Today’s Scripture: Matthew 16-19

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6

What’s the most mind-boggling experience you’ve ever had? For me, I think it was my first trip to the Holy Land, where I actually looked at things Jesus saw and walked to places where He walked. But just think of the way Peter, James, and John must have felt as they were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1-2). Jesus’ glory, which was usually veiled, was briefly displayed for the disciples to see. I’m sure their minds were boggled when they were permitted to see Him as He really is.

Did you know that you and I, as followers of Christ, are involved in a process of transfiguration as well? The word transfigured is the same word used by the apostle Paul in Romans 12:2, where he exhorts us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are not to be conformed to the world but transformed more and more into the likeness of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, we read that this is accomplished by the Spirit of the Lord as the new nature of Christ is manifested in us. For us as believers, this is a gradual experience. And although it happens over a period of time, the results are clearly evident as we grow toward maturity in Christ.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Our Transformation →

Today’s Scripture: Matthew 1-4

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:7-8

Once, when I was speaking to a group of people on what it means to be a disciple, I tried to boil it down to its absolute essence–following Jesus. When the meeting was over, a woman from the audience came up to me and said, “You know, I had no idea it was so simple. We tend to complicate it.”

In Matthew 4:19, we find these words of Jesus to His first disciples: “Come, follow me,…and I will make you fishers of men.” What did that mean to the people who heard those words? It meant to remain close to Jesus every day, walking with Him, talking with Him, obeying Him, asking questions, learning from Him, being led by Him. The invitation was easily understood. The Lord wasn’t talking to the priests in their long robes in Jerusalem, He was speaking to some fishermen by the Sea of Galilee. And in Matthew 4:22, we read that Peter and Andrew “left the boat and their father and followed him.”

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Following Jesus →

Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 8-10

He has sent me to…provide for those who grieve in Zion–to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. – Isaiah 61:1,3

Did you know that the chemical composition of tears is affected by what makes us cry? Tears of frustration have a different composition than tears of grief or joy. And some kinds of crying are better for us than others.

In today’s passage, we have the beautiful lesson that God can turn our tears of mourning into tears of joy. When Ezra read the book of the Law, the record says the people wept. And at that point, Nehemiah moved into the picture and challenged them to receive the Word with joy.

When Nehemiah saw the people weeping, he told them to rejoice, remembering that the joy of the Lord was their strength. Then he told them to send portions of food to those for whom nothing was prepared.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Mourning into Gladness →

Today’s Scripture: 1 Kings 5-8

“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.’” – Luke 14:23

Most Old Testament Jews failed to grasp God’s vision regarding their places of worship. But King Solomon had a clear understanding of the temple and its purpose. Here is Solomon’s prayer in 1 Kings 8:27: “Will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” Solomon also had no desire to monopolize the knowledge of God and have this knowledge confined to Israel. His prayer in 1 Kings 8:43 is that “all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you.”

Solomon did not pray that all the nations of the earth might be subject to Israel and that he might reign over them, but that they might be subject to God and that God might reign over them. This ministry of making the Lord known to all people was to be the great destiny of the Jewish nation. Somehow, they completely missed the boat.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Making Disciples →

Today’s Scripture: Isaiah 28-30

And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. – Ephesians 2:22

In today’s passage of Scripture, the prophet Isaiah presents the first principle of spiritual growth: We must begin with a sure foundation. Here are the words of Isaiah 28:16: “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation” (KJV). In the New Testament we read that this foundation is Jesus Christ. Our precious Lord Jesus is this living stone, chosen by God. In 1 Corinthians 3:11, the apostle Paul wrote, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

I recall Dawson Trotman telling about a young man he once met. Daws had preached on the need for spiritual growth, and the young man came to him after the message and said, “Mr. Trotman, I want to grow, and I want to grow fast. I don’t want to go through all those things you mentioned tonight such as Bible study, morning prayer, and Bible reading.” He was looking for some way to take a great leap forward and arrive at spiritual maturity overnight.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Growing Deep Roots →

Today’s Scripture: Luke 19:1-10

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. – Proverbs 13:20

The Bible may seem to contain some contradictions, but God has taken precautions to keep His Word free from error. As we study it, we understand the paradoxes.

