Devotionals for June 23, 2023
Our next Water Baptisms and Baby Dedications will be on July 30th. CLICK HERE for more info!
READ
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.
Matt 27:45-47
45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
REFLECT
On Sunday we heard that sin is serious. The first two verses of today’s reading should resonate how gravely serious sin is. Even Jesus, the Son of God, could not escape the punishment for sin. It was necessary for Him to take on the sin of the world from the beginning to the end of time. All of it.
We know that Jesus was fully God as much as He was fully man and would know the outcome of His sacrifice, our salvation. That does not mean that it did not hurt. Not just the physical torture Christ endured but the relationship with His Father that was severed at that moment.
Why would Jesus cry out in despair to His Father, knowing how gloriously His sacrifice and resurrection would bring such joy?
It is so we can understand the seriousness of sin.
The sin of the world caused God to reject His own Son. God had to turn His back on Jesus at the height of Christ’s pain. This is an unfathomable pain for any father. The earth shook. The laws of nature were broken when graves opened and the dead walked out to an already darkened sky. The sacred curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom as God cried out in anguish over His Son.
God feels, too.
Read Romans 8:28 in light of what Christ and the Father endured that day. The meaning changes dramatically and is much, much deeper.
This gravity of sin is removed once and for all by Jesus and 1 Peter 2:9-10 is our hope and promise to that effect.
Now read Acts 1:8 again.
We have received a command to be God’s witness to the world. Knowing what our salvation cost, what kind of witness will you be? Disingenuous? Reluctant and angry? Light lip service? Or broken by the seriousness of what we’ve been redeemed from and go all in?
Witness according to what it cost. Live the joy that knowing a God who would go to those lengths wants a forever relationship with YOU.
APPLY
Q: Looking at the progression of these verses, how much does God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love you?
Q: Letting yourself feel what it cost God, do you believe there is a sense of urgency in being a witness for Him?
Q: Is there something God wants you to do in obedience as a witness for Him to others? Do it. Whether it’s teaching, preaching, praying, listening, serving, giving, whatever it is, do it.
SING
“Beautiful” - MercyMe
PRAY
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
God you created humankind to have dominion over the world, but sin has caused us to fail and relinquish control to Your enemy. Give us the power to overcome temptation to accept that control. Protect us Lord as we do Your will.
READ
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD.
Matt 27:45-47
45 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
46 At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
REFLECT
On Sunday we heard that sin is serious. The first two verses of today’s reading should resonate how gravely serious sin is. Even Jesus, the Son of God, could not escape the punishment for sin. It was necessary for Him to take on the sin of the world from the beginning to the end of time. All of it.
We know that Jesus was fully God as much as He was fully man and would know the outcome of His sacrifice, our salvation. That does not mean that it did not hurt. Not just the physical torture Christ endured but the relationship with His Father that was severed at that moment.
Why would Jesus cry out in despair to His Father, knowing how gloriously His sacrifice and resurrection would bring such joy?
It is so we can understand the seriousness of sin.
The sin of the world caused God to reject His own Son. God had to turn His back on Jesus at the height of Christ’s pain. This is an unfathomable pain for any father. The earth shook. The laws of nature were broken when graves opened and the dead walked out to an already darkened sky. The sacred curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom as God cried out in anguish over His Son.
God feels, too.
Read Romans 8:28 in light of what Christ and the Father endured that day. The meaning changes dramatically and is much, much deeper.
This gravity of sin is removed once and for all by Jesus and 1 Peter 2:9-10 is our hope and promise to that effect.
Now read Acts 1:8 again.
We have received a command to be God’s witness to the world. Knowing what our salvation cost, what kind of witness will you be? Disingenuous? Reluctant and angry? Light lip service? Or broken by the seriousness of what we’ve been redeemed from and go all in?
Witness according to what it cost. Live the joy that knowing a God who would go to those lengths wants a forever relationship with YOU.
APPLY
Q: Looking at the progression of these verses, how much does God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit love you?
Q: Letting yourself feel what it cost God, do you believe there is a sense of urgency in being a witness for Him?
Q: Is there something God wants you to do in obedience as a witness for Him to others? Do it. Whether it’s teaching, preaching, praying, listening, serving, giving, whatever it is, do it.
SING
“Beautiful” - MercyMe
PRAY
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
God you created humankind to have dominion over the world, but sin has caused us to fail and relinquish control to Your enemy. Give us the power to overcome temptation to accept that control. Protect us Lord as we do Your will.