Category: Devotionals

A Right View of God’s Grace

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn DevotionalsLeave a comment

Wash

Are we able to clean ourselves up enough so that God would say,

“I see you have put some effort in. You have cleaned yourself up a bit. Since you have worked so hard, I will now extend my grace and mercy to you.”

The Crowd and the Blind Men

In Matthew 20:29-34, Jesus is walking by two blind men, who call out for healing. The crowd, not thinking they were deserving, tells them to be quiet, to quit calling out to Jesus. They did this because they wrongly understood God’s grace and mercy.

What They Thought

They thought God only extended His grace and mercy to those who were deserving. Since they saw these two men as unholy sinners who were being punished by God, they didn’t think they deserved God’s grace or mercy.

Many Think That Way Today

Many people today think they they have to clean themselves up before they come to Jesus. Or they believe they don’t deserve God’s grace and mercy because of who they are or what they have done in the past. That, however, is simply not true.

No One is Deserving

According to the Bible no one is deserving. No one deserves God’s mercy and grace. Paul tells us in Romans 3:23:

“We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.”

So according to Paul, no one is worthy of God’s mercy. No one deserves His grace, which is why it is called grace – it is a gift God gives to us. Since God’s grace is a gift, it is something we don’t earn or deserve.

A Gift Open To All People’s

Even more, it is a gift open to all peoples. It doesn’t matter what you have done in the past, or who you are right now. God’s grace is open to you.

A Return To Our Initial Question

Returning to our initial question, the answer is that we can’t clean ourselves up enough for God to extend His mercy and grace to us. No, God’s grace and mercy is extended while we are still unholy sinners deserving of His wrath. So then, it is God who cleans us up, not the other way around.

Question for Reflection

  1. Why do people often think they have to make themselves presentable to God?

Resources

Image

Post adapted from my most recent sermon: How should we think about and act toward the disabled?

On The Gospel vs. Religion

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Quotes2 Comments

Religion commands us to change our behavior, but it cannot change our hearts. It can tell us to do what is right, but cannot give us a love for the right. Only the gospel and the assurance it yields creates a passion for the right in our hearts, because only the gospel goes deep enough to actually change the warped nature of our hearts.

Question for Reflection

  1. Have you ever found yourself trying to modify your behavior instead of resting in Jesus for salvation?

Resources

J.D. Greear, Stop asking Jesus into your heart, 17.

Image

Why Don’t We Pray?

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals2 Comments

Prayer

Prayer is something we as the church don’t do often enough.

In his book, Dynamics of Spiritual Life Richard Lovelace provides several elements needed for renewal and revival. One of these elements is Dependent Prayer. In his section on dependent prayer, he writes this:

If all regenerate church members in Western Christendom were to intercede daily simply for the most obvious spiritual concerns visible in their homes, their workplaces, their local churches and denominations, their nations, and the world and the total mission of the body of Christ within it, the transformation which would result would be incalculable.

Not only would God certainly change those situations in response to prayer – we have Christ’s word that if we ask in his name he will do more than we ask or think – but the church’s comprehension of its task would attain an unprecedented sharpness of focus.

Perhaps much of our prayer now should simply be for God to pour out such a spirit of prayer and supplication in the hearts of his people.

I believe Lovelace hits the nail on the head. Prayer is powerful. Prayer changes things. Even though we know that, we don’t focus on prayer.

Why Don’t We Pray?

(1) We don’t realize our special position as God’s children

Those of us who are Christians have been adopted as God’s children. Paul says in Galatians 4:

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:4-6)

Christians are God’s children. As God’s children, we have a personal intimate relationship with God. A relationship that gives us direct access to God.

Since we are God’s children, we shouldn’t hesitate to draw near to our King in prayer. But many do. Many hesitate to come to God in prayer. I think it is because they don’t recognize what they have. They don’t recognize the special position and ability they possess as God’s children to come boldly into His throne room.

(2) Our fallen nature constantly pulls us away from prayer

Sinners don’t want anything to do with God. They want to be as far from God as possible.

Even after we are redeemed by Jesus, we still have a sinful nature with which to contend. A sinful nature that would rather us not go to the Lord in prayer.

(3) Our culture pulls us away from prayer

Since the Enlightenment in the 1800’s, things have been lumped into two categories – Feelings and Facts. Prayer, and spiritual things in general, was put into the feelings categories – something we might believe to be true, but aren’t able to prove scientifically.

The feelings category is subjective. When things are made to be subjective, they don’t feel real. Instead they feel phony, which is exactly what elites and influencers of culture say about prayer. It’s phony. It’s something only fanatics do. Us educated types don’t need prayer.

Our culture propagates that idea. Open any influential newspaper – New York Times, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal – and you will see what I mean.

So another reason we don’t prayer is because our culture is constantly pulling us away from it.

(4) We are dependent on ourselves

We believe we can do life without God, that we can handle things on our own. Our results are because of our expertise, talents, and hard work, not God.

When we think in this way, praying seems nice but unnecessary. After all money can do the same thing prayer does, but in less time. So instead praying, we work extra hard to insure success. In this way, we show we depend on ourselves and not God.

(5) We believe we don’t have the time

Culture, especially Western Culture, has taught us time is money. Time idle is time wasted. It is time money could be made. Since prayer is often seen as idle time, it is put on the back burner.

