Fee Fee Baptist Church

Tag: Devotional

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 7

    Taken from Corrie Ten Boom’s “Faith, Hope, and Love” YouVersion Plan

    “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for… By faith Abraham, even though he was past age-and Sarah herself was barren- was enabled to become a father because he considered Him faithful who had made the promise.” (Hebrews 11:1,2,8).

    Sometimes Hebrews 11 is called the Faith Hall of Heroes. Corrie ten Boom is often called a faith hero as well. But one could wonder if she would have called herself a faith hero. Yes, a faith warrior, a faith witness, even a tramp for the Lord. But she most probably would have refused to receive credit for being a hero.

    In her first book, ‘Prisoner and Yet…’ she writes: “We do not need great faith, we need faith in a great Lord”.

    Faith is not a feeling, neither is it the intellectual acceptance of facts and truth. Faith is a dependence on God, through acts of obedience and trust. We can do this because He has offered us a solid foundation of grace, forgiveness, loving kindness and power. And He is an ever-present Help in trouble.

    For four months Corrie was in solitary confinement in the Scheveningen prison. The threat of interrogation, torture and feeling desolate were continually present. One day, she literally stands with her back against the prison wall and shouts in despair: “Lord I’m not strong enough to endure this. I do not have enough faith”. Then her eyes are drawn to a tiny ant that hurries to a small hiding place: a crack in the wall to get safety from the water that is flowing over the prison floor. The Lord speaks to Corrie and says: “Watch the ant, hurrying straight to her hiding place. Corrie, do not expect anything from your ‘great’ faith, it is as weak as an ant. I’m your Hiding Place, the rock-solid ground on which you can stand. You can always, immediately and everywhere, come to Me, your Hiding Place. Then you will have peace and you can face the unknown, trusting God. I will never leave you, nor forsake you”.

    You can learn more and more not to trust in your own faith, facts and feelings, but to only trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Feelings will come and go, and they can deceive you. But the Lord and His Word are reliable, you can always stand on Him and His promises.

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 6

    “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy,” (Matt. 5:6-7).

    The Greek word translated as “blessed” is makarios. It describes complete fulfillment in life, an enduring condition rather than fleeting happiness.

    As Jesus launches into the Beatitudes to tell us how to be “blessed” (makarios), it is crucial for us to know that He uses a literary device called a chiasm—wherein the most essential elements are found in the middle. The verses at the center of the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:6–7, are the main message of the chiasm: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; blessed are the merciful.

    Jesus is establishing His Kingdom on a foundation of both righteousness and mercy. They can be said to be two sides of the Kingdom coin or compared to the vertical and horizontal aspects of the cross: Righteousness is a focus on God, and mercy is a focus on others.

    The righteousness that Jesus describes is social harmony, similar to the harmony found in the championship team. Righteousness implies a right way that is chosen rather than imposed; it can also be translated as justice.

    We tend to desire justice for others and mercy for ourselves. But in Jesus’ Kingdom, when people are merciful, they are blessed because they too shall receive mercy.

    Rather than a substitute, mercy is a complement to righteousness. They go together. Righteousness (harmony) comes about because we are merciful and seek to lead others to follow God’s ways for their benefit.

    The social harmony His Kingdom provides is unlike anything the world offers. It is the byproduct of truth and grace. We don’t compromise Kingdom standards. Instead, we recognize that God’s standards are provided for the benefit of the community.

    The kingdoms of the earth focus on dominion and control over others. They stoke offense, which is a focus on self. But the Kingdom of Heaven encourages us to find the good life through serving one another in love (Galatians 5:13). Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness find mercy and are blessed with ultimate happiness as a result.—

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 5

    “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes,” (Matthew 7:28-29).

    The Sermon on the Mount is considered one of Jesus’ earliest and most outstanding collections of teachings. It includes the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes, and a host of other familiar sayings and parables.

    But the most essential part of the Sermon is not what it says. Matthew notes that the first reaction to this set of teachings was amazement that Jesus was saying these things on His authority. Why were Jesus’ listeners surprised at this claim?

