Today’s Scripture: Mark 1-3

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. – 1 Corinthians 1:9

It is essential for every Christian to understand the difference between relationship and fellowship. Relationship is fixed and cannot be broken. Once we come to God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, we are His sons and daughters, and nothing can change that.

I remember talking to a businessman who was bowled over by this truth. He couldn’t fathom the depth of the grace of God. He was convinced there was something he had to do, some work that would buy him a ticket to heaven. I told him it was too late, Jesus Christ had died on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins, and nothing more was needed.

Fellowship, on the other hand, is fluid and must be constantly renewed. We do it by confessing our sins and asking His forgiveness. Once restored, we must maintain our fellowship with God. In Mark 1:35, we read these words about our Lord Jesus Christ: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” The previous verses tell us that the evening before, the whole town had gathered at Jesus’ door after sundown, and He had healed many. No doubt He had been up late. But long before sunrise, He left His bed and went to prayer.

Have you come to God through faith in Jesus Christ? If so, nothing can change your relationship with Him. But are you spending time with Him each day in prayer and reading the Word? Relationship and fellowship–one depends on God’s action, the other depends on our own.

Prayer

Lord, it is beyond my understanding that You have made me Your child–forever. Please give me the faithfulness to come to You every day in fellowship. Amen.

To Ponder

Relationship has to do with our standing in Christ while fellowship concerns our walk with God.

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Today’s Scripture: Colossians 3:1-4

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. – Psalm 84:11

Several years ago, our local paper reported a car accident on U.S. Highway 24 near Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. The car had plummeted 323 feet down an embankment, rolling over twice, according to the state patrol. Our son Randy was admitted to Penrose Hospital with a broken foot and shoulder injuries.

As soon as we were notified, we left for the hospital emergency room. After they set the bone in his foot and got his foot in a cast, we all went home. None of us slept very well that night. We were a bit shaken over the ordeal, but our number-one inclination was to praise the Lord that no one was seriously hurt. The foot healed, the cast came off, and our household returned to normal. Well, almost normal.

That winter Randy, who loved to ski, hung up his skis, poles, and boots and didn’t touch them again that entire ski season. Finally, he talked about it. Skiing had become his life. He had put it first above anything else. Time on the slopes meant far more to him than time with the Lord. Through the accident, the Lord had reminded him of this. He accepted the rebuke and recommitted his life to the Lord and decided for that year, at least, skiing had to go.

It is so easy to get wrapped up in some activity, possession, or person, and thereby squeeze the Lord out of our lives. How about it? Are you putting anything before God? If so, deal with it now. Confess it to the Lord, turn to Him with a repentant spirit, and recommit your life to Him.

Prayer

Lord, fill my life with Yourself. Amen.

To Ponder

Is anything crowding the Lord out of first place in your life?

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Today’s Scripture: Philippians 4:11-13

But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” -Romans 9:20

The year my son Randy and his wife installed a wood-burning stove in their home, they were afraid their two-year-old boy might burn himself. So they spent a lot of time warning him about the dangers of the stove. One day Randy fired it up and let the lad feel the heat. He not only wanted his little boy to know what not to do, but also why he shouldn’t get too close to the stove.

That is what the Lord does with you and me. He not only warns us to keep away from various dangers that can hurt us spiritually and damage our daily walk of discipleship, but He also tells us why. Take, for instance, the problem of greed and covetousness. This is one of the Ten Commandments God gave to Moses: “You shall not set your desire on…anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Deuteronomy 5:21).

Why shouldn’t I covet what someone else has? The overriding reason is that when I inwardly complain that my neighbor has a new lawnmower and I have to use an old one, I am accusing God of mismanagement of His resources. He owns everything; if He has seen fit to give something to my neighbor and overlooks me in the process, that’s His business.

So it’s not only an accusation of mismanagement, it’s a lack of faith in the wisdom of God! I am actually telling the Lord that I have a better plan for my life than He does. I am proclaiming myself smarter than God and more loving than God. Let’s learn to keep things in proper perspective.

