Category: Devotions

Sunday Shorts: Asking God

Devotions, Lectionary devotions

HandsJohn 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (NIV)

This is one of those Bible verses that is mistakenly used by people who believe in the Prosperity Gospel. They focus on the second part of the verse where Jesus states that ‘whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.’ They think it means that to get anything they want, they just have to ask for it, using Christ’s name as their guarantor, so God will be compelled to give them whatever they desire. But that is not based on faith, it’s actually a form of magic which is called an enchantment. God becomes the Great Genie in the Sky who grants people their wishes, so long as they use the right words.

This mistake occurs because people forget about the first part of the verse where Jesus states that He chose and appointed people to follow Him for one purpose – to bear fruit; in other words, to expand God’s Kingdom and make faith prosperous, not the person, nor their individual desires. It’s what God wants that is important, not what we want. Christ’s name is honored by being associated with the bearing of fruit and is not trivialized or taken in vain by trying to coerce God into doing what we want. We align ourselves to God’s purpose – the sharing of His love through the life, work, and ministry of His Son – instead of maligning God by expecting Him to give us everything we desire.

So next time when we’re praying about something that matters to us, let’s be careful about what we ask for, by personally pondering whether or not we are attempting to manipulate God to our will, rather than consolidate ourselves to God’s will.

Point to ponder: When I pray in Jesus’ Name, am I asking for things that will bear fruit for God’s Kingdom or just myself?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we come to You very often with our needs, wishes, desires, and dreams. We pray for things that we want and forget to ask You what it is that You want for us. Help us to reconsider how we pray and what we ask of You, in order to make our requests more fruitful for God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

 

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

New Devotions Book: The Light of Love

Devotions, Kindle Bible Studies, Kindle Bible Study Book
01 TLOLsMy latest book of devotions has just been published. This time, I’ve uploaded it as an ebook for Kindle and also as a paperback edition. Some of you were asking for this option. Both editions are available at the following links now, in the US and internationally.
Here’s a description of the book which is called ‘The Light of Love.’
The Gospel of John has always fascinated me because it is so unlike the other writings of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Jesus has more personal encounters and conversations in the Gospel and this shows us each individual in the stories was highly valued and respected by Christ. This is what first attracted me to Jesus – His personal touch and deep interest in the lives and circumstances of the people He met.
The Gospel has twenty-one chapters and can be easily read over six weeks by reading approximately half of each chapter on a daily basis. I’ve written two devotions for each chapter with a point to ponder and a short prayer at the end. A daily plan is also included at the beginning of the book and the day’s readings are given in each devotion. I’ve inserted some of my artwork to separate each weekly section of the readings and devotions.
The book can be read individually or as family devotions each day. However you use this book, I hope and pray that it brings you closer to the Lord.

Sunday Shorts: Abide in Me

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

E5BsJohn 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

I like the word ‘abide’. In this verse it has a very peaceful meaning attached to it because it refers to remaining with Jesus and stopping everything else just to be with Him for a while. We all get so busy in this post-covid age and overload our schedules that we often miss out on our sleep and constantly wake up tired. Our hyper-activity is relentless at times and the pressure to accomplish six impossible things before breakfast is causing us a lot of stress. We all have hopes and dreams, ambitions and goals that we want to pursue but if we get obsessed by them, we’ll end up being possessed by them, and this is not what God wants for our lives.

To abide in Jesus is to let go of everything that drives us and let Him lead us. It means stepping back from who we think we need to be, to become what God wants us to be. In the end, whatever we accomplish, build, or achieve will mean nothing in eternity, but the fruit of faith that we bear by abiding with Christ – that will delight God and bring us everlasting joy. This is what Jesus means when He says that ‘apart from me you can do nothing.’

Today is Sunday. God set it apart so that we can abide with Him and His Son. It’s not just a sacred day with religious obligations, it’s also a trysting place, a thin space when everything in heaven and on earth is meant to stop and abide in God’s presence. It’s a day to step back from the busyness of life and let God embrace us peacefully and lovingly, in order to reset our lives and recharge our spirits.

Point to ponder: Am I willing to abide in Christ today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to let go of our relentless activities and driven ambitions in order to experience a sacred piece of eternity in our finite world. Allow us to abide in and with you, so that we may renew our faith and reconnect our souls with God. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts: Lay Down

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

E4BsJohn 10:15 Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (NIV)

I’ve sometimes heard and read some post-modern preachers say that Jesus didn’t sacrifice His life on our behalf. They question Christ paying the price of our sins because God’s justice demanded it. They also express the thought that His death was accidental and was never intended to happen. I wonder where they get their notions from and feel as though they’re just parroting something that a seminary teacher, lecturer, or professor once stated. They are fully convinced that they are right and people like me are totally wrong.

I question their ideas because scripture, like today’s highlighted verse, plainly states that Jesus Himself declared He was willing to lay down His life for the sheep; in other words, Christ clearly expressed His readiness to die for His flock, which is not some 19th century theological notion created by revivalist preachers, but is a First century teaching that the Apostle John must have heard directly from the lips of Jesus.

