For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! – Romans 5:17 (NIV)
Jesus made us righteous. His death and resurrection provided new life for us, and that gift is available to us by grace through faith. However, Jesus didn’t only want us to have enough to barely get by and just look to heaven for our hope.
No, Jesus promises us good things here in this life. God’s best is that we walk in blessings and abundance.
Today’s Truth: We Reign in Life With Christ
That means that we don’t have to walk around in fear, upset, or wondering what the future holds. No matter what happens in the world around us, we can know that in Christ we will come out on top. Today’s verse shows us that we reign in this life through Jesus.
So don’t give in to fear. Don’t let worry or concern for the future stop you. Instead, realize that Jesus has provided you everything you need to reign in this life. He’s going to make sure that you have what you need to do what he’s called you to do.
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. – Colossians 3:1 (NLT)
In yesterday’s devotion, we talked about the bad news. We saw that no matter how good we are, we still need a savior because we are dead in our sins. There’s no way to get to heaven except through Jesus. Today we’re going to look at some good news.
The good news is that when we accept Jesus as our savior by faith, God sees us differently. God sees us raised to new life in Christ.
Today’s Truth: We have been raised to new life in Jesus.
Why is this important? It shows us how powerful Jesus’ death and resurrection were. No longer does God see us as sinners, but He sees us raised up in Christ. That means that we have access to God. We can talk to God. We can know God. Being raised to new life in Jesus means that we no longer are dead in sins, but we can live life with authority and confidence, knowing that when we pray God hears us, that we aren’t worthless, but that we have value now in Christ.
There’s so many great things that come with knowing that you’ve been raised with Jesus. It helps you when you face difficulty because you know deep down that your father, God almighty is working on your behalf. He’s there to help you come out on top each time.
So today, walk in your authority as a child of God. Know that you’ve been raised to new life in Christ Jesus.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 (NLT)
It’s common to hear people say things like, “I’m a good person. I’m better than that hypocritical Christian over there who says they’re a Christian, but are mean to other people.” And yes, it’s true that there are many people who are good, even if they’re not Christian. However, the truth is that no amount of goodness is enough to earn heaven.
You can’t do enough good to remove your sin. Romans 5:12 in the NLT says it like this: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.”
That tells us that we have all sinned. Even if we’re mostly good people, we still are dead in our sins. Without faith in Jesus, we are going to one day die and go to hell.
Today’s Truth: We would be dead without faith in Jesus.
That’s the bad news. There’s good news, however. It is this: Jesus gave us a free gift, eternal life in Him. Our loving God provided a way for us to escape death and hell by faith and trusting in Jesus. If you haven’t made Jesus your savior, here’s a devotion that can help you get started.
In our culture today, there’s been an attack on the authority of God’s word. Popular culture today pokes fun at faith and the Bible. Often, the Bible is often thought of as being outdated, disproven by science, or just not relevant to our lives anymore.
So that leads to the question, is it reasonable to believe the Bible? Is the Bible outdated? Are the principles in it not applicable to our modern world today? Does it not apply to our lives today?
Here are a few things to think about when answering questions like these which will bring you some insight and help you be able to stand firm in the authority of God’s Word.
True Knowledge Comes From God Alone
Without God in our lives, we can’t know right from wrong. If we don’t have God, then we don’t have any standard for moral absolutes. God determines truth, and without God’s word used as the standard to measure truth, then the popular opinion is all that’s left. Then it’s just a matter of what people think is right. If popular opinion decides it’s right in society to kill, then killing is ruled to be ok. Without the truth found in God’s Word, we can’t have a standard to judge or our actions by.
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. – Proverbs 9:10 (NLT)
Knowledge comes from God. God alone should be where we start when learning or knowing things. Without God, our world doesn’t make sense. However, when we realize God’s amazing creative power at work in the universe around us, the world suddenly has meaning and purpose.
