Weekday Devotionals
Devotional: Faith Under Fire (part 3)
Verse – 1 Cor. 4:20 “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”
In Sunday’s message, I heard:
*Pattern – a pattern of chaos and darkness, that in mercy God raises up a person to establish
and maintain His divine order. Then there is a slow drift back into chaos and darkness.
*The cycle can feel hopeless. Are we doomed to failure?
*Short lived change.
*Choice – at any point, any one of us can break the predictable cycle of the human condition.
My past does not have to predict my future, it does not have to be a part of my future.
Our change is lived out in the decisions we make.
*The Lord always responds to the repentant heart.
*We are not doomed to dysfunction. We have a choice. Do what I want or what I need.
I pondered over these points. How do we deal with this pattern? How do we deal with the often-unseen pull of our culture? In 1 Cor. 4:20 Paul writes, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk.
Reading the Bible is how we learn about living by God’s power. Reading the Bible is not just about learning the words, but taking in the message. It teaches us what God wants for us. He wants us to know him through his son Jesus. God wants us to understand that He sent Jesus to establish and maintain His divine order. We get a glimpse of this in 1 Peter 2:4-6; “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say, I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
When it comes to living in faith, we need to look at the basis of our faith. Jesus is the son of God. He was chosen by God to be the cornerstone of our relationship with God.
What is a cornerstone? In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction.
What should we do when we realize that we are caught in a pattern of chaos and darkness, mercy; and then back? The answer is to orient yourself with your cornerstone, Jesus. Read your Bible often, so you understand that you are not locked into a vicious cycle. A few decades ago, WWJD bracelets were very popular among Christians, What Would Jesus Do? They were a good reminder to pause and think about our actions and how they align with God’s will.
Breaking the pattern can be difficult, but here is why we as believers should make that choice. 1 Peter2:5 “You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priest.” Wow! We are living stones, part of his spiritual temple, and his holy priest. Peter goes on to say that “through the mediation of Jesus Christ, we offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” What I hear Peter saying is that when we surrender control of our lives to God, like a master stone mason, he knocks away all of the cracks and rough edges. God refines and shapes us to be his living stone, part of his spiritual temple.
Peter finishes with this 1 Peter 2:6 “As the Scriptures say, I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
I have struggled over the years with the guilt of my sins. For a time, I held onto the memory of those sins, so that I would not repeat them. I have come to realize that this way of thinking is wrong. Under this thinking, I am depending on myself to prevent the repeating of my past mistakes. In my weakness, I will fail. Yet when I choose to let Jesus be my cornerstone, my anchor, I will be shaped into a living stone for God’s spiritual temple. I will be one of his holy priests. My trust in Jesus means that when I stand before God, I will not be disgraced by my failures. My sins are forgiven and forgotten.
CHALLENGE
First, start reading the One Year Bible, daily. Read all of it, or a portion of the daily reading. Try reading some in the morning to get your day started, and then the rest to finish your day.
Second, read it with a seeking heart. A heart desiring to break the pattern discussed in Sunday’s, message. Break the cycle of hopelessness. God sent his son to establish and maintain His divine order, in your life.
PRAY
Lord, I need you to shape my life. Break the pattern of chaos and darkness in my life. Shape me into living stone so that I may be a part of your spiritual temple. May I become one of your holy priests. I trust in your son Jesus to be my cornerstone to align my life, my heart, and my thoughts with yours. I thank you for always responding to a repentant heart. Amen.
- Steve Grigg
Verse – 1 Cor. 4:20 “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”
In Sunday’s message, I heard:
*Pattern – a pattern of chaos and darkness, that in mercy God raises up a person to establish
and maintain His divine order. Then there is a slow drift back into chaos and darkness.
*The cycle can feel hopeless. Are we doomed to failure?
*Short lived change.
*Choice – at any point, any one of us can break the predictable cycle of the human condition.
My past does not have to predict my future, it does not have to be a part of my future.
Our change is lived out in the decisions we make.
*The Lord always responds to the repentant heart.
*We are not doomed to dysfunction. We have a choice. Do what I want or what I need.
I pondered over these points. How do we deal with this pattern? How do we deal with the often-unseen pull of our culture? In 1 Cor. 4:20 Paul writes, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk.
Reading the Bible is how we learn about living by God’s power. Reading the Bible is not just about learning the words, but taking in the message. It teaches us what God wants for us. He wants us to know him through his son Jesus. God wants us to understand that He sent Jesus to establish and maintain His divine order. We get a glimpse of this in 1 Peter 2:4-6; “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say, I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
When it comes to living in faith, we need to look at the basis of our faith. Jesus is the son of God. He was chosen by God to be the cornerstone of our relationship with God.
What is a cornerstone? In relation to architecture, a cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid for a structure, with all other stones laid in reference. A cornerstone marks the geographical location by orienting a building in a specific direction.
What should we do when we realize that we are caught in a pattern of chaos and darkness, mercy; and then back? The answer is to orient yourself with your cornerstone, Jesus. Read your Bible often, so you understand that you are not locked into a vicious cycle. A few decades ago, WWJD bracelets were very popular among Christians, What Would Jesus Do? They were a good reminder to pause and think about our actions and how they align with God’s will.
Breaking the pattern can be difficult, but here is why we as believers should make that choice. 1 Peter2:5 “You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priest.” Wow! We are living stones, part of his spiritual temple, and his holy priest. Peter goes on to say that “through the mediation of Jesus Christ, we offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” What I hear Peter saying is that when we surrender control of our lives to God, like a master stone mason, he knocks away all of the cracks and rough edges. God refines and shapes us to be his living stone, part of his spiritual temple.
Peter finishes with this 1 Peter 2:6 “As the Scriptures say, I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”
I have struggled over the years with the guilt of my sins. For a time, I held onto the memory of those sins, so that I would not repeat them. I have come to realize that this way of thinking is wrong. Under this thinking, I am depending on myself to prevent the repeating of my past mistakes. In my weakness, I will fail. Yet when I choose to let Jesus be my cornerstone, my anchor, I will be shaped into a living stone for God’s spiritual temple. I will be one of his holy priests. My trust in Jesus means that when I stand before God, I will not be disgraced by my failures. My sins are forgiven and forgotten.
CHALLENGE
First, start reading the One Year Bible, daily. Read all of it, or a portion of the daily reading. Try reading some in the morning to get your day started, and then the rest to finish your day.
Second, read it with a seeking heart. A heart desiring to break the pattern discussed in Sunday’s, message. Break the cycle of hopelessness. God sent his son to establish and maintain His divine order, in your life.
PRAY
Lord, I need you to shape my life. Break the pattern of chaos and darkness in my life. Shape me into living stone so that I may be a part of your spiritual temple. May I become one of your holy priests. I trust in your son Jesus to be my cornerstone to align my life, my heart, and my thoughts with yours. I thank you for always responding to a repentant heart. Amen.
- Steve Grigg
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