Jesus principle - teachable moments - loving the sinner, hating the sin

Jesus principle - teachable moments - loving the sinner, hating the sin

S- John 8 - NASB

2Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5“Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

O - Jesus here finds himself in a situation where he is being tested and he uses it as a teachable moment. That is the hallmark of his ministry, he went where the people were  and waited to see what the father was doing and took those moments to make them teachable to both Pharisees and citizens. In this situation the Jewish law enforcers brought him a woman who had committed adultery to test him, and so they said the law of Moses said we should stone her for her sin. Jesus understood their hearts and knew what the father wanted out of this moment which was to show God’s heart and intention for his people who are trapped in there sin.    You see the Law of Mosses was given because the Israelites couldn’t follow God, there sin kept separating them from God’s intent for his people.  God created man and woman and modelled marriage through Adam and Eve. Decades later through Abraham God began restoring his people from the effects of sin. Even though after long captivity in Egypt and the salvation of the Passover, and being witnesses of amazing and miraculous moments (parting of the Red Sea just to name one) , those moments were not enough to keep God’s people honoring the covenant of marriage. Sin still rained in their life.  Now again many years later, long  after God helped Moses write some laws that kept the Israelites in bounds, the heart behind those laws arre lost on them. In this scripture passage we see this example of those wanting to carry out the law of Moses without understanding the heart of God. This is why Jesus came. He witnesses that God hates sin But loves his people.  In this teachable moment Jesus shows God’s love of his people, but hatred of sin.  In this moment Jesus teaches the crowd that they are not to hate the sin  in her but rather represent God’s heart, and leave the judging to God in all situations.  Jesus did this effectively by showing the crowd their own sin, to recognize that they had no place condemning, that was gods role, not theirs. Now Jesus did not let the adulterous woman off the hook either. He simply said I do not condemn you to death, go and sin no more.

A - The application for me is to recognize I can be one of those in the crowd, who spends way too much time judging and condemning, when I need to seek the father’s heart, correct and even condemn the sin And spend all of my time and energy loving.   I need to trust God’s ultimate judgement and discipline of His creation. 

P - Dear heavenly father thank you for today’s lesson may it be used to scrub away the effects of sin in my own heart, and reveal the heart you have given me which is filled with your spirit. Lord I pray for forgiveness for all of those that I have condemned, chose to be the judge of, And simply did not love the way you love them. I pray in the future Lord you would show me each and every day how to love your people, help free those bound by sin, through what you would have do not my will.  I pray all of this in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

Participating in God’s ministry where He is working

Participating in God’s ministry where He is working

S - John 5

19Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. 21“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. 22“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

O - Jesus here is speaking to a group of Jews that were accusing him of doing work not the sabbath after healing a crippled man on the Sabbath? The point though he is making verses 19 through 22 is that he is not doing these things out of a self interest or just showing off for showing off sake, he is healing because this is God‘s will in this situation,  and what is more important following God’s will, who by the way is the Lord of the Sabbath, or following Jewish tradition.    You see God has a plan, He is had it from the beginning, and his will be done here on earth as His will is done in heaven. Jesus examples this as He is shows that while here on earth the Son just sees what the Father himself is doing and participates. He then shares an interesting twist in that he says God does not judge anyone for has he has turned that over to his Son, so that all will look up to and honor Jesus for who He is , our Savior.

A-The application for me is to recognize I am to be come more and more Christlike each and every day as I walk with the holy spirit here on earth. I am to seek with the Father is doing and participate. I am to see the problem sins of the world and seek to be Jesus his eyes ears and hands, but I am not the judge that job has been given to Jesus And I must resist but I think that create separation between men which is judgment, especially judgment falsely laid down.

P- Dear heavenly father thank you for your leadership of my life. Thank you for today’s devotion may it be the sealed to my heart. I pray Lord that you would allow me to die to the need to judge, and have ears that hear and eyes that see what you are doing here today in my in around my life.I pray all of this in Jesus Christ name amen.