    Whenever the scribes taught, they appealed to the highest authority to substantiate the truth of what they said. Rabbis would often provide lengthy genealogies—lists of their past teachers—to support what they taught. They appealed to others. In contrast, throughout this sermon, Jesus appealed to the highest Authority there ever was—Himself. He was God in the flesh, the divinity in human form. Every single time He said, “But I say to you…”, it was a theological thunderclap. Yet He told it fourteen times!

    Jesus entered the scene as a type of Moses. He was a Second Moses like He was a Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:47). He was teaching on a mountain; Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai. But Moses was an intermediary between God and humans; Jesus was both a human Intermediary as well as God Himself. Instead of writing on tablets of stone, He writes His Word in our hearts.

    As we march through the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, do not forget the incredible claim Jesus made concerning His authority. If Jesus expected His listeners to pay attention to His words because of His authority, how much more should we pay attention to Him, not just in this sermon but also in our whole lives! Jesus was not just a messenger; He was the Author. He humbled himself and became a human being so we might know what is true, and more importantly so that we might know Him who is the Truth.—

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 4

    Taken from Jamie Snyder’s YouVersion Devotional “Like Jesus”

    “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” Colossians 3:12.

    When you were a child, did you ever play the game King of the Hill? If you didn’t, the game is just as it sounds. Players gather around a hill and then scratch, claw, bite, push, pull, and do whatever it takes to be the one standing on the hill when the game ends. But let’s be honest–that is not a game that is restricted to the playground in elementary school. Isn’t that what life looks like sometimes? As we grow up, the message ingrained in our minds is to chase hard after wealth, success, influence, and luxury. Do whatever it takes, but fight to be King of the Hill. The mentality of that game stands in stark contrast to what it means to follow Jesus.

    A life of radical humility is not an easy to path to walk, but it is the path we’ve been called to. Jesus made Himself nothing and then turned to us as His followers and said, “Follow me. Follow me into obscurity. Follow me into selflessness. Follow me into an others-focused life. Follow me into my kingdom, the way is paved with radical humility.” If this is a blueprint for what our lives are intended to look like, how are we doing? Consider the following questions:

    – Is your life built upon finding more ways to be served? Or finding more ways to serve?

    – Do you find yourself daydreaming about moving  higher on the proverbial ladder? Or moving lower in practical ways?

    – Are you striving to create additional layers of material comfort in your life? Or are you diligently working to reallocate possessions to those in urgent need?

    Imagine that after you have died, a headstone is placed at your grave, and the etched epitaph reads, “Not to be served, but to serve.” Now imagine the people who knew you best and loved you most showed up to visit your grave and they read that inscription. How would they respond? Would they think, That’s not exactly accurate? Or would they quietly nod their head in agreement, recognizing how well those words capture your life story?

    Each of us would love to have the words “Not to be served, but to serve” etched on our headstone. But even more important for followers of Jesus is to have those words etched on your heart.

    Serving, instead of being served, sounds so poetic, but it can end up being quite painful. Just consider Jesus. He came from heaven to earth to serve people. Not to be served by people, but to serve people, and the very people He came to serve placed Him not so gently on a cross. I am not suggesting that by living a life of selfless service that you are destined for persecution, but don’t be surprised if it happens. The road paved with selfless service is the road less traveled; it is a road that leads against the flow of culture, a road marked by obscurity, and perhaps pain, but most importantly a road that leads to life.—

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 3

    Taken from Jamie Snyder’s YouVersion Devotional “Like Jesus”

    “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” John 2:13-16

    The truth is, in the hectic pace of life in twenty-first-century America, many of us are simply in survival mode, trying to make it from one day to the next. Under these circumstances, it’s all too easy to get mad about the wrong things. If we did an honest evaluation about our lives, we might just find the things that make us mad are self-centered issues instead of others-centered issues. We get mad when we are cut off in traffic, don’t get a raise, or receive an unexpected bill. I get mad at things like this just as most people do. But as imitators of Jesus, we should find ourselves getting angry at much larger, much more significant issues.

    So what really makes you mad? I encourage you to take an honest inventory of the things you notice making you mad, because what causes our heart to pound, our fists to clinch, and our voice to raise is an indication of our spiritual condition. Jesus was mad at the oppression that took place in the temple, so can you imagine how He must feel when He observes our world today? Men, women, and children are exploited and abused every day—not just in some faraway country, but also in your community. As followers of Jesus, we have the responsibility to do what we can to release the oppressed people of this world. Maybe that means adopting an orphaned child, mentoring underprivileged teens, assisting a widow in practical ways, or volunteering with a relief organization.

