Acts 16:27-31 – “But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”  NASB

We discussed the first two R’s of Christianity in the last devotional.  The R of Repentance and the R of Resistance.  Those we called steps one and two and now we move to step three the third R of Christianity.

THE THIRD R – – RENEWAL.

There must be the continual and regular renewal of our hearts, minds, and souls in God.  That is emphasized in the words of Isaiah as he declares in Isaiah 40:31 – “Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” 

There is the possibility of being conformed to the world or transformed to God as Paul details in Romans 12:2 saying, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  Just as our automobiles require fuel, we must have a fresh touch of God upon our lives to live for Him.  We need His spiritual nourishment to give us the sustenance, strength, and ability to walk uprightly before Him.

We must Repent of our sins to receive His forgiveness.  We must Resist the devil for him to flee from us.  We must be Renewed daily to have the strength and ability to stand uprightly before God and manifest Him to the world.  Those three R’s are vital to our living a full and productive Christian life.

• Repentance is Required for Forgiveness.
• Resistance is Required for us to overcome the devil and temptation.
• Renewal is Required for us to become the mature Christians that God desires.

The question I would ask in a meeting would be, “Have you taken the first step?”  Then I would ask, “Are you resisting?”  Then, I would remind everyone that it is God’s desire to renew us in the Spirit of our minds and transform our hearts.  He wants to make us like Jesus in the sense that we have Jesus living His life through us and manifesting Himself in us.  We are truly the only Bible that some will ever read.

Whatever we need He is. He is the Great I AM!  He is whatever we need.  If we need forgiveness, repentance is the first step to peace.  If we have received forgiveness, resistance is required and He provides strength for the struggle and endurance for the journey.  If we have received forgiveness and are resisting, He is there to renew us day by day and give us the grace and peace to continue the journey.

May the LORD bless and keep you, guard, and guide you, and give you peace!  God bless you!

Acts 16:27-31 – “But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”  NASB

I am convinced that everyone with a basic knowledge of God’s Word knows the simple path to salvation.  It is through Jesus Christ by Grace in repentance and faith.  However, knowing the path without taking the appropriate action is inadequate.  We need to keep in mind that the first step is not the entire race, there is more!

I would like to address some very simple and fundamental principles.  It is my conviction that there are Three R’s of Christianity that everyone needs to keep in mind.  We need to progress beyond step one in order to become constant and consistent in our Christian walk.  If we are to be victorious, we must grow in His Grace, Love, Peace, and Power.

THE FIRST R – – REPENTANCE.

Repentance is required for us to gain access to God.  Acts 3:19 informs us that we must “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;” We need to heed the warning of Acts 17:30 – “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent,” 

Repentance opens the door for cleansing of the soul from sin.  The oft-quoted passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14 is germane and offers an understanding of what we need to do.  2 Chronicles 7:14 – “My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”  The words of Isaiah are valuable.  We read in Isaiah 55:7 – “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” 

Repentance is the first step in Christianity.  It opens the Door to Salvation!  It ushers us into the presence of the Savior! 

THE SECOND R – – RESISTANCE.

That may sound strange in connection with repentance, but resistance is a vital element in our Christian walk.  Once we have received the Cleansing of the Blood and the Forgiveness of God for our sin and entered the New Birth we must Resist.  Resist what?  We must resist the devil and all his devices, schemes, and temptations.  We must exercise a certain amount of will-power.  God is not going to do it all for us.  We are required to Resist the devil for him to flee from us.

This will-power of which I speak is the enabling power of God through grace. We have power over all the power of the enemy.  We can resist the devil and he will flee.  We can walk in the righteousness of God and have our minds transformed and renewed. 

Paul gives a beautiful explanation of the value and benefit of the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:11. James offers valuable instruction telling us that in submission to God we find the strength to resist the devil and when we do the devil is forced to back off.  (James 4:7).  We need to learn to say NO!  The writer of Proverbs tells us that when sinners seek to entice us, we are to refuse.  (Proverbs 1:10).

It is important that we guard our life’s activities and follow the directive of Proverbs 4:4 and refuse to enter into the path of the wicked.  We are to resist temptation and resist yielding our bodies, our minds, or our abilities to the devil and commit our entire selves to God and His purposes. (Romans 6:13).

            We must learn to avoid error and that requires an investment of time and energy in studying the Word of God.  (2 Peter 3:17 and Hebrews 2:1).  Resisting is necessary if we are to be complete in our Christian walk. 