For the LORD grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6 (NLT)
Facing life without the Bible, and without God makes life meaningless and empty. If God doesn’t exist and the Bible isn’t real, life doesn’t really have a purpose. If we’re just here for 80-120 years and then die, where’s the purpose in that? Without God, and without the wisdom God brings, life is empty.
With God, we have a purpose. We have meaning. Life is not empty and shallow, but we recognize that we have a purpose and destiny to fulfill. In God, we realize that our lives matter and that we were created on purpose and for a purpose. We begin to fully understand that as we gain wisdom and knowledge from God and from the Bible.
So the Bible is relevant to our lives today because the Bible explains the hope we have in Jesus. Without the truths set out in the Bible, we wouldn’t have hope in Christ.
Some Will Still Choose Not to Believe
I used to believe that if I could find some concrete evidence for God’s existence, that it would lead people to believe. However, some people choose not to believe God even after they’ve seen miracles. Even when presented with sound reasoning as to why the Bible is true and trustworthy, they still won’t believe.
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, – Romans 1:18 (HSCB)
Some people, even when presented with lots of evidence, miracles, and your testimony will still choose to not believe. Don’t be discouraged, however. Keep standing up for what is right. Keep sharing your faith boldly and know that God’s word produces powerful results.
Facing Life, School, and Critics without the Bible Leaves you Unarmed.
The Bible is a weapon. Yet they’ve taken it out of our public schools. As a Christian, that leaves you without your biggest weapon. God’s word is powerful. It can speak to people’s hearts like no other book can.
Even your best-stated argument is just your opinion. However, when you include the Bible and share God’s word with someone, you’re sharing the truth. And that truth is powerful. The Holy Spirit goes to work on the hearts of those you share God’s word with. Even if they don’t become Christians right away, God’s word is a powerful weapon.
So don’t believe the lie that you need to be neutral and leave the Bible out of the defense of your faith. No. The Bible is the best weapon you have. The truth of God’s word teamed with the Holy Spirit will work on the hearts of those you share with. You might not fully convince them the Bible is true, but the seeds of the word of God planted in their hearts are not wasted and will accomplish something (Isaiah 55:11).
It is reasonable to believe the Bible?
Yes, it is. The Bible makes sense of our world. The Bible tells us that it is the beginning of knowledge. If you try to understand the world without God, you will always come up short. It is in knowing God that we develop true wisdom and knowledge. So when you’re at school and you’re studying science, math, music and any other subject, you can know that you’re able to learn and reason because of the God of the Bible. He put that into you. And if you keep God and the Bible central in your life, you’ll come up with some awesome knowledge and results.
Don’t be ashamed of the Bible or the truths contained in it. They are relevant to our culture, even if they aren’t popular. Don’t go back on what you believe. Instead, stay firm in your faith and know that if you stay true to God’s word, you’ll experience some awesome things in life!
Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’… – Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)
People can make it really complicated when they think of all the things they need to be doing for God. They know they need to read the Bible, pray, witness, care for others, and on and on it goes. However, Jesus makes it real simple what we should be doing.
First, Jesus says to love God as Lord, which means with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. If we do this, we will automatically do things like pray. We’ll automatically want to read our Bible. Because we are loving Him, He’ll be our top priority.
Second, Jesus then said to love our neighbor as yourself. This means to treat others as you want to be treated. We naturally want to care about ourselves. Jesus says to love others in that same way. If you know that you’d like to have a friend, then be a friend. If you know that you don’t like being made fun of, then don’t do it to others. If you wouldn’t want someone to take advantage of you, then don’t do it to someone else.
This verse Jesus spoke about really brings a whole bunch of rules of do’s and don’ts and narrows it down to 2 things. Love God and love people. If you do this you’ll fulfill all the rest of the laws.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil. – Psalm 37:8 (NIV)
The last year has been really hard for most of us. School hasn’t been normal, home hasn’t been normal. Shopping for groceries hasn’t been normal. This pandemic has been tough on many of us. And in the middle of all the difficulty, it can be easy to become angry.
