Category: Daily Prayers

 

[God] canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

–Colossians 2:14

In New York City, there’s a huge display called the National Debt Clock. It calculates our national debt in real time ($34 trillion and counting, as of this writing). You can stand there and watch our national debt increase every second. The Bible says each of us is indebted like that to God–not for money but for the payment of our sins. Romans 2:5 says we are “storing up wrath for [ourselves] in the day of wrath.” Every time we sin, we add to our obligation to God.

But by God’s grace, we are debt-free. Look at Colossians 2:14: “[God] canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Imagine you owed a debt of $34 trillion with interest compounded daily. The person you’re indebted to says, “The debt has to be paid, but I have good news: my son will pay your debt in full if you allow him to.” Would you puff up with pride and refuse the offer, determined to pay off the debt yourself? You would die still in debt. Your only hope would be to accept the payment the son was willing to make for you.

One day, the debt we owe to God is going to have to be paid. We can say, “God, I don’t need Your Son to pay my debt for me. I will pay for it myself.” If we reject the grace of God, then we will die in debt and spend eternity in hell trying to pay off that debt ourselves. Or we can accept the payment that’s been made through Christ Jesus.

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, there was a sign placed above his head that read “King of the Jews” (John 19:19). That was the offense He committed, at least in human terms–Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the King of the Jews. But there was another placard on that cross: a certificate of debt listing not the offenses of Jesus but the offenses of you and me. Who nailed that placard to the cross of Jesus Christ? Colossians 2:14 says it was God. He “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, . . . having nailed it to the cross.”

When Jesus died, He died not for His sins but for our sins. In the final moments of His earthly life, Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”–literally, “paid in full” (John 19:30). By God’s grace, Christ has paid your sin debt in full.

 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
John 14:6

The world is searching for answers, and those searches usually happen on Google, the world’s biggest search engine. Last year, the top searches had to do with the war in Israel with Hamas, the imploded submarine looking for the Titanic, Matthew Perry, NFL star Damar Hamlin, and actor Jeremy Renner.

Google can certainly help answer some of our questions, but for the most important questions in life we need to open our Bibles. Jesus answered a lot of questions in the Gospels, and His answers are always wise, correct, and valuable to us. For example, in John 14:6, Jesus answered the three greatest questions of the human heart: (1) How can I be saved? He said, “I am the way.” (2) How can I be sure? He said, “I am…the truth.” (3) How can I be satisfied? He said, “I am…the life.”

Jesus is the Answer to everything we really need in the depths of our lives. Look to Him for your greatest needs, deepest desires, highest hopes, and fullest blessings.

Christ is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way.

Act 2:42-43    And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

The evidence of Jesus’ entrance into their welcoming hearts was clear to all—steadfast in doctrine and fellowship and a shared concern for others fueled by the Holy Spirit. Biblical doctrine, learned in humble submission to God’s Spirit is always the right order for spiritual effectiveness and power.

More Bible in you equals more power, yet many Christians today are ineffective in reaching the world. Why? Because they’ve abandoned pursuing God in exchange for other religious interests. Yet, no self-help book, conference, or religious system will ever satisfy a craving for God. And as holy and lofty as the doctrines of the Bible are, they are not the person of God. Sound doctrine should act as a fence around our passion for God, but it is not a replacement for His presence.

There can be no substitutes for the child of God who belongs to what A. W. Tozer describes as “the fellowship of the burning heart.” They must be with God daily. They must pursue Him in the Word. Nothing else will do. Such believers have learned that even well-meaning encouragement or advice can be ill-fitting or come up short. They understand that times of holy bankruptcy are vehicles to drive them to the Lord.

I urge you to spend time with God. Ask Him to reveal Himself through the Word. Plead with Him to infuse Himself into your being and transport you into a dying world so that you might reach others. Do that, and you can be confident that He will empower you from on high.

 

Matthew 6:8.  “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

A big house on several acres with multiple cars in the driveway. A prosperous life full of comfort and free from suffering. The opportunity to plot your own course and achieve your dreams through hard work and diligence.

