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  • Shaped not Shaken by Suffering

    1 Peter 5:10 “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

    A central theme to the Apostle Peter’s letter is to address the suffering believers are facing. Christians do suffer – we face trials and persecutions. In 1 Peter 5:10 Peter is essentially praying a prayer for God (the God of all grace) to do a mighty life-changing work through the suffering one faces.  Peter prays that God uses suffering to perfect us or to shape us. The word we read is “perfect” but can also be translated as complete, restore or mend.  I like the idea of God using our suffering to shape us for service.  Recall how in 2 Corinthians He comforts us so that we might comfort others. He uses our suffering to shape us for services.  

    With this mindset about suffering, we will not be shaken by sufferings but rather shaped by suffering! 

    Think of it this way: As we face sufferings (trials) we should be shaped, not shaken!

    Suffering also brings about a deeper level of security for us from Christ. With suffering we can become more like Christ as well as know more about Christ and as well as become closer to Christ.  To be “established” has the idea of standing firm or steadfast.  As one faces suffering tone grows in knowledge that God is with them and has them.  

    Peter also prays for God to do a special work in us asking that He strengthen us (gives us courage) and that He settle us (calm us down).  We need both as we face suffering and pain.

    Likely, your spiritual journey has already brought painful moments in which you have found you would have never gotten through them without the LORD.  He gave you the strength to face the suffering, the peace to be settled, and walk confidently through the dark and difficult days.  While it might be hard to explain, you might say He settled your unsettled and fearful soul during the storm.  

    What is your suffering testimony? Are you being shaped by suffering or shaken by suffering?  Have you already experienced His tight hold on you during a painful time?  Does your story have in it how God gave you the strength as well as the peace to face a painful moment?  

    One of the ways to look at suffering is that God uses our sufferings to shape our service.  Suffering also sharpens and softens our story to share our Savior’s story! Our trials are turned into testimonies for us to tell of the grace of God.

    Continue Strong being Shaped, Not Shaken By Suffering,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • In Pursuit Of Pleasing The Lord

    2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

    What is your ambition? The word “ambition” means a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring, demanding of oneself determination and hard work to achieve success. It is what you passionately pursue. It is very possible that seeing the word “ambition” you might think of it as a negative. Being ambitious can describe a person who will do anything and everything to get ahead, caring not who or what is harmed.  Ambition handled incorrectly, can be very dangerous.  

    Here in 2 Corinthians 5:9, we have a positive ambition.  The Greek word translated here as AIM speaks of a love for bringing honor.  It could be translated as aspire, conveying what one is reaching for.  It could be translated as being zealous to convey the passion one has for pursuing and achieving the desired goal.  

    Paul says our aim, or ambition, that which we aspire after, that which we are zealous for, and passionate about, is to be living a life well pleasing to Jesus. well pleasing has the idea of being acceptable!  

    Our ambition is to have attitudes and actions that are acceptable to the Lord! 

    How do you apply a verse like 2 Corinthians 5:9 to everyday living?  I see 2 Corinthians 5:9 as one of my filters for making decisions. By desiring every attitude and all actions to be well pleasing, acceptable to the Lord I am asking, “Is it pleasing to the Lord?” 

    I have found two prayers that are very helpful in helping me pursue living a life that is pleasing, and acceptable to the Lord. One is from Colossians 1:10 where I pray Paul’s prayer as he prayed that a person “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.” The other is from Psalm 19:14 in which David prayed, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”  I encourage you to pray these two prayers as part of your daily prayer time.

    Do you have a holy ambition to have attitudes and actions that are acceptable to the Lord?

    Continue Strong pursuing Pleasing Jesus,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Christian Service Announcement: Warning! A Lion Is On The Loose

    1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

    The Apostle Peter knows a thing or two about having to deal with the wiles of the devil.  On the night Jesus was arrested Jesus told Peter that Satan has asked for him, desiring that he may sift him as wheat. (Luke 22:31)  “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”  (Luke 22:32)

    Having been shifted by the Devil and having returned to Jesus Peter is now doing what Jesus told him to do and is strengthening the brethren. 1 Peter 5:8 is a warning revealing vital information about the enemy and it gives vital actions to take so that one is not blindsided or caught off guard.  Every believer must know that we have an adversary who is actively prowling around just as a hungry lion carefully stalks their dinner.   Our adversary, the devil, has only bad intentions as he is seeking to devour you.  Jesus described him in the Book of John as a liar and a thief who has come to steal, kill, and destroy.  (John 10:10)  How foolish it is of us to deny that we have such an adversary and how careless it is to not be prepared for his coming attacks. 