Take, for instance, the matter of the biblical teaching about separation from sin. We are told in Hebrews 7:26 that Jesus is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners. Yet in Hebrews 4:15, we read that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.”

He was without sin, separated from sinners–sinless. Yet one of the major accusations by His enemies was that He associated with sinners. Listen to the words found in Luke 15:1-2: “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering around to hear him. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Jesus, Our Example →

Today’s Scripture: Ezekiel 44-48

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9

In Ezekiel 44:23, God gave this command to the priests of the sanctuary: “They are to teach my people the difference between the holy and the common [profane] and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” Note carefully that the priests were to teach the people, not simply tell them. It’s the difference between telling a person what to avoid and helping him learn why he should refrain from things that displease the Lord.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The “Gray” Areas →

Today’s Scripture: Nehemiah 11-13

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.” – John 13:13

Back in Nehemiah 9:38, we find a group of people who made a binding agreement and put in writing their intention to keep the Law of the Lord. They had searched God’s Law to find out what it taught, then searched their own hearts to discover where they were falling short. After listing a number of things that were examples of their failures, they put in writing exactly what they were going to do about it.

Written applications should be part of every Bible study. As we see where we fall short or receive a new challenge in following the Lord, we should write down what we plan to do about it. But that’s not enough. In Nehemiah 13, we see that the people got off to a great start by putting their intentions in writing, but stumbled in putting them into practice.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Beyond Good Intentions →

Today’s Scripture: Ezra 7-8

In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. – 2 Chronicles 31:21

Have you ever looked at someone who was being used by God in a special way and wondered why the Lord seems to have His hand on that man or woman? Why is God using that person and not someone else? What is the secret of their spiritual success?

Ezra 7:9 says of Ezra, “The gracious hand of his God was upon him.” And the reason is found in the next verse: “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.”

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Under God’s Gracious Hand →

Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 17-20

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. – Colossians 2:6

When I was growing up on a farm in Iowa, we had a neighbor who, every time something unusual or exciting happened, would shout “Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat!” But a reading of 2 Chronicles 17-20 lets us know that Jehoshaphat was not known for his ability in jumping, but for his walk with God.

He wisely took precautions to fortify the land against invasion. But more than that, he walked in the ways of David, his father. And even here Jehoshaphat was selective, following the positive example of David while avoiding his weakness and sin. When King Jehoshaphat gave himself to the laws of God, the Bible says he put his heart in it. The New Testament describes this as fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Jehoshaphat’s Example →

Today’s Scripture: Leviticus 18-20

Avoid every kind of evil. – 1 Thessalonians 5:22

A quick read through Leviticus 18-20 raises some questions: How low can society go? How deep into sin? How polluted can the human spirit become? How degraded the human race? There are laws and commands in this passage that stagger the mind, and the Lord speaks plainly and bluntly to His people. “You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 18:3-4).

So they were neither to retain the idolatry of Egypt nor take on the moral standards of the land to which they were going, and they were to abstain from the corruption of their own fleshly desires.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Avoiding Slow Leaks →

Today’s Scripture: Leviticus 8-10

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. – Proverbs 6:16-19

In Leviticus 8-10, we see that the consecration of the priests contained a strange ritual. God instructed Moses to kill a ram, take the blood, and put it on the ears, hands, and feet of Aaron and his sons. They were set apart for God through this anointing, and dedicated to His service in all they did.

Soon after this, Leviticus 10 records that Aaron’s sons are killed for offering strange fire before God. God had not authorized them to burn incense on the solemn day of inauguration. That was to be performed by the high priest alone; they were to assist him. We know from the New Testament that the priests were to burn incense only when it was their lot, and this was certainly not Nadab and Abihu’s.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – Pride’s End →