These are a few examples of what some consider the American Dream, that national ethos which was summarized in the Declaration of Independence: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

On the surface, this is almost all you could ever ask for—the opportunity to choose your own way and have the freedom to pick your path to happiness. It’s certainly something that is not promised in other parts of the world. Many would give everything they have to come to the United States and pursue the American Dream.

I must ask, though: How’s your American Dream going? Are you finding the happiness you’re free to pursue, or has your American Dream become a nightmare?

You see, I love the idea of the American Dream. I love the belief that we all have opportunities in this great country, and if we’re willing to work and sacrifice, we can reap the benefits. With that said, there’s a bit of an inherent risk with that attitude. When it’s all about me (I’m working hard, I’m making my way, I’m going to do what I need to get ahead), it leaves very little room for the One who has promised that He has a plan for us.

I believe in the American Dream and agree that we should all work hard, for the Bible has plenty to say about downfalls of laziness. But I also believe that it’s impossible to find true and lasting peace and happiness through simply chasing prosperity and comfort.

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV).

I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb by assuming that many of you reading this are struggling with something in your lives. Maybe the American Dream has come true for you and you have all the money that you could ever need, but you’re finding that the material possessions aren’t buying you any happiness. Or maybe you’ve worked hard every day of your life but nothing has come easy, and it feels like you’re spinning your wheels with little hope of ever catching up, let alone getting ahead.

Regardless of where you are in the journey, I’d humbly suggest that you examine your life and see if everything you’re amassing—both your successes and struggles—are bringing you happiness and hope. Truly consider if you’ve allowed Jesus to consume your life. Are you following His path and calling, rather than your own?

The American Dream is fine—incredible, in fact—but don’t forget that for Christians “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20, ESV). By turning your eyes to Jesus, you not only find joy here on earth, but have hope for eternity as well.

 

See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

–Colossians 2:8

Karl Valentin, a clown from Munich, Germany, once performed a scene on a darkened stage that was illuminated by a single streetlamp. The clown walked around the circle of light with a frown on his face, desperately looking for something. A policeman entered the scene and asked what the clown had lost. He said, “The key to my house.” So the policeman joined the clown in walking around and around the circle of light, to no avail. Finally, the policeman asked the clown, “Are you sure you lost it here?”

The clown said no and pointed to a darkened area of the stage. “Over there,” he said.

“Then why on earth are you looking for it here?” the policeman asked. The clown replied, “There is no light over there.”

Many people are like that clown. They’re searching not for their keys but for answers to life’s most important questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Is there a God? If there is a God, what does He want from me? But instead of looking in the right place for answers, they’re looking at the most appealing philosophies of the day–philosophies that promise to offer light but are based on darkness. In Colossians 2, Paul reminded us that the answers to life’s most important questions are not found in human philosophy; they are found in the person of Jesus Christ.

The Colossian church was being infiltrated by false teachers who said Jesus is not sufficient for every need you have in life–you need Jesus plus something else. So Paul reminded the Colossians not to be lured away by other philosophies, experiences, or religions. He didn’t buy into an idea that is prevalent among Christians today: that you should never criticize anybody else’s beliefs but instead just be positive about your own religion. Paul recognized that as a spiritual leader, his job was to help protect God’s sheep by warning them about false teachings that were leading them astray.

One thing Paul warned against was human philosophy. He wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (v. 8). Human philosophy can lead you away from God.

 

In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete.

–Colossians 2:9–10

Many people in today’s world rely on human philosophy to find meaning and direction in life. What is the answer to human philosophy? In Colossians 2:9, Paul reminded the Colossians, “In [Christ] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” God didn’t pour just a little bit of Himself into Jesus; He poured all of Himself into that tiny embryo in Mary’s womb. Jesus is the fullness of God in bodily form.

What does that mean for us? Look at verse 10: “In Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”Jesus Christ is the answer to every question and every need you have in life. The apostle Peter said, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).

Warren Wiersbe put it this way: “When a person is born again into the family of God, he is born complete in Christ. His spiritual growth is not by addition, but by nutrition. He grows from the inside out. Nothing needs to be added to Christ because He already is the very fullness of God. As the believer draws on Christ’s fullness, he is ‘filled unto all the fullness of God’ (Eph. 3:19). What more does he need?”