The source of our transformative power

The source of our transformative power

s - 2 Peter 1

Growth in Christian Virtue

1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

O - in this chapter, Peter writes to the church and  he explains how we are to grow as a result of having this new knowledge of Christ, under a new covenant. He reveals to us our growth no is no longer due to our good works  or lame attempt to live by the law but due to the good work of Christ in us, a divine power that now enables us to achieve this growth in Christian virtue that he goes on to describe in verses 5 through 10.  All of this is possible because of his divine nature, Christ has helped us escape the grip of the world and begin to live how God intends us to live, free from the corruption of sin in this world.

A - The application for me is to recognize the source of our ability to transform from a person in the world, to a person in the kingdom of God. This passage has long for me been a life verse in which the Lord has been showing me the progressive habits of how we are sanctified and become more like Christ every day. Today is the day I recognized that is not through my own good works or stubborn effort to be more like Christ that I will arrive at the destination that I so Intently want, but rather the journey of walking with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit being transformed as I practice more and more these habits.

P-dear heavenly father thank you for this devotional, may it be sealed to my heart. I pray you would remind me it is Christ in me, not my will that will be the transformative power behind my sanctification. I pray all of this in Jesus Christ name amen.

Gloryifying God through our devotions

Gloryifying God through our Behavior

S 1 Peter 2 

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

O - This is Peter‘s exhortation to the churches that he has shepherded. The theme of this chapter is to help for church recognize the importance of maintaining a good witness, i.e., being able to show the community how Christ has change them through how they behave.  This is why he urged them to abstain from the things that wage against her soul. I can imagine those things being the love of money, coveting other people‘s possessions and powers. These are the things to avoid. The things to do, not surprisingly are good deeds for others because coupled with a proclamation that you a disciple of Christ’ and that you have been changed and transformed and able to resist the sins of this world, and that your only goal is to do good deeds that serve your fellow man while glorifying find your God.

A -  The application for me is to recognize how important it is to guard my witness. Like Paul, I confess that sometimes I do what I don’t want to do. I recognize that I at times have wore on my flesh on my sleeve, and at times externally displayed reduces my effectiveness as a disciple of God.  I have some specific examples that come to mind that I must be wary and guard myself against. The first one is likely Facebook where at times I am joy and opinionated opportunity to display how I feel on various subjects, I must be cautious not to ruin my witness on Facebook.  Second is at work. I must be behaving in a manner that shows my faith and confidence in Christ, while not condemning others. I have always been a little hard and pressing in on people and at work that comes across as a lack of trust, opposite of the emotion of love that I hope to evoke. The opportunities are more abundant for me to improve in this area and I know with the help of the Holy Spirit I can.

P-Dear heavenly father, thank you for this morning‘s devotion. I pray Lord that you would seal it to my heart. I also pray Lord that you would help me improve in the area of sharing my witness with others, I truly need help protecting my words, my mind n my heart for what my flash at times would fail me.  I pray all of this in Jesus Christ name, amen.

Character criteria for being a leader

Character criteria to be a leader

S- 1 Timothy 3

Overseers and Deacons

1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

O - Paul  here is speaking to Timothy about the leaders of the church. This is the criteria for overseers and deacons in the church. He likely felt it necessary to speak on this topic because like in all things in this world people fall short.  Likely in this case some of the leaders in the church of Ephesus May have been inappropriately leading the congregation, and in Paul’s assessment it was due to them lacking one of the character traits for being overseer.   The list of course is comprehensive and sufficient to catch the character of the type of person who is called and should be challenged to be an overseer.

