Worthy Devotions – Daily Christian Devotion

Psalms 112:6-7 Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

This past weekend we celebrated the festival of Purim, the holiday which commemorates Israel’s amazing reversal in Persia during the reign of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), when queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai together gained victory for the Jews and protected them from annihilation at the hands of the evil Haman.

“Coincidentally” we experienced our own personal drama on Friday as the holiday was getting underway. A bolt of lightening struck just outside our house destroying the neighborhood’s transformer and cutting off our electric power. Then, later that day, as I was driving to the Dead Sea region to pick up a package, a river from the desert suddenly exploded out of nowhere, sideswiped my car, and nearly washed me into the Dead Sea. The force of the river was so powerful that it lifted the rear end of my car off the road, ripping off most of the bumper, while the front wheels struggled to maintain traction as I desperately maneuvered out of the cataract and forward to safety. For the next 7 hours I was stuck between two rivers as the rains that came down over Israel the night before inundated numerous valleys leading to the Dead Sea. I later spoke with a police officer who informed me that last month a driver in similar circumstances was carried into the Dead Sea and drowned!

I do NOT actually see these experiences as “coincidences” but as signs and portents of things to come. We will soon be facing serious unexpected storms which will shock and possibly dislodge us from the roads we are traveling on. But we are under Divine protection as our focus is on the Lord, and our devotion rests in Him. We may be badly shaken — but He will rescue and restore us!

The message in these days of earthquakes and tsunamis is clear: “Do not fear, for I am with you, even unto the end of the age”.

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Knowing He was about to depart, Yeshua (Jesus) left His disciples with a final command: stay in Jerusalem, and wait…for the promise. Of the thousands who had witnessed His miraculous ministry and heard His amazing teaching, and the hundreds that had actually seen Him after the resurrection, we read in Acts that only 120 stayed and tarried until the promise arrived. But these 120 were steadfast. They waited the full term…

What would have happened if they had left after the 4th day? Or the 6th day? Or the 9th day? They would have missed the promise and the amazing blessing that came with it. But those 120 believers stayed – they stayed and pressed in until the Holy Spirit came!

Do you want the fullness of the Spirit in your life? Continue pressing in. Wait with relentless faith and patience. Perseverance is often the critical factor in receiving the promises of God. Our Lord will fulfill every good promise in His perfect time.

Acts 3:19-21 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

The word for “restitution” in this passage is the Greek word – “apokatastasis”. This is the one and only place it is found in the New Testament. The word literally means to “restore again” or “to repair”. The plan of God in sending His Son Yeshua (Jesus) was to restore that which had been broken and ruined. The Lord’s saving work is a global repair job. Each one of us has come to Him already ruined by sin. But God’s will and His promise is to restore and renew us through His Son.

This restoration process isn’t a one sided affair. Having been initiated by the Lord, it requires of us humans, one essential response – that is, repentance. The passage above draws a clear parallel between repentance and refreshing. Anyone who has walked with the Lord for a while knows this well. Repentance brings refreshment, over and over……and over again.

Allow yourself to be refreshed…seek the Lord today and let Him show you where you need repentance. Then, go ahead and make the turn, and watch how quickly and beautifully you’ll be restored, repaired and refreshed. Make it a daily habit, and you’ll find yourself in the stream that leads to Eternal Life!

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Don’t you love New Year’s resolutions? Every year this time, I start jogging and getting rid of the belly that I’ve grown over the past year. This year it seems to be a little bigger and harder to lose – but hey it’s the beginning of the year and I’ve got resolution to follow through! Thinking back over the year I’m regretting the times I ate fast food when I was in the States. They make getting overweight so easy! :0

Don’t you love when you step up to the fast food counter, how they ask you, “Would you like to supersize it?” What are they saying? “Now that we know what you want to eat, how about a whole lot more of it !?!”

As I was thinking about this dilemma of mine, (mostly in a negative sense), I suddenly came to another realization. When we enter into His presence, God is also saying to us, “How about a deeper, more fruitful time of prayer or worship?!?”

