12/17/2019 0 Comments Forgiven to ForgiveOne of the common themes for both Jesus and Paul was the importance of forgiveness in the life of the body of believers. Unforgiveness is like a cancer that can begin with a slight injury and grow into something that quenches the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual and can impact the life of the church. This should never be the case among believers. We are called to forgive as we have been forgiven.
1. How important would you say forgiveness is among all the factors that affect the life of the believer and the church? Why? 2. Have you seen the impact of forgiveness—or a lack of it—in the church? Challenge: Do you find it easier to forgive a person of unbelief or a brother or sister in Christ? Have you ever thought “they should know better” when you need to forgive a believer? If that is the case, is that fair?
0 Comments
12/16/2019 0 Comments The Point of EverythingAsk a random collection of people on the street why Jesus came to earth and you’ll certainly get a variety of answers. While people will disagree, scripture is pretty clear. Our sin had put us at odds with our Creator. Jesus came to make it right by making a way for us to be forgiven once and for all, restoring our relationship with God. Forgiveness lies at the heart of Jesus’ mission.
1. Why do you think Jesus came to earth? Do you share this with others? 2. Knowing that Jesus came to purchase forgiveness for you, what importance do you place on the act of forgiving others? Challenge: What is your definition of forgiveness? If you do not have one, look it up, write it out, and reflect on the words you are writing. What does it mean to you now? 12/13/2019 0 Comments Half-Hearted CommitmentThis passage discusses the church in Laodicea and its lukewarm stance toward God. The believers didn’t stand for anything as their indifference had led to idleness. You would think that lukewarm would be more acceptable to Him, because it is somewhat close to hot. But, how often do you ask the lady behind the counter for a lukewarm cup of coffee? Never, because it is distasteful and unsatisfying. The lukewarm person is riding the fence, sometimes in and sometimes out, a self-deceiving prophecy with eternal ramifications. Choose hot or cold. What is your spiritual temperature today?
1. What is my spiritual temperature? Have I been guilty of halfhearted commitment? 2. What are some steps I can take to be sure my commitment to God is wholehearted? Challenge: Resolve to let Christ fire up your faith and get you into the action. Pray for God’s strength as His Spirit works through you! 12/12/2019 0 Comments Moved to ActionGod offers salvation to all people. Surprisingly, many people put off a decision for Christ, thinking that there will be a better time, not realizing that they may lose their opportunity altogether. There is no time like the present to receive God’s grace and forgiveness. Don’t let the worries of the day hold you back from submitting to Christ. Right now, there is a lost world around us. We must be bold in our witness of Christ’s love and forgiveness as the day of wrath of the Lord draws nearer. Do we care enough to give our very best for Christ?
1. What is the biggest hindrance to my sharing the Gospel with others? 2. With God’s help, how will I plan to get past that obstacle in order to share Jesus with those who are lost and searching? Challenge: Seek and pray for God to reveal someone in your life that needs to hear the Gospel message. Be prepared as God works. 12/11/2019 0 Comments JustifiedAs I ponder the cross, I find great joy in the justification that is offered through the death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be justified? Essentially, it is a legal term and it means to examine something and pronounce it free of any guilt. When we turn from sin (repent) and place our faith in Jesus Christ, our guilt of sin is transferred to Him and the penalty for our sin was paid on the cross. When God, who is Judge of all, looks at us, He doesn’t see our guilt. He sees only the innocence of His righteous Son. Not because we have worked or earned it, but because we’ve been justified by Jesus.
1. How would I feel if I was declared not guilty of an offense for which I was responsible? 2. How would I feel toward someone that stepped in to pay my debt so that I could go free? Challenge: Pray for God to show you someone in your life that you could really benefit from this great truth. Be ready to respond in faith. 12/10/2019 0 Comments Living in God's GraceMercy is God not giving us what we deserve (eternal punishment) while Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve (eternal life) through His son, Jesus Christ. We become Christians through God’s unmerited grace and not as the result of any effort or act of service on our part. Therefore, out of our humble gratitude for this free gift is born our desire to help and serve others with kindness, love, and gentleness and not merely to make ourselves feel good. While no action or work we can do can help us obtain our salvation, God would expect that our salvation will result in these obedient acts of service. We must serve as if we are serving Him.
1. What talent or skill has God gifted you with in order to glorify Him? 2. How can that skill be utilized to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? Challenge: Resolve to find a way in which you can serve God and others going forward. There are many great opportunities available. 12/9/2019 0 Comments Brevity of LifeLife is so short no matter how long we live. When suffering comes, we may be tempted to believe just the opposite. David had resolved not to sin by complaining about his circumstances to others as not to discount God’s great care and mercy upon him. Instead, David took his complaints directly to God in heated prayer and asked for God to show him the number of his days and the fleetness of his life. He understood that this life is brief and that we must take every opportunity to do what God has directed us to do. Isn’t it ironic that people spend so much time securing their lives on earth and spend so little time in thought about where they will spend eternity? David understood that amassing riches and busily accomplishing worldly tasks would make no difference as he pondered the vastness of eternity. I wonder sometimes, do we?
1. How does today’s culture encourage the “live for today” attitude? 2. How can we as Christians offer hope to a dying world as we seek to serve God both obediently and purposefully? Challenge: Ask yourself, if I had only six months to live, what would I do? Would you mend a broken relationship? Tell someone you love them? Witness to someone about Christ? Resolve to find one thing that you could do and go DO it. 12/6/2019 0 Comments The Radical RagamuffinThe late singer/songwriter Rich Mullins was tired of living a life of luxury. He moved from Nashville to live with the Navajo Nation. He gave his earnings from record sales and tours to the church, and they in turn provided a modest salary for him and used the rest to further the kingdom. I personally don’t have this much faith to live so radically. He gave up many possessions, knowing that God would open the floodgates and provide him with blessings more than his own money could provide.
1. What possessions do you have that would be hard to give up? 2. How would your faith grow if you gave up these possessions? Challenge: I am definitely not at the point to give up some possessions at this stage of my faith; however, I would like to get there. I think I could is start small and trust God. Look around at what you have and determine where you can start. 12/5/2019 0 Comments Extravagant LoveIn the story, a woman poured an alabaster jar of oil on to Jesus. This oil was expensive and most likely from a plant found far away in the Himalayas. It was stored in a special jar to keep its aroma contained. When it was used, only a few drops were used at a time. Instead, the woman smashed the jar and poured the oil all over Jesus. Yet the others present were mad at her gesture, saying it could be used elsewhere. Jesus instead commended her and said it was used to glorify Him.
1. Do you have a possession of value that would be better used to glorify Him instead of being sold? 2. How can you use that possession of value to glorify Him? Challenge: Use your possession of value to show extravagant love to Christ. It could be used for sharing the Gospel, worshipping God, or another reason. 12/4/2019 0 Comments Too Many PossessionsThere is a saying “The man who dies with the most toys wins.” I have also heard the counter-saying “The man who dies with the most toys still dies.” The young rich man in the parable follows the first statement, but Peter is more in line with the second statement. Jesus has a hybrid statement. Jesus says “Give away your possessions and follow me; I will make sure you have eternal life.”
1. Which of the first two sayings is closer to how you live? 2. How can you change your mindset to get closer to Jesus and His mindset? Challenge: Pray to God to learn how to take action to match Jesus’ plan. Let Him tell you if you need to let go of some your possessions. If it is to step away from a possession that has become an idol, do that as well. |
AuthorThis devotional is written every week by Hillcrest members. Archives
April 2024
Receive this devotional in your inbox every Monday - Friday.
|