Category: Devotionals

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”—1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)

The other day I was talking with some of my disciples. As we chatted, I felt compelled to propel them into a teachable moment related to how we tend to place confidence in humans as opposed to the Holy Spirit. So here is what I did: I began to butcher each one of their names with an erroneous usage of the original “Greek” language. My performance was convincing. My disciples thought I was a genius for translating their names into Greek, even though their “Greek” names sounded ridiculous.

The truth is, I have no idea how to translate anything into the original Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic without using a computer program. Yet, these intelligent men placed confidence in me, a mere mortal. They were convinced I was being truthful because of my eloquence. Has that ever happened to you?

Have you ever been given instructions or information by someone who seemed accurate but ultimately led you down a precarious path? Let’s be honest, if you’ve ever used a GPS system, I’m sure you’ve felt the despair of being given the wrong information or instructions. From time to time, we all mistakenly put our confidence in people or things to guide us rather than tapping into the divine and flawless instruction of the Holy Spirit.

In the second chapter of 1 Corinthians, Paul appeals to Christians, reminding us we have the benefit of divine instruction. In other words, we’re able to freely obtain information by way of the Spirit who dwells in us. That’s such an exciting revelation! We don’t have to depend on mere mortals to guide us in spiritual matters or the things of this world.

So, the next time someone approaches you and tries to convince you your name sounds ridiculous in the “original language,” you may want to recall what Paul says about placing too much confidence in man or the finite things of this world. You just might be allowing yourself to be duped, hence being blinded from genuine truth. Remain confident that we have the infinite wisdom of the Spirit which directs us is all truth and divine instruction.

DIG: Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, John 6:45, and Isaiah 54:13.

DELIGHT: Ask yourself if you’ve placed too much confidence in finite means rather than divine instruction. If so, shift your confidence and Delight in the fact that you can place FULL confidence in the Holy Spirit that dwells within you!

“Then he said to them, ‘You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.’”—Acts 10:28 (NKJV)

For the first eight years of my life, I had the privilege of being raised in a multiracial family. My mother is Italian, and my father is black American. The dynamic in our home changed when my parents divorced, but up until that point, life was fairly normal.

In my home, we didn’t have any sense of race or skin color. We never questioned why Dad was a different color than Mom. It never dawned on me that I had browner skin than my two white half-brothers. We just didn’t give any thought to our racial differences! We didn’t even give any consideration to the fact that we were a “blended family.” I consider my half-brothers to be my true brothers—end of story! My brothers never thought of my dad as their stepdad—he was simply Dad. Growing up, all we knew and concerned ourselves with was that we were a family and we loved each other.

I share the above to simply suggest that this is how Jesus aspires us to appeal to one another. In a world that is filled with hate and racial prejudices, Christ’s blood is the common thread that should weave us all together into God’s blended family of believers. Why then do racial prejudices exist?

Well, the root of anything that is antithetical or opposite to Christ and His aspiration for humanity is sin. When sin entered the world through Adam, humanity adopted a wicked heart (Jeremiah 17:9). Racial prejudices are exactly that: wicked! It is not the blueprint that Jesus lays out for us as He engages the Samaritans in John chapter 4. In that passage of the Bible, we’re told Jesus purposefully passed through Samaria, a place that had no dealings with Jews, to obliterate the idea of racial divides.

In Acts Chapter 10, we learn about Peter, a staunch Jew who was convinced Christ only died for the Jews. The Bible tells us Peter was given a vision directly from God. This vision reshaped Peters theology, and as a result, Peter preached that “God shows no partiality . . .” (Acts 10:34 NKJV). Peter came to realize that everyone is accepted by Christ.

Friends, when we allow racial prejudices to dictate how we treat others, we totally miss the whole point of the glorious gospel.

“And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him”—Hebrews 5:9 (ESV)

I have three dogs with three completely different personalities and three levels of obedience. Each one of the dogs has an opportunity to roam our yard freely, but there’s also a fence that borders the yard that serves as a protective boundary. But not all of my dogs respect or understand the protection the fence gives them.

One of our dogs, Chi Chi, occasionally pushes the gate open and makes a run for it. He seems to have no qualms about blatant disobedience! Another of our dogs, Sassy, is normally compliant. She stays in the yard as long as the gate is shut, but as soon as Chi Chi pushes the gate open, she, too, will attempt an escape. Our third dog, Raphim, is the most well behaved. He’ll stay in the yard whether the gate is open or not, proving himself to be subservient and obedient to his master. I’ve seen this pattern consistently play out with all three dogs over the years.

Christ says if we love Him, we are to obey His commands (John 14:15). You see, like a Good Shepherd, Christ set commands for our benefit and protection. In the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam and Eve to enjoy everything except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Yet in direct defiance, they did not obey, and sin entered the world.