I have known several shepherds in my lifetime and have seen how devoted they are to the wellbeing of their livestock. At this time of year, they are constantly watching over the ewes who are producing lambs and spend many hours tending to their needs at a very vulnerable time for both the ewes and their young. Without that commitment and watchfulness, the sheep would perish, so it’s no wonder then that Jesus talked about being the Good Shepherd to His followers, but He also took His pastoral care a stage further by stating that He would lay down His life for them – that’s not just good shepherding; it’s great shepherding.

There can be no reason for Jesus saying He would lay down His life for His sheep other than sacrificing Himself on their behalf, even on our behalf. It may be theologically fashionable for some folks to reject this notion, but it does not eradicate the fact that Jesus did what He said He would do. He laid down His life on the Cross at Calvary in order to save His sheep and satisfy what God required. Why? Because the sheep, including us, could do nothing to save themselves from the wrath of God.

Point to ponder: Do I believe Jesus laid down His life for my sins? If not, what can I do to save myself? If so, am I willing to accept Christ as my Savior today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, without Your sacrifice, we could never do enough to placate God or be restored to God’s favor, love, and kingdom. Help us to understand and accept that You laid down Your life for every one of us by enabling us to receive You as our Redeemer, Savior, and Lord. Amen.

Sunday Shorts: Restored by Love

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

E3bsLuke 24:47 Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (NRSV)

When Jesus came back from the dead, His first message to the disciples was similar to what He initially expressed as He began His ministry. At that original point, He urged people to repent and believe the good news because the Kingdom of God was near (Mark 1:15). After being resurrected, the message that His disciples were now given to proclaim was simple: people were being urged to repent and their forgiveness of sins was to be declared.

This meant that when Jesus died on the Cross things were changed for all of humanity. Whatever debt we owed to God because of our sinful ways was cancelled completely. Before the Cross, people needed to appease God with sacrifices; after the resurrection, we were urged to sacrifice our pride and humbly confess our mistakes in order to be given total forgiveness of our sins.

I don’t know about you, but that divine transaction of my debt being imposed on Jesus when He was nailed to the Cross gives me hope. I’ve done some really bad things in my life that I truly regret and wish never happened. I would be as miserable as sin if I didn’t know Jesus as my Savior, so when He offers me true forgiveness in return for my repentance, I’m ready to take that gift.

Perhaps you’ve been carrying some guilt in your heart and it keeps you awake at night. Maybe you’ve done something foolish that you regret and it torments your mind. Whatever it is, it can be rectified; whatever you’ve done, you can be restored to God’s favor and love. Jesus has completed what was necessary to reconnect all of us to our gracious God – all we simply have to do is repent.

Find a quiet place today and have a quiet time with God. Unburden your soul and let the tears of regret fall from your eyes. There is nothing that you have done that God cannot forgive through Jesus. God already knows what it is, so just allow yourself to be relieved by simply whispering it to God. Repentance will restore you and Jesus will embrace you. Let His power to forgive, renew you; let His ability to love, release you.

Prayer: Lord, You know us completely. You’ve seen all of our mistakes and are totally aware of all the things that bother our consciences. Help us to find some quiet time to be with You alone, to confess our faults, address our sins, and unburden all that we are sinfully and selfishly carrying. Allow us to take the opportunity of the forgiveness, peace, and love that You offer. In Your Holy Name, we humbly confess and pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts: The One Who Waited

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

E2BsJohn 20:27      Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

I think most of us love the story of Doubting Thomas because we can identify with him. He missed out on being with the disciples when Jesus was resurrected and suddenly appeared in the upper room. Thomas must have been in hiding somewhere else and didn’t feel safe in the company of the others; after all, one of them had already betrayed Jesus, so who was to say that another of the twelve wouldn’t do the same?

Eventually, Thomas felt it was safe to go back to the band of followers, but when he got there, instead of being relieved, he is perplexed with the other disciples because they all seem deluded and keep talking about Jesus being alive again. Thomas cannot accept this and even if it was true, he’s probably angry with himself for not being there when Jesus appeared. He also declares that if Jesus was standing in front of him, Thomas would still not believe it unless he could touch Christ’s nail pierced hands, as well as fingering His side where a spear had been thrust.

A week later, Jesus reappears just for the sake of canceling Thomas’ doubts and enabling him to believe again. Christ is determined to get the doubter back on the right path. It’s a wonderful moment, not just of resurrection, but of restoration, too. Jesus restores Thomas’ faith, as well as his rightful place among the Chosen Eleven.

But here’s the thing: Thomas remained with the other disciples for several days before Jesus reappeared. He could have gone away again and stayed angry with the others, believing that they were deluded because Christ had definitely died. Despite having all of those doubts, he remained connected to the family of faith that he had known for three years. He may have given up hope about Jesus, but he did not let go of the friendship and fellowship he had known with the others.

I think this is why Jesus came back – to bless Thomas’ loyalty to the others, just as much to show him that Christ was alive. Perhaps instead of calling Thomas ‘the One Who Doubted’, we should remember him as Thomas ‘the One Who Waited.’ And maybe this is also why we relate so much with him – we all have our doubts about our faith, but we still are waiting for Jesus to either return among us, or to eternally restore us to God’s favor, love, and kingdom.

Point to ponder: What doubts do I have about Jesus? What keeps me waiting for Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, like Thomas, we find Your resurrection unbelievable and mysterious, and yet we remain hopeful of Your return and await being restored to You forever. Consolidate our faith; when we are weak, please be our strength; when we have doubts, please remain with us. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.