So here’s my suggestion, let’s say “no thanks” to the fast food guy….and, “Yea, Lord, SUPERSIZE ME!!!”

1 Cor 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Writing to the Corinthian Church, Paul illustrates his exhortation using the metaphors of running a race and fighting a boxing match. Victory is achieved by bringing your body into submission to the will of God.

Their idolatrous culture promoted in the Corinthians an intense passion to win. In Greek mythology, Nike was the goddess of victory. She fought on the side of the Olympian gods, triumphing over the mighty Titans and thus became a powerful symbol of victory.

Her divine her powers were not limited to warfare. She was also solicited by Greek athletes who sought victory in competitive sports. A major manufacturer of athletic shoes took note of this and named their company after the goddess. The Romans gave Nike the Latin name “Victoria” from which we get our English word – “victory”.

The apostle Paul, with characteristic cultural awareness, addresses the Corinthians in a language they well understand. He is seeking to harness their passion for victory and transform it for spiritual purposes seeking to motivate them with eternal rewards which the Lord has promised to those who serve Him well.

In Yeshua (Jesus) we have real Divine power which the ancient pagans could not have dreamed of. It is a power to win where it really counts…with and for our wonderful Lord! We too, need to discipline our bodies, bringing them under submission, and run the race of faith without looking back – we can be victorious. We will obtain an eternal crown, which will never fade!

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

As the threat of war looms on the horizon in Israel, I’m all the more reminded that we in the Body of Messiah are already at war spiritually. Constantly contending in our minds, we battle over thoughts and emotions which flow through them. The enemy often attacks by bringing up issues from our past. Failures, regrets, wounds, and traumas all have the potential to drag us down into doubt, darkness and despair. Our tremendous challenge is not to respond to these memories with old destructive thought patterns. Our victory lies in responding to these thoughts and feelings with the mind of Messiah as new creations in Him.

While we don’t necessarily ignore thoughts and feelings from the past, it is vital that we don’t allow them to control our souls and emotions, but that we take them captive through prayers and declarations inspired by our spiritual mind. For example, is the enemy speaking rejection to me causing me to feel unwanted and unloved? I will respond that I am ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED and that the Lord has shown His love to me in many ways by His spirit and through His Body.

A powerful illustration from the Old Testament is the Lord’s forbidding the levitical priests from entering His Presence if they had touched any dead thing. This is a lesson for us – leave the old, dead mindset behind, the ways that you used to respond to things in the past – instead, enter the Holy of Holies and commune with your Lord!

The battle over past issues is won when the Mind of Messiah in us takes authority over their meaning, purpose and definition in our lives With Yeshua (Jesus) on the throne of our hearts and minds, everything in our past is brought under His authority and works together for our good!

Matthew 6:32-33 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We have a cord-free, battery-free alarm clock — we call it KIDS! Like clockwork, each morning our kids, Elianna (6) and Obadiah (2), come and jump into our bed to give us that ever-so-joyful wake-up call. Since a lot of our work needs to get done at night, my wife and I have come to the conclusion that those 8-hour of sleep nights we used to enjoy just aren’t going to happen again…. at least for another few years.

What’s interesting to me about all this, is that when our kids wake up, they don’t wonder if we’ll be there — they come running and jumping, eagerly and expectantly to see us, sleepy-eyed, bad-breath’d and morning-haired as we may be. They don’t wake up worrying about what they’ll wear today or whether they’ll be warm enough — they expect that they’ll be changed and dressed up nice and warm when it’s cold. They don’t worry about if or what they’re going to eat — they expect that we’ll know that they’re hungry and will serve them a yummy, nutritious breakfast. When they fall down, they immediately look toward us — holding out their hands to receive our hugs and kisses to make it “all better”. They don’t question whether or not we love them — they’re sure of it! They have no worries. They expect that we will take care of their every need.

Don’t you wish you were a baby sometimes? No worries — getting pampered and hugged and kissed. Well, I have good news for you… you ARE a baby! You are the Lord’s baby! We are His children and He loves us with an everlasting and perfect love. He cares for us just like we care for our little children — in fact, even much, much more than that!