Philosophers may say Christianity is too simplistic to offer solutions to today’s complex problems. But God’s Word says Christ offers everything we need for this life, while human wisdom is empty.

During the last couple of decades, many people have built their lives around the teachings of atheists like Richard Dawkins. In his book The God Delusion, Dawkins wrote, “Atonement, the central doctrine of Christianity, [is] vicious, sado-masochistic and repellent.” When I read that statement, I couldn’t help but think of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:18–20: “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.’ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

The wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God. It is bankrupt to provide lasting answers, and most importantly, it leads to eternal death. But the word of the cross leads to life. Jesus Christ is sufficient for every need you have–in this life and the next.

 

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Hebrews 2:18

Two words in the English language are often confused and, therefore, misused: sympathize and empathize. Sympathy literally means “to suffer with.” Sympathy is expressed by feelings of pity or sorrow for someone’s suffering. You may not understand what the person is experiencing, but you feel badly for them. To empathize goes a step further. Empathy means “to understand and share in the suffering of another because you have experienced the same suffering yourself.”

Jesus expressed both sympathy and empathy. He was “moved with compassion” when He observed the spiritual condition of people—they were like “sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). This was not something Jesus had experienced Himself, but He sympathized with the suffering of others. But when it comes to the suffering we experience in temptation, Jesus can empathize with us because “He Himself has suffered, being tempted.” Having experienced the same suffering, He knows how to come to our aid.

You are not alone when you are tempted. Jesus knows what you are experiencing. As He escaped temptation Himself, He will guide you through to victory over sin.

Our response to temptation is an accurate barometer of our love for God.

 

 

We may be hard-pressed to come up with a universally accepted definition of evil, but most of us know evil when we see it – or at least we think we do. For example, most (but not all) would say the gas chambers of Auschwitz were evil, as were the U.S. institution of chattel slavery, the serial murders of Ted Bundy, the packaged explosives of “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, and the domestic terror of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.

God has placed in every human heart a conscience, which not only helps us discern right from wrong but universally testifies of a divine moral law giver (Rom. 2:14-16). And so, we know intuitively what evil is, and therefore we know who ultimately judges us for it. Or we should. The problem is, sin has knocked every human being’s moral compass off magnetic north.

Evil is not so much the opposite of good as it is the absence of good, or the perversion of good. Just as darkness may only be described in contrast to light, evil is only understood in relation to good. And that’s the rub, because all human beings, though made in the image of God, are evil. We all sin, and our sin separates us from an eternally and unequivocally good creator (Rom. 3:10, 23; 6:23).

As a result, we often call evil good, and good evil (Isa. 5:20). We willingly descend the long spiral of godlessness, rejecting the God who reveals himself to all people in creation and conscience (Rom. 1:18-20; 2:14-16). Incrementally, God delivers us over to the depravities of our hearts until we live in open rebellion against him, celebrating the very deeds for which we stand condemned (Rom. 1:28-32).

Put simply, we are evil. And although we may gloss over our wickedness, or compare ourselves positively with those we deem far worse than we are, it is a fool’s game. God is holy. We are not. And apart from God’s grace, we all share a common destination in the lake of fire.

When it comes to the character the Bible identifies as the evil one, our ability to discern between good and evil is even more precarious. In part, that’s because Satan is the embodiment of evil, so much so that he comes to us as an angel of light and makes wrong seem right, wickedness seem righteous, and evil seem good. He places a veil over our eyes, whispers soothing words into our deepest depravities, and makes a lie sound like the greatest version of our own personal truth.

 

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians about the danger of yielding to temptation. The desert was littered with the bodies of Israelites who ignored God’s warnings (1 Corinthians 10:5).

On their trek to the Promised Land, the Hebrews engaged in immorality, idolatry, and grumbling; and many were judged. These examples from Israel’s past “were written for our admonition”—as warnings about the dangers of temptation (1 Corinthians 10:11). “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall,” Paul warned (verse 12). But with that warning came a way of escape. Paul wrote that God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear—that He always provides a “way of escape.” But we must take the way God provides.

First Corinthians 10:13 is not only a verse of comfort but also a verse of warning. Failure to resist temptation in the strength of Christ is to ignore God’s warning about the consequences of sin.

The best of saints may be tempted to the worst of sins.