Category Archives: Devotions from the Gospels

Evil in Disguise

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“What is this word? For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Luke 4:36 ESV1

Read Mark 1:21-28 & Luke 4:31-37

Something really good can come out of a not so good place. Jesus was brought up in the town of Nazareth. Though Nazareth was the home of the One Who Embodied all the Goodness of God, Nazareth lacked faith (see Matthew 13:58 & Mark 6:5-6) and was filled with wrath and hatred (see Luke 4:28-29). They rejected the Good that was in their midst. Capernaum, on the other, hand was full of faith. They openly accepted Jesus and received many blessings from Him. Yet, there was something evil lurking in the what should have been the most-godly place in Capernaum, their synagogue.

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I Can’t. He Can

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He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve Him.   Matthew 8:15 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:29-34 & Luke 4:38-41

Have ever heard the call of Jesus but realized you just didn’t have what it took to do what He asked? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a need but didn’t see how you could possibly help? Have you ever wanted to obey Jesus but felt like you had to say, “I just can’t!”? If so, you may be able to identify with the account recorded in these Scriptures.

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Believing and Blessing

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The man believed the word that Jesus spoke and went on his way. John 4:50 ESV1

Read John 4:45-54

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) Today, we meet a father who believed in the possibility of something he had never before seen. He took a chance and asked of Jesus that which was contrary to reason. His faith was rewarded. On the contrary, to those who wanted proof before they would believe, Jesus gave chastisement.

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On the Subject of Miracles and Healings

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And when Jesus finished…the crowds were astonished … for He … had authority. Matthew 7:28-29 ESV1

Read Matthew 7:28-29

I do not believe, as some do nowadays, that miracles have somehow ceased upon the completion of the canon of Scripture. I believe healings happen even today. How could I not?! I, myself, have been healed from a potentially debilitating disease. It wasn’t a spontaneous alleviation of the problem, but over some time, the malady was gone and it no longer affects my life. I have a close family member who has experienced a similar healing. I also believe instantaneous healings happen in this day and age because that is exactly what happened to one of my friends. She had an infirmity which was interfering with her ability to perform her job. As she was considering what else she might do for employment, she was approached by a man who stated that God had sent him to lay hands on her and pray for her healing. She was cured right then and there.

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Final Warnings from the Sermon on the Mount

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Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven. Matthew 7:21 ESV1

Read Matthew 7:13-29, 13:1-30 & Luke 6:43-49

Jesus was up on the mountain teaching His committed followers. He had already given them some pretty radical teachings on a variety of subjects. The above words are among His closing remarks. These final few paragraphs contain the most important instructions His followers were going to need to know as they headed down the mountain and back into their daily lives. If any of them were beginning to doze off, these serious words would have perked up them. They should do the same for us.

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Ask, Seek, Knock

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“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 ESV1

Read Matthew 7:7-11 & Luke 11:9-13

These words on prayer were spoken by Jesus to the dedicated followers who had joined Him on the mountainside. They apply to those disciples as much as they apply to Christ-followers today. Jesus is very clear in this passage that God most definitely with absolute certainty answers prayer, but that may not be our daily experience. Let’s explore why.

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The Thing About Judging

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“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure, you use it will be measured to you.”  Matthew 7:1-2 ESV1

Read Matthew 7:1-14 & Luke 6:37-38

To the rational mind, racism, sexism, and all forms of prejudice are senseless. After all, who of us chose the color of his/her skin? Which of us decided before our birth which gender we would be? Who among us had any input on who his/her ancestors were? Did any of us get to vote for the color of his/her eyes, or height, or body structure? Who got to pick his/her personality, strengths, or weakness? Though it is not rational, most of us harbor some kind of prejudice. Why is that?

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Jesus’ Prescription for Anxiety

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But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 ESV1

Read Matthew 6:25-34 & Luke 12:22-31

We are anxious about so many things. Worry visits every single one of us. It captures our imaginations. It takes us to extremes. It steals our joy. “Anxiety has become the number one mental health issue in North America. It’s estimated that one-third of the North American adult population experiences anxiety unwellness issues.”2 But does it have to be this way? Is there a Biblical solution to anxiety?

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The Healthy Eye

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The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness. Matthew 6:22-23 ESV1

Read Matthew 6:19-24

Have you ever heard the idiom looking at life through rose-colored glasses? It means positively seeing things or having an optimistic outlook. Often, if one is wearing rose-colored glasses, he/she sees things better than they really are.

There doesn’t seem to be an idiom for the opposite of rose-colored glasses, yet that mindset definitely exists. Some people look through another kind of glasses, and those glasses are half empty. Those people have a negative outlook on life and circumstances. To them, things often appear worse than they really are.

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Model for Prayer

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Pray then like this… Matthew 6:9 ESV1

Read Matthew 6:6-15 & Luke 11:2-4

If you have been around Christianity for any length of time, you are probably familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. You may have repeated several times with others in church services, on your own in times of need, or even at an occasional sporting event. With as many times as you have heard and said it, you probably even have it memorized. But did you ever consider that you may not be using the Lord’s Prayer the way the Lord intended?

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