DEVOtionals
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Being = Doing
by Paul Bryant
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, what is it? Duh, it’s a duck. This is an old saying people use to point out something that’s obvious. No one looks at a duck and wonders if it’s really a duck. The same should be true about Christians. At least that’s what the Bible says.
Today I finished reading the book of Titus, it’s just a short little book that many people probably tend to overlook but it’s packed full of some good ol’ straight forward truth. In Titus 3:8 Paul says, “Those who have believed God should be careful to maintain good works.” In this book Paul has been writing to one of his preacher boys and he’s telling him to remind his church how Christians are supposed to act. We’re supposed to be humble and not talk bad about other people but get along with each other. Paul says we used to be foolish, disobedient, deceived by our own sin and selfishness and because of that we talked bad about people, we resented others and were hateful to them but when we got saved we became different. We’re now heirs with Christ, children of God, and so we act differently. Now we avoid foolish disputes. We quit fussing and fighting with each other over silly, selfish things. He even says to reject someone who wants to keep on acting that way because that person is warped and sinning and condemns himself.
That’s pretty tough stuff but it’s something that we ought to take to heart. There’s too much at stake for Christians to be spending their time fussing and fighting and blaming others for their troubles. People are lost and it’s up to us to bring them hope. Besides that, if we’re truly different shouldn’t we act differently? You see it’s not really about trying to be good or to do right, it’s just about learning to be who we are in Christ. We are new people with new hearts and new attitudes. Doing right will never make us right but when we’re in a right relationship with God through Christ, it’ll make us do right. How is your walk and your talk? Who do you look like?
Be Strong and Courageous
by Paul
Bryant
The other day a really good friend of mine challenged me concerning the idea of a quiet time. He said, “Why do we call it ‘quiet time’ when we ought to call it ‘interactive time’?” He’s right. When we sit down to spend some time with God in prayer and Bible reading it ought to be anything but quiet, it ought to be a time of interaction between God and us. We talk He listens, He talks we listen.
This week I began reading through the book of Joshua in my “interactive time”. I have read through this book several times before and each time I am captivated by new insights into God’s relationship with Israel and my relationship with God. As I began reading in chapter one I thought about how Joshua must have felt. Joshua had been faithful to serve God since he was a young man. He and Caleb were ready to take on giants forty years before when everyone else was afraid. He had wandered in the desert for forty years with his people even though he wasn’t guilty of their sin. He had served beside Moses through thick and thin and now, after Moses’ death, he finds himself in the driver’s seat. Forty years before he was young and brave and full of faith and was ready to follow God and Moses, (God’s chosen leader) into the Promised Land. Now he finds himself much older and probably a little weary and it’s up to him to lead a new generation into the land that God had promised their fathers. He must have doubted himself quite a bit because over and over again God encourages him to be faithful to do what He has called Him to do. In Joshua 1:6 God says; “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”
In this passage God is letting Joshua know that he’s the right man for the job and encourages him to step out in faith and do what He has called him to do. Three times between verses 6 and 11 God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. The job won’t be easy, the people won’t always be willing (right after this three tribes decide they want to stay where they are instead of receiving what God wants to give them), Joshua won’t always be popular, battles will be fought inside and outside the camp, and sometimes what God tells him to do won’t make any sense. Through all of this the one thing God tells Joshua to do is stay in the Word (vv. 7-8). God is telling Joshua, “Keep your eyes on Me.”
What has God asked you to do? Is it fearful? Is it overwhelming? Do you wonder if you can even do it? Keep you your eyes on God, stay in His Word (reading and living it), and take courage knowing that God is with you.
No Butter Knives Allowed
by Michaela Sheets
If the axe is dull and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success … Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NKJV)
Granted, most people don’t know a whole lot about falling trees, but it just plain makes sense that a sharp axe would do a better job cutting through a tree’s trunk than a weak blade, right? Hebrews 4 tells us that the Word of God is living and effective and sharper than a double edged sword, and the same principal of efficiency applies to the sword of the spirit in your life.
Now, the Word itself is sharper than any piece of metal you could find, but that doesn’t mean that your own spirit man is wielding the most effective weapon. When you’re not constantly feeding your spirit man from the Word, your “blade” gets weaker and you have to use more of your own force to get the job done, and you’re unable to let the strength in the sword take care of it.
Allowing your sword to grow dull will make it harder for you to ably defend yourself from the devil’s attacks. Think about it-if you’re up against a monster, you’d pick up and effective and sharp double edged sword before you’d start slinging a butter knife, wouldn’t you? That’s because it’s easier to fight with a sharp sword - less strength is required of you when you’re using a better weapon.
Your entire life is benefited by your ability to ward off the attacks of the devil, and that ability is completely within your grasp. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that your faith is directly affected by the amount of time you do or don’t spend hearing the Word. That means when you spend time reading your Bible and filling your spirit with the Word, you’re sharpening your spiritual sword and keeping your shield of faith in top shape, too. With that said, keep up with your spiritual strengthening and keep the devil afraid!