We will pause here and pick up the last R in the next devotional.  Until then, may the LORD of God keep guard, and guide you in your pursuit of His purposes. 

I pray that your day will be prosperous and filled with peace!  Blessings!

Acts 1:15-20 – “And at this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, 16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 “For he was counted among us, and received his portion in this ministry.” 18(Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. 19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no man dwell in it’; and, ‘His office let another man take.’”  NASB

Almost immediately upon hearing the name Judas Iscariot or Benedict Arnold, the word traitor, comes to mind.  Judas is easily seen as a villain as we are reminded that he sold our LORD to the chief priest for 30 pieces of silver.  He is, but it would serve us well to remember how he began.

In our own American history, there was a general in 1776 who led a regiment into Canada.  It is reported that by the time they arrived they were barely alive and still they fought bravely at the Battle of Saratoga.  This general was placed in command of the fort at West Point.  The British forces in New York seemed to be in peril but suddenly their fortunes turned when this general sent a secret message offering to sell West Point for 20,000 pounds.

Imagine that! A man that had saved the America cause at Saratoga, now willing to sell out the country he had risked his life for.  Benedict Arnold died a traitor even though he began so well.  What was the root of is fall into disgrace?  It is reported that he was extremely dissatisfied with the American patriots.  He married a loyalist and her influence was immeasurable.  He was deeply in debt and had been reprimanded at a court-martial for misappropriation of government property.  He began well but allowed the little foxes to spoil his promising vine.

JUDAS HAD WHAT IT TAKES TO SUCCEED…

He was a man greatly favored.  I say that without reservation because he was handpicked by Jesus as one of the twelve apostles.  He was given the responsibility of handling the team’s money.  He was apparently respected and trusted by the group.  It appears that he was intelligent and capable.  In fact, he was not even suspected by the others when Jesus announced that one would betray our Lord.

Judas had intimate fellowship and a close association with Jesus.  He had exercised, along with the others, power over the forces of darkness, healed the sick and cast out devils.  I can state that as a fact because of Matthew 10:1 – “And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.”  Judas had experienced the power of God in his life.  Before anyone insists that he was a tool of the devil from the beginning we must remember the words of Jesus in Mark 3:23 – “How can Satan cast out Satan?”

This will be a sticking point for some but Luke 10:20 indicates that his name was written in heaven.  Luke 10:17-20 – “And the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. 20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” 

Judas did not fall overnight and become the traitor he became.  It was little by little and the Bible calls him a thief.  Money was certainly a factor. Envy may have been as well.  Possibly, he thought Jesus was moving too slow in establishing his kingdom and Judas’ thirst for power and prominence prevailed. Whatever caused him to turn back from his devotion to Jesus resulted in his destruction.  His plight should be a warning to all that we need to ‘guard our hearts’ carefully and give no place to the devil.

I want to address this a little further and will address this more fully in the next devotional.

God bless you and may you have a fantastic day in Jesus!

Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God….”  NKJV

Every journey begins with a first step.  Every race has a starting point as well as a finish line.  Every theory has a first principle.  Every life has a point of conception.  There is a beginning to everything that we encounter and that beginning point is GOD!  Let me rephrase that, the beginning point in our lives SHOULD BE GOD! 

Our God is a “speaking God”.  He still speaks to hearts today.  Let me illustrate something from this Book of the Bible which I believe is the “seed book” of the Bible the Book of Genesis.  Consider how the following verses begin and what took place:

Genesis 1:3-5 – “Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” NKJV

Genesis 1:6-8 – “Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.“ NKJV

Genesis 1:9-10 – “Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.” NKJV

Genesis 1:11-13 – “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.” NKJV

Genesis 1:14-19 – “Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” NKJV

Genesis 1:20-23 – “Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.” NKJV

Genesis 1:24-25 – “Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.“ NKJV

Genesis 1:26-28 – “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” NKJV

Genesis 1:29-31 – “And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” NKJV

Each day of creation began with GOD SAID.  God spoke everything into existence.  The disciples, on one occasion, were astonished that even the winds and waves obeyed the command of Jesus as they were in the boat during a storm.  Like the old song, “When Jesus says it’s enough it’ll be enough.  When He speaks peace to my situation all my troubles have to flee….”

