Tag Archives: Love

No Prayer is Insignificant

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One of the things that can really affect our prayer life, if not careful is this.

Well, why should I pray about this? Aren’t there more important things for God to worry about this? Aren’t there starving kids in the world, or hurts, or pains, or other things.

Why should I pray about this? It’s so insignificant.

That’s what we are tempted to think sometimes.

If you have ever thought that thought or struggled with that, listen to what Jesus says today in Matthew 10:29-31:

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

He says aren’t two sparrows sold for nothing, and God notices them? He even knows the very hairs upon your head.

He knows you. He loves you. He cares for you.

And whatever matters to you, really does matter to God.

No prayer that we pray insignificant. Really. God really cares about you today. Really. He really cares about your hurts, worries, and fears today.

He does.

Do not be afraid, or ashamed to pray to Him today. Don’t be afraid or worried to take your concerns to Him today.

He knows them. And He loves you. Today.

Your prayers matter to God today. No matter what they are. No matter how you may feel about them.

Even you feel like they don’t really “matter” they do matter to God.

Today, no prayer is insignificant. Give your worries and pains to God. Today, pray to God in all your places, in all your ways, and in all life.

Today, God cares about you more than you’ll ever know. Today, He longs to hear your concerns.

Today, give them to God!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Grace

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Grace is probably my favorite word in faith. Grace is the word that I probably use more than any others in sermons, conversations, teaching.

Grace is so important talking about God’s love for us, our response to that love, and our response for daily living.

Grace really is the foundation for the Christian life. Everything comes back to grace.

Everything.

Look at what happens today in Luke 9:53-56:

But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. And they went on to another village.

They are rejected by a town of the Samaritans. James and John tell Jesus, hey, you want us to call down fire from heaven and consume them?

(First, by the way, they don’t have the power to that, only God can do that. Let’s not mistake what God is doing through us for “our abilities.” It’s God working through us)

And how does Jesus respond?

He rebukes them. He responds with grace.

He had just been rejected by this village. He had come to show them mercy and salvation and healing.

And He had been rejected.

How did He respond to that? Grace. He didn’t judge or bring down fire.

He rebuked the ones that wanted to.

Why? That word again – grace.

The ones that rejected Him just then, He would later go on to die for them, as He would die for the world.

He responded to their rejection by loving them anyway.

Just like He loves us, anyway.

Today, you are loved. No matter what’s happened in your life, happening in your life, going to happen in your life.

Today, you are loved. Remember that. Remember that everything, everything comes back to grace.

Today, live in the power of His grace.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Knowing the Unknowable

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There are certain passages of scripture, certain turns of the phrase, certain things that we you think about, they can really just draw in deep to God’s love.

Today’s passage, to me, is one of those. Listen to what Paul writes today in Ephesians 3:17-19:

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

He tells the us this, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith – and heres’ the kicker for me – that we may know this love that surpasses knowledge.

Just think that about that concept for a second. God’s love is unknowable. We really can’t understand it. It’s too powerful. To awesome. Too big. Too amazing. Our human minds cannot understand the depth and power and might of God’s amazing love.

Today, you are literally loved more than your mind can even fathom.

God’s love for you is literally unknowable. We literally can’t understand it’s depth.

And Paul says today – you can know that love. Through Christ dwelling within our hearts through faith, you can know this love.

So, today, you can know the unknowable.

You can be filled with His fullness.

You can know the depth of God’s love, God’s purpose, God’s life.

You are loved. There is a love out there that is deep, that is wide, that is amazing. That is unknowable.

That through faith, you can know.

Today, through faith, you can know this love.

Today, may we know the unknowable. Today, we can know a love that is amazing. Today, through faith, the amazing, life changing love of God.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Is God Love? Is God Holy? Yes

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I was listening to a podcast the other day by Tim Keller, one of my favorite preachers to listen to. He was talking about the ways that the devil will get at us. He said the devil will use one of two lies against us.

One is accusation. He will accuse us of our sins, and get us to think that we are a failure. In this mode of attack, the devil hides God’s love from us. He wants us to focus only on God’s holiness and forget that He loves us. He hides God’s love from us.

The other is temptation. In this, the devil will tempt us into sin, and he will hide God’s holiness from us. He will make us think that forgiveness is nothing, not a big deal. He will make us forget the great price that our forgiveness cost – the death on the cross of God’s own son.