    From our verse, we learn how to be prepared.   The first action is to be sober or sober-minded. It means our minds are always clear so that we can make the very best decision.  When we think about being sober, we usually connect that to alcohol. When one is drinking various types of alcohol it impairs one’s judgment.  As a believer with such a vicious enemy, the believer must always be clear-minded, and ready to respond as a fiery dart could be launched at them at any moment. There is never a time when the believer can lower their guard, lower their shield of faith!  To be sober or sober-minded is to always be self-controlled.   

    The next action is to be watchful or to be alert.  Peter is drawing here from the military.  The military has soldiers posted at the critical guard post and they guard by watching, being on the highest alert to the slightest movement.  With a clear-thinking mind, we have our eyes and ears on full alert for the slightest of temptation being thrown at us!

    Doing these things does not prevent the attack from coming.  We need to look to verse 9 for the next action in which Peter says, “Resist him, standing firm in your faith! (1 Peter 5:9a) In the face of the enemy you cannot be a coward.  You must be courageous and hold up the shield of faith.  As you demonstrate your faith, believing that what God has said is right and what the devil is saying is wrong, you activate the word of words for resisting the devil as you submit to God!  When you submit, obey God, the devil is defeated, and he will flee you.   James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God: resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.”

    You must be fully aware that you have a vicious enemy who desires to destroy your testimony.  Know there are proper actions to take that prepare you for his attacks. Never let your guard down and when the attack comes repel it with obedience.  If you will, obedience and submission to God is the kryptonite for the devil!

    One of the most important things to learn is to be sober-minded.  In Titus 2:6 teaches the first thing the older men are to teach the younger men is to be sober-minded.

    Continue Strong Alert For The Adversaries’ Attacks,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Pleasing Walk Is Walking By Faith

    2 Corinthians 5:7  “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

    As we think about what would be called the essentials of the Christian life, we must put at the top of the list faith.  There is faith to be saved (Romans 3:28 and Ephesians 2:8) and then there is faith to serve.  Regarding serving, Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  Pleasing God means we step out in faith (trusting and believing God) to do what He has called us.  Faith will believe that God will do through us what otherwise seems utterly impossible.   Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

    Is God asking you to take any steps of faith recently?  Is it a ministry that God wants you to start or to be involved more?  Is it making a financial pledge to help support one of God’s ministries?  Is it sharing Christ with a neighbor or an associate?   

    May I remind you that if your present situation is demanding more faith, you can ask God to increase your faith.   Did you know that the disciples asked the Lord to increase their faith? (Luke 17:5)  Ask Him!  Just as you would ask for wisdom (James 1:5) Ask Him to increase your faith.  

    Now a thought on how God will answer your prayer.  If you are serious about your faith being increased, I believe God will direct you to studying more in the Bible about who He is.  Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know Your name will put their trust in You.”  The more you know about who God is the more you will take the steps of faith He wants you to take.  

    I also believe for those of you who truly want to please God and walk by faith you will find yourself drawn to reading over and over Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith chapter.   As you read the stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary, supernatural things for God you will be inspired to trust God to do what He is asking of you.  It will fuel your faith and you need to fuel and refuel your faith!

    Something to ponder is what it means to be full of faith.  The Bible says Stephen was full of faith.  (Act 6:5,8.)   The Bible says Barnabas was full of faith.  (Acts 11:24)  

    When was the last time you took a step of faith?  

    Continue Strong Walking by Faith, not Sight!
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Christ Died for You, An Ungodly Sinner!

    Romans 5:6 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

    As the Apostle Paul lays out the great work of Christ in the book of Romans, he explains what Christ did, and why Christ did what He did, and for whom He did what He did.  Far more than just dying an awful, excruciating death on a Roman cross He died for a specific purpose, dying for and dying in place of the ungodly.  Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!”

    Our verse should stir up immense devotion and love for our Savior. Pause to consider the depth of love God has for you.  As Romans 5:7 says, “It is hard to believe that one would die for a righteous person or even die for a good person, yet Jesus dies for the ungodly!  What a Savior He is.

    As a reminder of what He did recall some of the words from the song O Glorious Day:

    “One day they led Him up Calvary’s mountain
    One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
    Suffering anguish despised and rejected
    Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
    Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
    And took the nails for me
    Living, He loved me
    Dying, He saved me
    Buried, He carried my sins far away
    Rising, He justified freely forever
    One day He’s coming Oh glorious day, oh glorious day!”

    What a Savior He is!  What a salvation He provides!