Sadly, too many either do not believe that God speaks today or do not stop long enough for Him to speak to them.  If there is anything more important than “hearing God” in our lives, I don’t know what it is.  It should be the continual prayer of our hearts to “hear Him” and “know” His desire and direction for our lives “in every situation”. 

God begins this whole process we call life by “speaking” and came to the Garden daily to “talk” with Adam & Eve.  He continues His desire to communicate with us in this present world.  So, I encourage you to ask the Lord to speak to your heart.  It is His desire to guide your steps and lead you in the paths of righteousness.

Jesus said, “My sheep know My voice.”  So my prayer for you and for me is that we learn, even more than we presently do, to recognize His voice speaking to your heart.  That we rest in the comfort that His voice brings and the peace that comes with knowing that we know the mind of God in any particular matter. 

May God Bless you richly is my prayer and guide you through every day of your life.  Blessings!

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  NASB

Now, the question to ask on this New Year’s Day – “What Are You Living For?”  That may sound strange when connected to the text I have chosen for this topic, but if you will permit, I believe you will understand.  I want to address the last words of that sentence, “to those who are called according to His purpose.”  The focus is His Purpose and that begs the question of each of us, “What Are We Living For?”

I heard a preacher reveal his technique for sharing his faith in witnessing using two very simple questions.  He would first ask, “What do you do for a living?”  The responses are always the typical, Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher, etc.  We all do something or aspire to do something in life as a vocation.  That opens the door and then he asks, “What are you living for?”  That is a completely different world and there is usually silence because most do not truly have a picture in their minds of what they are truly living for. 

We are all living for something even if we do not know what it is or how to articulate it. The question is What?  Some people invest their entire lives pursuing wealth, some fame, some approval, some seeking love and to be loved.  The question is valid, “What are you living for?”  What is your purpose in life?  What is that which keeps you moving from day to day, project to project, and venture to venture? 

You are investing your life in something the question is what?  The additional question is will it be of eternal value or temporal?  Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do men say that I am? What are people saying about me?”  They gave a list of what they were hearing and then He asked the pointed question, “But what about you?  What do you believe about Me?”  Peter gave the timeless answer of eternal value, “You are the Christ!”

That recognition of that reality allowed Jesus to direct their thinking and lay before them His Purposes and the various paths they could choose.  In a very real sense, He was saying, “Now that you know who I am, are you ready and willing to take up your cross and follow me?”  He cautioned that the world would never understand what or why they were doing what they were going to do.  He reminded them that they could turn to this world, it was an option.  It was not a good one and would prove fatal, but they had the option.

I heard a powerful sermon about Jesus’ life and the list given would make Him a failure by this world’s standards. He was born in obscurity, never went to college, never owned property, never held public office, never wrote a book, did not have a wife or children, he made powerful enemies, and was crucified as a common criminal on a cruel cross.  That is not a picture of the pathway to success in the eyes of the world and much of the church.

If you are pursuing a career, your reward is that career.  However, if your life is the pursuit of a mission, you are laying up eternal treasures.  Someone said, “A career is something you choose for yourself, but a mission is chosen for you by another.”  The life pursuit called for in the Bible is never about careers but missions.  The Bible is not opposed to careers, thank God there are those who have invested themselves in various occupations.  The Bible is not against wealth, thank God for those who have amassed fortunes and invest it in people and God’s kingdom.

If we make our lives a Mission, we do not waste time as we do if we are only pursuing a career.  Benjamin E. Mays offered some valuable insight:  He wrote, “I have just one minute only sixty seconds in it.  Forced upon me – can’t refuse it, didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it, but it’s up to me to use it.  I must suffer if I lose it, give account if I abuse it.  Just a tiny minute – but eternity is in it.”

C.T. Studd eloquently declared: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only, what’s done for Christ will last.”  On this New Year’s Day, you may or may not make Resolutions, but I ask that you consider the eternal question – “What Am I Living For?”  I also pray that your response will become – “For the Purposes of God.”  I also pray that your declaration will be more than an offering of piousness without purpose, but that you will become a Matthew 6:33 person and you will ‘seek first, Him and His purposes.’

I pray that 2020 will be the greatest year you have ever lived, and you will see more accomplished than your wildest dreams, hopes, and aspirations.  Remember, “Only one life to live, ‘twill soon be past, Only, what’s done for Christ will last.”

Have a fantastic day and a fantastic year! HAPPY NEW YEAR!