Prayer

Lord, create in me a grateful heart for my life and all it comprises. Amen.

To Ponder

How long is your list of God’s blessings?

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Today’s Scripture: Ephesians 4:21-24

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word… I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:9,11

The people who were instrumental in my coming to Christ didn’t find their pleasure in the usual places or the usual ways. For instance, I was a gambler, and every Sunday afternoon a few of us would gather to play poker. They didn’t gamble. When something upset me, my usual response was a string of swear words that would peel the hide off a donkey. They would pray and commit the matter to the Lord. I enjoyed hanging out in bars. They enjoyed going to church. And frankly, I was intrigued.

It was through the lives of these people that God put it in my heart to buy a Bible and investigate the person of Jesus Christ for myself. After I turned to Christ in repentance and faith, I wanted my life to reflect the life of Christ as theirs did. Fellowship with God on a daily basis was foundational, and I learned that morning prayer and Bible reading were a solid way to start the day. My wife and I began attending church services and participating in a young couples’ Sunday school class.

After a year or so, the Lord called us to serve Him on a full-time basis. We moved to Minneapolis and attended Northwestern College, where we met up with The Navigators. They reinforced my Bible reading and church attendance with practical instruction in Scripture memory, personal Bible study, and the consistent practice of meditation on the Word of God.

This combination had a profound effect on my life. Old habits began to melt away under the spotlight of God’s Word as I learned to apply the Word to my life. Sin was replaced with a desire for a holy life.

Prayer

Lord, I rejoice that the old me is gone and that You have made me a new creation, empowered to follow Your will as a true disciple. Amen.

To Ponder

The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in all His truth and beauty through yielded and caring disciples.

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Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:17-18

“He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” – John 7:18

Most things that are taken to extreme can be harmful. For example, if you read on a medicine bottle that one tablet a day will make you well in ten days, and then foolishly reason that ten pills will make you well in one day, you will harm yourself.

The same thing can be true of our application of Scripture. Now, one of the clear teachings of Scripture is that you and I should live separated unto the Lord and separated from sin. The apostle Paul’s words recorded in 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 say, “‘Therefore come out from among them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.” If you and I are to serve the Lord, our lives must be clean.

“Fair enough,” you say. “But how is it possible to carry to extreme such a simple teaching of Scripture as this?” Let me give you an example. When my wife became a Christian, she stopped using any sort of makeup. Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, encouraged her and other women to try using some. His reasoning? All they were accomplishing by being pale-faced was to draw attention to themselves. They stood out in a crowd.

Continue reading The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The Likeness of Christ →

Today’s Scripture: Matthew 24-25

[God’s grace] teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope–the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. – Titus 2:12-13

I remember the day I walked into a college class to take a final exam, only to discover I had studied for the wrong subject. I broke out in a clammy sweat, and I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Needless to say, I did poorly on the exam. I wasn’t prepared, and it was my own fault.

Jesus told a parable recorded in Matthew 25:13 that ended with these words: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Whenever Jesus mentioned His return, He usually ended His remarks with the admonition to be prepared.

The Bible teaches that one way we can prepare for the Lord’s return is by living a life of purity. First John 3:3 says, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” We also are to be doing the work Jesus left us to do. A big part of that is telling others about Him.

I knew someone who was passing out tracts on the streets of Chicago when, much to his surprise, a man asked how he could be saved. My buddy experienced a feeling similar to mine when I sat unprepared for my exam. He didn’t know how to lead a person to Christ. He apologized to the man and left him standing there on the street with his need unmet.

What are you doing to prepare for Christ’s return? Are you living a pure life? Can you present the gospel to the lost? Are you praying for friends, that God might open the door for you to witness to them? As we pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” let us be ready.

Prayer

Lord, keep me mindful of Your imminent return, and help me to put my energies in the things that count for eternity. Amen.

To Ponder

If Jesus should return today, would He find you doing the work He’s given you to do?