Maybe you wish things were normal. Perhaps you’re so tired of things being virtual you’re ready to scream. We have good reason to be angry and upset about what we’ve faced this year.
However, the Bible tells us that anger left unchecked can lead us to evil. We might say something we shouldn’t out of anger, or do something we shouldn’t. One of the best things you can do is to confront your anger. Yes, you’re justified in feeling mad, but don’t let the anger boil up until it controls you.
Instead, go to God. Tell Him about the things that are bothering you. Ask Him to give you wisdom on how to deal with the circumstances you’re currently facing. With God’s help and by avoiding anger, you’ll come out of this pandemic better and closer to God as a result.
If you listen to these commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. – Deuteronomy 28:13 (NLT)
Have you ever felt like you couldn’t do something based on your background? Maybe your parents don’t have a lot of money, and so you feel sometimes like your options are limited.
Today’s Bible verse should encourage you. Even if your earthly parents don’t have a lot, you can be excited that your heavenly father has all the resources you’ll ever need.
God tells us in today’s Bible verse that He will help you be on top. So when you work at a job, do your best, work hard and then believe God that He’s helping you succeed. When you go to school, study, do good, and trust that God is helping you every day.
Today’s Truth: God is Working to Help You Succeed at Life!
That means you can walk into all situations in life knowing that you have an upper hand. God is working on your behalf. He’s helping you succeed and do good at the things He’s called you to do, regardless of your background and upbringing.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
When you’re following God’s plan for your life, it can be easy to become afraid. God often asks us to do things that feel bigger than we are. They are often out of our comfort zone and sometimes, it’s easy to want to ignore what God is telling you to do because it isn’t easy.
Often fear can become a big player in us giving up on our dreams. Maybe you fear that you’ll make the wrong decision, so you never step out and make a decision. Maybe you fear people and rejection and so it keeps you from doing the things God has placed on your heart.
Fear is a tool the enemy likes to use to stop us. He knows that if he can get us afraid he can keep us from doing great things for God.
So today, whatever your fear looks like, know that it’s not from God. God hasn’t given you fear, so if fear is stopping you, then it’s not godly. Determine today to live fearlessly. Don’t let your fears keep you from doing what God has called you to do!
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The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. – Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
I’ve eaten candy bars before. I’ve eaten Kit Kats and they were ok, I’ve had Nerds and they’re good too. However, I’ve tried Peanut Butter M&M’s and they were the best. Some candy is ok, and then there are some candies that are just better.
In life, there’s a difference between things that are just ok and things that are the best. The same is true with God. There are ok pathways you can take for your life. Many decisions aren’t bad, they just aren’t the best. God wants to show you the best path for your life.
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Finding that best pathway takes spending time with God. You’ve got to be open to what He has to say and not be too busy with social media or Netflix to hear Him. Spending time with God helps you know Him better and be ready to hear what He has to speak concerning your future.
God knows you better than anyone. He knows what things will bring you peace. If you’ll trust Him and His leading, you’ll be able to go down the best pathway for your life. So today, decide to lay aside those things that are keeping you from spending time with God. Choose to be real with Him and let Him show you the best path for your life.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. – Psalm 19:10 (NIV)
What’s something in your life that you wouldn’t trade for any amount of money? Is there something special your grandma gave to you? A great memory you have with your dad? What is that one thing that is really precious to you?
In today’s Bible verse, it describes the Bible in that way. It says that it is more precious than gold.
Why? Because the Bible describes to us the meaning of life. It gives us clues to our value, and our purpose. Without the Bible, we’d be helpless and without hope.
The Bible is precious because it’s a book like no other. It is God speaking to us. It’s truth. In every situation you face, God’s word has the answer you need. So if you haven’t, get into it. Learn from it and let God’s word become more precious to you than anything else.