Prayer, however, isn’t idle time. Time spent on our knees is invaluable. Our God is the sovereign Creator and Ruler of all things. So time praying isn’t wasted time. It isn’t idle time. It is instead something we can’t afford not to do.

Conclusion

So as we see there are a number of reasons we don’t pray. Those reasons run the gamut from us not understanding our position before God, to sin pulling us away, to culture’s influence, to self-dependence, or to thinking it is not worth our time. I am sure there are many more, so share your thoughts in the comments.

Question for Reflection

  1. What others reasons would you provide for our lack of prayer?

Resource

Image

Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard Lovelace

Our Scriptural Call to Missions

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, EvangelismLeave a comment

Mission

During our Sunday service yesterday, our music minister and his wife read the following responsive reading to the congregation. The readings topic is missions. It specifically highlights the Christians Scriptural call to missions work.

Whether we leave everything behind and head overseas, or remain in the same town our entire lives, we are all called to spread the gospel. It is our biblical mandate. The following verses confirm our calling.

Note: I preserved the responsive reading breaks below.

Matthew 28:16-20, ESV

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.

And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 4:35, ESV

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” 

Romans 10:8–15, ESV

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Questions for Reflection

  1. How do these verses challenge or motivate you to missions work?
  2. How are you living as a missionary in your own city?

Resource

Image

The Calvinist by John Piper

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals, Quotes1 Comment

A great poem written by John Piper and read by numerous pastors. I have included the words below.

The Calvinist

See him on his knees,
Hear his constant pleas:
Heart of ev’ry aim:
“Hallowed be Your name.”

See him in the Word,
Helpless, cool, unstirred,
Heaping on the pyre
Heed until the fire.

See him with his books:
Tree beside the brooks,
Drinking at the root
Till the branch bear fruit.

See him with his pen:
Written line, and then,
Better thought preferred,
Deep from in the Word.

See him in the square,
Kept from subtle snare:
Unrelenting sleuth
On the scent of truth.

See him on the street,
Seeking to entreat,
Meek and treasuring:
“Do you know my King?”

See him in dispute,
Firm and resolute,
Driven by the fame
Of his Father’s name.

See him at his trade.
Done. The plan is made.
Men will have his skills,
If the Father wills.

See him at his meal,
Praying now to feel
Thanks and, be it graced,
God in ev’ry taste.

See him with his child:
Has he ever smiled
Such a smile before,
Playing on the floor?

See him with his wife,
Parable for life:
In this sacred scene
She is heaven’s queen.

See him stray. He groans.
“One is true,” he owns.
“What is left to me?
Fallibility.”

See him in lament
“Should I now repent?”
“Yes. And then proclaim:
All is for my fame.”

See him worshipping.
Watch the sinner sing,
Spared the burning flood
Only by the blood.

See him on the shore:
“Whence this ocean store?”
“From your God above,
Thimbleful of love.”

See him now asleep.
Watch the helpless reap,
But no credit take,
Just as when awake.

See him nearing death.
Listen to his breath,
Through the ebbing pain:
Final whisper: “Gain!”

Resource

DesiringGod http://www.desiringgod.org/calvinist

Jesus, the Warrior King

On By Dr. Casey LewisIn Devotionals4 Comments

Warrior King

For the last several weeks Jesus’ birth has been the topic of conversation. Rightly so, since contrary to popular culture that’s what Christmas is about. That’s why the church studies it, sings about it, and puts on musicals and plays depicting it. That’s why you read about Jesus’ birth with your family and place mangers around your house and in your yard. Christmas is about Jesus. His birth is the reason for the season.

Jesus’ birth is important because it marks the in-breaking of God into history. His birth begins God’s rescue mission to save His people from sin, Satan, and death. So its only right we would remember and reflect on it every year.

There is a Still A Longing in Our Hearts

But as one author says,

“Christmas is … a promise. Yes, the Savior has come and with Him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world. Every Christmas is a “turning of the page” until Jesus returns. Every December 25th marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that draws us closer to … home.”

The author is right. We have peace in our hearts because the long awaited Savior has come and has died on the cross. That’s not, however, where the story ends.

The Final Chapter

The story doesn’t end with Jesus lying in a manger or hanging on a cross. Nor does the story end with the resurrected Savior ascending into heaven. There is still one more chapter to come. A chapter where Jesus isn’t painted as a humble babe in a manger or a bloodied corpse hanging on a cross. No, the final chapter paints Jesus as  a warrior King poised to conquer His enemies.

The Rider on the White Horse

Read the Words of Revelation 19

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called isThe Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh. (Revelation 19:11-21, ESV)

The Warrior King

John’s picture of Jesus in Revelation is a far different picture than most have of Him. Even so, this is the Jesus we all long to meet. The Jesus who will defeat our enemies once and for all. The Jesus who will fulfill the longing in our hearts. The One we should all turn and follow.

While it was necessary for Jesus to come as a man and die as a man, the story doesn’t end there. The story ends with Jesus conquering our enemies and reigning over His people as a Warrior King. Since that is true, our call should be: Come, Lord Jesus come!

Questions for Reflection

  1. When you picture Jesus, who do you picture Him as?
  2. Do you realize Jesus will come as a Warrior King one day to destroy His enemies?

Resources

Quote: Joni Eareckson Tada, A Christmas Longing, 137 in Come Thou Long Expected Savior edited by Nancy Guthrie.

Image