Tag: Jesus is Lord

The Day We Have All Been Waiting For

Old Testament: Zechariah 5 & 6

Poetry: Psalm 144

New Testament: Luke 2

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

            It’s Christmas Day!  The day we have all been waiting for.  Unless you’re really, really good, you likely will have already gotten up, peeked in your stocking and maybe opened gifts with your family.  You may have even eaten a large meal.  Maybe now you’re taking a few minutes to check your email and give some attention to your devotions for the day.  Whether you’re reading this at 8 a.m. or 8 p.m., it’s still Christmas Day.  A day you’ve been waiting for.  Christmas comes every year so at most, you’ve had to wait 364 days for Christmas. 

            The people of Israel had to wait hundreds of years for the first Christmas.  From the time King David was first promised that his son would be the Messiah and would reign forever, it had been many generations.  Now that day had finally come.  Normally, when a royal birth happens, especially a future King, it’s a pretty big deal.  There are grand proclamations that come from out of important palaces in important cities.  The whole community might stand outside the walls of the royal palace to hear the great news officially announced.  But this first Christmas announcement was quite different.  It wasn’t in the city of Jerusalem outside the palace walls, it was in the fields of rural Bethlehem.  The audience wasn’t the whole city gathered, it was a few sleepy shepherds in the middle of the night making sure their sheep were safe from predators.  The one making the announcement wasn’t the royal page or member of the court of Jerusalem, it was an angelic messenger of God.

            News of the Messiah’s birth went largely unnoticed for many years.  It would take several announcements from God “a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.”  Eventually, his few disciples understood that he was the Messiah.  What finally sold many people was his death and resurrection.  The Bible says that one day “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord” (Messiah/king).  On this Christmas Day, let us be sure that we not only hear and believe the Good News that at long last the promised Messiah was born in a manger in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago, but that he died for our sins and God raised him up from death and clothed him in immortality, he has ascended to the side of God and will come again to reign over all.  One day every knee will bow, but for today, be sure that you are bowing and giving your allegiance to King Jesus, and be sure to share this news with everyone you know. 

Merry Christmas!

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. How was God’s plan for a Messiah different from what many people expected? What do you love about how God brought about His plan for a Messiah? What does His plan reveal about Him? 
  2. Does your holiday festivities show that you are celebrating that Jesus is Lord? How are you bowing before him and confessing that he is Lord – yesterday, today and tomorrow?
  3. How can you share the good news of great joy? Who needs to hear it?
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Are you Zealous for God?

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 22 & 23
Psalms Reading: Psalm 40
* New Testament Reading: Romans 10

Paul starts Romans 10 like he started Romans 9, wishing that Israelites would be saved.  He lamented in verses 2-4, “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.  Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.  Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Are you zealous for God?  If so, great!  But as Paul pointed out, zeal is not enough.  Do you try to establish your own righteousness (through rigidly following a bunch of rules or making up your own rules)?  That didn’t work out too well for the Israelites, and won’t work out well for you either.

Fortunately, Paul revealed what *is* needed in Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

This sounds too simple to be true, but it is.  We need to publicly proclaim “Jesus is Lord” – and live it, not just say it.  And we need to believe that God raised Jesus from the dead – not just head knowledge, but knowledge that will transform our lives.  If we do this, we will indeed be saved!  Praise God!

Since this is true, evangelism is critical!  Paul points out in Romans 10:14-15, “How then can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can they preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

If we have the right relationship with God, we will have the love of God in our hearts.  And just as God doesn’t want anyone to perish, we too won’t want anyone to perish.  But how can people be saved if they don’t know about God and Jesus?  And how can they know unless someone tells them?  In the “Steve Mattison” translation, this passage pretty clearly says that you and I have a responsibility to tell others about the good news of the gospel, and you and I have a responsibility to send missionaries to tell even more people.  How are you doing with that?

A lot of people who dabble at Christianity need to get serious about going all in with God or quit pretending.  In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

You may be wondering how does this apply to you?  I’m glad you asked.

Have you made a public confession that Jesus is your Lord?  If so, does your life reinforce or contradict that confession?

Do you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead?  If so, does your life bolster or refute that head knowledge?

Are you actively spreading the gospel and/or funding missionaries so they can spread the gospel?

-Steve Mattison

Reflection Questions

  1. See Above!
  2. What has God revealed about Himself today?
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There is No Difference

Romans 10

May 26

One of my favorite childhood stories is The Sneetches by Dr. Suess.  It tells the tale of two groups of the same fictional creature that are cliqued together by the presence and the absence of a green star on their bellies.  Those with the stars participate in exclusive events, while those without are excluded. More conflict follows, and you’ll love how it ends — But don’t take my word for it. Be warned there may be spoilers ahead.

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. – Romans 10:3-4

Christian of the 21st century have the tendency to be the star-bellied sneetches, or the modern-day pharisitical Jews. We are really good at identifying each other through our branding, participating in exclusive events together, and making sure others know they are not on the same level as us. We believe through family heritage, denominational existence, or culture perpetuations that we have increased in value and rarity like a fine wine. By comparison, we may look at others struggling with more physically or mentally identifiable sin, rolling in the hot mess of their struggles, and working through the consequences of poor choices, and keep them on the outskirts because they are a little too rough around the edges. Be informed. We all are the same sinful species.

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him – Romans 10:12

Again I say, woe to you, Christian.  You may be in a different position, but it is like comparing one steaming pile of muck to another. We are rotting stacks of stench that stink, stank, and stunk.  Polishing one pile of manure doesn’t make it more appealing than the pile to the left or right. However, one thing is true.  With age, compost makes some pretty fertile soil. In this process of breaking down, we come to terms with who we really are in Jesus Christ and can grow the seed of the Kingdom of God.

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. – Romans 10:9-10

Our eyes shouldn’t be focused inward on our marshmallow roast, but rather outward, leading others to the saving conversations about the grace of Jesus Christ. There are so many who already know Christ but are ashamed to try to live more abundantly because of the odor their life is currently putting off.  It is good to remind them you’re a decaying mess too.  Love like Jesus. The bigger the trash-fire, the greater the compassion, cause Lord knows we need it too.  The same creatures with the same Lord.

-Aaron Winner

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. What stood out to you most in today’s chapter and devotion?
  2. Have you ever been guilty of a “better than…” attitude? Is that a good way to attract more people to become followers of Jesus? How can you improve?
  3. How pretty are your feet? Re-read Romans 10:12-15. How and where can you take the good news beyond your saved little circle/clique to the hurting world who is just like you?

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