    As imitators of Jesus, our emotions should mirror His. This emotional mirroring is not mechanical, but a natural result of relationship with Him. We should laugh when He would laugh, cry when He would cry, celebrate when He would celebrate, and express joy when He would express joy. All of these emotions are appropriate, but I cannot help but wonder if we are lacking a strong dose of holy anger. I believe more Christians need get fired up and let that passion prompt action in our churches, small groups, and families. I am not suggesting we stand on city street corners with signs declaring whom God hates. Nor I am suggesting we shout, stomp our feet, and make a spectacle of ourselves. And I’m certainly not suggesting we carry out violence under the guise of following Jesus.

    Holy anger is driven not by a desire to judge or get revenge, but to love people and to set them free. Holy anger does not involve screaming about your rights, but advocating for the rights of others. Holy anger is not about proving a point, but proving that everyone has value. Holy anger is not about personal gain, but about restoring personal dignity to others.—

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 2

    Taken from Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby’s “Experiencing God Day By Day”

    “There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven,” Ecclesiastes 3:1.

    The beauty in the way God designed the four seasons is that, though each one is distinct, they all work together to bring life and growth. Spring is a period of freshness and new life. Summer sees growth and productivity. Autumn is a time for harvesting the rewards of past labors. Winter is the season of dormancy and closure. Each season has its own unique beauty and makes a significant contribution to life.

    Just as God planned seasons in nature, He planned seasons in life as well. Life has its springtime, when we begin new things and look excitedly toward the future.  Summer comes and we work diligently in the heat of the day at all that God has assigned to us. With autumn comes the fruition of things begun at an earlier time in our lives. Winter brings an end to a particular period in our lives. Sometimes winter brings hardship, but we remain hopeful, for another spring is just around the corner!

    In God’s perfect design for our lives, He has planned for times of fruitfulness and activity. He will also build in times of quiet and rest. There will be times when He asks us to remain faithful doing the same work day after day. But there will also be periods of excitement and new beginnings. By God’s grace, we will enjoy seasons of harvesting the fruit of our faithfulness. By God’s grace, we will also overcome the cold winters of heartache and grief, for without winter there would be no spring. Just as it is with the seasons of nature, these seasons in our lives work together to bring about God’s perfect will for each of us.

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 62, No. 1

    Taken from Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby’s “Experiencing God Day By Day”

    “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power, that works in us,” (Ephesians 3:20)

    At times we feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspirations (Ps. 8:3-4). You will never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater that He could do in and through your life. Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God’s will for his life (Phil. 3:7-8).

    Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us. Until we have heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become or all that God could accomplish through us.

    We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the “big picture,” that His power far exceeds our limited imagination. We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow God’s direction, we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful presence.

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 61, No. 25

    Taken from Wycliffe Bible Translators Devotional, “The Weary World Rejoices”

    “Upon seeing this miraculous sign, the shepherds recounted what had just happened. Everyone who heard the shepherds’ story was astonished by what they were told,” (Luke 2:17-18 TPT).

    Imagine being on a remote beach in the middle of the night. Walking along the soft, cool sand of the beach, your eyes might need time to adjust to the darkness around you. But then you look at the sky and stand in awe, mesmerized by the beauty and clarity of the numerous stars. Because there’s no artificial light to detract from them, these stars seem brighter and clearer than you’ve ever seen them. Sometimes it takes being in total darkness to see the light that’s been around us the whole time. What had been distant is now startlingly clear.

    Now imagine the shepherds standing in total darkness the night that the angel came to them. They were probably yawning, scanning the dark horizon for predators that could attack their flocks. Their eyes, too, had adjusted to pitch blackness with only the night sky as their source of light. Scripture says that when an angel appeared, “the glory of the Lord shone around [the shepherds]” (Lk. 2:9b). Instantly, the shepherds were terrified. Between the angels themselves and the brilliant light of God’s glory, it’s understandable.

