and they promote foreign customs that violate our Roman standards of conduct.
The crowd joined in with insults and insinuations, prompting the city officials to strip them naked in the public square so they could be beaten with rods. They were flogged mercilessly and then were thrown into a prison cell. The jailer was ordered to keep them under the strictest supervision. The jailer complied, first restraining them in ankle chains, then locking them in the most secure cell in the center of the jail. 

Picture this: It's midnight. In the darkness of their cell, Paul and Silas — after surviving the severe beating — aren't moaning and groaning; they're praying and singing hymns to God. The prisoners in adjoining cells are wide awake, listening to them pray and sing. 

Suddenly the ground begins to shake, and the prison foundations begin to crack. You can hear the sound of jangling chains and the squeak of cell doors opening. Every prisoner realizes that his chains have come unfastened. The jailer wakes up and runs into the jail. His heart sinks as he sees the doors have all swung open. He is sure his prisoners have escaped, and he knows this will mean death for him, so he pulls out his sword to commit suicide. At that moment, Paul sees what is happening and shouts out at the top of his lungs, 

Paul:
Wait, man! Don't harm yourself! We're all here! None of us has escaped.
The jailer sends his assistants to get some torches and rushes into the cell of Paul and Silas. He falls on his knees before them, trembling. Then he brings them outside. 

Jailer:
Gentlemen, please tell me, what must I do to be liberated?
Paul and Silas:
Just believe — believe in the ultimate King, Jesus, and not only will you be rescued, but your whole household will as well.
The jailer brings them to his home, and they have a long conversation with the man and his family. Paul and Silas explain the message of Jesus to them all. The man washes their wounds and feeds them, then they baptize the man and his family. The night ends with Paul and Silas in the jailer's home, sharing a meal together, the whole family rejoicing that they have come to faith in God. 

At dawn the city officials send the police to the jailer's home with a command: "Let those men go free." 

Jailer:
The city officials have ordered me to release you, so you may go now in peace.
Paul (loud enough that the police can hear):
Just a minute. This is unjust. We've been stripped naked, beaten in public, and thrown into jail, all without a trial of any kind. Now they want to release us secretly as if nothing happened? No way: we're Roman citizens—we shouldn't be treated like this! If the city officials want to release us, then they can come and tell us to our faces.
The police report back to the city officials; and when they come to the part about Paul and Silas being Roman citizens, the officials turn pale with fear. They rush to the jail in person and apologize. They personally escort Paul and Silas from their cell and politely ask them to leave the city. Paul and Silas oblige — after stopping at Lydia's home to gather with the brothers and sisters there and give them parting words of encouragement. 
(Acts 16:16-40)
Response in Prayer

Lord God Almighty, You are the Father of grace who sent Your Son Jesus to be my Savior, Redeemer, and Friend. Thank you. Help me trust that You are at work in our world. I trust that You are bringing grace and redeeming difficult circumstances for the salvation of the lost. I believe You are using the messes that the evil one throws at me to Your greater good. Give me courage, boldness, and confidence to live for Jesus and to share Your grace by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International..
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Guidance for Seeking Hearts" — A Year with Jesus for 07/11/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower, 

I promised My followers that the Holy Spirit would guide them in their witness to the nations (Acts 1:8). Today, I want to talk to you about an example of that guidance. I also want to show you an occasion when this guidance produced fruit in places that Paul and his missionary team had not planned to go. Closed doors and changed plans are not necessarily reasons for discouragement or a sense of failure! 

The Spirit guided the mission efforts of My first disciples. The Spirit indicated that Barnabas and Paul should be sent on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-3). The Holy Spirit helped the church decide what to do about welcoming Gentile converts they brought to Me in Antioch and on their first journey (Acts 15:1-35). My church was growing and reaching out to the lost in more areas. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit guided Paul and his partners Silas and Timothy in the direction and to the places they needed to go on their second journey. Part of the way through this journey, they were kept from going to their intended destinations. Instead, Paul had a vision that a man from Macedonia invited them to come to Macedonia and help. Although sharing My story was challenging almost everywhere they went, they also enjoyed success essentially everywhere they went. What began as frustration and closed doors ended up as great victories for the kingdom of God! 

My disciples in every era can become discouraged when they have a plan to carry out My mission, and their work is thwarted at every turn. Please read carefully what happens in today's verses. Paul and his team didn't get to go where they thought they should go as the door to these places was shut by the Holy Spirit. Instead, I opened another door to go into Europe — Macedonia, Achaia, and Greece. People were waiting to have the message shared with them in these places. Paul and his team couldn't foresee this opportunity, but I knew and yearned for these people to find My grace! Philippi was one of those places where this was true. 