Love. And Holiness. Both are part of who God is. And both need to be remembered. And treated with balance and respect.

The devil will try to hide one or the other from us, based upon our weakness and our faults. From some of us he will try to hide God’s love. From other’s God’s holiness.

It’s not either/or. It’s both/and. God is not love or holy. He’s love and holy.

Look at the John 8:7-11 today:

And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

He forgives. He offers grace and mercy. And then He says, go and sin no more.

And today, all of us are somewhere in this. Maybe today, the devil is making you feel like you are worthless and you can’t be forgiven. You can be. You are. You forgiven and you are loved.

Don’t forget.

Maybe today, you are thinking that your sins aren’t a big deal. Forgiveness is nothing. Nothing to it.

Never forget the price that Jesus paid to redeem you. Yes you are forgiven. But never forget the cost.

The devil will to hide one from you today. Which is it for you?

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Some Monday Encouragement

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Ugh, Monday! Who likes them? I mean, really, who wanted to get out of bed this morning.

Some weeks, some Mondays we need a little (or a lot) or encouragement to get going. That little extra kick. That little extra cup (or five) of coffee in the morning.

Sometimes, we need a little extra Monday encouragement.

Well, here you go. And from a surprising place. Deuteronomy.  Listen Deuteronomy 7:6-8:

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Listen to what we are told today. God has chosen you as His treasured possession, out of all the earth.

He has chosen you! He loves you! You are His prize this morning. You have a worth to God this morning great than you can even imagine. You are more valuable to the king of eternity than anything else in all of creation!

Wow!

The God that made everything, both seen and unseen, has chosen to love you, know you, save you!

But, you think, I haven’t earned that.

Exactly, that’s what makes it even better. He hasn’t chosen us because of anything we’ve done. He loves us because of who He is! He loves us because of what He’s done.

So, bring it on Monday. You can’t touch us. We have been chosen and loved by a Holy God. He has freed us, loves us, and will never leave us.

Nothing can stop that. Even Monday!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Loving Other Folks is Hard

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There are things that other people do that drive me crazy. It’s one of my running jokes at Asbury that I just don’t have patience for being stuck behind traffic on Hwy 42.

I’m not saying that if I had a laser mounted on the hood of my car that I would blow everyone up. I’m not saying that.

But I would be tempted! 🙂

We all in our lives have something about someone who drives us crazy. Each of us. That something may be something a spouse does. It may be something a coworker does. it may be something that a family member does.

But there’s something that someone does that just drives us up the wall.

Listen to what Paul says here in Romans 15:1-3:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Now your thinking, Andy, what does this have to do with those people who annoy you?

Good question. Paul says those that are strong have an obligation to bear the failings (weaknesses) of others. Please your neighbor. Build them up.

In other words, we don’t just live for ourselves. We live for the gospel and for the kingdom, we live to help others know God and experience His life.

And the more that you stir and stew about the thing that drive you crazy about that other person, the more angry and crazy you are going to be.

Look at what Paul says in verse 3 – Jesus did not please Himself. He didn’t live for Himself. He lived for us and so that we could be drawn closer to Him.

Why should I love folks that drive me crazy? Why should I look past their faults and weakness?

Loving other folks is hard! I’m not sure that I want to do it! Why should I care about them, when frankly they probably don’t deserve it?

Because Jesus did that exact same thing for me. He loved me when I was unloveable. He cared for me when I wasn’t worth caring for.

And He wants me (and you) to do the same thing for “them” no matter who they are and what they “do.”

He lived for others. We find only find our life when we stop living for ourselves, and live for Him.

Today, may we live for something bigger than ourselves.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What to Do?

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Sometimes in life we are paralyzed by what to do. What is our next step? What does God want us to do? How are we supposed to proceed?

What does it mean to be faithful?

What exactly is it that God wants us to do?

Those are big questions. Huge questions. Questions that we have all wrestled with at some point in our lives.

Well Andy, you’ve defined the problem. What’s the answer.

Listen to what Jesus tells us today in Matthew 10:40-42:

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

This is one of my favorite passages in the bible, in fact it’s the passage I preach my first sermon on when I first started preaching. I love it because of what it tells us to do.

Not something “great.” Not something “super.” Not something otherworldly.

Something simple. Something that we can all do. It says that even a cup of cold water, given for Jesus sake, it will be rewarded.