    Typically, these “unclean” outcasts were kept away from society, but now they were suddenly in the spotlight. They were seen. They probably never expected the news of the Messiah’s birth to come to them. Or that God would use shepherds to declare the arrival of the Lamb of God. God spoke to unlikely people. To a lowly virgin girl. To her tradesman betrothed. To untouchable shepherds. These unlikely people were to become His messengers in the most unexpected ways. Years later, more unlikely people of that time—women—were chosen to deliver the news that Jesus had been resurrected. You might feel like an unlikely candidate, but God can use you to declare the Savior this Christmas season! He can use you to bring light that breaks through a weary, dark world.

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 61, No. 24

    Taken from Wycliffe Bible Translators Devotional YouVersion Bible Plan, “The Weary World Rejoices”

    “He entered into the world he created, yet the world was unaware. He came to the people he created — to those who should have received him, but they did not recognize him. But those who embraced him and took hold of his name he gave authority to become the children of God! He was not born by the joining of human parents or from natural means, or by a man’s desire, but he was born of God. And so the Living Expression became a man and lived among us! We gazed upon his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father overflowing with tender mercy and truth!” (John 1:10-14 TPT).

    A famous Christmas carol, “O Holy Night,” has a lyric that might resonate with you this year: “A thrill of hope! The weary world rejoices.” As we enter the Advent season, do you feel weary? You’re not alone.

    You could even say that being weary and worn out is an acceptable place to approach this Advent season. Because Advent exists to remind us that, while darkness surrounds us and troubles exist, the hope of Christmas isn’t far away.

    It may seem distant. It may even seem impossible this year for you to feel hopeful. You might have lost your job. Or maybe you’re feeling isolated from those you love. You may have even grieved the loss of a family member or friend.

    Looking around, all you might be able to see right now is darkness. If you try to adjust your eyes, blinking into the night, there seems to be no light. The weight of sickness, death, injustice and pain seems too heavy.

    Or maybe you’re just tired. Numb. Ready to pull the covers over your head and try this whole Christmas cheer thing again next year. Don’t feel guilty. Instead, acknowledge the very real darkness of this world and you’ll have eyes to see Advent through the same lens as the people waiting for a Messiah thousands of years ago.

    For 500 years from their last prophet, Malachi, the people of Israel hadn’t heard anything from God about their redeemer. God’s chosen people must have cried out to Him, asking how long it would be before their hope, their salvation, would arrive. It was too dark, and God seemed to be silent. Has He felt that way to you this year?

    Though He may have felt far away to them, God was so much closer than His people knew—gently planning Jesus’ entrance into the world in the most unexpected way.

  • Devotional Corner – Vol. 61, No. 23

    Taken from Bob Goff’s “Everybody, Always”

    “When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples this question: “What are the people saying about me, the Son of Man? Who do they believe I am?” (Matthew 16:13 ).

    One of the stories God tells in the Bible is much simpler than we sometimes make it. Jesus was with a few of His friends and He asked them who people thought He was. These friends had heard several different stories about who Jesus was. One person said Jesus was really a man named John who had been a friend of His. Another person said He was actually a person named Elijah, and someone else said He was someone named Jeremiah. These last two great men had lived much earlier. Jesus pressed His friends a little further and asked them who they thought He was.

    It must have felt like a funny question for Jesus to ask His friends who had been with Him for a few years already. Peter spoke up first and said He thought Jesus was God. Jesus told him this wasn’t the kind of thing Peter could have figured out just because someone told him what to think. Instead, He said it’s something Peter would have only known because God told him. Jesus then told His friends something even more puzzling. He told them not to tell anyone who He was. At first this seems to go against the grain of the evangelistic model many of us have been exposed to, but I don’t think He was trying to keep His identity a secret. Just the opposite. Jesus probably wanted us to show people who He is by what we do, not just tell them what we think. . . .

    I’ve sometimes thought I’d make a lousy evangelist because I don’t think we lead people to Jesus. I think Jesus leads people to Jesus. Sure, we can tell the people we meet about Jesus. I talk about Him all the time because my life is His, but I don’t try to talk people into Him. When I’ve tried and it worked, what I often found is I’d led people to me, not Him. If we take Jesus at His word, people won’t know who Jesus is because we’ve told them; they’ll know because Jesus let them know. If you’re already friends with Jesus, don’t get in everyone else’s way as they figure it out with Him. If you’ve only heard of Him, ask Him who He is. I bet He’ll let you know.