Lydia and those in her household who worked for her in her fine fabric business were some of those people whose hearts were yearning for My grace. In Philippi, Paul continued his strategy of going "first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (Romans 1:16 NIV). There was no synagogue, so he went to the Jewish place of prayer by the river. Lydia and her household were there. They heard My message from Paul. They believed that message and were baptized. 

Their hearts were ready for the gospel. They not only responded to the message, but they also opened their lives up to work for the sake of the gospel. Lydia offered her house to be the place for the missionary team to stay and also for this new church to meet. More became My disciples in Philippi in the days that followed Lydia's conversion, but her story is enough for Me to make My point to you today. Remember what I said earlier to the disciples:
Here's the knowledge you need: you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest places on earth. 
(Acts 1:8)
Sharing My message does not depend just on you and your plans. It's about My guidance and power given to you through the Holy Spirit along with your willingness to respond to the Spirit's leading.
Verses to Live

Please don't become discouraged when you find closed doors. Some doors the evil one closes. Some I close for strategic reasons. Trust in this: I know those who are seeking Me. I long to get My people into position to share My grace with these seekers. Don't let closed doors dishearten you. Instead, seek the Spirit's guidance and trust that I will get you to the place and the people at the time that is most effective in sharing My grace. This trust was true in Philippi in Paul's day. This confidence is also true for you in your day!
Leaving there [Derbe and Lystra], now accompanied by Timothy, they [Paul, Silas, and Timothy] delivered to the churches in each town the decisions and instructions given by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. The churches were strengthened in the faith by their visit and kept growing in numbers on a daily basis. 

They sensed the Holy Spirit telling them not to preach their message in Asia at this time, so they traveled through Phrygia and Galatia. They came near Mysia and planned to go into Bithynia, but again they felt restrained from doing so by the Spirit of Jesus. So they bypassed Mysia and went down to Troas. That night Paul had a vision in which a Macedonian man was pleading with him. 

Macedonian Man:
Come over to Macedonia! Come help us!
This vision convinced us all that God was calling us to bring the good news to that region. 

We set sail from the port city of Troas, first stopping in Samothrace, then the next day in Neapolis, finally arriving in Philippi, a Roman colony and one of Macedonia's leading cities. We stayed in Philippi for several days. On the Sabbath day, we went outside the city walls to the nearby river, assuming that some Jewish people might be gathering for prayer. We found a group of women there, so we sat down and spoke to them. One of them, Lydia, was a business woman originally from Thyatira. She made a living buying and selling fine purple fabric. She was a true worshiper of God and listened to Paul with special interest. The Lord opened her heart to take in the message with enthusiasm. She and her whole household were... washed through baptism. 

Lydia:
If you believe I'm truly faithful to the Lord, please, you must come and stay at my home.
We couldn't turn down her invitation. 
(Acts 16:4-15)
Response in Prayer

O Father, guide my steps, lead my heart, and open my eyes to Your opportunities to reach people who are hungering and thirsting to know Your grace. Don't let me be discouraged by periods of rejection or opposition. Keep the fire in me alive during those times when my plans fail, and I find it hard to find Your way forward. I want to believe that You still lead Your people to bring Your grace to others, but please, O LORD, help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE? It's FREE! Visit the website to subscribe by email.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.

Courage, Investment, & Call!" — A Year with Jesus for 07/10/2016

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

I AM deeply moved when people show their undivided loyalty to Me and are willing to invest everything they have in My cause. Remember what I told My disciples when I was with them on earth:
"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it." 
(Mark 8:34-35 NLT)
Lois, Eunice, and Timothy showed this loyalty when Paul asked Timothy to come join him and Silas on the second missionary journey. On Paul's first visit to their hometown of Lystra, Paul was rejected and stoned by an angry crowd. When everyone left because they thought Paul was dead, he got up and went back to town with other believers from Lystra. He then left town continuing on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:19-20). So when Paul asked Timothy to join him on the second journey, Timothy's family knew the very real dangers he would face. Regardless, they let him go with Paul anyway. I admire the courage and faithfulness of Timothy's family and Timothy! 

Paul had learned from Barnabas and from his training as a rabbi the importance of mentoring younger disciples who would ultimately step into the role of disciple-makers themselves. Silas would be in this role of being mentored by Paul on the second missionary journey. But no one demonstrated the importance of making disciples for future generations quite like Paul did with Timothy (2 Timothy 2:1-2). 