    Continue Strong with adoration of and devotion to your Savior!
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Choosing To Trust And Obey What He Says

    Luke 5:5 “But Simon Peter answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’”

    I, for one, am glad I can find a variety of stories in the Bible that help me to see the real-life struggles of trusting and obeying the Lord. The story of Jesus telling Simon Peter (a professional fisherman) to launch out into the deep and drop his nets for a catch is one of those stories.  To get the full understanding of the struggles and then the surrender notice Luke 5:1-4.  It says, “So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the Word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

    Simon Peter, the professional fisherman has just heard an order from a carpenter that goes against what Peter knows about fishing.  Peter responds with a reason that what Jesus just said will not work.  They had already been fishing and had come up empty.  And coming up empty as a fisherman is embarrassing.  This order to go fishing now in the wrong place at the wrong time seemed to Peter that he was going to be embarrassed again. So, he tells Jesus, his master, “Master, we have toiled (labored, wore ourselves out) all night and caught nothing.”

    Take a moment to process what Peter said.  Maybe you see yourself sounding like Peter as Jesus tells us what He wants us to do.  I know I have told the Lord what He wants will not work. I know that I know what works and what does not work.  I know what looks absurd and ridiculous and yes, what is impossible.  I am thinking you have been there with God.  Maybe you are there at this very moment.

    What do you do when God tells you to do what appears to be absurd, ridiculous, and impossible? Simon Peter’s next response may be helpful.

    Struggling with the order, Simon Peter now makes the decision to trust and obey what seems absurd – ridiculous – crazy – impossible.  His decision starts with one word and that word is nevertheless. “Nevertheless” reveals a change, a change of thinking.   Peter is going to trust that Jesus knows best. 

    Make no mistake Luke 5:5 is a major moment in the development of Simon Peter’s faith. With the word “Nevertheless,” he moved to a level of trusting and obeying. 

    If we are going to obey Jesus, there will be a crucial moment where we have to trust Him.  We will have to decide to stop believing that we know what is best and decide that He knows best.  It is not easy. The struggle is real.  That is why you will have to say nevertheless!

    Are you facing a nevertheless moment right now?  Let Peter’s story of struggling with doing what Jesus said encourage you, encourage you to trust and obey.  

    Don’t miss the results of trusting and obeying.  Luke 5:6 “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.”  What Jesus said would happen did happen.

    Continue Strong Trusting and Obeying,
    Remember to DATE the Word

  • What Are You Seeking?

    Amos 5:4 “For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: ‘Seek Me and live;’”

    Scrolling through the hundreds of TV channels one finds show after show about a group of people seeking for something.  There is lost treasure to be found at the bottom of the sea or in an abandoned mine.  Some shows are about people seeking to survive while others are seeking love.   It is easy to get caught up in searching for things.   Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, got caught up in seeking meaning in life.  He tells how he tried one thing after another that the world offered and yet he still felt empty.  That was until he remembered his Creator and connected with Him.  His search for meaning was found in a relationship with God.  (See Eccl. 12:13)

    What are you seeking?  Amos speaks boldly to the people of Israel to seek God and live!  This bold statement from God comes as He has become secondary in their lives.  The verse is a call for a readjustment.  The need for a readjustment was so great that the call to seek God and live is repeated in Amos 5:6.  

    Do you need to make some adjustments to what is your primary search?   I searched the usage of the word “seek” and found well over 100 verses that speak to seeking God.   For instance here are just a few that I think you might be familiar with:
    Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  
    Luke 12:31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.
    Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
    Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.
    James 4:8 says it a little differently but is it the same idea: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

    David tells of his primary desire in Psalms 27:4. It states, “One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.”

    He then declares his devotion to seeking the Lord in Psalms 27:8 as he states, “When You said, Seek My face, My heart said to You, Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

    What are you seeking?  Fame? Fortune? Pleasure? ??? 
    Or are you seeking to know and live for God? 

    Our search for significance is found in Jesus Christ!  Seek Him and Live

    Continue Strong seeking the face of God,
    And remember to DATE The Word

  • A Daily Declaration Of Dependence On God

    Psalm 5:3 “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”

    Psalm 5:3 is a declaration of dependence on God as David states emphatically that God will be hearing his voice as he awakens in the morning. He will not be saying, “Good Lord, it is morning,” but rather, “Good morning, Lord.”  This declaration of dependence on God continues with David stating he will be looking up to God because he knows his help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth (Psalm 121:1)

    I look at Psalm 5:3 as a tremendous guide to start each day.  For what it is worth, my guide for the start of a day goes like this: First thing in the morning
    I give worship to God.
    Then I get wisdom from God.
    Then and only then do I go to work for God.

    I Give Worship! (God hears my voice as I read a psalm and pray a prayer)

    I Get Wisdom!  (My ears are open to God to hear God’s voice by reading His Word)

    I Go to Work for the Lord where I am a Witness for the Lord   (wherever we are we represent God- think WWW – witnessing while working)

    In putting this guide into action, I suggest you start each day by praying the Lord’s Prayer.  This allows you to give adoration and praise to Him!  It allows you to acknowledge His place of authority in your life.  It allows you to ask Him for the provisions you need and the protection you need.  It closes with another round of praise to Him.   