From this morning on, let’s start coming to the Lord as we are — His children! We needn’t worry about anything. Our Father awaits the time when we will totally put our trust in Him. He loves us and He knows every one of our needs before even a word is on our lips! Let’s practice putting our worries aside and determine to expect our Heavenly father to meet our every need. And don’t forget to take some time out today and say — Abba, thank you for loving me!

Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Some of you may be celebrating the holiday of Chanukah with us — this will be the seventh night of this beautiful Festival of Lights.

While Chanukah is not a Biblical feast, it is an important one. Chanukah commemorates the story of small group of men with much courage — enough courage to defeat even the greatest of the world’s empires.

The Greek-Syrian Emperor Anticochus Epiphanes defiled the Temple by erecting an idol within it, and commanded all of Israel to worship it. If that wasn’t enough, he made it illegal to follow God’s laws and anyone caught observing them would be put to death. Yeshua (Jesus) pointed out in Matthew 24 — when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel — flee! This was a foreshadow of a future event which He was referring to.

So what happened? A few men, the Macabees, decided to fight an entire empire on their own! They had a miraculous victory, restoring and rededicating the Temple, and relighting the menorah — a victory which we celebrate tonight.

In these dark days approaching, we’re going to be called to a deeper walk with the Lord, to stand up for His truth and be a light to the dying world around us! Let’s get restored, rededicated and rekindled so that we can be strong for Him! There’s so much to be done!

Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

FINALLY! Rain has been pouring down all across Israel including the Negev Desert and boy, have we needed it! Sadly, we won’t be able to take our guest to some of the sites in the Negev because the roads are closed due to flooding. Yes… I said flooding… in the desert!

There are two rainy seasons that occur in Scripture, “Yoreh” the early rain and “Malkosh”, the latter rain.

In the above passage, Yeshua (Jesus) is talking to Israelis, of course, who knew the ramifications of the rainy seasons in this region. Because of the dry enviroment for most of the year, the ground becomes incredibly hard here. So hard in fact, that when the vigorous rains come, the dry ground cannot absorb it fast enough, which can cause massive flash flooding. One thing is for sure — these people realized how important it was to build their houses on the rock!

I believe the Lord is cautioning us today, about building our houses on fallow ground. He knows that stormy season is near and He wants us to be prepared! We don’t want to be one of the many whose houses will collapse because they were built on finaces, prestige and other things of this world. We must be careful to build our house only upon Him. Even building our houses upon seemingly innocent things like family, tradition and good works is dangerous. We want to be of those who’ve established our foundation upon the ROCK of the truth of His Word and who will be able to weather the coming storms because of it!

Are there storms raging about you today? I know we are experiencing them here. Let’s be quick to examine whether our lives are completely built upon the Rock!

Hebrews 6:10-12 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Anyone that’s been a believer for very long realizes how small the world is these days and how the Lord has connected millions of people with one another in miraculous ways. We meet hundreds of people from various backgrounds, and I’m often amazed how lives of those we meet are crossed over with others that we know.

It reminds me of a story about Peter ten Boom who was the cousin of Corrie ten Boom. For those who don’t know the story of the ten Boom legacy, their family was instrumental in saving the lives of Jews during the holocaust in World War II. At the age of sixteen, Peter defied the Germans by playing the Dutch national anthem in their church and the entire congregation stood up and sang. For this act of defiance, Peter was imprisoned.

After World War II, Peter traveled the world with the same message as his aunt, Corrie ten Boom. During his speaking tour in Israel, Peter had a heart attack and needed surgery.

The night before the operation, the cardiologist asked Peter, “Are you by chance related to the ten Booms of Holland?” Peter replied, “Yes, that’s my family!” The doctor responded, “I’m one of the babies that your family saved!”

The next day the man whose life had been saved forty years earlier, repaid the debt by saving Peter’s life.

We are called to sow seed not knowing where it might spring up. There’s a saying, “What goes around, comes around!” It’s amazing how God has a way of doing that. Let’s keep sowing, because we shall certainly reap if we faint not!