I shared the story of my dogs at the beginning of this devotion to give us a direct correlation of how we tend to treat Jesus from time to time. There are moments when we are like Chi Chi. We “force the gate open” and push the boundaries that God established for us through His Word. Other times we initially obey, like my dog Sassy, but then find ourselves persuaded by someone else’s disobedience. Then there are the times when we obey, even if there is an opportunity to demonstrate rebellion, as is the case with my third dog, Raphim. The beautiful thing is that the disobedient dogs always come home, much like the Prodigal Son story in the Bible. And like the father in that story, I’m always there to receive them. In the same way, Christ always receives us with open arms even after our disobedience towards Him.

Dig: Read Luke 15, Genesis 2:16-17, and Psalm 23.

Delight: Ask God to reveal areas where you have directly or even indirectly disobeyed Him and His Word. Take a moment to repent from your disobedience. Now ask God to give you a greater desire to DELIGHT in HIS WORD. This will inevitably lead to greater obedience to HIS WORD.

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”—Hebrews 8:12 (NKJV)

As a father of five kids, I’ve had the opportunity on more occasions then I’d like to admit to demonstrate how unlike Christ I am. Hebrews 8:12 refers to how God purposely puts out of His mind the sinful deeds we commit on a daily basis. As a parent, this type of divine ability could come in handy on so many levels. Let’s be truthful here, there are a lot of things we’d love to erase from our minds.

When my kids make irrational or absurd decisions that cause them to step outside the boundaries we’ve set in place for them, my typical response isn’t always merciful. As a matter of fact, my response is often quick judgment and heavy punishment. Then, for the next several days, I scratch my head wondering what in the world my child was thinking.

On the other hand, God chooses to extend the very thing we don’t deserve during moments when He may very well be scratching His head regarding our foolish behavior. He extends to us one of His most astonishing attributes: mercy. You see, mercy is simply letting someone off the hook from a punishment or judgment they actually deserve. Then God takes this mercy a step further as to give Himself “amnesia” regarding the sinful mistakes we’ve committed that actually deserved His judgement! (See Isaiah 43:25.) Shucks, as a parent, I can only wish to forget some of the boneheaded things my kids do. Yet, we have a good, good Father who literally blots out our sins and demonstrates mercy toward us daily (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Two thousand years ago Christ demonstrated His mercy toward us when He went to the cross to take the judgment that was meant for all humanity! It’s because of His mercy that He effectively lets us off the hook from the much deserved death sentence we’ve earned ourselves, and in its place, He offers us salvation and eternal life. Now that’s grace and mercy at its best! His mercy says, “I’ll pardon you from the punishment you deserve,” and His grace says, “I’ll give you what you can’t earn!” Don’t we serve a good, good Father?

DIG: Be sure to circle back and read Lamentations 3:22-23 along with Isaiah 43:25.

DELIGHT: Think about times when you deserved judgment or punishment for your sinful actions. Now ask yourself, “How often has Christ bailed me out?” Now take DELIGHT in the undeserved mercy of God!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”—Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

I can remember growing up and getting perplexed when the older, wiser individuals would say this phrase: “Had I known back then what I know now . . .” I could never quite put a finger on what they meant and why they’d consistently say that. All my young mind could reconcile was life happening in fast forward, and that alone was an all-consuming reality for me to grapple with.

As I grew older, I suddenly began to understand what they meant by that phrase. Shucks, I even found myself saying it at times. Truth is, different seasons of life present different perspectives as it relates to the circumstances we’ve lived out. Characteristically, when you’re actually going through something, you’re never really able to see the “silver lining” in it. Once you finally reach the other side of what it is you’ve walked through, you tend to get a clear or new understanding. It’s usually not until you come out of a situation that you’re able to examine the “play by play” as to what you could’ve done better or how well you did. Think about it! NFL quarterbacks usually head over to the sidelines to reevaluate the previous possession as well as the type of defensive opposition they faced. This helps them prepare for their next opportunity to take the field. It’d be rather difficult for a quarterback to closely examine the defense while their right smack in the line of fire. You tracking with me now?

Take Joseph for example. It took him more than a dozen years to finally understand that the misfortunes he’d suffered starting at age 17 were all meant for his good (Genesis 50:20). I’m sure he had moments of doubt and frustration when he was actually navigating through those challenging years of his life. Yet at age 30, Joseph gained a new understanding regarding the “hand” life dealt him and how it groomed him for the present season.

As you enter into this new year and take a moment to look back at the challenges you’ve been able to overcome, you might possibly rejoice! Rejoice because of the new perspective and new understanding as to what God was doing and is doing on your behalf!

DIG: Read Genesis 37-50 (Joseph’s story) and see if you relate to Joseph.

Delight: As you look back at the season you just came out of, what did God specifically teach you about yourself? More importantly what new understanding do you have about the LORD that will enhance your DELIGHT in the LORD?