Christian Daily Devotionals

by Darren Hewer

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus".  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have you ever noticed how often thanksgiving and prayer are mentioned together in the Bible? In the same breath that Paul encourages us to “pray continually,” and also says we should “give thanks in all circumstances”. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) Author Paul E. Miller, in his book A Praying Life (pg. 89-90), collected over a dozen verses where the apostle Paul explicitly connects thanksgiving and prayer. Here is a sample:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”. Philippians 4:6

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers”. 1 Thessalonians 1:2

“I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers” 2 Timothy 1:3

“I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers”  Philemon 4

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” Colossians 4:2

Prayer itself sometimes will be a struggle, as Paul admits when he explains how Epaphras has been struggling in prayer for their friends in Colossi. (Colossians 4:12) However, by always praying with thanksgiving, we can remain encouraged by remembering what God has done and what He promises He will continue to do. By matching prayer of thanksgiving with prayer of intercession, we will not be weighed down by the prayer needs of others (or ourselves) but instead will balance these needs with the assurance of how God has already provided and will continue to provide for us. In this way, we can, as Paul also encourages, “be joyful always”. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)

Even when we are praying for help in the midst of deep distress and struggle, give thanks to the God who has sustained and will sustain us always!

Questions: What are you thankful for today? What would you like to ask God for, in a spirit of thanksgiving?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/02/23/dh_thanksgiving-prayer/

by Darren Hewer

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

I love the Bible. It’s God’s Word, our ultimate source of truth. It contains not only the grand story of the beginning of time and space and our Earth, but also the intimate story of God’s people, and the glorious coming of God’s Son Jesus Christ for our salvation.

But even so, I find that there are times in my life when my daily Bible reading becomes merely routine, if I happen to do it at all. In fact, sometimes I wonder about the Bible: Couldn’t God have given us a more efficient manual? What I mean is, it sometimes seems so complicated. Did you know that the Bible has 66 books, containing 1,189 chapters and 31,170 verses? Instead of 17 major and minor prophets, for example, maybe we could have been given a list of the top 10 marriage tips instead?

Then I think: God didn’t want to give us the kind of book that you read once and put on the shelf. He wasn’t interested in giving us a pamphlet. God wanted to give us something that would engage us and continue to challenge us for a lifetime. He, in His infinite wisdom, gave us a book that was so deep that we could read it every hour of every day of our entire lives and still not exhaust its wisdom.

If you’ve spent any serious amount of time reading the Bible you can probably attest to how you’ve read a passage a dozen or more times before, but somehow this time, it hits you in a totally new way as God illuminates your mind to deeper meaning and fuller understanding. “How did I not see it before?” you think. And it’s so amazing how deep this book is!

God Himself is like that: Our great God isn’t someone of whom you could say, “Oh, God? Yeah, I met him once, I think.” God is so amazingly great that it’s a lifelong process to know Him. He wants us not to just know ABOUT Him, but to know Him intimately. And for that, a simple pamphlet won’t do.

God, we thank you for your Word, the wisdom of which can never be exhausted!

Question: How has your Bible reading been lately? Is it time to begin to re-read it with “new eyes”?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/23/dh_bible/
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by Darren Hewer

Please open your Bible and read  Acts 1:1-11

One of John Ortberg's popular books is titled "If you Want to Walk on Water, you have to get out of the Boat". Although the title alludes to when Peter tried to walk on water (and succeeded, albeit briefly; (Matthew 14:22-33) this quote also applies to the apostles, just after Jesus ascended to heaven.

As Jesus "was taken up before their very eyes", the apostles "were looking intently up into the sky" (Acts 1:9-10). Just before this, Jesus told them "you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (v8) Yet after Jesus ascends apostles just stand there. How often do we do the same? God's instructions are clear to us, but we just can't seem to get going.

I can imagine the apostles were worried when Jesus left them. How would they survive without Him? They left their homes, jobs, and everything else behind to follow Him. And now He was leaving? But this is no excuse, and their lack of action prompts two angels to appear to them, who say "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (v11)

The angels gave them the reason not to worry: Just as Jesus had been taken away, He will return. Luke's gospel tells us how the apostles responded to the angels: "They worshiped [Jesus] and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." (Luke 24:52) Their confidence was restored by God's promise, which is trustworthy and true. And this confidence prompted them into action!

The question for us today is: Am I standing around, staring up at the sky? Or am I actively living out Jesus' command to be witnesses to the ends of the Earth?

What's holding you back from being an active witness? If you want to witness, you have to start witnessing! If your spiritual life lately has felt more like stargazing than navigating, it may be time to re-read the book of Acts and be inspired by the lives of some of the earliest Christian servants. I assure you that you are more ready than you realize, "for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." (Luke 12:12)

Question: What's holding you back?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2010/01/14/dh_holding-you-back/

by Darren Hewer

"Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29 (NLT)

If anyone has the right to NOT be humble, it's Jesus. This is the guy who fed thousands with just a loaf of bread and a fish, turned water into wine, walked on water, and raised people from the dead. Not a good enough resume? How about this: Through Him all things were made, and from Him all the light that shines emanates! (John 1)

Jesus is God, but nevertheless He "gave up his divine privileges" and "took the humble position of a slave." (Philippians 2:7)

Jesus also has the right to NOT be gentle as he looks around and sees such immorality and lack of faith in the world. Jesus signed in exasperation at the lack of faith that he saw around him. (Mark 8:12) Yet Jesus is rightly described as being "gentle and humble in heart". (Matthew 11:29)

We may have many reasons to be proud. Perhaps we have a successful business, or have been blessed with a wonderful family, or have been gifted with a special talent in music or art. Despite this we must remain humble, because "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

And we may have many reasons to be ruthless. Maybe someone treated us unfairly, or we've had a really bad day. But "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." (1 John 3:16)

The path to humility and gentleness is clear. The signs all point in the same direction: Allow Jesus to teach us to become more like Him. "I have set you an example," says Jesus, "that you should do as I have done for you." (John 13:15) It may not happen overnight. Or over many nights. But by diligently remaining focused on God's Word and patiently pondering the life of Christ, it will certainly, perhaps little by little, begin to happen. You too can become humble and gentle at heart.

Question: Are you gentle and humble in heart? How can we further our goal to be more like Jesus in this regard?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/12/14/dh_gentle-humble/