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Today’s Scripture: Mark 11-13

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” – Luke 6:46

Jesus was a man of action, and His actions never failed to communicate the great desire and heart of God toward His people.

There is no greater example of this than in Mark 11:15-17: On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, He said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Can you picture the scene? The house of God had actually become a hindrance to those seeking God. Jesus came in and started turning over tables and cash registers, and told people to get out. He took drastic action, because anything that would keep people from finding salvation in the true and living God must be dealt with.

This is true of our lives as well. God wants us to be like salt, making people thirsty for God. And He wants us to be channels through which His living water can flow and quench the spiritual thirst of others.

Christian, does your life attract others to Christ, or have you become like the temple of Jesus’ day, full of commerce and religious activity, but void of any spiritual dimension and appeal? If some major housecleaning needs to be done, why not invite the Lord of action to take over and get started on it today?

Prayer

Lord, if there’s anything in my life right now that is hindering Your witness, please sweep it away. Amen.

To Ponder

When was the last time someone sought you out to talk about spiritual things?

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Today’s Scripture: Matthew 8-11

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. – Ephesians 4:17

What do we do when our lives get out of focus and we’re no longer doing what God has called us to do? Too often, nothing! Sometimes the blurring occurs so gradually that we don’t even know we’re out of focus. All the more reason to keep our eyes on Jesus. You see, He was a very focused person, and He stuck with His mission.

Notice Jesus’ words in Matthew 9:12-13: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick… For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus healing, teaching, and preaching–all part of revealing His kingdom. And everything He did was focused on His goal of calling people to repent and believe.

Can you imagine everything Jesus could have talked to people about? After all, He was the eternal Son of God who knew everything about everything. He could have explained all the scientific wonders of the universe or warned against the various manmade philosophies that would arise over the years–how each of them would lead down a blind alley and leave the followers of those teachings confused and frustrated. But Jesus didn’t deal with any of those things. Instead, He focused on what people need most–the good news of salvation. Why? Because unless people hear and respond to the gospel, they are lost and going to a Christless grave.

There are hundreds of good activities you can be involved in as a Christian, but what is most important? What is worth giving your life to? Jesus’ primary objective was to help people walk in the light of God’s Word and experience the salvation He offered. Shouldn’t that be our focus, too?

Prayer

Lord, You are the way, the truth, and the life. Empower me each day, as I meet and talk with people, to point them in Your direction. Amen.

To Ponder

What goals are most important to you?

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Today’s Scripture: Malachi 1-4

We love because he first loved us. – 1 John 4:19

I’ve heard it said that in the Christian life you are either moving forward or going backward. But I know people who seem to be on a kind of spiritual plateau. They aren’t in rebellion against God nor are they living in open or secret sin. But they aren’t making any progress either. They haven’t led anyone to Christ in years, and they aren’t excited about anything related to the kingdom of God. They seem to have leveled out–just cruising on some kind of spiritual automatic pilot.

During the time of the prophet Malachi, God’s people were existing on a plateau of lukewarm mediocrity. The fifty thousand Jews who returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon had been settled in Judah for over seventy years, but the Messiah spoken of by Haggai and Zechariah had not yet come. All excitement about a genuine and intimate relationship with God seemed to have drained away. Even the worship of God had become an empty chore.

This is the background against which Malachi speaks, calling this lukewarm community of believers to return to a living and vital relationship with God. It’s fascinating to note that in forty-seven of the fifty-five verses in this book, God speaks with first-person directness to His people. The book of Malachi is God’s call to His lukewarm people to be faithful during a time when heaven seemed silent. Notice how God begins in Malachi 1:2: “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord.”

It is love that binds God to His own. And it is love that God seeks from His own. He wants to walk with you in the devotion and commitment of your first love.

Prayer

Lord, I confess that my spiritual life is often on automatic pilot. Rekindle the fervor of my first love for You and Your purposes in this world. Amen.

To Ponder

If the joy is gone from your walk with God, how hard are you looking for it?

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