Sometimes we spend our lives looking for the “big” things instead of focusing on the small, simple, acts of faithfulness that God is calling you to.

God may or may not be calling you into the fulltime ministry. But, no matter who you are or what you do, I know this.

He is calling you to love.

To forgive.

To serve.

To care.

To share your story.

To be Christian.

These are not “great” things. These are every day, “faithful” things. But in these things, God is glorified. He is lifted up. And He draws all men to Him.

Today, what to do? Be faithful. Do the small, little things. And God will do great things with it.

Today, in all things, may we be faithful.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

The Way Grace Works

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Grace is being given something that we haven’t earned, or don’t deserve.

It is a true gift. Grace is God’s true gift to us. We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It’s not something that we can make God give us. It’s something, that is we are good enough, God will give us.

It’s simply His undeserved gift to us.

We all love it when we get grace. We when we get God’s undeserved mercy for ourselves. But what about then “they” get it? Whoever “they” are, when “they” get grace. And we all have a “they.”

Listen to what Jesus says today in Matthew 20:10-15:

Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’

Is He not able to give grace to whoever He wants to?

There are no levels of degrees of grace. None of us deserve it. Not me, not you, not “them.” None of us.

All of us are offered it. Me. You. And “them.” We just have to receive it.

That’s how grace works. It’s God’s free gift to the world.

That means that God loves you more than you’ll ever know. And He loves “them” more than you’ll ever know.

So, the way that grace works is this. We are called to love “them” as well.

I know, I know. I don’t want to do it either. It’s hard. It’s tough. It’s something that none of us want to do. But, as long as we allow ourselves to be consumed with unforgiveness towards others. Or contempt for others. Or even hate for others, we lock ourselves in a cage.

We are trapped. We are not free.

Do they deserve our love and forgiveness?

No.

Do we deserve God’s love and forgiveness?

No. It’s a gift. That’s the way that grace works.

Today, may we live in God’s grace and love. And may we give that to others.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Today, You are Forgiven

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I read a Max Lucado quote a million years ago that I think of quite often. He said “The reason God hates sin so much is because of what it does to His children. It destroys them.” The longer I live the more I find that to be true. Sin destroy us. John 10:10 tells us that the thief (the devil) comes to rob, to kill, and to destroy.

That is what sin does in the big picture. It’s also what it does in our own lives. When we sin, when we do something stupid, when we fall, what happens, at least in my life, is this.

I run from God. I’m ashamed. I’m embarrassed. I feel like I’ve failed. And I want to hide from God.

That’s what sin does. It separates us from God.

So, today, listen to what we read in Hebrews 4:14-16:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We have a high priest, Jesus, who has been tested as are, and yet remained sinless. He became the perfect sacrifice for us. He atoned for us. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves.

He allows us to go home. He allows us to stop running. He allows us to have peace.

He lets us know the fullness of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and grace.

Today, you are forgiven. Today, you can come home. Today, you can start over. Today, you can draw near. Today, you are new.

Not because of anything you’ve done, or haven’t done. But totally because of what He has done for us through Jesus.

Today, you are forgiven. May we each draw close to our God today!

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Choices, Choices, Choices

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Today in Galatians 5:13-15, Paul points us down two roads that we can go down.  Listen to what He says:

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

He first tells us that we have freedom. Today, in your life, you have freedom. You have the freedom to do what you want in your life. You can choose to do right, you can choose to do wrong.

It’s your choice. You can do as you’d like. No one will make you.

Now, Paul today tells us though, that our choices will have consequences. We were given freedom to do right. Paul tells us to love one another. The entire law, all the bible, all we are supposed to do is summed up in that phrases – love your neighbor as yourself.

That’s what being a Christian should result in. We should each other.

Now, Paul gives us the other choice as well though. He says if you bit and devour one another, watch out.

Choosing to love, to forgive, choosing to do what is right, that will result in freedom and life. It may be the hard thing to do, but it will result in life.

Choosing to hurt others, choosing to respond with unforgiveness, choosing to respond tit-for-tat, it may seem like the easy thing to do, it may even seem like the right thing to do.

But it’s not. And it will end in destruction. It will bring harm to you, and to your soul.

Today, you have choices to make. You have been given freedom. Will you choose love? Or will you choose to respond in other ways.

Today, the choice is ours. May we choose the path of loving others, forgiving others, and showing grace.

May we use and use our freedom wisely.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.