John | Kristi's Morning Devotional

October 9, 2017October 9, 2017

Thankful for Invitations

Not long ago we returned from a vacation to Texas. Dave and I went last year and made plans to return again this year. We had been invited by my brother and his wife to come for a visit. So we loaded up the truck and headed to Texas.

We made a few stops along the way but our main objective was to get to their home. Several times before our trip my brother and I would talk and he would ask me what we wanted to do while we were there. My answer was the same – we just want to spend time with you and Monte. It was so enjoyable to sit on their patio and talk. We didn’t need anything any more special than that.

Spending time with people you love! What could be better?

As people we really have nothing more valuable to give than our time. It’s the only commodity we possess that we can’t gain more of. When we invite folks to our home we are honored that they give us their time. It’s a true sign of love! And when we are invited to spend time with our family and friends, we recognize it to be the same.

So, do you think the Lord is any less honored when we spend time with Him? He asks us to come – come for a visit. He has a universe to run but when we come He drops everything to spend time with us.

“If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke[ I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. 30 This yoke is easy to bear, and this burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 CEV

The Lord issues the invitation freely and He isn’t going to withdraw it because of other commitments or obligations.

“Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won’t turn any of them away.

38 I didn’t come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, 39 and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost.” John 6:37-39 CEV

The invitation isn’t for a select few but the invitation from the Lord is for everyone – everyone!

“All you people who are thirsty, come! Here is water for you to drink.
Don’t worry if you have no money. Come, eat and drink until you are full!
You don’t need money. The milk and wine are free.
2 Why waste your money on something that is not real food? Why should you work for something that does not really satisfy you? Listen closely to me and you will eat what is good.
You will enjoy the food that satisfies your soul.
3 Listen closely to what I say. Listen to me so that you will live. I will make an agreement with you that will last forever. It will be an agreement you can trust, like the one I made with David—
a promise to love him and be loyal to him forever.” Isaiah 55:1-3 ERV

The invitation the Lord sends out to us is for everyone and it’s a promise that His love will last forever! Here the Lord is saying, Come to Me, return to Me and I will forgive all. My ways are differ than your ways. I don’t hold grudges. My love is unconditional. My word has power; it is precise. It is like a seed planted My word brings forth fruit.

Yes, I’m truly grateful for heaven sent invitations!

October 8, 2017October 8, 2017

Grateful for Grace

Heard an old Ray Stevens song on the radio, God’s Gonna Git Ya for That.

Lots of folks have the impression that God is waiting in heaven to throw down thunder bolts when we screw up – so glad that’s not true or we’d all be toast!

Jesus own words say it best “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Luke 9:56

So much of religion has preached a message of judgment and condemnation. But true relationship with the Lord focused on His unconditional love and goodness. God sent us His most precious gift, His Son. The reason Jesus came was so to keep us from death and judgment, not give us over to condemnation.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

Justice requires that a price be paid for our sin but GRACE paid the price for us.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

Imagine for a moment that God’s love is a two-sided coin. On one side is mercy; mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve. Like a man who throws himself on the mercy of the court – begging the judge for a lighter sentence. Now on the other side of the coin is grace; grace is receiving something wonderful that we don’t deserve. Go back to our man begging for mercy, if he received a full pardon because someone else paid his penalty that would be grace.

That’s exactly what Jesus did for us. Yes, Grace – Amazing Grace!

So now it’s time to express our thankfulness for the grace that God has given us in Jesus.

These are Jesus words: “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

Thank God for His grace and mercy. Take time to thank Him for the good in your life today and for His protection from the evil one!

September 19, 2017September 19, 2017

Overcoming Doubt – Living in Faith

Seeing is Believing – isn’t that how the old expression goes? So many people will misconstrue what they see and even more so what they hear.

In John 4 a father came to Jesus and told Him his son was dying. The father begged Jesus to come and Jesus reply was “Go home, your son will live.”

Now some would have reported that Jesus did nothing. That he turned the man away with no help for his son. But the opposite was true.

“Jesus went to visit Cana in Galilee again. Cana is where he had changed the water into wine. One of the king’s important officials lived in the city of Capernaum. This man’s son was sick. The man heard that Jesus had come from Judea and was now in Galilee. So he went to Jesus and begged him to come to Capernaum and heal his son, who was almost dead. Jesus said to him, “You people must see miraculous signs and wonders before you will believe in me.”

49 The king’s official said, “Sir, come before my little son dies.”

50 Jesus answered, “Go. Your son will live.”

The man believed what Jesus told him and went home. 51 On the way home, the man’s servants came and met him. They said, “Your son is well.”

52 The man asked, “What time did my son begin to get well?”

They answered, “It was about one o’clock yesterday when the fever left him.”

53 The father knew that one o’clock was the same time that Jesus had said, “Your son will live.” So the man and everyone in his house believed in Jesus.” John 4:46-53 ERV

How many times have I wanted to see a miracle? Wanted to see the “power of God” moving and yet sat with the Bible on the coffee table and not opened it to find God’s miraculous, powerful Word for myself?

Thank God He knows our limitations and the fraility of our faith and is moved with compassion because He loves us so. Do you remember what Jesus said to the centurion who came to him asking that his servant be healed? To him, Jesus said I will come and the centurion said no, just speak the word and my servant will be healed because you have authority and your word is enough. (paraphrased by me)

“Jesus said to the officer, “I will go and heal him.”

8 The officer answered, “Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. You need only to give the order, and my servant will be healed. 9 I know this, because I understand authority. There are people who have authority over me, and I have soldiers under my authority. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and my servant obeys me.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, “The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel…
13 Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go home. Your servant will be healed the way you believed he would.” Right then his servant was healed.” Matthew 8:7-13 ERV

I want centurion faith! If God’s word says it – that’s enough!