    Then you want to read a portion of God’s Word.  Offering worship to God you have spoken to God.  Now you need to allow God to speak to you!  Psalm 143:8 says, “Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” 

    To hear about God, we read His Word! 

    As far as what to read I leave that to you. There are so many plans.  For instance, you can read one chapter a day out of the New Testament, reading Monday through Friday (5 days a week) and you will read through the entire NT in a year. I suggest for a month like May, which has 31 days that, you read one chapter a day from Proverbs. (Today you would read Proverbs 3.) In the month coming up, June, I suggest you read 5 chapters a day from Psalms as it has 150 chapters. What is important here is that you read some of God’s Word every day.  

    Then after giving worship to God and getting wisdom from God, go to work for God with a mindset of being a witness for the Lord wherever you find yourself throughout the day. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16)

    Have you declared your dependence on God for this day?

    Continue Strong looking up to the Lord daily,
    And remember to DATE the Word

    May I ask a favor and request that you send this to someone – someone who may be struggling with their walk with the Lord?  Encourage them to read this devotion and then sign up for the daily devotional on the website and remember you can point them to our new Date the Word App.  

  • To Be Like Jesus is to Love (and Forgive) like Jesus

    Ephesians 5:2  “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

    Ephesians 5 starts with “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” Interestingly, this verse follows Ephesians 4:32 which says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.”  Then following “be imitators of God,” we have our verse that says, “Walk in love as Christ has loved us.”  You can see now why I have as my title To Be Like Jesus is to Love (and Forgive) Like Jesus.  

    When looking at the characteristics that best describe Christians two of the highest descriptions are givers and forgivers.  I like that description as it matches how Christ lived.  He was a giver as our verse tells us.  He loved us so much that He gave Himself as an offering and a sacrifice.  He gave His life, dying on a cruel cross, for all humanity. 

    He gave and He forgave.  Today, as a believer your sins have been forgiven.  As a reminder of this as well as how it happened notice:

    1 John 2:12  I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.

    Colossians 2:13  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

    Ephesians 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,

    The forgiveness came because He died and He died because He loved us – He loved you.  

    Now let us be very honest with ourselves and acknowledge it is easy to read about loving and forgiving like Jesus, but the reality is this may be the hardest actions (or, shall I say, reactions) we take.  People are hard to love.  Saints still sin and sometimes they sin against you. How are you going to respond when a fellow saint sins against you?   I will let you ponder on that.

    As a reminder about loving people, I repeat a statement I have made before that the time a person needs love the most is when they deserve it the least.  I also remind you that love does not keep a record of wrongs. (1 Cor. 13:5d NIV)

    I also remind you that “forgiveness is the glue that holds all relationships together.”   And the standard for extending forgiveness is to forgive as Jesus forgave.  

    If we are to live and act like Jesus, then we are going to be extending forgiveness. And our forgiveness will be extended because we are loving like Jesus. 

    Show others Jesus by loving and forgiving them!

    Continue Strong living like Him,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Listen, Learn, And Live The Word!

    Deuteronomy 5:1 “Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them.”

    Let us begin with a big question: What are we to do with God’s Word?  

    Moses gives three essential things to do with God’s Word here in Deuteronomy 5:1.  

    First, we are to listen (Hear, O Israel). 
    Second, we are to learn (that you might learn). 
    Third, we are to live (careful to observe them).

    We are to listen to God’s Word! To listen is to become attentive to what is being said.  We can be hearing, but not listening because we were not paying attention.  You can be “hearing” a sermon but not listening to the sermon.  One of the great heartaches of God is found in Proverbs 1:24, as He says, “I have called, and you refused to listen.”  

    Are you putting yourself in a place to listen to God’s Word?

    Are you paying close attention to what is being said?  

    Are you listening that you need to be listening?

    2nd, we are to learn God’s Word!  To learn is to comprehend information so that it can be applied.   It is gaining an understanding.  It is gaining knowledge.  To learn one will need to do the hard work of studying.  While in learning there is the component of being able to remember what one has learned, there is also the component of knowing how the information is used.  While it is important to hide God’s Word in your heart so you can recall it the full idea is learning is we now have a skill. Studying is to make one skillful.  Studying God’s Word is to make one skillful in how to use God’s Word. Are you taking the time to learn God’s Word?

    3rd, we are to be living God’s Word.  We are to be more than listeners and learners.  We are to be living out the skills we now possess.   There is an application of the skills learned to daily living. As Pastor James says in his letter, we are to be doers.  Only a fool would be listening and learning but not living what they have learned.  (Matt. 7:26) Are you living out what you are learning? 

    Listen to the Word! Learn the Word! Live the Word!

    Continue Strong,
    And remember to DATE the Word