You will notice in the four sets of verses in your readings today that the second, third, and fourth readings emphasize how Timothy was being mentored by Paul. Timothy became the living witness of Paul's teaching and life, and in turn, of My teaching and life! If you wanted to imitate Paul's life and faith, all you had to do was look at Timothy, who lived it. Timothy was not only a trustworthy example of Paul but also of Me. As Paul says with admiration:
You know Timothy is genuine in the Lord's ways. He has been a faithful partner to me as we express the good news, as much as my own flesh and blood would have been.
Paul would spend a significant part of his life training Timothy to take over his role as a disciple-maker and teacher for future generations. 

Paul invested in younger disciples like Timothy, Silas, and Titus. Until Paul's dying breath, he was pouring himself into Timothy and others like him. He was determined not only to leave a legacy of faith but also to leave a set of living and breathing witnesses and disciple-makers to provide a future for My church. 

You have people whom you influence. They may be children, family members, friends, people at work, folks you meet at kids' sporting events or extra-curricular activities, children or youth at church, and believers in many places. I ask you to take seriously the example of Paul, who poured himself into future generations of leaders. My Great Commission is built upon this principle — a principle that I demonstrated with My own disciples. 

Your bodies are mortal. Your years on earth are limited. As important as you may be to others now, you and your influence will be gone in future years if you do not intentionally invest yourself in future generations. When you live this principle of disciple-making, you change the course of the future by investing in others. They, in turn, will invest in others and train them to share My message and to live for Me and redeem others with My grace (2 Timothy 2:1-2). 

I AM thankful for Paul for his investment in others. I am thankful for Timothy's family for their courage. I AM thankful for Timothy for accepting the challenge and following Me by joining Paul in his work! I AM thankful for everyone like these early disciples in whatever era they live. Make My joy complete by joining this group of disciple-makers: intentionally invest in others today — and continue to do so throughout your remaining time on earth.
Verses to Live

The following four passages come from different parts of the New Testament, yet are all woven together in My plan to change the world — My plan for disciple-making (Matthew 28:18-20). I hope you will see this grand theme, this grand purpose for you and every generation, as My plan to redeem the world. But don't just recognize this principle; please live it!
When Paul reached Derbe and Lystra, he invited a disciple named Timothy to join him and Silas. Timothy had a good reputation among the believers in Lystra and Iconium, but there was a problem: although Timothy's mother was a believing Jew, his father was Greek, which meant Timothy was uncircumcised. Because the Jewish people of those cities knew he was the son of a Greek man, Paul felt it would be best for Timothy to be circumcised before proceeding. Leaving there, now accompanied by Timothy, they delivered to the churches in each town the decisions and instructions given by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. The churches were strengthened in the faith by their visit and kept growing in numbers on a daily basis. 
(Acts 16:1-5) 

[Paul to the Corinthian Christians:] So as your father in the faith, I want to encourage you to live as I have lived. Imitate my life. This is one of the reasons I sent Timothy to be with you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. His mission is to remind you of the way I experience life in the Anointed. In all the churches everywhere I go, I teach the same lessons the same way, and I live out those lessons. 
(1 Corinthians 4:16-17) 

I [Paul] hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy your way [that is, to the Philippian Christians]. He will visit soon so that he may report to me how you are doing. To hear all that is going on with you will truly encourage my heart. There is no one like Timothy. What sets him apart from others is his deep concern for you and your spiritual journey. This is rare, my friends, for most people only care about themselves, not about what is dear to the heart of Jesus the Anointed. You know Timothy is genuine in the Lord's ways. He has been a faithful partner to me as we express the good news, as much as my own flesh and blood would have been. I expect to send him soon, and I will as soon as I see how things turn out here. I trust in the Lord that it won't be very long before I can come and be with you in person. 
(Philippians 2:19-24) 

Timothy, you are constantly in my [Paul's] prayers. Day and night I remember you before God and give thanks to Him whom I serve with a clean conscience, as did my ancestors. I really want to see you, especially when I remember how you cried the last time we were together. Yes, I know it would make me joyful to see you again. What strikes me most is how natural and sincere your faith is. I am convinced that the same faith that dwelt in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, abides in you as well. This is why I write to remind you to stir up the gift of God that was conveyed to you when I laid my hands upon you. You see, God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit. 
(2 Timothy 1:3-7)
Response in Prayer

O Father, give me the eyes to see and the heart to believe that You can use me to change the future by my being a disciple-maker. Please bring people into my life to disciple me and for me to disciple to Jesus. Use me, O LORD, to make an eternal difference in the lives of others and an immediate difference in those around me today and each day. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to support Compassion International.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc. 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2016, Heartlight Inc.