A-The application for me is simply to look in the mirror. While the topic is about being an overseer in the church, I recognize God has giving me the position of overseer at home and in the workplace as well. Therefore the criteria applies to me as well though I do not hold a position of overseer in the church, I play a role in leading gods people starting with my family and those in the workplace he is called me to lead. As God shines a light on these criteria and I look in the mirror at myself I see myself falling short in in in a few areas which through God’s grace is becoming my heart felt passion to be better today than I was yesterday, I need to work on the following:

1. Being temperate
2. Being gentle
3. Being peaceable

P -dear heavenly father thank you Lord for today’s devotion made be sealed to my heart. I pray that your Holy Spirit your word to those around me lord you would help me to shake my heart mind and soul to be more temperate gentle and peaceable with those that are in my life. Lord I confess I do not know how to do it by myself I can only do it with you. I pray all this in Jesus Christ name amen.

Show grace to your circle of authority

S - Colossians 4

1 Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

O - another amazing revelation from Paul regarding how we are to lead lead lead and how we are to spread the good news. I think Paul has met through these words broke in my own mental model of him. I am off and rejoiced of his passion and vigor and willing to be direct with people. Yet the underlying principles he shares here challenge my own. That we are to grant justice and fairness to those who work for us, and we can do this through prayer and being open To what God is telling you either through his word or through his Spirit. Paul exhorts us also to conduct ourselves with the wisdom towards those outside of our circle of influence and how we do that is to guard our speech to ensure it is always full of Grace seasoned with love and truth.

A-The application for me today it is well specific and general. Specific in the perspective that I am working with one of the leaders who works in my department on building trust. If I was to be honest I feel like he is outside my circle of influence, though it was in my circle of authority and this has caused great tension in our office. Normally as well as in this case when I find somebody out of my sight my circle of influence pricing out against my circle of authority I use my favorite tool the bulldozer to fix things. Today the Lord is showing me through people he has placed in my life, as well as his word family apostle Paul do you show me that I need to treat all of those within why authority with  Fairness.   I have to always show grace in all that I say to both direct reports and those around me, for this is what God has done for me, and without it the open doors.

P - Dear Heavenly Father , thank you for today’s lesson, may it be sealed to my heart.  I pray Lord that you help me overcome my overwhelming feelings and put on my full armor so that I may show grace and love and represent you well.  I pray all this in Jesus Christ name,  Amen.

Speaking truth without poking or grumbling

Speak truth without grumbling or poking

S-Philippians 2

14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.

O - Paul here is encouraging the church at Philippi to be great witnesses of the Gospel to the world.   He is is telling his perspective both as an apostle and as member of the church. As an apostle he is an example, as he faced many challenges and boldly went into the world sharing the gospel, despite the many challenges he faced as a result of his obedience to the calling,  he is able to make statements such as “do all things without grumbling“. He says that, knowing not that he doesn’t have things to grumble about but,  for a purpose so that as we go into the world we are lights, giving others who need to hear the good news without the light being dimmed by our pointing out about our own flaws in our own poor attitudes. You see it’s because there are not bad people, but a generation in which we he is trying to speak the gospel to and  at times. can be resistant to hearing the truth due to the culture that is in this world, or a different way of saying that due to the culture telling them not to have faith in Christ but to have faith in their own ability to be their own salvation.

A -   The application for me is to simply make sure I am guarding my attitude. My response to things in this world, whether it be my distaste for them, my judgment of them, or my sinful thoughts against them are barriers to me being a light in this world. I need to understand that my internal voice does not need to be my external voice. I need to allow God’s internal spirit in me speak externally to those before me. I have a very real example today with the leader who works for me who continues to challenge my ability to show him God‘s love and grace, because he continually challenges me and my values. My response needs not to be that of retaliation, but light, I must continue to shine light and love where there is darkness. My default is not to do that but to rather shine a bright light on the ugliness and poke a stick at things that I see as unclean, or unrighteous. God is telling me that in His time, and in in his spirit is the way to help people come to his righteousness. If I am a willing servant I will set my pride aside and be a vessel in which God can bring the light into the world.

P- dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this timely devotion, may it to be sealed to my heart. I recognize today as a potential breakthrough in my understanding, Lord I need you to help me change what is inside to heal the hurt to squash the pride in to change me inside out, so that I might respond the way you are calling me to respond to those that you have me in front of today. I pray all these things in Jesus Christ name, Amen.